Tag Archives: Proverbs 25:1-5

October 10, 2015 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 25:1-5

    I interpret the first of these proverbs as telling us that it is an expression of God’s glory to have created this world with mysteries and it is to the glory of those in government to support investigations to solve those mysteries (investment in scientific research). A government will be secure if the wicked are removed from it.

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Psalm 80

    Turn us again to Yourself, Oh God, that we might be saved. It will only be then that we will be able to prosper once more. Let us pray that God turns the people of this, and every, nation to Him. It will only be then that peace and justice will reign on this earth.

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1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13

    Paul commends the Thessalonian believers for accepting the Gospel as the word of God, which it is. There are those who think the Gospel message conveyed in the New Testament contains many good teachings, but they, also, believe that it was composed by men. Therefore they believe that they can pick and choose which of its teachings to follow.
    Troubles will come for those who choose to accept the Gospel, in its entirety, as the word of God. This fact is why so many attempt to pick and choose which parts they will accept. Of course those same people are the ones from whom many of the troubles arise for those who follow the will of God.

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Jeremiah 14:11-16:15

    As Jeremiah prophesied to the people of the coming disaster, they refused to listen. Instead, they listened to the prophets who told them that peace and prosperity were just around the corner. Jeremiah calls them false prophets to whom God has not spoken. If we spend a little time looking at what was going on in the world at the time of Jeremiah, we can see why God held the people accountable for listening to the false prophets. Anyone who looked at the world around them could see that peace was not on the horizon. Things were getting worse and rather than turn to God in repentance the people were doubling down on their sins. I fear for people today because I see people doing much the same thing now.

October 10, 2014 Bible Study — Let Us Pray Night and Day

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 25:1-5

    It is to God’s glory that the way the world works is not always obvious or apparent. It is to a ruler’s glory to seek answers to how the world works. Just as a silver smith removes impurities from silver before trying to make something with it, so a ruler should eliminate the wicked from his administration before he tries to govern.

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Psalm 80:1-19

    I love how the NLT translates this psalm. The psalmist asks God how long He will be angry with His people and why He is breaking down their protections? Yet it is clear he knows the answer to the second part. The psalmist again and again in this psalm asks God to turn us to Him again. It is such a great way to sum up the Gospel message. We will not be saved until God turns us to Him. It is by God’s power that we realize our sinfulness. It is by God’s power that we recognize our need for Him. And it is by God’s power, and His power alone, that we turn to Him and accept His salvation.

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1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13

    I do not get a theme out of today’s passage, rather I see a couple of points worth noting. Following up on yesterday’s theme about how to preach the Gospel, Paul tells us that he pleaded with, urged, and encouraged the Thessalonians to live lives worthy of God. We should take a similar approach with our friends. Let us plead with and urge those who have not yet accepted Christ to do so. Let us encourage those who have come to know the Lord to live ever more faithful lives.
    Paul reminds us that there are those who will strive to keep us from preaching the Gospel to those who do not already believe. They will claim that we should do the good things we do because we follow Christ without mentioning the reasons we do them. They will tell us that we could help more people and better if we would just help them with their problems and not teach them to change their lives so as to avoid those problems in the first place. The final thing I see in this passage is a reminder about the importance of prayer. Let us follow Paul’s example and pray night and day.

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Jeremiah 14:11-16:15

    Those who should have been warning the people of Judah about the coming troubles, their religious and secular leaders, were telling them that all was well: that their foreign policy was a success and peace had arrived; that their domestic policy was a success and prosperity was around the corner. God told Jeremiah that instead of these things, war and famine were coming to the land. God would no longer listen to prayers for the people of Judah. He was going to send destroyers against them, war, disease, and wild animals, to teach them the error of their ways. Have we reached that point today? The point where no intervention can deflect the coming judgement? I do not believe we are there yet, but we are getting close. We need to call the people to turn to God before it is too late to turn His judgement aside.
    There is another theme in this passage. Jeremiah is being persecuted for his faithful relating of God’s message. God promises that He will protect Jeremiah from his enemies, from those who seek his death. Even in the face of the coming destruction, God tells Jeremiah that He will protect him. Further God promises to do the same for all who turn to Him and speak His words to those rushing to destruction.

October 10 2013 Bible Study — Night And Day We Pray

     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 in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Magrat under the chair
Magrat under the chair

Jeremiah 14:11-16:15

     God tells Jeremiah that he is no longer to pray for the people, that God will no longer listen to prayers for mercy on them. Jeremiah replies that their leaders and prophets are telling them that all is well, that they will have peace. God tells him that the prophets are liars, death and destruction are just around the corner. When I read this I am reminded of the political leaders today who say that all is well, there will be peace, the economy is recovering. And when I read this passage it frightens me. However, despite the doom and gloom of this passage there exists some hope within it. Further along in the passage God tells Jeremiah that if he returns to Him, if he repents, God will restore him and save him from the hands of the wicked.
     God’s judgment is coming upon those who refuse to listen to God’s commands. The inevitable results of evil are about to descend upon the people. But God is still faithful to those who are faithful to Him. Destruction and trouble is coming for those who have chosen to abandon God’s desires, but God will protect those who have remained faithful.

Magrat rolls on the grass
Magrat rolls on the grass

1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13

     As I read this passage today I feel convicted by what Paul says in two ways. First, he speaks of working night and day so as to have the resources to meet his own needs and not be a burden on anyone as he preached the Gospel. In addition to working to maintain his needs, Paul strove to be devout, honest, and faultless in his actions toward those who listened to his words. This first part sums up how we should strive to be among those we are striving to reach for the Gospel.
     The second way in which I am convicted by today’s passage is how I view the Gospel message. The Gospel message is the word of God. It is a philosophy of life given by the Creator of the universe. It is not a mere invention of human thought. It is not beneficial to argue it out on the same level as human philosophies. There will be elements of the Gospel that are beyond the ability of our finite minds to reconcile. I will stand firm in the Lord and work at living a life of faith and love.
     Once more Paul writes about prayer. “Night and day we pray earnestly for you,…” I am striving to make prayer a more integral part of my life. Paul prayed that God would bring him to them soon. He also prayed that God would cause their love for one another and for everyone grow and overflow. There is a connection between our love for others and our dedication to praying for and about them.

Another shot of Magrat under the chair
Another shot of Magrat under the chair

Psalm 80:1-19

     It is only when God sends his Spirit upon us that we will turn to Him. It is only when we turn to Him that we can and will be saved. Oh Lord God, send your Spirit upon us and turn us back to you! Change our hearts so that we desire to do Your will!

Magrat cleans her paw
Magrat cleans her paw

Proverbs 25:1-5

     Just as the impurities must be removed from silver before a silversmith can use it to make something, so must wicked people be removed from government offices before the government can govern legitimately.

October 10, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

Hickory Run State Park path

Jeremiah 14:11-16:15

     Jeremiah is instructed not to pray for the people of Judah any more. The prophets who are prophesying that they will have peace and prosperity are lying. God did not send them. God will punish those prophets for lying in His name. Further God tells Jeremiah that he will not listen to any intercessor for the people, not even Moses or Samuel. The people have sinned against God and He will not turn aside His wrath. However, God tells Jeremiah that He will protect Him. If we turn to God, He will guard us even in times of trouble. We are to influence the society in which we live, but not be influenced by it. That is certainly easier said than done. God tells Jeremiah that he is not to mourn with the people, because God is bringing a time when there will be such disaster that no one will offer another comfort. He also tells Jeremiah not to take part in their celebrations and parties because the time is soon coming when no one will be celebrating anything nor gathering for a party of any sort. When the people ask why such terrible things are in store for them, Jeremiah is to answer that it is because of the sins of their ancestors who abandoned God and worshiped other gods. But not only that, the current generation was guilty of being even worse. They pursued their own evil desires and refused to listen to the words of God. This is a warning to us today. Are we telling those around us the words that God has for them? Are we calling them to follow God? Or are we preaching false prophecies of peace and prosperity when judgement is coming?
     Despite all of these prophecies that Jeremiah had of the coming judgement for the sins of the people of Judah, he also had a prophecy of hope. Jeremiah prophesied that after scattering the people to lands they have never heard of, God will gather them together again. Jeremiah told the people of Judah that their descendants would turn once more to God and God would redeem them.

1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13

     We should plead with, encourage and urge our brothers and sisters in the Lord to live their lives in a way that God would consider worthy. The message we have received of the gospel is not mere human ideas. It is the very words of God. If we stand firm in this we will suffer persecution from our own countrymen as they try to keep us from preaching the gospel. We have been warned that troubles will come both to ourselves and to others who preach the gospel. Let us stand firm in our faith and not let temptation separate us from God. Let us pray night and day for our fellow believers and for the salvation of those we meet. May the Lord make our love for each other and for all people grow to the point where it overflows on all around us. Let us keep the faith that Jesus will return.

Psalm 80:1-19

     When we face trouble let us turn to God for protection. More than that, let us pray to God that He will turn our souls away from evil and back to Him. May He revive us and strengthen us in His service.

Proverbs 25:1-5

     If those who govern wish to be secure, they should get rid of all those who influence them towards evil or injustice. No one can fully comprehend this universe, either to the mighty distance of the stars nor to the miniscule level of atoms.