I am reminded today of a thought I had a while back about the proverbs. They are often designed for us to examine ourselves. If I am trying to determine whether I am wise, I should consider whether others consider me discerning. If I want to persuade others to my point of view, I need to speak pleasantly, not with hostility. This approach to reading proverbs really helps me to see a little more than the obvious in them.
This psalm reminds us that we should be focused on God the way a slave focuses on a beloved master (I would use the more correct “mistress” her, but the connotations in modern English just do not work). I will strive to keep my attention focused on God, so that I may respond to every hint as what He wants me to do next and to the least sign that my current actions displease Him.
This story has always struck me. Peter and John were not rich men, but they saw what this man truly needed. But Peter did not heal the lame man in order to bring glory to himself. He did so in order to bring glory to Jesus, and through Him to God. All of our actions, whether they be miraculous or merely mundane, should be done for the purpose of bringing glory to God. As I discussed in my comment on the psalm, let us keep our focus on God and doing what He wants us to do.
It is interesting that over the course of David’s story we are presented with a negative image of Joab. Yet here, and in several other places, Joab gave David advice which David would have been better off to have followed. Joab advised David against taking the census, but followed David’s instructions and conducted the census. It turned out that Joab was right and David sinned by conducting the census, a sin which led to plague throughout Israel.
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Christmas is coming soon. Let us remember what it is truly about, the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us strive to not be caught up in the commercialism which is what this season is about for many in our society today.
When those who are in authority are godly, people are happy and thrive. When the wicked rule, people suffer, even if they are not directly oppressed by those rulers. When the government rules justly a nation will be stable and the economy will thrive. When those in government use their power for their own interest, the nation will be on the path to destruction.
Let us watch God as a slave watches his master, intently studying Him so as to know His will, reacting to every little sign to gain His favour and avoid His displeasure. Do we really do this? Or are we so sure of God’s mercy that we do not worry about what will please Him, or what will anger Him? Oh God, please forgive me for those times when I have not taken into account what You desire me to do.
Not everyone who claims to speak on behalf of God is guided by God’s Spirit. Anyone who is speaking a message given to them by God’s Spirit will acknowledge that Jesus actually lived, died, and rose from the dead. Anyone who does not acknowledge this truth about Jesus is not from God. The latter have the spirit of this world in them and are speaking from the viewpoint of this world. Therefore the world will readily listen to them. Those who truly follow Christ have God’s Spirit within them. If we have God’s Spirit within us we will listen to those who speak the message given by God’s Spirit. Those who do not have God’s Spirit will not listen to that message. In this way we are able to distinguish those who have God’s Spirit from those who do not.
John continues telling us how to recognize those who know and belong to God. God is love (but love is not God), therefore everyone who truly loves others knows God. Anyone who does not love others does not know God. Here he teaches us a key part of the Christian message. No one has seen God directly, but if we love one another, others will see that God lives in us and see Him through us. As we allow God’s love to grow in us we will fear less and less. If we do fear it is because we do not yet experience God’s love fully. Let us continue to grow in our love so that we learn not to fear anything.
This passage is packed full of insight. John goes on to tell us that we love because God first loved us. This is an important insight into human nature. We are only capable of loving if we have been loved. If you look at people around you you will notice that those who do the best job of loving others were well loved by others. When you find an exception to this rule, it is someone who is filled with God’s Spirit. Which means that it is not an exception after all. Ultimately, this tells us that our job in this world is to pass God’s love on to others, especially those who have never experienced love from a human being. All love is originally from God.
The book of Daniel ends with an account of a “king of the north” who will do as he pleases. He will be victorious in many battles, then suddenly his time will run out. After his death, a time of great anguish will occur, but those whose name is written in the book of life will be rescued. The dead will rise, some to everlasting life, some to everlasting shame. Then the account contains several cryptic comments about how long these things will go on. At one point it says, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time.” At another point we are told, “…, there will be 1290 days. And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!” I will not pretend to have any understanding of what those mean. I have heard, and read, various interpretations of those, but none that I find convincing. At this point, the important meaning I take from them is that while the suffering will go on for a long time, it is still a limited, measurable amount of time. When measured against eternity, the suffering will not go on for all that long at all.
If we want to be thought of as wise, if we are truly wise, we will speak with pleasant words. That is, we will speak to others in ways that both make them feel respected and liked, and that instruct them. Pleasant words are persuasive, so the wise will use them to instruct others. If those you wish to instruct cannot be taught with pleasant words, chances are good they will not accept instruction at all.
Let us keep our focus on God so that we can see His will for us. Let us be ready to obey His will at the most subtle signal from Him. I will depend on God’s mercy and not let the contempt of the proud distract me from following His will.
When the lame man begged Peter and John for money, they had none to give him. However, Peter recognized that they had something more valuable to give the man. Through God’s power, they were able to cure him and give him the ability to walk. This gave Peter an opportunity to preach the Gospel. However, it is worth noting that Peter did not heal the man in order to preach the Gospel, he healed the man in order to heal the man. It was after the fact, when people were curious about what happened that Peter saw the opportunity to preach. This should be our model. We should help people in order to help them, but when helping gives us the opportunity to preach the Gospel, we should seize that opportunity with vigor.
When Peter was preaching, he talked about the guilt those listening had in Jesus’ crucifixion. However, he also pointed out that they, and their leaders, had acted in ignorance. They did not know better. What had happened was according to God’s will. Peter’s words here are an example of gentle and persuasive words being used by the wise to persuade. Let us remember to use kind and gentle words to persuade others to follow Jesus.
David decided that he wanted a census of all of the people of Israel. In particular, he wanted to know how many fighting men he could muster. Rather than trust in God that the number of fighting men would be sufficient when danger threatened, David wanted to know what force he had at his disposal. By doing so, David brought a plague upon the people of Israel. The passage does not tell us this, but I believe that the plague was spread by David’s census takers. David realized his error and begged God’s forgiveness. We need to face the consequences of our actions when we sin, especially when those consequences bring harm to 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. 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.
Today’s passage continues the vision/prophecy that was in yesterday’s passage. Many people have attempted to take the times from this passage and tie them to specific events in order to calculate when Christ will return. However, I do not believe that the purpose of this passage is to tell us when some particular event is going to take place. Rather this passage is to remind us that a day of great anguish is coming and that those whose names are written in the book of life will be rescued when that day arrives. In that day, the wise will stand out and those who lead others to righteousness will be beacons.
John reminds us not to believe everyone who claims to speak with the Spirit of God. The first and most important test is whether or not they acknowledge that Jesus was a real, historical person. Anyone who claims to be a prophet but does not acknowledge to truth about Christ is not from God. John then returns to his main theme of this letter, that we are to love one another. He gives us God’s example of love for us to follow. God did not love us because we loved Him. God loved us and sent His Son to die for us when we were in open rebellion against Him. Let us follow His example and love those around us, even when they hate us and treat us badly. If God could love us when we were in our sin, how can we claim that we cannot love someone because of what they have done to us? God is love and if we allow His Spirit to live in us, He will show us how to love even those who seem the most unlovable.
If we are afraid the answer is to come to God and ask Him to fill us with love. Perhaps the reason we are afraid is because we have failed to love someone in our life in the way which God calls us to. We experience fear because we have not fully experienced God’s love for us. We cannot fully experience God’s love for us until we fully love God. We do not fully love God if we have negative feelings toward any of our fellow believers. My motivation to love is that God loved me. If God loved me, as unlovable as I can be, how can I find others unlovable? As we are filled with God’s love for one another and for God we will find that God’s love drives fear out of us.
The proud may ridicule me and the arrogant may hold me in contempt, but I will trust in God and rely on His mercy. O Lord, let me keep my eyes focused on You, so that I may react to the smallest sign that You give me as to Your will. When You show me Your will, motivate me to eagerly do it.
The people of a nation will prosper and thrive when its rulers are godly and just. When the rulers are wicked and corrupt the people and the nation will suffer and fall. There is a direct correlation between government policies which encourage just and moral behavior and the economic health of a country.
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.
At some point David decided to take a census of all of the fighting men in Israel and Judah. He sent Joab and the rest of his army commanders out to count how many men capable of being called up as warriors there were in the land. Joab questioned the utility of such a census, but David insisted. When the census was completed and the numbers reported to David (1.3 million men throughout the land), he began to feel guilty. David turned to God, confessed that he had sinned and begged God for forgiveness. The prophet Gad came to David the next day and offered him a choice of one of three punishments for his sin: three years of famine in the land, three months of fleeing from his enemies, or three days of plague throughout the land. David chose the plague saying that he would rather fall into the hand of God than into human hands.
Plague spread throughout the land for three days killing 70,000 people. The passage tells us that God halted the plague when the angel spreading it was at the threshing floor of Araunah. The prophet Gad told David to build an altar to God at the threshing floor of Araunah and offer sacrifices to God there. David went to Araunah and asked the price to buy his threshing floor. Araunah offered to give it to David, but David insisted on purchasing it. David built the altar and offered sacrifices upon it.
Yesterday’s passage told us that the disciples went to the Temple daily to pray. One afternoon when Peter and John were going to the Temple, a lame man was being brought to the Temple portico to beg. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, He asked them for alms. Peter and John focused their attention on the lame man and Peter told him to look at them. The lame man did, expecting to receive money from them. However, Peter told the man that he did not have any wealth to give him, but that he would give him what he had. Peter continued, “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk.” Peter then seized the man’s right hand and pulled him to his feet. The man, who had been lame since birth, was immediately healed and jumped to his feet and began walking. He entered the Temple with Peter and John, walking and leaping and praising God. People recognized him as the man who had daily been begging alms at the Temple gate and were amazed to see him walking and leaping.
Peter asked them why they were amazed and were looking at himself and John as if this had happened through some special power or piety on their part? It was God who had healed this man in order to bring glory to Jesus. Peter told them that they had rejected Him and turned Him over to Pilate to be killed. God had raised Jesus from the dead, something which Peter and John had witnessed. It was faith in the name of Jesus which had healed this man. This was not some “cripple” brought in whom no one had ever seen before. They had all seen this man every day for years.
Peter went on to tell them that he realized that both they and their rulers had acted in ignorance when they killed Jesus. Indeed, Jesus went through His suffering according to God’s plan in order to fulfill what the prophets had said about the coming Messiah. Now was the time to repent of their sins and turn to God. Those listening to Peter were included in the promise that God had made to Abraham that everyone on earth would be blessed through his descendants. God raised up Jesus and sent Him first to the Jews in order to bless them by turning each of them from their sinful ways. God has sent Jesus to every one of us to turn us from our wicked ways and deliver to us the blessings of serving Him.
I want to end my comments on this passage by going back to what Peter said to the lame man. He told him that he had no money to give him, that he could not ease his suffering by giving him material goods. But Peter was willing to give him what he did have. And that is what God calls us to do. We are to give those who are sick, crippled, or otherwise suffering what we do have. In this case, what Peter had to give the man was much more valuable than gold. Peter gave him the ability to walk and care for himself. Well, God may not give us the gift of healing people (but we should never assume that just because He has never done it through us before, He won’t do it today), but whatever He has given us to give people is much more valuable than whatever it is they want that we don’t have. Are we willing to say with Peter, “What I do have, I give to you,” without any other condition? I know that God is calling me to take that step and give whatever gifts He has given me to those I see around me in need. I don’t always know what I have to give, but if I can be faithful in giving when I know what I have, God will clearly reveal to me even more gifts that He has given me to pass on to others.
This psalm gives us guidance about how to weather the contempt and scoffing that the proud and arrogant have for those who choose to serve God. He tells us that we should keep our eyes on God. We should focus on every move that God makes, looking for the slightest signal that indicates His will. If we keep our focus there, we will not notice those who belittle us and hold us in contempt and even if we do notice them, we will not care what they think of us for God will have mercy on us and bring us joy.
People quickly learn who has wisdom and who doesn’t. Those who express wise thoughts are known for their pleasant words. Those who are wise exercise discretion, but even after being disciplined, fools fail to understand its value. Someone with wisdom chooses his words carefully and his utterances are both wise and pleasant.
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.
Today I read the end of the book of Daniel. In it Daniel recounts the last parts of his final vision. He tells us of a king who will claim to be greater than every god that mankind has ever worshiped, blaspheming even against the God of gods. This king will honor those who submit to him, giving them gifts of great wealth and appointing them to positions of power. He will conquer many and accumulate great wealth. At the height of his power he will hear news that will alarm him and he will set out with his armies, but when the time established for him by God has run its course he will come to his end and no one will come to his aid. While I believe that this prophecy applies to a particular historical ruler (probably Antiochus Epiphanes), I believe that it also tells us the fate of anyone who comes to believe that he is answerable to no one. As time goes on they will do ever more evil, until the day that God has determined for their end. When that day comes they will discover that they have no friends and none will mourn their demise.
John tells us not to believe everyone who claims to speak by the Holy Spirit. If someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge that Jesus came in a real body, or any of the other truths about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the antichrist. After this short side topic on how to recognize false prophets John returns to his primary theme of the importance of loving one another. Anyone who loves is a child of God, but anyone who does not love does not know God. God showed us what real love was by sending His Son to die so that we might have eternal life. Since God loved us that much, we should love one another. No one has seen God, but if we love one another then God lives in us and people can see God through us. God is love. Therefore if God lives in us our love will grow and become more perfect. As God’s love becomes perfected in us we will have less and less fear because perfect love expels fear. If we are afraid it shows that we have not yet fully experienced God’s perfect love. We love (God, our fellow believers, those in the world around us) because God first loved us. If someone claims to love God, but does not show love for a fellow Christian, they are a liar. If we do not love those who we can see, how can we claim to love God, who we cannot see? After all God has commanded that those who love Him must also love their fellow believers. Love is not optional and it is not just an emotion. Love changes the way we behave. If we have love for our fellow believers, we will take action to show that love.
Let us turn our eyes to God, watching Him at all times for His approval. While the proud may scoff and the arrogant have contempt for us, we will seek the approval of God. We will seek to do that which gives Him pleasure. We look to God for His mercy.
When those who hold power are godly, people rejoice. But when those in power are wicked, people suffer. A just ruler brings stability to his nation, one who demands bribes will bring about its destruction.
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.
The passage tells us that David orders Joab to take a census of the people of the tribes of Israel. Joab objects asking why David wants to do this, but David insists. God is displeased with David taking the census and sends a plague on the people of Israel. When David realizes what is happening he cries out to the Lord saying that the people are innocent, the fault is all his own. When I first read this passage years ago I wondered what was wrong with David taking a census of the people of Israel. My father explained to me that David took the census so that he could know how big of an army he could muster. This showed a lack of faith in God, or at least a desire to be able to stand on his own power. David did not need to know how large of an army he could muster because God would fight on their side in any war that God called on them to fight. This makes sense to me.
After this David builds an altar to God at the point where the plague stops spreading. When he arrives at the location intending to buy it, the owner of the property offers to give it to him. David insists on buying the land and the oxen that he sacrifices. David was unwilling to give an offering to God that did not cost him anything. This is an important lesson, when we give something that cost us nothing it is not an offering to God. The federal government allows us to deduct from our taxes the value of things we give to a thrift store. Yet, for the most part, the things we donate to a thrift store are things we would otherwise throw away. We should not take credit in our minds for having made an offering to God by donating these items. They actually cost us nothing. This does not mean that we should not donate to thrift stores. We should indeed donate to thrift stores, but, in general, such donations do not count towards satisfying the movement of the Spirit to make offerings to God.
One day when Peter and John were going up to the afternoon service at the Temple, they saw a lame man being brought to the gate of the Temple so that he could beg money from those going to the Temple. As they approached the man asked them for money. This translation says that Peter and John “looked at him intently”. Other translations word it differently, but they all say in some manner that Peter and John focused their attention on the man. I believe that they were studying the man’s motivations. They were trying to determine if the man wanted to be healed. They did not give him what he was asking for, instead they gave him what he truly desired. Peter told him that he did not have money to give him, but that he would give him what he had to give. Peter then told him to stand up and walk. Peter did not stop there. Peter reached out and helped the man up. Sometimes people do not need a donation, but our help to stand up.
There is another aspect to this story as well. Among the Church there is a debate going on about the relationship between helping those in need and preaching the gospel. There are those who say that we should help the need in order to get the opportunity to preach the gospel to them. On the other side are those that say that we should allow our actions in helping those in need speak the gospel for us. In this passage, Peter and John healed the lame beggar because that was his need. But then when that drew a crowd, Peter began to preach the gospel. Peter did not heal the beggar in order to have an opportunity to preach the gospel. But when that healing led to an opportunity to preach the gospel, he took it without hesitating.
The psalmist here says that he is looking to God and asking God for mercy. The psalmist is calling on God for mercy because he is tired of being held in contempt. Those who hold us in contempt for our faith should not cause us to turn away from God. They should instead cause to cry out even more to God.
We are told in this proverb that if we want to be perceived as wise, we need to be both discrete and pleasant. If you want to persuade someone to a course of action you are more likely to do so if you speak to them pleasantly than if you do so with hostility.
