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Daily Bible Study

August 8, 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.

Ezra 7-8:20

     At this point, we are introduced to Ezra. Ezra traced his ancestry to Aaron, which made him a priest. During the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra decided to lead a group of priests and Levites to Jerusalem. Ezra took this action because he was determined to teach the decrees and regulations of the Law of the Lord to the people of Israel. Ezra had some sort of connections in the court of King Artaxerxes, since he was able to obtain financial support from the King as well as an appointment as governor of the land of Israel. When Ezra assembled his expedition, he discovered that no Levites had chosen to join them. He sent to a community of Levites requesting that they send a delegation to take part in his expedition and they granted his request. Since Ezra lived in a land that promoted religious freedom and tolerance, he worked within the laws of the land to do God’s work.

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

     Paul tells us that he does not care much for human judgement of his teaching, not even his own. While he believes that what he is teaching is the will of God, he accepts that he may be mistaken on some points. He tells us this to show us that we should not be boastful and hold ourselves up as better Christians than others because we follow the teachings of a particular leader. Everything we have, including the teachings we follow, are gifts from God, so we should not hold one leader up in order to put another down.
     Paul writes to the Corinthian Church about how sure they are that they have it all together. They believe that their worldly success and comfort are indicators of how well they are following God. Paul compares this belief to the hardship he experiences. He says that this is not to tell them that the life they are living is an indication that they are doing wrong, but to warn them of what may be to come.
     Paul concludes this section by telling them that he is sending Timothy to them to guide them. He warns them that some of them have become cocky and taken an attitude of, “Well, Paul isn’t here, so we don’t care what he thinks.” Paul tells them that, Lord willing, he will be visiting them soon. Then they will discover if these cocky men have the blessing of God in their teaching.

Psalm 30:1-12

     The psalmist tells us that when the Lord favors us, all goes right for us. When things are going well, we have a tendency to forget the Lord and become boastful and take credit for the good God has done for us. If that happens God will turn from us, but if we turn back to Him, He will turn our mourning into joy. We should give thanks to God for all the good things He has done for us and never cease to give Him both credit and praise.

Proverbs 20:28-30

     A ruler who loves the people he rules over and faithfully serves them will rule securely. When one is young, dealing with adversity through physical prowess is a source of pride, but as one gets older one should take pride in finding other ways to deal with adversity. Ultimately, some lessons will only be learned through physical punishment.

Daily Bible Study

August 7, 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.

Ezra 4:24-6:22

     As a result of the actions of the surrounding peoples, construction on the Temple was halted. However, when Darius became king of Persia two prophets rose up and encouraged the leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem and Judah to resume rebuilding the Temple. Officials from the provincial government established by the Persians soon arrive and demand who authorized the Temple work. The Jews claimed authorization by Cyrus.
     The Persian officials were skeptical, but the Jews provided enough evidence that they sent to the Persian capital for confirmation. When the officials’ letter arrived in the Persian capital, Darius ordered a search of the archives to see if Cyrus had indeed ordered the rebuilding of the Temple. When the record of Cyrus’ order was found, Darius ordered the provincial officials to not only allow the Jews to build in peace, but to provide financial assistance out of the taxes they were collecting for the Persian Empire. As a result, Temple reconstruction continued and it was rebuilt.
     When the Jews completed work on the Temple, they held a celebration to dedicate it once again. The following month they had a Passover celebration in the new Temple. The priests and Levites had purified themselves. They slaughtered the Passover lambs for all of the people who took part in this Passover celebration, which included some of the local people who had given up pagan practices. It is interesting to note that although the Jews had rejected the help of leaders of the surrounding people in rebuilding the Temple when they started, they accepted the local people into the Temple worship if those people chose to follow the Law.

1 Corinthians 3:5-23

     Paul continues his discussion of the foolishness of dividing along lines according to which teacher of the Gospel one followed. Paul tells them that it makes no difference which teacher they learn from as long as that teacher bases his teaching on Jesus. Paul compares our lives of faith to a building, as long as the building is built on a solid foundation, it will survive. If the materials used to build are perishable the building may be destroyed but if the builder built on the foundation of Jesus, they will survive.
     Paul wraps up this section of his writing by telling us that the body of believers as a whole is a temple to God. Anyone who destroys this temple of believers by disrupting its unity will be destroyed by God. Paul tells us not to boast in following a human leader. That we should take anything that will build our faith from any teacher who bases their teachings on Jesus.

Psalm 29:1-11

     God’s voice is loud and powerful. When He wishes He will be heard now matter how loud the other noises that attempt to drown Him out. When God shouts, the earth trembles and mighty trees split asunder. Let us praise Him that He uses this strength for the good of those who love Him.

Proverbs 20:26-27

     The first proverb tells us that a wise ruler drives the wicked from his land. The wicked will destroy the land and bring destruction upon the rulers who shelter them. The second proverb tells us that God looks into our inmost being. It is not dark to the Lord.

Daily Bible Study

August 6, 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.

Ezra 3-4:23

     The first thing the returned Jews did after getting settled was to rebuild the altar They did this before they began rebuilding the Temple itself. As soon as they had rebuilt the altar they began offering the sacrifices prescribed by the Law. Even though they were afraid of the people who were living around them, they rebuilt the altar on its old site. We are not told why they were afraid of the people living around them.
     Once they had the sacrifices established, they began rebuilding the Temple. When the people living around them heard that they were rebuilding the Temple, they approached the leaders of the returned Exiles and asked to work with them to rebuild the Temple. The passage tells us that these people living around the returned Exiles were the “enemies of Judah and Benjamin.” Once again, we are not told what made these people the enemies of the returned Exiles. However, the leaders of the returned Exiles reject their assistance. From this point on the people living around the Jews began working to interfere with the Jews efforts to rebuild Jerusalem. Certainly these actions make the people performing them the enemies of the Jews. However, the hostile acts we are told about come after the Jews have rejected including them in their rebuilding effort, so cannot be a justification for that rejection.
     The surrounding peoples continued to make efforts to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem, including writing letters to the kings of Persia. This culminates in a letter to Artaxerxes when he takes the throne of Persia. This letter claims that if the Jews successfully rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, they will stop paying tribute to Persia and that Jerusalem has a history of being rebellious against whatever empire currently controls the region. Artaxerxes wrote a return letter ordering that Jerusalem only be rebuilt if he sent an order specifically to that effect. Based on the power of that letter from Artaxerxes, the Jews opponents in the area mustered their forces and forcibly stopped the Jews from continuing to rebuild Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4

     After telling us in yesterday’s passage that Christianity’s teachings are foolishness in the eyes of unbelievers, Paul now tells us that there is Christian wisdom. That wisdom is God’s plan to redeem the world through those who accept Jesus. The rulers of this world have not understood God’s plan, because if they had they would not have crucified Christ. This passage confuses me because I am not sure where Paul is going with this line of thought. He never really tells us what this wisdom is, at least not here. However, he tells us that this wisdom was revealed by the Holy Spirit. Just as only a person’s spirit can know that person’s thoughts, so only God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit) can know God’s thoughts. Those of us who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior have received the Holy Spirit (God’s Spirit). The Holy Spirit will reveal God’s thoughts to us.
     Paul writes to the Corinthians that when he was with them, he had to talk to them as spiritual infants, feeding them spiritual milk, not solid food. They were not ready for anything stronger than spiritual milk. He is not condemning them for that. However, he says that they are still not ready for anything stronger, because they are acting like little children, quarreling amongst themselves over who is better.

Psalm 28:1-9

     The psalmist tells us that we should not be like the wicked who care nothing for what God has done or for what God has made. If we cry out to God and trust in Him, he will hear us. We should live our lives so that we desire to receive a taste of what we have done to others, rather than fear that such might happen.

Proverbs 20:24-25

     God directs our paths, even when we do the wrong thing. I look back over my life and there are many times where I can see that I made the wrong decision. Yet, in some of those cases, if I had made the right decision I would never have ended up in circumstances where I received great blessings. I do not understand how that works, but I neither regret that I have ended up where God has placed me, nor do I believe that all of my decisions are the one’s that God desired me to make.
     It is foolish to commit to something without first considering whether it is worth the price it will cost you. We often discover that the cost of something we desired with all of our hearts was worth more to us than what we got. We gain nothing if we give up our hearts in order to obtain our heart’s desire.

Daily Bible Study

August 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.

Ezra 1-2:70

     Today I begin reading the book of Ezra. The passage starts by recounting that at the beginning of his reign, Cyrus sent out a decree encouraging the Jews to return to Jerusalem and other traditional lands to live and rebuild the Temple. He instructed their neighbors to voluntarily assist them with the expense of returning and rebuilding the Temple. We are told that about 50,000 people took advantage of this decree and returned to the land of Judah. In addition, Cyrus sent back the Temple furnishings that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple. The people who returned fell into two groups. The first were those who had a record of their ancestry going back to before the Exile. The second group were those whose family tradition said they were descended from Israel, but they did not have a record of their ancestry.
     We see here that a large group of people decided to return to the land of Judah and rebuild the Temple. We do not know what their individual motives were, but we are told that God stirred their hearts to make this move. In addition, their neighbors contributed to assist in the rebuilding of the Temple. They contributed not only to the cost of rebuilding the Temple, but to the costs of relocating to the land of Judah. Perhaps these neighbors were fellow Jews who did not wish to disrupt the lives they had built for themselves by returning, or perhaps they were just neighbors who wanted to help their fellow-man live out their dream. Even if they were Jews who did not wish to return, we should not condemn them. The costs of the return and rebuilding were such that some needed to contribute so that others could do the work. Just as today, not everyone can go into the mission fields. Some must work mundane jobs to support the expenses of those who go into missions.

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5

     Paul tells us that the message of the cross looks foolish to those who do not accept it. This is something very basic that Christians must come to accept. We can make no argument that will make us look wise in the eyes of those who do not believe. Paul sums up the world’s reaction to Christianity this way, “So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.”
     But Paul has more to say on the subject of the wisdom of Christianity. Paul tells us that God chose to use those the world considers foolish to shame those it thinks wise. We need to take the attitude of the man born blind that we are told of in John 9. When the wise men told him that they knew Jesus was a sinner, he responded, “Well, I don;t know about that. I don’t have your education and knowledge. What I do know is this. I was blind and now I can see.” We as Christians should not try to convince the world that we are wise. We must fully rely on God to convince them. We can merely tell them what we have experienced. I know what I know. I was blind and now I see. Many people will look at us and think us fools, but the Spirit of God will work in the hearts of some and they will come to know the Lord.

Psalm 27:7-14

     As is often the case, this psalm makes its point in words that it is hard to find a better way to say. How often has God said to me, “Come and talk with me,” and I have replied, “Not now, I’m busy?” I want to never do that again. I want to try to make my answer that of the psalmist, “Lord, I am coming.” God will not abandon us, even if all else have. I strive to constantly follow the model of this psalmist and ask the Lord to teach me how to live. I desire to patiently wait for God to act. When He calls, I will answer.

Proverbs 20:22-23

     The first proverb tells us not to seek revenge, we should wait for God to handle the matter. How often have we seen someone do even more harm to themselves in the effort to make someone else pay for a perceived wrong? Which brings up another reason to leave payback to God. It may be that the person that we perceive as having done us wrong did not do anything that deserves payback. Perhaps, we are wrong in attributing the harm we suffered to that person.
     The second proverb, on the surface, is unrelated to the first. Yet, sometimes the reason we think someone deserves payback is because we are judging them by a standard that we ourselves do not live up to.

Daily Bible Study

August 4, 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.

2 Chronicles 35-36:23

     Josiah called the people of Israel to celebrate the Passover. He provided a large number of sacrifices for the Passover. In addition, his officials provided even more. The priests and Levites prepared the Passover lambs and gave them to the heads of the family divisions. After they provided for the people, they prepared them for all the priests and Levites in such a manner that those whose duties were otherwise (musicians, gatekeepers, etc) did not have to leave their posts in order to celebrate the Passover. This whole thing was an example of the leadership taking an attitude of service.
     Josiah’s reign ended when Neco, the king of Egypt, marched to battle against Babylon in support of the remnants of the Assyrian Empire. Josiah went out to prevent Neco from marching through his lands (the only practical way to get from Egypt to where the Egyptians were planning to confront the Babylonians) despite Neco telling him that he had no interest in fighting him. Josiah was killed in the battle. Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz succeeded him. However, Neco took him captive on his return from his defeat by the Babylonians and placed his brother, Eliakim (who was renamed Jehoiakim) on the throne. Jehoiakim reigned for eleven years, until Nebuchadnezzar took him captive and placed his son, Jehoiachin, on the throne. However, the following spring, Nebuchadnezzar sent for Jehoiachin to come to Babylon and replaced him on the throne with his uncle Zedekiah. We are told that during this time period the people did progressively more evil, turning to worship of other gods led by the kings that reigned during this time. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadnezzar came and took the remaining populace into captivity.

1 Corinthians 1:1-17

     Paul begins his letter to the Corinthian church by telling them that they have been called by God to be a holy people. Not only did God call us to be a holy people, He made us holy through Jesus. Paul tells us that God did this for the Corinthian believers and for those who call on the name of Jesus everywhere. Paul tells them that God has given the Church in Corinth many gifts, including eloquent words and knowledge. He says that God will keep them strong until the end. I believe that Paul is being genuine here, despite the rebukes he writes this letter to give them. Paul is telling them that they are doing well, before going on to tell them that they have areas that need improvement.
     Paul then gets to the first issue that he wants to confront them about, their divisiveness. He condemns them for dividing into groups and justifying their arguments on the basis of, “Paul taught this.” “Oh yeah, well Apollos taught us to do it this way.” “Well, you’re both wrong, Peter taught it differently.” “Well, I don’t follow any man-made rules. I just follow Jesus.” Does that sound familiar? While I think right now the Church in the U.S. is not as bad in its divisiveness as at sometimes in the past. However, I find it interesting the number of people who use this passage to justify their hostility to denominations who never notice that they are doing the same thing. Paul is not particularly attacking denominations (although denominations came to be partially out of what Paul is condemning). Paul is talking here about the human tendency to set up our way as the only right way and to try to say, “You don’t do it right. That makes me better than you.” Paul is telling us here that we should strive to live in unity with one another and recognize that we are all equally sinners before God. However, he, also, points out that some of the people crying “Unity, unity,” are just as divisive as anybody else.

Psalm 27:1-6

     This is a psalm for us to remember in times when we are tempted to fear. While the psalm reads as the expression of a confident person, I sense a bit of “whistling past the graveyard” in it. I think the psalmist was looking at what was going on around him and felt fear. But he thought about it and said, “I trust God, what is there to fear?” In the face of his fears, he reviewed his belief in the power of God. As he did so, his fears diminished and his joy in serving God increased. The same can happen for us. If, when fear begins to rise in us, we remind ourselves of God’s great power and His promises to care for and protect us, we will find our fears receding. If we praise God and strive to serve Him in the face of our fears, those fears will be pushed aside and we will realize the joy of serving God.

Proverbs 20:20-21

     The New Living Translation says that if you insult your parents your light will be put out. Other translations say that if you curse your parents. I think either way this is hard to get at the way we use words today. This is talking about calling down evil upon your parents. It is curse as in wishing that something nasty happen to them. And from looking at the various translations, I think the sense of what will happen is a descent into metaphorical darkness as if your eyes had been put out. The result will be like trying to find your way in a cave with no light source.
     The second of today’s proverbs tells us that those who receive wealth at a young age will likely fail to learn important life lessons.

Daily Bible Study

August 3, 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.

2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33

     When Manasseh returned from captivity, he destroyed the idols and altars to pagan gods that he had built. He offered sacrifices to God and encouraged the people of Judah to abandon the worship of foreign gods. The account tells us that his son, Amon, returned to worshiping idols and did not repent, instead doing even more evil than his father had. Amon was killed by a conspiracy of his own officials. The people killed the conspirators and made Amon’s son, Josiah, king.
     Josiah was crowned king when he was eight years old. When he was sixteen, he began to seek God. When he turned twenty he began a program of religious reform. He had the pagan idols and their altars destroyed throughout Judah and even into the territory that had been controlled by the Northern Tribes. He had all of the pagan priests throughout the territory killed. When he finished this, he took the money that people had been donating at the gates of the Temple and began repairing the Temple.
     While they are repairing the Temple the workmen discover a copy of the Book of the Law. The Book of the Law was taken to King Josiah and read to him. When Josiah hears what is in the Law, he is distraught because the children of Israel have not been keeping the Law. Josiah sends his aides to inquire of God and request His forgiveness. They went to speak with a prophetess named Huldah. Huldah sent word back to Josiah that God had declared that He was indeed going to bring disaster upon Judah and Jerusalem. But because Josiah had humbled himself, repented of the sins of his ancestors and turned to God, God was not going to do so during Josiah’s lifetime. Josiah called an assembly of all the people before which he pledged to keep the whole Law of God, not just the word but also the spirit. He then called on the people to make a similar commitment. We are told that the people of Israel did not turn away from God through the rest of his lifetime.
     The story of Josiah shows us the impact that one person can have on the culture around them. Josiah was sixteen when he began to seek the Lord. He was twenty when he began his religious reform. But by his example the entire people of Israel became faithful followers of God, abandoning idol worship for his lifetime. Yes, he was king and that allowed him to force others to his will. Nevertheless, if we live our lives as examples of faithfulness and with fervor for worshiping the Lord, we can have an impact on the people around us.

Romans 16:10-27

     Paul continues sending greetings to specific people that he knows in Rome. We tend to think of the book of Romans as being written to a single church, which in some ways is true. However, in his acknowledgements of people here at the end of the letter, Paul greets three groups that meet with people he is acknowledging. In addition, he extends his greetings of specific individuals to their entire household. All together this suggests that the Church of Rome was composed of multiple congregations, just as the Church of any modern city is so composed.
     Paul goes on to appeal to the Church at Rome to avoid people who teach divisive things contrary to what has already been taught. He tells us that they use smooth talk and glowing words to convince the innocent. I do not know what teachings Paul had in mind here, if he was indeed thinking of specific teachings. However, we can see the sort of thing he was talking about in the Church today. There are people who teach that behaviors that Paul condemned are OK and then try to tell those supporting clearly worded teachings from the Bible that they are being divisive. A classic example of this is the fuss over remarks by the COO of Chik-Fil-A. In an interview, he talked about how the company is supportive of traditional marriage. As he continued that he even gave an idea of what he meant by a traditional marriage when he said in the very next sentence, “…we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.” He was called bigoted for attacking “gay marriage”, yet nowhere does he mention “gay marriage.” As a matter of fact, he seems to be putting more emphasis on opposing divorce in his comments than on opposing “gay marriage.”

Psalm 26:1-12

     The psalmist declares:

I do not spend time with liars
or go along with hypocrites.
I hate the gatherings of those who do evil,
and I refuse to join in with the wicked.

Do we do the same, not just declare it, but actually do what he declares that he does? Do we live lives of integrity, singing songs of thanksgiving and telling all who will listen of God’s wonders? Do we publicly praise the Lord? I strive to do so, but know that I fail more often than I should.

Proverbs 20:19

     Today’s proverb tells us that those who gossip will betray things told to them in confidence. That if you spend time with someone who talks too much, sooner or later you will tell them something in confidence that they will tell to others.

Daily Bible Study

August 2, 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.

2 Chronicles 32-33:13

     Shortly after King Hezekiah restored Temple worship, the king of Assyria invaded Judah. King Hezekiah repaired the walls of Jerusalem and secured Jerusalem’s water supply. In addition, he gathered the people of Jerusalem and told them not to fear the king of Assyria because while his army was great, God would protect Jerusalem. While he was still besieging another city, King Sennacherib sent messengers to Jerusalem proclaiming that God would be unable to protect Jerusalem from his armies. King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah prayed to God for rescue. The passage tells us that an angel of Lord destroyed Sennacherib’s army and he was forced to return to home, where his own sons killed him. We see two things come together here. First, King Sennacherib and the Assyrians challenged God. They said that God was unable to prevent them from doing whatever they liked, so the people of Jerusalem should not rely on Him. Second, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem said that only through the action of God could they withstand the attack by the Assyrians. They acknowledged that if Jerusalem did not fall to the Assyrians, the credit would all belong to God.
     We are told that after the destruction of the Assyrian army, Judah was left in peace for the remainder of King Hezekiah’s reign and even accumulated significant wealth. Unfortunately, King Hezekiah’s son and successor, Manasseh, was not as faithful to God as his father. On the contrary, Manasseh rebuilt the pagan temples and altars that Hezekiah had destroyed. He sacrificed his own sons to the fire. He even set up an idol in the Temple. God allowed Manasseh to be taken captive by Assyrian armies. While in captivity, Manasseh turned to God. Upon his release and return to Jerusalem, he gave up his evil practices.

Romans 15:23-16:9

     Paul now writes of his plans for future travel. He tells the believers in Rome that he plans to stop there on his way to Spain, after he has gone to Jerusalem to take a gift from the believers in Greece to the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. He requests their prayers that he be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God, which suggests that he has already heard the prophecies of what will happen when he returns to Jerusalem. Then he acknowledges that all of his plans are subject to the will of God.
      Paul then commends Phoebe to the believers in Rome, which suggests that she was the person to whom he gave the letter to deliver it to the Roman Church. He follows this by listing various people now living in Rome and extending his greetings to them. While this is primarily a personal message to these individuals, it also contains a bit of testimonial for them, suggesting their opinions should be treated as somewhat authoritative by the believers in Rome. He mentions several women as Church leaders. This needs to be taken in balance with his writings elsewhere where he says that Church elders should be exclusively men.

Psalm 25:16-22

     Today’s section of psalm goes well with today’s passage from 2 Chronicles. When the people of Jerusalem thought there problems were irresolvable, they wholeheartedly turned to God for rescue from the Assyrians and God granted it to them. The psalmist here completely acknowledges that his only hope is through the action of God. That he has no ability to extricate himself from his troubles through his own skill and/or might. We must take a similar viewpoint to life. I am where I am in life, not because I am special, or better than anyone else, or through any other human agency, but because of the grace of God.

Proverbs 20:16-18

     The first proverb today talks about how unwise it is to guarantee debt to someone you do not know. The second tells us that illicit behaviors are initially pleasant, but quickly result in regrets. The final one tells us that the more critical a plan, the more vital it is to listen to good advice before implementing it.

Daily Bible Study

August 1, 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.

2 Chronicles 30-31:21

     After completing the re-dedication of the Temple, Hezekiah sent out couriers to all of Judah and Israel, inviting the people to a Passover celebration. In addition to the lands that he controlled, he sent the couriers into the lands of the Northern Tribes to those who remained after the Assyrians took many of them into captivity. This was not the correct time for the Passover, but Hezekiah and his advisers decided to hold it at this time because it had not been celebrated in a long time, except by a few individuals. Hezekiah gave the couriers a message that emphasized the importance and benefits of returning to following God’s commands. For the most part the people of the towns and villages of the Northern Tribes ridiculed the couriers. Nevertheless, some men from those territories came to the Passover celebration. On the other hand, the people of the lands of Judah were unified in their positive response to Hezekiah’s messengers.
      When the crowds started arriving in Jerusalem, they cleared away the pagan altars that Hezekiah’s father had constructed in Jerusalem. After the Passover celebration, the people went throughout the land and destroyed the pagan altars and objects of pagan worship. In many ways this reminds me of a modern revival meeting. The people gathered for a multiple day event of worship and praise. When the event was over, they were galvanized to a new commitment to faithfully following God. They went out and destroyed those things in their daily lives that tempted them to sin. In addition, the people began giving free will offerings to the service of God. Hezekiah strove to follow God’s laws and commands and the people followed his lead. We should be praying today that leaders such as Hezekiah rise up within the Church and lead a similar revival among us.

Romans 15:1-22

     In yesterday’s passage, Paul told us not to argue about “disputable matters”, such as what it is appropriate to eat, or what days we should worship on. Today he begins by telling us that those of us who are strong in our faith must be considerate of those who are weak in their faith. This means whichever side of the debate you are on, he is talking to you, because obviously, at least on the point of debate, you will think your faith stronger than that of the person whom you are disagreeing with. Therefore, Paul is putting the obligation on you to build the other person up. We should strive to live in harmony with one another in order to give glory to God.
     Paul tells his audience that he is confident that for the most part they already know what he is writing. He tells them that he knows full well that most of what he is writing is just a reminder for them. Paul concludes this section by telling them that he has striven to preach the Gospel to those who have never heard it before, rather than preach where someone has already started a church. This is the reason he has not yet been to Rome. First, because he had been busy preaching in towns closer to him that had not yet heard the Gospel. Second, because someone else had already preached the Gospel in Rome.

Psalm 25:1-15

     If we trust in God, we will not be disgraced. We will not be disgraced because we will look to God to discern what path we should follow. If we look to God with humility, He will lead us down the path we should follow. Even when we go astray, if we turn back to Him, He will show us the path we should choose. We do not need to be constantly looking around for traps and pitfalls, because God will rescue us from them. If we keep our eyes on God, then just like Peter, we will be able to walk over top of danger/water without fear, but if we take our eyes off of Him to look at the dangers, we will sink beneath the waves. Although even then, when we cry out to God, He will save us.

Proverbs 20:13-15

     If you work hard and take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves, you will have enough to eat. Wisdom is more valuable than wealth. If we strive after wisdom, we will have sufficient resources to live comfortably. If we strive after wealth and miss wisdom, wealth is liable to slip away as well.

Daily Bible Study

July 31, 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.

2 Chronicles 29:1-36

     King Ahaz had shuttered the Temple and promoted the worship of various pagan gods. When he died his son Hezekiah took the throne. Hezekiah’s mother was the daughter of Zechariah. We are not told for sure, but this was probably the same Zechariah who instructed Hezekiah’s grandfather, Uzziah, in the fear of God. If this was the case, Hezekiah is an example of how much influence a godly mother can have. Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz, not only did not worship God, preferring the worship of other gods, he interfered with others doing so by shuttering the doors of the Temple. However, upon taking the throne the first thing Hezekiah does is to open the Temple doors and get them repaired. Hezekiah summoned the priests and Levites and instructed them to clean out and purify the Temple. It took them eight days to clean out the courtyard and eight more days to clean out and purify the Temple itself.
     When the cleansing of the Temple was completed, Hezekiah called upon the people to gather for a re-dedication service. Hezekiah provided an offering for consecrating the people to God. We cannot get a good feel for it from the description, but this service was much like a festival. While the offerings were being made we are told that the singers sang accompanied by trumpets and other instruments. When these offerings were completed, Hezekiah instructed the people to bring their own offerings to the Temple. The people brought so much in the way of offerings that there were not enough priests to prepare them all, so the Levites helped them do so.

Romans 14:1-23

     Paul discusses disputes over what people eat and drink and over the celebration of Holy days. He tells us not to argue over such things. Some people think it is OK to eat anything, others will only eat vegetables. Paul tells us here that whichever side of that dispute we are on, we should not condemn those who take a differing position. In addition, Paul references some who emphasize worshiping the Lord on a particular day vs some who hold all days alike. Paul seems to come down on the side of those who hold all days alike, but sees no problem with some people emphasizing a particular day. On both of these disputes, Paul says that it does not matter which side we are on, as long as our goal is to honor God.
     He goes on to tell us that we must not cause others to stumble. He gives the example that he believes that nothing is unclean in and of itself. However, if someone believes that it is wrong to eat certain foods, then for that person it is wrong. If a fellow Christian has a problem with something we choose to eat, we should not eat it in their presence, and we should keep the fact that we sometimes eat that between ourselves and God. If you have doubts as to whether or not it is right to do something, than it is a sin to do that something. Or to put it another way, if doing something makes you feel guilty, don’ do that something. We should not eat or drink anything that will cause another to stumble. This is the basis for the only valid argument that I have ever heard from Christian teetotalers. They argue that some people are alcoholics and if those people consume any alcohol they will be unable to control themselves and will drink to excess. This seems to be true. The teetotalers therefore argue that we should not drink alcohol in the presence of alcoholics because we may cause them to be tempted to drink alcohol if we do so. They further argue that we should not drink alcohol in the presence of anyone because we do not know who is or is not an alcoholic. They further extend the argument that we should not drink at all because we do not know who will observe us buying the alcohol in the first place and thus be tempted. I do not subscribe to this argument, but it has merit. As Christians, we should be sensitive to drinking in the presence of alcoholics. I am not so much concerned with those who are aware of their problem, because I can encourage them in their choice to abstain when I am drinking. The place for special care is around those who have a drinking problem but refuse to acknowledge it.

Psalm 24:1-10

     Everything belongs to God. All parts of our lives should be dedicated to honoring Him. We should not attempt to close God out of any part of our lives because it all belongs to Him. Everything we have and everything we are is God’s. If we do not dedicate all of our actions to His service we are failing in our duty to Him.

Proverbs 20:12

“Ears to hear and eyes to see—
both are gifts from the Lord.”

     Notice it does not say anything about mouth to talk. Our ears and our eyes are used to observe the world around us. I think it is interesting the order they are listed. Perhaps we should focus a greater part of our observation on what we hear relative to what we see than we tend to.

Daily Bible Study

July 30, 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.

2 Chronicles 26-28:27

     Uzziah succeeded his father Amaziah on the throne of Judah. We are told that Uzziah did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord and was successful as a result. Uzziah built a well-trained large army and conquered much of the surrounding territory. His spiritual mentor was Zechariah. However, after Zechariah died, Uzziah entered into the sanctuary of the Temple, where only priests were supposed to go, and burned incense. The high priest and eighty other priests confronted him over this. He went into a rage against them for opposing him on this. While he was in this rage, he broke out with a contagious skin disease (usually translated as leprosy). When the priests saw this, they rushed him out of the Temple. Uzziah lived in isolation in a separate house the rest of his life. His son Jotham took charge in his name until his death when Jotham became king.
     We are told that Jotham also did what was pleasing in the sight of God and continued expanding the power of Judah. However, it mentions that the people of Judah were not faithful to God during this time. When Jotham died his son Ahaz succeeded to the throne. Ahaz did not follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Instead he cast metal images for the worship of Baal and offered sacrifices at pagan shrines. He even went so far as to sacrifice some of his own sons in the fire. While Ahaz was king, Judah was invaded by a force from Israel which captured a large number of people and took them as slaves. However, a prophet of the Lord confronted them for taking their fellow descendants of Israel captive as slaves and leaders of the people of Israel demanded that they not bring them to their towns as slaves. The Israelite force returned some of their plunder (possibly all, the passage is not clear) to the captives and returned them to Judah. King Ahaz attempted to hire the king of Assyria to help him, but the king of Assyria plundered Jerusalem as well. King Ahaz shuttered the doors to the Temple to prevent anyone from worshiping there and set up altars to pagan gods throughout Jerusalem and the rest of Judah.

Romans 13:1-14

     The first part of today’s passage tells us to submit to the governing authorities. They only have such power as God has delegated to them. God has instituted governments to punish wrongdoers. In addition, Paul tells us that those who are in positions of authority in government were placed there by God. We should obey governing authorities not just to avoid punishment, but to please God, since He has established them. This includes paying taxes. We are, also, to respect and honor those in positions of government authority.
     Paul follows this up by instructing us to owe no one anything, except for our obligation to love one another. Paul tells us that the commandments can be summed up by “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Time is running out, the Lord will be returning soon. We must avoid wild parties, drunkenness and sexual immorality. We must strive to serve the Lord and not seek ways to indulge our evil desires.

Psalm 23:1-6

     Today’s psalm is one that anyone who knows the Bible at all is familiar with. There is a reason for this, it contains a lot of basic truths. The Lord is our shepherd. He will guide us to those places where all of our needs will be met. Even when we pass through difficult and dangerous places and times, we need not fear because God will protect us. If we faithfully follow the Lord’s guidance, when we finish this life we will dwell in His house for eternity.

Proverbs 20:11

     Today’s proverb tells us that even children are known by the way they act. Considering that, how much more will we as adults be judged by our behavior.