Tag Archives: Psalm 21

Daily Bible Study

July 27, 2015 Bible Study — How Will They Hear Unless Someone Tells Them?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 20:4-6

    I am a procrastinator and this proverb strikes close to home for me. It is important to work hard when the time is right, so that you have resources later.

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Psalm 21

    This psalm is directed at rulers, but its message applies to everyone. If we trust in God and rejoice in His strength we will have victory over our enemies. It is important to remember that part of trusting God is trusting that following His will leads to our greatest happiness.

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Romans 10:14-11:12

    Here Paul lays out the obligation we have as Christians to preach the Gospel, and as the Church to commission people to preach the Gospel. In yesterday’s passage Paul described how people can only be saved by calling on the name of the Lord. However, today he points out that no one will call on the Lord if they do not believe in Him. They will not believe in Him if they have never heard of Him. They will not hear of Him unless someone tells them about Him (hint, hint. Yeah, that is meant for you and me). No one will go to tell them unless they are sent.
    This last is the part where we as a Church fail so often. An ambassador does not appoint himself. We, as members of the Church, need to identify those among us with the gift of preaching and teaching the Gospel and send them to where their mission can be the most fruitful. Paul did not appoint himself to go on his first mission trip. The Church in Antioch did so. In the same way, we in the Church today need to seek out those among us whom God is calling to ministry of one kind or another and send them to that ministry.

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2 Chronicles 19-20

    Jehoshaphat is a great example of a good ruler. He did not just stay in Jerusalem and wait for news of the people to come to him there. He traveled throughout the land he ruled, learning first hand what people were going through, while encouraging them to worship God, and only God. Further he appointed judges to judge the disputes between people, advising those judges that God would hold them accountable for judging fairly.
    At one point, Jehoshaphat received news that several other nations had allied and were marching to attack Judah with an overwhelming army. Rather than panic, or attempt to enlist a powerful nation as an ally, Jehoshaphat turned to God. He called on the people of Judah to fast and pray, doing so himself. This story shows us God’s power. The army of Judah marched out to meet the enemy on God’s command. However, before they reached the enemy God had stirred up conflict within the allied armies so that Judah’s enemies has destroyed each other completely. If we trust and obey God, He will defeat our enemies for us.

Daily Bible Study

January 25, 2015 Bible Study — The Gates Of Hell Will Not Stand Against It

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 5:1-6

    This proverb warns against getting involved with an immoral, or adulterous, woman. I cannot speak from personal experience but I am confident that its warning applies to immoral/adulterous men as well. The proverb writer warns us that initially being involved with an immoral person is sweet and gives pleasure, but in the long run they are poison. Becoming involved in an immoral relationship will bring pleasure at first, but that pleasure will turn to pain and attempts to revive the pleasure will lead to death.

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Psalm 21:1-13

    This psalm was written for and about King David, but a careful reading reveals advice for any leader. If you trust in the Lord and seek to do His will, He will give you your heart’s desire. It is worth noting that your heart’s desire may be different from what you think you want. Trust in the Lord and make sure that all of your successes bring honour to Him and your successes will be without end, even your “failures” will prove to be successes.

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Matthew 16:13-17:9

    Jesus asked His disciples the easy question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” It is interesting that when He asked that question He used that phrase to refer to Himself. As I said, that is an easy question. It is not just the answer itself that is easy, pointing out why they are wrong is also easy. Jesus’ next question is the hard one, and the one which we are going to have to answer, sooner or later, “Who do you say I am?” I imagine a long pause while the disciples thought about their answer, none of them wanting to be the first to say it, each afraid that they are wrong. Finally, Peter blurts out the answer. I suspect that it is something none of the disciples have said previously, not even in their private conversations with each other. I imagine they have had conversations which assume the answer, but that they have each avoided saying it out right, reserving the right to say, “Oh, I was just talking hypothetically.”(although I doubt they would have used that word)
    So, the question is, do we agree with Peter? Is Jesus the Anointed One, the Son of the living God? I just came to a new understanding of Jesus’ reply to Peter’s answer. I am not sure if it is correct, but I am going to share it. The rock upon which Jesus built His Church is those willing to take the risk of being the first in a group to declare their faith in Jesus. In order for a group of Christians to work together to do God’s will, one of them must be willing to be the first to declare themselves God’s servant. This is not limited to those who are the first, just those willing to be first. It is this boldness which gives the Church the ability to overcome the gates of Hell.
    I have often heard people talk about Jesus’ statement here as a promise of protection. But it is not. It is a promise of victory. Gates are not used to attack people. Gates are used to stop people. We are not called to stand defensively and resist the attacks of Satan. We are called to take the battle into the heart of the enemy’s city and rescue those held captive there. When Jesus says that the gates of Hell will not overcome His Church, He is calling us to storm Hell. Are we up for that battle?
    We are not called to be on the defensive. It is time to go on offense and claim the world for Christ.

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Genesis 50:1-26

    When Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were afraid that, with their father dead, Joseph would take revenge. This situation reminds us that things change and guilt will come back to haunt those we have forgiven. We need to remind them that we have forgiven them. Joseph’s statement is also one we need to remember. Those who have done us wrong may have done so with malicious intent, but, despite the pain they may have caused us, God will use their malicious acts to accomplish good in our lives.

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Exodus 1-2:10

    Jacob’s descendants had it good in Egypt for a while, but times change and people forget. The people of Egypt, particularly the political leaders, became afraid of the Israelites and forgot why they had been given special treatment. I never noticed before, but the passage does NOT say that they Israelites outnumbered the Egyptians and were more powerful than they. I says that the said those things about them. We see the classic approach of the demagogue in what the Pharaoh says. He picks a group and demonizes it. Ultimately, the people of Egypt paid a heavy price for following such a demagogue. Such is the case every time.

Daily Bible Study

July 27, 2014 Bible Study — How Can They Believe If They Have Not Heard?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 20:4-6

    Procrastination can lead to problems. Just as there is a time when crops must be planted in order to gain a harvest, so too must many other tasks be completed at the appropriate time or the benefits will be lost.
    Not everyone who can offer us good advice will freely give it, some people do not even know that they have good advice to give us. However, the person with understanding will learn to recognize sources of hidden wisdom and find ways to get those who possess it to share.
    Many people will claim to be a friend who can be relied upon, but you will never be sure who the truly reliable people are until the chips are down.

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Psalm 21:1-13

    If we trust in the Lord He will give us victory. Those who oppose Him will be consumed and destroyed, but God will preserve the life of those who trust in Him.

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Romans 10:14-11:12

    Having established that the only route to salvation is through belief in Jesus, Paul then points out some important things. No one can believe in the Gospel unless they hear it. They cannot hear the Gospel unless someone tells preaches it to them. Finally, Paul tells us that no one will preach the Gospel to the unsaved unless someone sends them.
    My experience in the Church is that we seem to have a pretty good understanding of the need for Christians to preach the Gospel to the unsaved. We often have a much less developed understanding of how to do so, but we understand the need. However, I am not so sure we pay enough attention to the final piece of Paul’s message here. Do we seek out those among us who have the gift of preaching the Gospel to the unsaved and commission them to go and preach? I know that when someone feels the call to go and preach to the unsaved, we support them. But, do we find those who have not realized their gifts, or are unsure of their calling, and encourage them to make use of the gifts that we see in them?
    Paul and Barnabas did not decide to go out on their fist missionary journey. The Church in Antioch sent out on that journey. If we go back a little further, it was not Saul who decided he should go to Antioch to help build up the Church there. Barnabas went and brought Saul to Antioch because he recognized that Saul had gifts which the Church in Antioch needed. How will the unsaved be saved if we do not send those God has given the gift to preach the Gospel to them?

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2 Chronicles 19-20:37

    I commented yesterday that Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Ahab led to problems later. Today, we have mentioned that when Jehoshaphat returned from going to war with Ahab a prophet confronted him. The prophet told Jehoshaphat that God was angry with him for allying himself with someone who was wicked. Despite being angry with Jehoshaphat over his alliance with Ahab, God was pleased with the way he ruled his own kingdom.
    Jehoshaphat traveled throughout his kingdom, encouraging the people to faithfully follow the Lord. He appointed judges to judge the various disputes. He instructed the judges to act in an honest manner and to make their judgements in fear of the Lord. Jehoshaphat further instructed the judges to encourage the people to follow God’s laws and not to sin.
    The surrounding nations allied together to make war against Jehoshaphat and the kingdom of Judah. Jehoshaphat was frightened by the size of the army mustered against him. Rather than follow his father’s example and seek an alliance with another nation to defeat his enemies, Jehoshaphat turned to God for guidance. He called on the people of Judah to fast and pray to God. He asked them to come to Jerusalem for a gathering before the Lord. There in front of the gathered people of Judah, Jehoshaphat cried out to God and admitted that he did not know what to do. God sent His Spirit on to one of the men so gathered to prophecy that the army should march forth to meet the enemy, but that they would not need to fight.
    The next morning Jehoshaphat led the army out to battle. He told them that despite the fact that they were facing an overwhelming force, they should believe God’s prophets and trust in Him. He then led the army in songs of praise as they marched into battle. At the same time, that the army of Judah began singing praise to God, the armies of the nations gathered against them turned on one another. By the time the army of Judah arrived at the battlefield, the opposing armies had wiped each other out. Jehoshaphat won a great victory without having to enter into battle at all. As a result of this victory, Jehoshaphat had peace for the rest of his life.

Daily Bible Study

January 25, 2014 Bible Study — “You Intended Harm, But God Used It for Good”

     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, or more. in advance. My work schedule has recently changed, meaning that I may not have time every day to complete these. As a result, I am trying to get several days ahead. I hope this does not negatively impact the quality of these posts (if that is possible). If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

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Genesis 50:1-26

     In due time, Jacob died. When that happened, Joseph had the body embalmed according to the Egyptian practice. After a period of mourning in Egypt, Joseph and his brothers took Jacob’s body back to the land of Canaan and buried it there. They were accompanied by a large number of Egyptian officials. When they returned to Egypt, Joseph’s brothers feared that he would exact revenge on them now that their father was dead. Joseph reassured them with a response that we should all keep in mind when dealing with those who we believe have done us wrong. He asked them a rhetorical question about whether he was in the place of God. It is God’s place to punish those who have done wrong, not ours. Joseph also pointed out that while they intended him harm, God used their actions to bring about good. God used their actions in attempting to harm Joseph to put Joseph in a position where he could save the lives of many people. Can we see how God used the hurt others intended to cause us to lead us to a place where good happened? Are we willing to allow God to create good from the harm others inflict on us?

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Exodus 1-2:10

     I always find this first part of Exodus fascinating for the hints it gives us about when it took place. First, after the death of Jacob’s sons, his descendants became numerous and powerful in Egypt. This has suggested to me a connection to the Hyksos “invasion” of Egypt since I first heard about it (the Hyksos were a Semitic people who occupied a portion of north-eastern Egypt for a few hundred years). Then the passage tells us that a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph or his brothers. This Pharaoh felt threatened by the Israelites and enslaved them. Again, I see a potential for connecting this story to history here, as this seems like something that might have been recorded. The final interesting thing to me is the name which Pharaoh’s daughter gives to Moses, “Moses”. What is interesting about this is that vowels in ancient written Hebrew were often inferred. That means that “Moses” would have been written similar to the way in which the ending of the name “Ramses” would have been written. “Ramses” means, more or less, “the son of Ra”. Which suggests to me that “Moses” meant “the son of ___”. Considering that the Israelites had a long tradition of considering it blasphemy to speak the name of God suggests to me that perhaps part of the origin of the name “Moses” was from the daughter of Pharaoh naming him “the son of *god*”(where the god in question was a member of the Egyptian pantheon). This is just food for thought.

     

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Matthew 16:13-17:9

     There is a lot of stuff in this passage, but in the middle Jesus says something that I want to emphasize today. Jesus tells us that if we want to be His followers, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him. To those who heard Him say this it would have drawn a very clear picture. If you wanted to follow Jesus, you had to be prepared to suffer the most horrific death which anyone to date had been able to design. His listeners would all have known exactly what it meant to “take up your cross”. It meant something completely different from when we today say something like, “Well, that is just my cross to bear.”
     Then Jesus gets to the part I really want to focus on. He tells us that if we focus our effort on saving our life, we will lose our very souls, but if we are willing to sacrifice our life in order to follow Jesus we will find it. He follows this up by asking us what good it does to gain the whole world if we sacrifice our very essence to gain it? When I read this it makes me think several thoughts. The first is rather obvious, Jesus was teaching us that in order to truly follow Him, we needed to be willing to surrender our very lives. This is the only route to the eternal happiness and life which God promises us. However, there is even more here. We cannot find peace or happiness if we spend every scrap of our energy fighting for those things. We can only gain life, peace, and happiness by being willing to surrender them in order to serve God.

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Psalm 21:1-13

     I am not quite sure what to make of this psalm today. However, I will take this from the first verse. I will rejoice in God’s strength because my strength is insufficient for the tasks I face. And I will take joy in the victories which God gives me because the only victories which I have are those which are gifts from God. I recognize that I do not win through my skill or strength. I obtain victory only when God gives it to me.

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Proverbs 5:1-6

     Those who are immoral offer what seems sweet and delicious, but once it is consumed it becomes bitter and noxious. Following an immoral person will lead one straight to death. The pleasures received will be short-lived followed by pain and suffering. Those who are immoral live pointless lives that wander hither and yon. If you want to live a life with meaning that makes a difference, you must avoid them like the plague which they are.

Daily Bible Study

July 27, 2013 Bible Study — How Can They Hear Unless Someone Tells Them?

     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.

Liberty House
Liberty House

2 Chronicles 19-20:37

     When Jehoshaphat returned from visiting King Ahab (where he had joined King Ahab in going into the battle where Ahab was killed) a prophet confronted him for befriending Ahab. The prophet told him that God was angry with him for aiding the wicked king Ahab, but happy about his destruction of Asherah poles and commitment to seeking the Lord.
     The passage tells us that Jehoshaphat went out among the people all throughout the land he controlled, encouraging them to be faithful to God. While doing this he appointed judges throughout the land, setting up a system of appeals. He instructed the judges to think carefully before pronouncing judgment and to remember that they were to please God with their judgments, not people. They were to pass judgment in fear of the Lord, with faithfulness and integrity.
     Sometime after this, three of Judah’s neighboring countries allied together against Jehoshaphat and gathered their armies to attack him. Jehoshaphat sent out word to the whole nation for a fast seeking God’s guidance and help against these enemies. He called an assembly of the people and led them in a prayer requesting the Lord’s aid against their enemies. When Jehoshaphat finished praying a prophet received word from the Lord that they were to assemble their fighting force and march forth to meet the enemy armies. The prophet told them where they would find the enemy, but told them that they would not need to fight. God would defeat the enemy for them.
     The following morning Jehoshaphat led the army out to battle. He instructed the men to have faith in God and believe the message from His prophets. He then appointed singers to lead them in songs of praise as they marched. While the army of Judah sang praises to God and marched to battle, their enemies had a falling out and began fighting among themselves. By the time the army of Judah arrived at the point where they planned to take their defensive position, the three armies had destroyed each other. Jehoshaphat and his men plundered the dead of the enemy armies. It took them three days to gather all of the plunder. When word spread of what happened the other neighboring kingdoms were afraid to make war against Jehoshaphat.

Reading Phillies mascot holds finish line tape
Reading Phillies mascot holds finish line tape

Romans 10:14-11:12

     Today’s passage is one of the great calls to missionary work. Paul says (my paraphrase), “How can they call on God if they don’t believe in Him? How can they believe in Him, if they haven’t heard about Him? How can they hear about Him unless somebody tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them about Him, unless we send them?” So, this is not just about those who are missionaries, but also about the congregations which send them out to be missionaries as well. In other words, we have an obligation not just to preach the Gospel to the unbelievers but also to commission and send others to preach to the unbelievers. To those who welcome the good news of God’s Salvation, those who bring the message are to be praised.
     However, not everyone welcomes the good news of God’s Salvation. While faith comes from hearing the Gospel, not everyone who hears it accepts it. Paul here speaks about how many of the Jews rejected God’s salvation. He points out that Jews have been rejecting God’s commands and His messengers for their entire history. However, he is quick to point out that it has never been all Jews, that God has always had those that he reserved for Himself. The salvation of these Jews comes purely by God’s free and undeserved grace. Paul tells us that because the Jews rejected God’s salvation, God aroused their jealousy by extending it to Gentiles. He wanted them to claim His salvation for themselves by accepting His free gift. Paul tells us that the Gentiles were enriched by the Jews rejection of God’s salvation, but the entire world will be even more blessed when the Jews turn to God and accept His salvation.

At the Reading Phillies game
At the Reading Phillies game

Psalm 21:1-13

     Overall this is a Messianic prophecy, but there are some things that apply not just to Christ here.

You have endowed him with eternal blessings
and given him the joy of your presence.
For the king trusts in the Lord.
The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.

This reflects Christ, but it could certainly be changed slightly and read to apply to us as well.
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I read it today like this:
You have endowed me with eternal blessings
and given me the joy of your presence.
For I trust in the Lord.
The unfailing love of the Most High will keep me from stumbling.

For this is certainly true, God has given me eternal blessings. He has given me the joy of His presence and His unfailing love keeps me from stumbling as long as I trust in Him.

Reading Phillies conference on the mound
Reading Phillies conference on the mound

Proverbs 20:4-6

     There is a time to plow and plant if we want to eat at the time of harvest. Sometimes it takes effort on our part to gain the advice we need from those who have it to give. Am I willing to be that faithful friend who is so hard to find?

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