When disaster comes, the wicked are crushed because they place their trust and faith in material things. When disaster strikes and destroys their material possessions, they do not have anywhere left to turn. The righteous, on the other hand, place their trust in God so that not even death is able to threaten their peace.
Despite the good things which God had done for the people of Israel they refused to follow His guidance. They quickly forgot His displays of power and sought after other solutions to their problems. Are we the same? Do we forget what God has done for us? Or are we like Moses and Phinehas? Do we intervene with God asking Him to forgive those who have sinned against Him? Oh Lord, let me not forget what You have done for me. Move in me to stand in prayer, calling people back to following You and begging You not to strike them in Your just anger against them.
John recounts how Jesus fed the five thousand (actually much more as the count of five thousand only includes the men, not women and children). Philip could not conceive of raising enough money to feed so many, and Andrew pointed out that their available resources were too few for the task (five loaves of bread and two fish). Jesus demonstrated that when we set out to do God’s will, He will provide what we need to accomplish the task.
The Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant. They thought this was because of their own prowess and the power of their gods. They placed the Ark in a position of subservience to their idol of Dagon (their chief god). However, when they returned in the morning they found their idol fallen down in a position of obeisance before the Ark. When they set the idol back up, it fell over again, this time it broke when it fell. In addition, as they continued to consider Dagon as greater than God, He struck them with a plague. God often works that way in our lives. When we set up idols to which we make God secondary, He will give us signs that they are to be subordinate to Him. If we insist on returning them to the primary position on our lives, He will break them. If we continue to refuse to recognize His sovereignty He will strike us with the consequences of our actions.
The key to a healthy life is having a peaceful attitude. Envy and jealousy not only make you mentally miserable, they destroy your health as well. If you love and honour God, you will do what you can to help the poor. Those who mistreat and oppress the poor, whether actively or passively, show that they hold God in contempt.
I will praise the Lord because He has been good to me despite my sins. There truly is joy for those always do right. My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit shape my life so that I do what is right in all of my actions. I thank God for the forgiveness and love which He has shown to me. He has blessed me despite my many shortcomings and sins.
All will face judgement. Those who believe God and follow Jesus will experience eternal life. Those who refuse to listen to His message and continue in evil will experience judgement. There is a warning for those of us who wish to follow Jesus. The religious people of His day studied Scripture and failed to see that it pointed to Him. If we search the Scripture with an open mind, it will point us to follow Jesus. But, if we come to Scripture with preconceived notions and refuse to let the Holy Spirit show us what it says, such search of Scriptures will do us no good. Let us not allow our desire for the approval of others stop us from doing what the Lord instructs.
Today what struck me about this passage is what Eli told Samuel to say to the voice calling to him in the night. Samuel subsequently did as Eli instructed. Eli instructed Samuel to respond, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” When God calls to us, do we do the same. As important, do we then actually listen. When God called to Samuel, Samuel said this. However, he did more than that, he then actually listened. If we tell God we are listening and then continue to babble on, we should not be surprised when God does not speak to us. I will strive today to listen to what God has to say to 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 in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Ezekiel quotes a proverb that was apparently common among the people of Israel at the time.
The parents eat sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
The essence of the proverb is that children are punished for their parents’ sins. It was a way of saying that children were not responsible for what happened to themselves, if bad things happened to them, it was their parents’ fault. This sounds to me like much of what we hear after someone commits a heinous act today. “Oh, s/he was abused as a child.” “S/he came from a bad neighborhood. What do you expect?” and many other excuses.
Ezekiel then says that this proverb will no longer be used in Israel. God has declared that all belong to Him, both parent and child. Each shall be judged by their own actions, the child shall not be judged by his parents’ actions. God will hold the one who sins accountable for their sins, He will not pass judgment on the child for the actions of their parents. God will hold us each responsible for our own actions.
The writer describes the inner rooms of the Tabernacle as established by the law of Moses. He tells us that only the high priest ever entered the room that was the Most Holy Place, and that but once a year. Each year when he did so, he had to enter with a fresh sacrifice of blood to cover both his and the people’s sins. The writer tells us that this indicates that the gifts and offerings available under the old covenant were insufficient to clear the way for the worshiper to enter into the presence of God. The way the law of Moses set up the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle acted as a pointer towards the covenant that was to come.
Again and again the people of Israel failed to keep the commands and instructions which God had given them. Rather than stay separate from the evil acts of the people in the land which God gave them, they mixed with them and took part in their evil acts. They sacrificed their children to idols and adopted evil customs. The result of this was that they fell prey to pagan nations and were ruled by those who hated them. As I read this I could not help but think about how readily the people of this nation sacrifice their children on the altar of convenience. But there is reason for hope. The psalmist tells us that when the people cried out to God, He took pity on them and gathered them back to Himself.
I will pray to the Lord that He send His Spirit upon the people and cause them to repent of their sins and turn back to Him. If they do so, God will take pity on them and gather them to Himself once more.
Keep up friendships, both those which you form yourself and those which were formed by your parents (and perhaps their parents before them). When your family has moved far away, those friends may be able to provide aid and support in time of need.
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.
Ezekiel lists the sins which led to the destruction of Sodom. The people of that city were proud and haughty. They were gluttonous and unconcerned by the suffering of the poor and needy. Rather than help the poor and needy, they spent their resources engaging in detestable acts. Yet, Ezekiel says that the people of Jerusalem committed even more detestable acts than Sodom or Samaria, despite seeing what happened to those cities. To what degree is our society even worse than this?
Ezekiel then gives a condemnation of the king of Judah for breaking his oaths to the king of Babylon and seeking the support of Babylon’s enemies. The sin for which he was being condemned was for failing to keep his agreements. The king made an agreement, then when he thought he could get a better deal, broke it. I think of all of those who think it is unreasonable to expect politicians to keep their word. God will judge those who enter into a covenant to act in a certain way and then when the time comes to fulfill their side of the bargain choose to act otherwise.
God has promised to put His laws in our minds and write them on our hearts. God will make His will known to anyone who seeks to know it. As I read this passage it is one of great hope and joy. God will make us His people. He will be our God. He will forgive our wickedness and no longer remember our sins. However, it is somewhat scary as well, because we have no excuses. We cannot say, “I did not know.” Fortunately, we have Jesus as our mediator.
Today’s portion of this psalm tells us the key to why Israel sinned in the wilderness. “But they…did not wait for His plan to unfold.”(NIV) This is where all too often we go wrong. God has put His law in our minds and written it on our hearts, so we know what He wishes us to do, but we get impatient. We want what we think are the good things NOW. We refuse to wait to see what God has in store for us. So, we become rebellious and fail to believe that God will overcome the obstacles for us. We do not do as God has told us because we do not trust His promises.
Those who have completely satisfied their needs and wants will turn down even a very desirable offer, but those who are desperate will take whatever they can get. Running away from those who love you because they hurt your feelings (or for any other reason) is like a fledgling bird who leaves its nest before it can fly. When a friend gives advice they are firmly convinced is in our best interest it should make us happy.
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.
Ezekiel prophesies that when God brings judgment upon a country because of the sins of its people, the righteous will be unable to save anyone other than themselves. The time is coming when the sins of nations will be visited upon them. When that day comes, your parent’s righteousness will not spare you from the suffering and your righteousness will not spare your children. However, inherent in this prophecy from Ezekiel is the promise of God that those who righteously serve Him will be spared the coming suffering.
The writer explains that the requirements for joining the old priestly order was set aside because it was incapable of transforming sinful humans into perfect images of God. The law, and the priesthood which it established, were set aside in favor of a more effective system. The old system required a multitude of priests because death ended their service as priests. However, Jesus lives forever and death is unable to end his priesthood.
I will strive to act justly and do what is right because blessings will follow…sometimes just the blessings of knowing that I have done what is right. I will give thanks to the Lord and praise His name because He has cared for me despite my sinfulness. I will ask His Spirit to teach me to do what is right.
It is dangerous to incur someone’s anger or to cause them to lose their temper, but jealousy is the most dangerous emotion. It is more beneficial to receive am open put down than to be loved by someone who will not show it. We are better off when friends tell us we are wrong than when our enemies praise us.
In today’s passage we have the people of Israel rejecting God as their king, desiring instead to have a human king so that they can be like the people around them. To what degree do we as Christians seek to have a human king (our government) do the things that God has tasked us to do as His servants? Do we strive to get laws passed to coerce people to follow God’s commands rather than relying on His Spirit to change their hearts so that they desire to do His will? Do I act as if God is my king, to whom I owe total fealty?
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.
As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. However, his sons were greedy and accepted bribes to pervert justice. This led the leaders of Israel to come to Samuel to ask him to appoint a king over Israel, so that they could be like other nations. Samuel was unhappy about this request and sought the Lord’s guidance about how to respond. God answered Samuel that the request was not a rejection of Samuel, but a rejection of God as their king. God told Samuel to do as they ask, but to warn them about how a king would rule over them. Samuel then tells the people of Israel that a king will take their freedom from them, taking the best for his own use (the best people, the best land, the best produce, etc).
When I read this I am struck by how often we as Christians in democratic nations have chosen to turn to the government to address problems that we should turn to God to deal with. We, like the Israelites, are seeking a king to lead us rather than accepting God as our King. In the same way as Samuel warned the Israelites, when we ask the government to take on roles beyond those ordained for it by God, we subject ourselves to restrictions on our liberty. When we ask the government to care for the poor, we are rejecting God as our king and His call for us to do that ourselves. When we as Christians get involved in politics and attempt to get laws passed to force our non-Christian neighbors to follow God’s commands, we are rejecting God as king and His call for us to bring His transforming Spirit to our neighbors so that they will choose of their own free will to follow His commands. In what ways am I rejecting God as my king? There is one last piece to the Israelites request for a king. They wanted a king in order to be like everyone else. Am I willing to be different and have only God as my king?
The passage goes on to tell the story of how the Lord led Saul to meet Samuel. The story is a classic example of how God uses the mundane events of our lives to guide us to the place He wants us to be at the time He wants us to be there.
Another shot of the redbud on the edge of the woods
In the morning the crowd that Jesus had fed realized that Jesus was not there any longer, even though they knew that He had not gotten into the boat with His disciples. So, they crossed over the lake to Capernaum to look for Him. When they found Him, they asked when He had gotten there. Jesus responded that they were looking for Him, not because they understood His message, but because He had fed them. He told them (and us) that they should not put so much effort into things which will perish, rather they should focus on things which would endure. We should focus on that which feeds our spirits eternal life.
The people responded that they wished to perform the works of God and asked Jesus what they needed to do in order to do so? Jesus answered that God desired that they believe in the one He has sent. The crowd clearly understood that Jesus was saying that He was the one that God had sent because they asked Him for a sign that He was indeed the one sent by God. I find it very interesting that they use the Exodus story of the manna from heaven to justify their demand for a sign, the day after Jesus had miraculously provided food for them.
Jesus then tells them that it was not Moses who gave them bread from heaven, but God the Father. He goes on to say that now God is offering them the bread of God which gives life to the world. The crowd immediately asked Jesus to give them this bread all the time. To which Jesus replies that He is the bread of life. Those who come to Him will never be hungry, those who believe in Him will never be thirsty. He then tells them that they do not believe in Him, even though they have seen Him. But those whom the Father has given to Him will come to Him and He will not reject them. Jesus said that He had come down from heaven to do the will of God. It is the Father’s will that all who see the Son and believe in Him have eternal life. When Jesus said this the people began to mutter, “How can this be? We know his father and mother.”
How often do we reject something as being from God because we know the back story? Do we see how God is working through the mundane events in our life, or do we dismiss that as being merely coincidence? When someone tells us that God has shown them some revelation we would rather not hear, do we dismiss it because we know their background>
As I continue reading Psalm 106 today, the psalmist continues to talk about how the people of Israel sinned against God repeatedly, yet every time they cried out to Him He rescued them. In this section the psalmist tells us that the people worshiped idols, going so far as to sacrifice their sons and daughters to those idols; that they shed innocent blood. He goes on to tell us that because of this God’s anger burned against His people. Whenever I read such passages I cannot help but think of abortion in the United States. If God’s anger burned against His chosen people for sacrificing their innocent children to their idols, how much more will His anger burn against us for sacrificing our children to our idols? Abortion is infanticide. Our society sacrifices over one million innocent babies a year on the altars of the gods we worship (convenience, self interest, materialism, the list goes on). How long will God withhold His judgment for the shedding of innocent blood? How long will we as Christians turn to an earthly king (our government) to stop this evil before we turn to the King whom we claim to serve? The answer to stopping abortion is not earthly laws making it illegal. The answer is the Spirit of God moving in people’s hearts to change the way they view the world.
Despite their many sins, the psalmist tells us that when the people of God turned back to Him, He heard their cries and delivered them. It is not too late for us to repent of our sins, both as individuals and as a nation, and turn back to God. If we repent of our sins and turn to Him, He will hear our cry and redeem us. I will praise His name for He has redeemed me? Are you willing to serve Him, and Him alone, as your king?
What more can I say? This proverb fits right into what I wrote about the psalm. The only true measure of a nation’s greatness is its godliness. Greatness is not measured by military might, nor is it measured by wealth. True greatness is measured by how closely a person or nation heeds the will of God. Such behavior cannot be enforced by laws, but only by the choice of each individual who composes that nation to strive to do God’s will. Am I striving to do God’s will in all aspects of my life? Do I spend enough time listening to His commands?
If God is my king, as I say He is, am I a wise servant who causes Him to rejoice? Or am I a servant who brings disgrace to His name?
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.
The Philistines first took the ark of God to the city of Ashdod and put it in their temple to Dagon. When they entered the temple the following morning the idol of Dagon had fallen face down in front of the ark of God. They set the idol back up. The following morning it had once more fallen face down before the Ark, however this time the head and hands had broken off. Then the city of Ashdod and surrounding villages began to experience a plague of tumors. The people of Ashdod called on the rulers of Philistia to move the ark of God. It was decided to send it to Gath. When the Ark arrived in Gath, the plague began to break out there as well. So the people of Gath sent the Ark to Ekron. The people of Ekron by now had heard about the tumors and demanded that the rulers of Philistia send the Ark away.
The Philistines put the Ark on a cart, along with a chest containing five gold “tumors” (golden objects made to look like the tumors caused by the plague) and five gold rats. They hitched two cows which had recently calved to the cart, while penning the calves up away from the cows. The cows went straight up the road from Philistia towards Beth Shemesh. The people of Beth Shemesh rejoiced when they saw the Ark arrive. Levites took the Ark off of the cart and set it on a large rock. They offered sacrifices and burnt offerings to God for the return of the Ark. However, seventy of the people of Beth Shemesh looked into the Ark and were struck down (the passage does not say how they were struck down, but it reads to me that they may have been struck by the same plague that had struck the Philistines). So, the people of Beth Shemesh sent and asked the people of Kiriath-jearim to come and get the Ark (which they did).
The people of Israel heard the stories about what happened with the Ark when it was in Philistine hands and how it was returned (my interpretation) and turned back to God. Samuel told them that if they were truly turning back to God they needed to get rid of their foreign gods and Ashtoreths and worship God alone. The Israelites followed Samuel’s advice, got rid of their idols and worshiped God alone.
Samuel then assembled the Israelites at Mizpah for a time of worship and repentance. When the Philistines learned that they had assembled at Mizpah they mustered their forces to attack them. The people of Israel were in great fear and asked Samuel to continue crying out to the Lord for them. Samuel took a lamb and offered it as a burnt offering. While Samuel was offering the Philistines prepared to launch their attack. However, as they launched their attack loud thunder came forth and threw them into confusion and panic. The Israelites rushed out in a counterattack driving the Philistines from the field. For the rest of the time that Samuel served as leader of Israel, they had the upper hand over the Philistines.
There is a lot going on in this passage about the power of God and how He reveals Himself even to unbelievers. The thing that especially struck me on this reading was the foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrificial death in Samuel sacrificing a lamb as part of his crying out to God for the Israelites rescue from the Philistines.
Jesus went to the far side of the Sea of Galilee and a crowd followed Him there. He was on a hill with His disciples when the crowd caught up to Him. As the crowd approached, Jesus asked Philip where they should buy bread for these people? Philip answered that it would cost about a half year’s wages to feed all of these people. Andrew pointed out a boy with five loaves and two fish, but asked what good that would do with so many people? Jesus had His disciples get the people to sit down. Then He took the food that the boy had, gave thanks for it and distributed it to the people (around 5,000). When everyone had enough to eat, Jesus had His disciples gather up the leftover bread so that it would not be wasted. They gathered twelve baskets full of bread. The people who were there began to say that Jesus must be the Prophet and were preparing to make Him king by force (the passage is not clear whether they intended to force Jesus to become king or to use force against those who opposed that idea). To prevent that Jesus withdrew by Himself to the mountain.
As evening approached Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore of the lake, got into a boat and began to cross over to Capernaum. A strong wind came up and the waters became very rough. After they had rowed a distance of several miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water. The disciples were frightened until Jesus told them not to be afraid and said, “I am.” When He said that the disciples were willing to take Him into the boat, at which point they arrived at their destination.
When Jesus used the phrase, “I am,” it would have been taken as a declaration of identification with God by His disciples. In Exodus 3, when Moses asked God who he should tell the Israelites had sent him, God responded, “I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” So the use of the phrase “I am” was close to declaring that one was God (depending on the context). There was something very comforting to the disciples when they heard Jesus say, “I am”. Perhaps we would all do well to remember that the phrase “I am” was used by God to identify Himself. I know that I am going to strive to think about the fact that I am made in the image of God every time I use the phrase, “I am”.
Yesterday’s portion of this psalm talked about how God rescued the people of Israel from Egypt despite their sins against Him. This caused the people of Israel to believe His promises and praise His name. Today’s portion tells us that they quickly forgot what God had done for them and turned away from Him. God’s anger burned against them and He brought judgment against them for their sins. They ignored His commands about right living and each time they suffered for it. But the passage tells us something else as well. On two occasions, when God had reached His limit and was prepared to destroy Israel for their sins, when their sins had reached the point just shy of no return, righteous men stood up and intervened so that the people were saved. “But Phinehas had the courage to intervene, and the plague was stopped.” Do I have the courage to stand up and intervene? Am I willing to risk myself in order to stop the plagues among us today that come from our sin and lawlessness? Am I willing to call those around me away from sin, even though I will be called a hater and intolerant for doing so, for caring enough to point out the consequences of people’s choices?
When disaster comes the wicked will suffer, but even in death the righteous have a safe place with God. For the second proverb I prefer the NIV and other translations which stick with the Hebrew rather than using the Syriac and Septuagint to base their take on this passage. All agree that the first part says that wisdom rests in the hearts of the understanding. However, the NIV translates this as saying that even fools have access to wisdom, if only they would pay attention.
Today we have the passage where God first spoke to Samuel. When Eli realized that God was calling to Samuel he instructed Samuel to answer by saying, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Before you read the scripture passages for today, I want you to say that as a prayer. I want to make it my goal to do that each day when I read the passages for the day. But not only then, I want to make that my prayer throughout the day. Of course, it is not enough to just say that. Once we have said it, we have to actually listen (I am sure that is as hard for some of you as it is 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.
Eli was olde, but he knew that his sons were doing wrong. He confronted them verbally, but did nothing more. God sent a prophet to Eli who told him that all of his descendants would die young and his family would no longer serve as priests. The prophet told him that both of his sons would die on the same day.
Meanwhile Samuel assisted Eli and by doing so served the Lord. One night after Eli had gone to bed, Samuel, who slept in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God, heard a voice call out his name. He thought it was Eli and ran to his side. Eli said that he had not called him and sent him back to bed. Samuel heard the voice a second and third time and went to Eli’s side each time. The third time it happened Eli realized what was going on. He told Samuel that it was the voice of God and that he should tell God that he was listening. When the voice called his name once more, Samuel did as Eli had instructed and said, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” God told Samuel that he was going to carry out his threats against Eli and his sons because Eli had failed to discipline his sons. In the morning Eli insisted that Samuel tell him what God had said to him. When Samuel told Eli what God had told him, Eli responded, “It is the Lord’s will. Let Him do what He thinks best.”
In some ways, I think that Eli in this story is a tragic character. He had failed to discipline his sons and restrain them from using the office of priesthood to blaspheme against God. Yet, he raised Samuel to love and honor God and when God sent word of judgment against him he responded, “It is the Lord’s will. Let Him do what He thinks best.” How many of us can face the Lord’s judgment for our failure with such equanimity? However, the real lesson for us is in what Eli told Samuel to say when he heard the voice call his name. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Do we respond to the Lord in this manner? More importantly, do we actually listen? I think that we have a tendency to say that we are listening and then keep on talking. In order to listen to what God has to say to us, we need to stop talking. That is my biggest challenge when it comes to prayer, I all too often don’t stop talking long enough to hear what God is saying.
Shortly after the above encounter the Israelites went to war against the Philistines and lost the first battle badly. They sent for the Ark of the Covenant. They thought that if they had it with them in battle, God would have to give them victory. Eli’s sons went down to the battle with the Ark. When the Israelites went into battle again, once more they were defeated and the Ark was captured by the Philistines. Eli’s two sons were killed in the battle.
A messenger rushed from the battle to the town where Eli resided. We are told that Eli was waiting beside the road for news of the battle, not out of concern for his sons but out of concern for the Ark of the Covenant. When the messenger told him that the Ark had been captured, Eli fell backward out of his seat and broke his neck. He died immediately because he was old and overweight.
Jesus makes a statement that gives me great joy. He says that those who listen to His message and believe in God who sent Him will have eternal life. If you listen to Jesus’ message and truly believe in the God who sent Him, you will act on that message. Jesus goes on to say something that I have never seen in quite the same light as I see it today.
Jesus said that the time has come that those who have died will hear his voice and those who listen will live. I am not sure what this means, but I will choose to interpret it according to the idea that C.S. Lewis wrote in “The Great Divorce”. In that book, C.S. Lewis suggests that those in Hell have the option to leave Hell and enter Heaven, if they would just surrender to God. He goes on to say that they will refuse. I am not completely sure about that idea. But this passage suggests that people get at least one more chance to accept God’s gift after death. If you read it that way, it also suggests that most will continue to refuse to surrender to God’s sovereignty. The original sin was the desire to usurp God’s position, unless we are willing to yield the throne to God, we cannot be saved.
Today’s psalm, like so many others, calls on us to praise the Lord. It asks us, “Who can ever praise him enough?” And I answer that question, “Certainly not me.” Like my ancestors, I have sinned against God and, like my ancestors, God has nevertheless intervened in my life to save me from my just deserts. And like my ancestors, I will believe His promises and praise His name. I am undeserving of God’s grace but He has given it to me anyway, so I will praise His name.
If you want to be physically healthy, you need to start by being at peace with yourself and with God. If you indulge in jealousy of others, it will eat at you like cancer and lead to various physical symptoms (which sooner, or later, will be real physical problems).
The easiest way to honor God is to help the poor. Those who oppress the poor insult God, who made them. Helping the poor is more complicated than just giving them things or money (although it certainly at some point involves that). We cannot meet God’s call to help the poor simply by throwing money at them. We need to be personally invested in showing them how to get out of the situation they are in and then providing, to the best of our ability, the means to do so.
