Tag Archives: Proverbs 27:3

November 5, 2015 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

DSCN9686

Proverbs 27:3

    The heaviest burden you will ever bear is resentment. So, put it down now, or better yet, never pick it up. Resenting others for what they have done, or what they have, only wears you down. Forgive people for the wrongs you perceive them to have done (whether to yourself or others) and turn that burden over to God. If they are truly guilty of wrongdoing, He will repay them. And if your perception was incorrect and they did no wrong, you have been carrying that burden for no good purpose.

DSCN9712

Psalm 105:37-45

    The psalmist concludes his psalm about how God has a plan for all things by noting that after their suffering God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt with great wealth. He led them through the desert to the land He had promised them so that they could worship Him and follow His commands. He will do likewise for us.

DSCN9713

Hebrews 7:1-17

    The writer revisits what it means that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek. He points out that we have no record of Melchizedek’s parents, nor of his death. Metaphorically, Melchizedek is eternal. This means that a priest of the “order of Melchizedek” is eternal. Jesus is indeed an eternal priest. Further, the writer points out that Aaron metaphorically tithed to Melchizedek, meaning that Melchizedek was greater than Aaron. This means that Jesus is a high priest who is greater than the high priests of the order of Aaron. Finally, the writer tells us that the very fact that God created an order of priests other than those of the order of Aaron indicates that the law established through Aaron was inadequate to God’s purposes. The whole point of this is that Jesus brought about a change to the law which God commands man to follow in order to receive salvation.

DSCN9714

Ezekiel 12:1-14:11

    In this passage Ezekiel condemns those who prophecy out of their own imagination. I think that this passage is truly a warning for many leaders in the Church today. God will bring judgment on those who encourage the sins of our society rather than calling on people to turn from their sins. We, as Christians, should be striving to build up the wall of righteousness which stands between our nation and destruction. Instead of repairing the wall by carefully putting back the stones of righteousness, many are covering the holes with fabric and painting the fabric with whitewash to give it a semblance of righteousness. Others are warning the righteous against things which are not wrong and telling the wicked that their evil is righteous. God will strike them all down.

November 5, 2014 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have been convicted to seek to develop a disciplined prayer life. It is still a work in progress. Please pray for me, that the Holy Spirit may show me how to pray in a disciplined manner.

DSCN6847

Proverbs 27:3

    It is harder to bear up under the resentment triggered by the foolish things people say and do than under a weight of stone or sand. Give careful thought to what you say or do so that you do not foolishly provoke others to resentment and anger.
,br>

DSCN6863

Psalm 105:37-45

    God shows His power in wonderful and marvelous ways so that we will honour Him and follow His commands. God does not do these things because we follow His commands. He does them so that we will follow His commands. Christ did not die for our sins because we were righteous. He died for our sins in order to make us righteous. Thus it is with all of God’s great deeds.

DSCN6859

Hebrews 7:1-17

    Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. As the author here points out, Melchizedek means “king of justice”. In addition, Melchizedek was king of Salem, and Salem means “peace”. This connection reinforces what we read in other places where we are told that Jesus is the King of Justice and King of Peace. One thing the author does not point out is that Salem was the city we now know as Jerusalem, so Jesus was also King of Jerusalem (which also follows from His being the descendant of David).
    The take away from all of this is that the priesthood of Aaron has been superseded. The priesthood of Aaron interacted with God on behalf of the people. Under that structure, the high priest approached God and made offerings on behalf of himself and the people. But even after the high priest had made his offerings, the people still needed to go through the priests in order to approach God. However, under the new priesthood, our High Priest has made offering on our behalf once and we can now approach God with only Jesus as our intermediary.

DSCN6852

Ezekiel 12-14:11

    Ezekiel speaks out against prophets and religious leaders who, rather than call on people to give up their sins and turn to God, tell the people that all will be well. He warns against encouraging people to make cosmetic changes to their lives when what they need is fundamental transformation. It is not enough for us to show the appearance of righteousness, we must live righteous lives, doing what we can to help the impoverished and oppressed. Going to Church on Sunday is just not going to cut it. God is calling us to do more than that. We need to live our lives each day to bring healing to those around us who are suffering.
    Further, Ezekiel speaks out against those prophets who offer We must also call others to make genuine changes in their lives. It is not enough to offer them “charms” and rituals for them to follow. We must call people to turn from the sin which is causing their suffering. God is bringing judgement against those who do not turn from their sin. He is also going to bring judgement against us if we tell the sinners that they can avoid the judgement by making cosmetic changes when what they need is the fundamental transformation of accepting Jesus and the Holy Spirit into their lives.

November 5, 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. I am sorry if my posts are not posted in a timely fashion for the next little while. Well, I have my power back, but I am still not able to get online in my normal routine because my Internet service has not been restored. I am able to post by using either the Internet at a friend’s house or by going to someplace that has free Wifi access. I am going to try to get something closer to my normal routine by writing down the passages for the next day and writing the blog offline. In addition, I usually compose these on my desktop PC and typing them on my laptop is a different experience. Please bear with me until I get back into my usual routine.

Setting Up the List Field

Ezekiel 12:1-14:11

     Ezekiel received instruction from God to act out the next prophecy. He was told to take his baggage and in the sight of the people dig a hole in the wall and go forth through it. When the people asked him what he was doing, he was to tell them that the prince in Jerusalem will gather his baggage and dig a hole in the wall and attempt to escape through it, but the prince will be captured and taken into captivity. Then Ezekiel told the people that their expectation that every prophecy was far in the future was no longer true. God was going to bring these things to pass, not only in their lifetimes, but in the very near future.
     Ezekiel follows this up with condemnation of false prophets. The false prophets had been telling the people of Israel that there would be peace when there was no peace. These prophets had been putting a whitewash of false righteousness over the sinfulness of the people. They were telling the people support this political agenda and it will fulfill your obligation to care for the poor and destitute. Then you don’t have to be bothered to actually do anything for them yourself.
     Then Ezekiel spoke out against some of the elders of Israel who came to consult him for the word of the Lord. Ezekiel told them that they were doing so to put a cover of righteousness over their idolatry. Ezekiel told them to put aside their idolatry and turn from their sins. God does not want us to support a political ideology that promises to help the poor and destitute. God wants us to help the poor and destitute.

“Put it right there.”

Hebrews 7:1-17

     The last chapter ended with the statement that Jesus has become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is mentioned in Genesis as the King of Salem and a priest of God to whom Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils after he had rescued Lot and other captives from raiders. The author of Hebrews points out that the priests according to the Law were descendants of Aaron, who was himself a descendant of Abraham. The author makes two points from this. The first is that Aaron himself, who the Law says shall receive a tenth from the people of Israel, metaphorically gave a tenth to Melchizedek (since Aaron was descended from a son of Abraham who was not yet conceived). The second is that when the priesthood is changed, there is of necessity a change of the Law that establishes the priesthood.
     The author further points out that if perfection could be attained through the priesthood of Aaron, there would be no need for another priest in the order of Melchizedek. But the psalmist declares that God is going to raise up another priest in the order of Melchizedek, one who will sit at the right hand of God. Here we have the logic whereby the Law of Moses has been fulfilled and a greater Law instituted in its place.

Preparing for Battle

Psalm 105:37-45

     The psalmist tells us that when the children of Israel departed Egypt the Egyptians were glad to see them go. The plagues had caused the Egyptians to want no more to do with the Israelites. God brought them out of Egypt with wealth and guided them through the wilderness. While they were in the wilderness God provided for them with manna and quail, causing water to flow out from the rocks. God brought them into a land inhabited by other nations and gave that land to the Israelites. God did all of this so that they might keep His commands and obey His laws. Will God do any less for us today if we keep His commands and follow His Word? Let us praise the Lord for all He has done for us.

“Do You Really Expect Us To Believe That?”

Proverbs 27:3

     Even the strongest, wisest person may find themselves reacting against their better judgment when provoked by a fool.