Old Testament – Today we begin the book of the prophet Isaiah! A powerful quote from Bible.org at this link about this book is: “The Book of Isaiah is one of the most important books of the Old Testament. While little is known of the personal life of the prophet, he is considered to be one of the greatest of them all. The book is a collection of oracles, prophecies, and reports; but the common theme is the message of salvation. There was, according to these writings, no hope in anything that was made by people… There would be a purging of the nation because God is holy. Before the nation could inherit the promises made to the fathers, it would have to be made holy.”
~ Isaiah ~ Author: Isaiah Date: Eighth century B.C. Content: Isaiah’s long ministry lasted almost sixty years and covered the reigns of four kings, the last one being Hezekiah, the reformer. Isaiah was sent primarily to Judah, although his message concerns the northern kingdom of Israel as well. He lived through the awful days of the civil war between Israel and Judah in 734-732 B.C. and saw the destruction of Israel by Assyria in 722 B.C. the grim lesson taught by Israel’s fall was not lost on Isaiah, and he used it to encourage Hezekiah to trust in the Lord. The Lord delivered Judah from the mighty Assyrian army by sending a plague to destroy the camp. Isaiah also looked beyond his own time to the coming exile of Judah and the deliverance that God would provide. Theme: Isaiah was one of Jesus’ favorite books and he quoted it frequently, because the central them is salvation. God is seen as the Savior of his people, who redeemed them from Egypt, who will redeem them from their coming captivity, and who will send his beloved Servant to bear the sins of us all (Isaiah 53:6). God freely offers to pardon all who will turn to him in repentance and faith. The future kingdom of God on earth is also described in exquisite detail as a time when men will lay down their swords and, in peace, sing praises to God their King. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 11) More great commentary on the book of Isaiah is at this link. Below is a portrait of the prophet Isaiah by artist Guy Rowe:
Today in Isaiah chapter 1 verses 2 and 3 we read these words of the prophet Isaiah: “Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” These words were spoken to the Israelites in the 8th century B.C., but do you suppose they can apply to our modern world today as well? Do we know God? Do we truly understand God? I do think that sometimes we can forget that God is our Father. We are his children. He has brought us up. And we have rebelled. Is an ox at times smarter than us in terms of knowing who its master is? Do we truly know who our master is? I’m afraid sometimes I live my life as if I am my own master. I am “master of my own destiny!” Well. . . am I really? What about you. Who is your master day in and day out? Do you know your Master? Do you understand?
Bible Project: Here is a great video overview of the book of Isaiah!
New Testament – Wow… I love Paul’s words to the church in Second Corinthians chapter 10 verses 3 through 5: “We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.” This is incredibly powerful for us to realize. We are human. God is God. We are not God. But, good news is that we have access to God’s “weapons” through our relationship with his son Jesus. And trust me. In this fallen world, we need God’s weapons. We need his strength. We need his grace. We need his forgiveness. We need his miracles. We need his Son. These are the only ways that we will knock down the Devil’s strongholds in our lives and in others lives. How do we access God’s mighty weapons? My personal opinion is that prayer is one of the best things we can do in this regards. I don’t know about you, but I do not pray enough. However, just lately I’ve been praying a bit more, and I’ll tell you, God has moved! Prayer is such a beautiful mystery. We need it like the air we breathe. Please pray. Other ways to access God’s mighty weapons are certainly reading and studying God’s Word daily, investing in a church community at least weekly (even more is better via small groups, etc.), and confessing and repenting and fleeing from sin. Then, with God’s weapons we are called to introduce others to who God is and teach them to obey Christ. How are you accessing God’s mighty weapons these days? Are you praying? Are you reading and studying the Bible daily? Are you investing in a church community weekly? Are you confessing and repenting and fleeing from sin? Or are you relying on your human plans and methods to make it through the day? Are you relying on worldly weapons? Will you seek instead God’s mighty weapons?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “Contrasting Christian Leaders With the Cultists” is at this link.
Psalms – Verse 9 in Psalm 52 stood out to me today – “”I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will wait for your mercies in the presence of your people.” Are you looking forward to praising God forever? Are you willing to wait for God? If things don’t seem to be moving as quickly as you would like them to in your spiritual life, will you still wait for God? And will you do so in the presence of God’s people? Do you believe that being part of a church community can help you during a time of waiting for the Lord? And do you believe that you can help others in your church to wait as well? Then, together you can look forward to praising God forever for what he has done and will do!
Proverbs – We read an interesting Proverb today in chapter 22 verses 26 & 27: “Do not co-sign another person’s note or put up a guarantee for someone else’s loan. If you can’t pay it, even your bed will be snatched from under you.” I’ve always been intrigued by these types of Proverbs / verses in the Bible. Verses that basically say don’t co-sign or guarantee anybody else’s debt – unless of course we’re talking about your kid! 🙂 I do see the wisdom in this. If you co-sign / guarantee for somebody else, then be prepared to have to pay back that debt in full… Wow. This is pretty heavy to think about. We hear so much about staying out of debt – and typically think about our own personal debt. That’s obviously wise. And well, this Proverb today is saying don’t take on other people’s debt! That is very wise! Stay out of debt! Your own and particularly your friends’!
Worship Video: Psalm 52:9 in today’s readings reminded me of Michael W. Smith’s great song “A New Hallelujah!”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'” Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that your sins have been made white as snow and wool, through a saving faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up in the “Comments” section below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Isaiah 1:1-2:22
Ahh, this book contains some of my favorite passages. There is a verse in the 49th chapter that utterly floored me when I did my first read through the bible seventeen years ago. It was one of three verses that literally spoke to me in such a way that my life immediately changed.
Come, let’s consider your options,” says the Lord. “Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool. If you have a willing attitude and obey, then you will again eat the good crops of the land. (Isaiah 1:18-19 NET.)
When I first came upon these verses I realized that God wanted me to dialogue with Him. I could not only bring my problems, but I could debate with Him, I could bring to Him those things that I didn’t see as “sin” and God would talk to me about it. I took God up on his offer almost twenty years ago and I haven’t stopped talking to him sense. There are many people who are afraid to challenge God about the things they see, the unfairness the wickedness and the things they read in God’s Word, I’m not. I have gone to God often about the things I thought were unfair and have had my eyes opened every time by the great Master.
The last verse in today’s reading, 2:22, is so deep in its depth of understanding.
22 Stop putting your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. How can they be of help to anyone?
To often we put our trust in men and they fail us and then we get all bent out of joint. Man is not God. If we can just get this Wisdom down in our spirits, if we can just grasp the understanding of this verse, then we will learn how to manage our disappointments.
We are not disappointed by what we find, we are disappointed by what we expected to find. If we keep putting our trust in men, government, relatives and ideologies, we will always be disappointed.
II Corinthians 10:1-18
One of the reasons we, God’s folks, have such a hard time with taking up God’s weapons and putting down ours is because we want to be in charge and we are rebellious. That rebellious nature can even be seen in a two-year old child who insist on putting on his shoes by himself, even when he is trying to put them on the “wrong” foot. Rejecting all help and suggestions the child stubbornly resists the help and walks around for a very long time with the right shoes on the wrong foot. How much like that child are we? We pick up vengeance, manipulation, violence and all the other human tools to try to get people to do things the right way or at least the way we want.
If we use God’s weapons then God will get the Glory, which is rightly His. However, if we use our puny weapons and win the battle, although we will latter find out we lost the war, we stand and take credit for everything thus feeding our egos. The seventh verse tells us why this will not work:
7 The trouble with you is that you make your decisions on the basis of appearance.
The type of weapon used in a war is always based on information about the enemy, wrong information means wrong weapons will be used. Since God knows everything, He is the one we need to trust to supply the right weapon at the right time.
Psalm 52:1-9
This Psalm is an example of a man who was defeated by God’s weapons. (1 Sam. 21-22),
Psalms 52:3-5 AMP (3) You love evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness, justice, and right. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! (4) You love all destroying and devouring words, O deceitful tongue. (5) God will likewise break you down and destroy you forever; He will lay hold of you and pluck you out of your tent and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
Proverbs 22:26-27
I know the words in these two verse speak about co-signing someone’s loan or note and we immediately think of paying back money on a debt that we didn’t make. I think this concept of taking on monetary debt is part of it but a very small part. What we are vouching for is the person’s character and integrity. Our integrity is manifested by our deeds, our behavior. Either we have it or we don’t. If someone needs a loaned co-signed then it means the lender doesn’t trust the person. As a co-signer we are vouch safe the person by connecting our integrity with his or hers. There is a 50/50 chance that the person can pull the co-signer down to his or her level if they don’t pay back the loan; or they will come up to the level of the co-signer. Either way the co-signer has placed his/her reputation into someone else’s hands. The more I think about this the more I believe that these two verses need to be looked at in the light of the reading from yesterday because they share the same principal.
Yesterdays reading:
Make no friendships with a man given to anger, and with a wrathful man do not associate, Lest you learn his ways and get yourself into a snare. (Proverbs 22:24-25 AMP)
And today’s reading:
Be not one of those who strike hands and pledge themselves, or of those who become security for another’s debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take your bed from under you? (Proverbs 22:26-27 AMP)
Both passages have the common theme of not allowing someone else to define, damage or make our integrity and reputation.
Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Luch:
Isaiah 1:2 “Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! This is what the LORD says, “The children I raised and cared for have turned against me.” What a helpful, reassuring word for parents who are in pain because their own children have gone away from God or the values they may have been brought up with. In a child centered community as cultural Christians have produced, this verse reminds us that even perfect parents (such as God our FAther) can do a perfect job of raising their kids in an idyllic environment and THEY STILL REBEL. Parents try to control their kids environments by sending them religiously to church, to private schools, keeping them ‘sheltered’ from the bad old world, and yet they still rebel. Go figure. It seems to me that righteousness in our children cannot be legislated or imposed. Righteousness must be chosen. see Hebrews 5:12-14. People mature as they learn to distinguish good from evil.
I have raised 3 sons all ranging from ages 27 to 20. Although I am relieved to say that each of them is walking with God today, at different times they have lived far from God DUE TO THEIR OWN CHOICES, not because I was a lousy parent, although I have failed many times as a parent.
I just want to say to parents who have rebellious kids, take heart. God understands how you feel. REad Isaiah 1:2 again in this light, and then go read Jeremiah 31:16 “But now the LORD says ,”Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you. Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” says the LORD. Your children will come again to their own land…”
I love what Billy Graham’s wife Ruth said, “It’s my job to love Billy. It’s God’s job to change him.’ I think that applies to raising our kids too. The story of their son Franklin Graham’s rebellion and return to God is very encouraging to those of us who have had prodigals. Many times the prodigals make the strongest followers of Jesus.
Luch
======= Steve:
Hey Mike,
I just discovered your blog this morning, and I am VERY impressed! Today is the day! I have been putting off my daily time with the LORD for some time now. But today when I woke up a voice in my head said, “come and spend some time with me.” I got up, made coffee and started to read the newspaper (ignoring the voice). The voice in my head kept saying, “seek me first…” and, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer. 29:13
I put down my coffee and newspaper and Googled “daily bible reading plan,” which led me here.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Steve
======= Jan:
Steve, welcome to our family at OYBB – you have a precious last name & I love the movie Schindler’s List; what a privilege to do what he did for the Jews.
Isn’t God amazing how He continually prompts us to spend time with Him.
Also, Mike – I think it is interesting the picture from Rowe with the eagle in the background – seems the prophetic is always portrayed symbolically by the eagle.
Jan
======= Sue:
I also want to extend my welcome to you Steve.
Praise God you heard and answered His call. Grow and learn with us; this place is truly a treasure!
Sue
====== Laura:
Welcome Steve
Now that we are in the welcoming mode, I just had one comment: Isn’t God an Awesome God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He reached out into the spans of the world wide net and speaks His words to the masses. It brings me joy to know that God has gone high tech……. Pretty cool
Laura
====== Steve:
Jan & SissySue (What a GREAT name!) Thanks for such a warm welcome and encouragement! I can tell already that God led me here for a reason!
Jan, that was a great movie, huh? Overwhelming. I visited the Concentration Camp at Dachau on a trip to Europe years ago. My heart was in my throat! How God keeps putting up with us is beyond my understanding.
Yes Laura!!! What an awesome God we serve. Thank you for the welcome also. My oldest daughter’s name is Laura. I love that name.
Steve
====== Pat:
Welcome Steve! I’m the granny in this wonderful Christian group. So nice to have you as a member of our family.
God Bless! Pat
======= Ramona:
Hi Steve,
I have participated in the OYB Blog going on two years and I just love it. For me it is a place for me to journal my thoughts and comments without worrying about am I fitting into the denomination or church setting. This is a place where I can wrestle with God and learn from others who are doing the same thing.
And a big Thanks for giving us your Testimony on how you got here. It helps us to remember that God still speaks to us even when we don’t want to listen He continues to call us and direct us. May God’s mercy, grace and wisdom be imparted to you as you journey with us.
Isaiah 1:1-2:22
It is said of the Prophet Isaiah that, “He cried loud and spared not.” John the Baptist herald the coming of Jesus and he cried loud and didn’t spare anyone the blunt message he was told to deliver. In the second verse of the first chapter, Isaiah gets down to business. No how are you, no you are blessed like the Apostle Paul gave in the introduction of his letters. Bam—Isaiah tells Judah, you guys are in trouble.
The ritual’s don’t have any meaning to God, the clothes don’t mean anything and the number of sheep, lambs, goats and bulls sacrificed on the alter doesn’t mean anything without the right heart.
Isa 1:12 When you enter my presence, do you actually think I want this — animals trampling on my courtyards? Isa 1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless offerings; I consider your incense detestable! You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations, but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! Isa 1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies; they are a burden that I am tired of carrying.
John the Baptist cried out, … “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! (Luke 3:7-8 NET.)
If Isaiah cried out in the Old and John cried out in the New before the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, who is crying out today? And most important, whose listening?
Grace and peace, Ramona
====== Steve:
WOW! What a great group! I am overwhelmed by your welcome. Thank You. You all have made me feel like I belong here. All God’s Blessings. Steve
======= Jan:
Believe me Ramona, I live the prophet’s scorn; but the Word of God says that if we receive the prophet, we also receive their reward & not many do either!!! 🙂
Steve, isn’t it wonderful when you find home… 🙂
Jan
======= Luch:
Isaiah 1:2 reminds us that we cannot produce ‘perfectly obedient christian kids’. Even our heavenly Father’s kids rebelled against him in a perfect environment. Who are we to think we can do better.
thank God for the grace in our children’s lives that allows them to be found by Him, in spite of good or bad parenting.
Luch
====== Langat:
thanks a lot for your sacrificial work
Langat
======= Miriam:
The verse that stood our form me is Psalm 52:9 “I will wait for your mercies in the presence of your people.”
Yes, I will wait for God’s mercies in spiritual and other aspects of my life. I will wait and not be impatient. I will wait in the presence of His people and look for solutions from the Word and not from the world.
Miriam
======= Beth:
Just a quick opinion. I don’t think it’s wise to even co-sign loans for our children. We need to teach them to live within their means. There are no addendum to that verse!
Beth
======= Charles:
Hi Enjoy reading your blog and the comments, it helps me to consistently read God’s Word! The readings from 2nd Corinthians made me think of the recent movie “War Room”.
Charles
======= Imja:
I love how tangible our Good Father is! He loves to communicate with us. He desires us to come and see what is on His heart for us. Is. 1:18 18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
2 Cor. 10:17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Ps.52:8+9 8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. 9 For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.
Shalom to all 🙂
Imja
======= Dee:
I have to say in all the years I have went back and forth with studying..17 years it took me to mature and stay the course and get to the beginnings of Isaiah. I love and this is new to me: that Isaiah is a small version of the bible. There are 66 chapters in Isaiah like there are 66 books in Bible. 39 chapters of the sins of the world just like in our OT..and 27 chapters of the Hope of the gospel. Just like NT. How neat.
2nd Corinthians boldness must be mixed with meekness..resetting our mindset with the love of Christ! And mindset of christ. When the Edomite was coming to Saul to humble or call him out: he told him that he loveth evil more than good; and lying rather to speak righteousness. Ouch!! It is better to love mercy and trust in the Lord rather than Riches. Amen
Proverbs 22: 26-27 Why are you putting up securities for unfaithful people and you are suffering. If you fail to pay..it gets bad and your bed could be taken..yikes.
Dee
======= Vance:
2 CORINTHIANS 10
4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds.
I like this comment: “But, good news is that we have access to God’s “weapons” through our relationship with his son Jesus.”
One day while I was meditating on this, this thought occurred to me: God has given me His weapons. That might sound obvious… but did you get it? Do I get it?
I Samuel 17:47: “…for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
Yes, without faith it is impossible to be aware of God, know He is real, come to Him, and receive from Him. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) reads:
But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
Though my faith and your faith is very important (as Jesus said many times—“Your faith has saved you” “Your faith has made you whole”), there is no such thing as faith by itself.
All people—even atheists—have faith in someone or something. It is not possible to have faith WITHOUT a point of reference—a person, a thing, or a belief—that faith rests on. Example: I am sitting in a chair at this moment. The fact that I am sitting in the chair demonstrates that I have faith that the chair will hold me up. Otherwise, I would never be sitting in it.
All of us—no matter who we are—trust the government in some degree, the grocery store, the bank, etc.
GOD IS FAITHFUL… and KNOWING WHO GOD IS enables our faith to be rooted IN HIM, and enables our faith to RISE UP within us so we can “be strong in the Lord, and in the Power of HIS might.” (Ephesians 6)
The point is this: God has given me and given you HIS WEAPONS… and HIS WEAPONS NEVER FAIL!
So… we can always trust His Word, as long as we yield our mind, thoughts, way, and will to His mind, thoughts, way, and will.
PSALM 89
33 Nevertheless, My loving-kindness will I not break off from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail [to lie and be false to him]. 34 My covenant will I not break or profane, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips. 35 Once [for all] have I sworn by My holiness, which cannot be violated; I will not lie to David: 36 His Offspring shall endure forever, and his throne [shall continue] as the sun before Me.
But this necessarily means that we must seek the Lord, in truth and sincerity, from our hearts, in loving surrender and submission. The Holy Spirit through Isaiah makes this VERY CLEAR:
ISAIAH 1
14 I hate all your festivals and sacrifices. I cannot stand the sight of them! 15 From now on, when you lift up your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look. Even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen. For your hands are covered with the blood of your innocent victims. 16 Wash yourselves and be clean! Let me no longer see your evil deeds. Give up your wicked ways. 17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows. 18 “Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool. 19 If you will only obey me and let me help you, then you will have plenty to eat. 20 But if you keep turning away and refusing to listen, you will be destroyed by your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
** NO MATTER HOW GOOD OR HOW RELIGIOUS we look to others, God knows our hearts. And, eventually our hearts will manifest in our words and lives that others can see.
ISAIAH 2
3 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Temple of the God of Israel. There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him.” For in those days the LORD’s teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem.
6 The LORD has rejected the people of Israel because they have made alliances with foreigners from the East who practice magic and divination, just like the Philistines.
10 Crawl into caves in the rocks. Hide from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty.
19 When the LORD rises to shake the earth, his enemies will crawl with fear into holes in the ground. They will hide in caves in the rocks from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty. 20 They will abandon their gold and silver idols to the moles and bats. 21 They will crawl into caverns and hide among the jagged rocks at the tops of cliffs. In this way, they will try to escape the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty as he rises to shake the earth.
Notice that last phrase:
“…In this way, they will try to escape the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty as he rises to shake the earth.”
IT WILL BE TOO LATE AT THAT TIME. I am once again asking the Lord to help me get a clear handle on the difference between the fear of the Lord and the kind of terror described above.
Yes… we are to really fear God. In our “I am OK – You are OK” mentality of today’s culture and in the desire to honor another person’s “sincerely held religious beliefs”—it is easy to forget this.
Note these verses on the FEAR OF THE LORD (Amplified Bible)
PSALM 85 9 Surely His salvation is near to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, [and is ready to be appropriated] that [the manifest presence of God, His] glory may tabernacle and abide in our land. 10 Mercy and loving-kindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
MATTHEW 10 26 So have no fear of them; for nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, or kept secret that will not become known. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).
I JOHN 4 18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection]. 19 We love Him, because He first loved us.
** MAY WE SEEK THE LORD, TRULY BE ESTABLISHED IN THE LORD AND HIS WORD, SO WE WILL BE ESTABLISHED. Then, let the “chips” fall where they may. Others can come with us or not. Are we willing to make that choice? Am I?
Read Psalm 85:9 above again. May we be that generation.
MATTHEW 10 37 He who loves [and takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; 38 And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me.
Vance
======== Vance:
Isaiah 1 (NKJV) 11 “ To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says the LORD. “ I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. 12 “ When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “ Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land
21 How the faithful city has become a harlot! it was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. 22 Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.
2 Corinthians 10 (NKJV) 17 But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”[Jeremiah 9:24] 18 For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.
NOTE: How many of us are really the same way. We want to look good to others, but inside we are full of intense desires that do not please God. And certainly if these desires were known by men, they would appreciate them either!
Mark 7 (NKJV) 20 And He [Jesus] said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” ~~~
When “silver has become dross, wine [is] mixed with water”, I pray the Lord will reveal this to us. Purity of heart and motive is key. As Andrew Murray says in “With Christ In The School Of Prayer”:
“It is in prayer that we hold up our desires to the light of God’s Holy Will, that our motives are tested, and proof given whether we ask indeed in the name of Jesus, and only for the glory of God. It is in prayer that we wait for the leading of the Spirit to show us whether we are asking the right thing in the right spirit.”
To actively and willingly humble myself before the Lord on a daily basis is key. Only God has the right to commend and praise who I am or what I do. “I am what I am by the grace of God”.
Thank God that we can genuinely find forgiveness. Our sins—though obvious with deep stains on our being—can be washed away.
The moment we come to Christ we receive complete forgiveness. The barrier between us and God has been removed. Paul says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Jesus took all our sins—past, present, and future. God takes all our sins and buries them in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
As the Dutch author Corrie Ten Boom used to say, “He puts up a sign saying ‘No fishing’ ” ~~~
Isaiah 2 (NKJV) 1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “ Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, 18 But the idols He shall utterly abolish.
NOTE: Even in the midst of the sin of the people of Israel and even in the midst of our sins—God sees the completed end.
Right in the middle of the Holy Spirit confronting the people of God with their sins, the Holy Spirit brings with clarity to Isaiah the vision of the people of Israel following after God—such that they become a light and magnet for the nations of God’s Word and glory: “in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.”
On this mountain, the Holy Spirit sees the Messiah—the Anointed One—the Lord Jesus as the One who is teaching His people and drawing all from every nation to learn from Him.
Truly, the “loftiness of man shall be bowed down” and all idols will be destroyed!
2 Corinthians 10 (NKJV) 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
NOTE: I watch the news of what people are doing to others—killing, stealing, etc.—and it grieves me. It is easy for me to see people who do wrong things or believe wrong things as “the enemy”.
Yet, people are the real enemy. The devil is, and therefore the battle is spiritual and can only be won through fasting, prayer, and intercession.
Even when people have so given themselves over to misbeliefs and to Satan’s ways that they choose to be my sworn enemy—of course I have to be wise and see that they have chosen to become my enemy.
Regarding people who chose to become my enemy, we must all lawful means to stop them so they face justice.
Yet, the battle there, too, is spiritual. Only through loving our enemies and deeply praying for them can there be wisdom to experience the victory that Jesus paid for.
Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for them” (Matthew 5).
I like what Andrew Murray says in “With Christ In The School Of Prayer”:
“Lord Jesus! my Blessed Teacher! Teach me to forgive and to love. Let the power of Your blood make the pardon of my sins such a reality, that forgiveness, as shown by You to me, and by me to others, be the very joy of heaven.”
“Show me whatever in my intercourse [interactions] with fellowmen [that] might hinder my fellowship with God, so that my daily life in my own home and in society may be the school in which strength and confidence are gathered for the prayer of faith. Amen.”
Psalm 52 (NKJV) 8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. 9 I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.
NOTE: Again, we can only flourish as we feed on God, and in prayer and surrender.
Actively waiting on and receiving from God is a high privilege for us who love Jesus.
Proverbs 22 (NKJV) 26 Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who is surety for debts; 27 If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?
NOTE: What an indictment of American society! May we truly live by what God’s Word says and owe nothing to anyone except to love them.
Romans 13 (NKJV) 8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
We are not to owe any debt of love by withholding love, and we are not to owe anybody any money either.
Then we are free to really give our time, money, and love to others without being in bondage to the businesses we owe money to.
Old Testament – Today we finish up the Song of Solomon! Then – the next book snuck up on me – tomorrow we begin the book of the prophet Isaiah! Get ready for an incredible book. Get ready for many Eighth century B.C. prophecies of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ! Tomorrow begins our readings of the Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel are before us. Below is a quick re-cap of the 39 books in the Old Testament and their various categories:
Song of Solomon Chapter 8 verse 4 stood out to me today when the young woman says- “I want you to promise, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right.” This is an interesting concept I think – of not awakening love until the time is right. The reason I bring this up is because I know tons of people who are single. And probably a lot of folks reading this blog are single. And I’ve come to realize that single people can oftentimes stress out over being single… as if they are never going to get married. Which, perhaps for some, may be true. I do honestly believe that some are called to live a life of singleness. However, if you are single I think stressing about it does no good. Trying to “awaken love before the time is right” does no good. In fact, in can be very bad. I know of some folks that have gotten themselves in bad dating situations, simply because I think these folks were trying to “awaken love before the time is right.” My thought here is that the Young Woman from Song of Solomon is absolutely right. If we are single, we need to remember that everything is in God’s hands. If God has a plan for us to get married, then we really don’t need to stress about the timing of it all. It will happen when it should happen. When the time is right. And to try to awaken love before the time is right typically does not work out well. So, that’s my two cents today. 🙂 I just hope that if you are single and feel like you’ve been single for too long, don’t stress out about it! God’s timing and God’s plans for your life are indeed a mystery – but a beautiful mystery. He will awaken love when – and if – the time is right. Let us always remember in all areas of our life to “Let go and Let God”…
New Testament – Today in Second Corinthians chapter 9 verses 6 through 8 we read these words of Paul’s – “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Great verses! A lot of ground is covered in these verses. Do you believe that we reap what we sow? What are you sowing? What have you decided in your heart to give? Do you give without reluctance? Do you give without compulsion? Are you a cheerful giver? Do you realize that God gracefully gives you all that you need so that you will participate in good works? Are you participating in God’s grace that he is freely giving to you? Related to these verses, I just recently finished reading Randy Alcorn’s wonderful little book, The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving. Has anyone else read this book? It is a wonderful book about how it truly is more blessed to give than to receive! I highly recommend it!
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s (and yesterday’s) readings in Second Corinthians titled “Keeping Your Commitments” is at this link. Below is a great image for 2 Corinthians 9:10 from our readings today:
Psalms – Today we read one of my favorite Psalms! Psalm 51. Psalm 51 is David’s humble prayer for forgiveness and cleansing after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed in battle. I believe that this Psalm can continue to be a humble prayer for forgiveness and cleansing for each of us today. This Psalm is read by many liturgical churches during the season of Lent as a penitential Psalm. A brief quote from this Bible.org about this Psalm is: “The application of the psalm to believers today should be obvious. We, like David, can and must have complete cleansing before we can fully and freely serve God in any capacity. Our eternal destiny may not be in doubt when we sin as believers, and neither was David’s because he appealed to that covenant relationship, but our fellowship and service will be. God will not tolerate unconfessed sin, and so will hold us accountable if we do not confess.” I’ve been trying to figure out my favorite portion or two of this Psalm to share with you. . . but I can’t just pick one portion. It is all so powerful! Tell you what – I’m going to copy the full Psalm below in the NIV translation (my favorite for this Psalm). Please take a few moments to meditate upon this Psalm. My questions for reflection are these – Do you confess your sins to God? Do you confess your sins to others? And ask them to hold you accountable? When was the last time you confessed your sins to God? Do you have sins to confess to God today? Will you do so now? I pray this Psalm opens up your heart to the amazing burden that is lifted when we confess our sins to God!
Psalm 51 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Proverbs – Proverbs 22 verses 24 through 25 are a great reminder to pay attention to who our friends are: “Keep away from angry, short-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” I’ve read somewhere that a good way to determine the character of a person is to take a look at who their friends are. Now, this is a bit tricky I think because none of our friends will ever be perfect. We should not look for perfect friends. We won’t be perfect friends to others either. Jesus is the only one true perfect friend for each of us. But, there are certainly some “friends” who probably should not be people we spend a good deal of leisure time with. There may be friends who are into lying or pornography or who are angry or short-tempered (per this Proverb) that we need to be very cautious around, otherwise we may learn to be like them. Now, I do think we are called to be friends to people who may struggle with various things – including lying, pornography, being angry, etc. – but, we need to be very cautious and clear on our boundaries. This is a tricky one I know… Overall, I will say this – there are friends of mine that I have had to let go because I knew that hanging around them was simply not good for me. How about you? Are there any friends in your life that you may simply need to let the friendship go? When might this be the appropriate thing to do? When might it be the inappropriate thing to do?
Worship Video: Psalm 51 reminded me of the fantastic song “Create in me a Clean Heart” performed here by Donnie McClurkin and a choir:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this today:“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray for a pure heart and a steadfast spirit within you, through the grace and Spirit of God. Pray that you will live a pure life now and forevermore.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Song of Solomon 5-8:14
Mike, I want to thank you guys for tackling a very “heavy” topic, singleness. The pressure to marry can be the strongest in church, at least from my experience. I’m going to step on toes here but the people (women) who exert the greatest pressure on single women to “find a husband” have usually been the women who are the most miserable in their marriage. People who have the healthiest relationships are not usually running through the sanctuary trying to “hook” people up because they know it takes hard work to maintain a relationship and we know there are a lot of lazy folk.
If we really examine our life and be honest with ourselves those breaking their necks to get married really don’t like to be by themselves and they think being married will fix their problem. It ain’t so. I have learned how to be alone without being lonely and being in a crowd or married to someone with a houseful of kids won’t do anything for you. If one is not whole being single you will never be whole in a marriage. It takes 100% of the man and 100% of the women to make a 100% healthy marriage, not 50/50.
II Corinthians 9:1-15
I love to read this passage in the Amplified Bible, especially verses six and seven,
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 AMP [Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously and with blessings. (7) Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. [Prov. 22:9.]
Sometimes people try to engage me in debate or provoke an argument on “tithing.” Why would anyone in their right mind give their money to God, the Pastor, the church and on and on. I never argue with them because I know that there are things that I would never spend my money on because I find it wasteful and they don’t. We are willing to spend our money on those things that we identify strongly with that have no concrete benefit, at least one that can be detected by our five senses. God loves a cheerful giver a concept that many people refuse to accept when it comes to the things of God yet daily spend their money on things that bring them temporary pleasure that have no lasting benefit.
We refuse to give to God generously not because we are concerned about how the pastor is spending the money but because we refuse to find pleasure in God. Live is all about choices and we choose to “spend” our money on the alter of material and emotional gain, the things God placed in the universe instead of spending our money on the alter of the God who created those things we find pleasurable.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. (Romans 1:18-27 NET.)
Psalm 51:1-19
What I love about this Psalm, and I don’t remember if I stated this before, is the fact that David was such a man of integrity and honesty, not only did he confess his sin to God, adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, he wrote it down and gave it to the choir director to be song in church (Temple).
Proverbs 22:24-25
We are to keep away from angry, short-tempered people because they have boundary issues. A person not under self-control will always violate boundaries. If they have nothing to reign in their passions their “stuff” will not only rain down on their on heads but will rain down on yours as they step into your space even when uninvited.
Grace and peace, Ramona
======== Arun:
Dear Mike,
What you said is absolutely true for me too. I too get pressurized on being single. But this amazing verse, clicked the right button on my heart as you explained. God knows everything and He cares. I also join with you all single persons, not to let my love awakened until the time is right.
I loved what you said, God’s timing and God’s plans for your life are indeed a mystery – but a beautiful mystery. He will awaken love when – and if – the time is right. Let go and let God.
Absolutely true!
ABout the second corinthians ,
Its about giving, I m stunned with the teaching, Paul explains how should we give?
-Cheerfully / what you decided in your heart. Not making urself without anything
– giving from heart purposefully. not reluctantly or whimsically.
– generously,
This type of giving, promises God’s providence. Not just people’s recognition.
About Psalm 51, As you said mike, NIV is more clear in this part.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Man, this is the quickest way to get God’s attention. When I m totally broken and shattered and become repentant … Oh, Our God ll not despise that at all! He ll touch us.
About Proverb bit:
Consciously, avoiding angry friends who are always hot tempered and flaring at all, definitely realign and positions my behavior.
What you said is true, for thro’ friends you know what type of person you are becoming!
God, write these lessons in our heart, bring it our minds to respond, and act according to these lessons!
In Him, Arun
======= Ramona:
Song of Solomon 5-8:14
There are two things that speak to my heart in Today’s reading. The first one reminds of passage in Revelation which gives me an understanding of how gentlemanly God is toward us and the second passage speaks to me about the protection of God.
I was asleep, but dreaming: The one I love was at the door, knocking and saying, “My darling, my very own, my flawless dove, open the door for me! My head is drenched with evening dew.” But I had already undressed and bathed my feet. Should I dress again and get my feet dirty? Then my darling’s hand reached to open the latch, and my heart stood still. When I rose to open the door, my hands and my fingers dripped with perfume. My heart stood still while he spoke to me, but when I opened the door, my darling had disappeared. I searched and shouted, but I could not find him– there was no answer. (Son 5:2-6)
Jesus says in the Book of Revelation: Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together. (Rev 3:20)
The door must be opened by us, His bride. Jesus in Revelation, and the young man/lover/Solomon does not break down the door in Song of Solomon. God entering in to the mess of our lives, into the chaos, the baroness the waste places of our lives is determined by our willingness to open the door.
The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water. (Gen 1:2)
We have a young sister, and she has no breasts; what are we to do for our sister in the day when she is given to a man? If she is a wall, we will make on her a strong base of silver; and if she is a door, we will let her be shut up with cedar-wood. (Son 8:8-9)
Protection is implied in the above passage. Protection based on maturity, personality and the conscientiousness and character shown by the one being protected. That is how God is with us. Many of us look at other Believers and think, “Why is God giving that to them? Why am I here and not there?” But we must remember the Parable of the Talents, God gave to each according to their ability.
Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Jen:
This post was very timely for me. Thank you for the the reminder that it is always best to wait on God’s timing. God has a plan for each of us in each stage of our lives. Sometimes in our eagerness to “arrive,” we fail to see the journey along the way. Those frustrating times and rushed moments are often the times when we can learn the most…if we will just stop long enough to ask God, “What are you trying to teach me in this?”
Jen
====== Lala:
Song of Solomon Chapter 8 verse 4 stood out to me as well: “I want you to promise, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right.”
Oh that my Father knows that is my cry for all women. I wish I had the knowledge and wisdom of scriptures of purity in my singleness, but I did not. I did not even have a God-given common sense. I know now how special we are to our Father.
So believe it or not, when I finally was awakened spiritually, I continually prayed for about a month Psalm 51. And as I continue to grow in the Lord, I know that it is not instant, but a process that I must have a will to submit to the Word of God.
As I am sharing, tears are falling down my cheeks, because I know how precious it is to be chaste; but I thank God my Father for His forgiveness.
So if you are engaged with sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage, stop and think how much more free your soul can be.
I pray for your strenght in Jesus the Christ our Lord.
Lala
======= Veronica:
I agree we should wait for love to be awaken at the right time. But I have to disagree with you when you say that not everybady is meant to live a married life, since the creation we were made to be in coupledom, the marriage of a woman and a men is the design and we all arrive to the love in marriage on our due time.
Veronica
======= Cheryl:
Mike, the same verse that struck you in Song of Solomon, struck me both in today’s and yesterday’s reading. My interpretation was slightly different. In the NIV version, it reads:
4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.
I think because of our culture, falling in love has been elevated to be the greatest thing ever to happen to us.. I grew up reading and watching love stories and hoping some day my “prince would come”. That somehow my self-worth is less if I don’t have this falling in love experience. So, I tried to “arouse or awaken love” in all the wrong circumstances or before “it so desires”.
I see this today in a lot of relationships where people fall quickly in love, even projecting feelings on to the other person only to later to be devastated by heartbreak. Each heartbreak we go through in life is “baggage” we bring into other relationships. So, I found this verse to be very good advise and full of wisdom.
Fortunately, I learned the “how to be alone” lesson and came to a point where I was happy in my singleness. By the way, I’m now very happily married. Sometimes, I guess, I encourage my single friends towards marriage/relationships because of how happy I am not because of how sad I think they are…. try not to be too hard on us married people. 🙂
Cheryl
======= Eve:
Ramona, I too appreciated the commentary today. In addition to the SoS passage addressing those people who are single, I use this verse to teach my tween and teen daughters even about having boyfriends while they are still so young. They are sooooo interested in boys, and every day they come home from school with the latest news of who is dating whom (although, in their world, “dating” is used very loosely, given the fact that none of them drive, nor do they actually go on “dates.” “Dating” is actually what we used to call “going steady,” and for them it really means “texting.”) At any rate, I do tell them about this verse and how it applies to them. I think it addresses very young people too— “Don’t awaken love too soon” can also apply in such a way as to mean “Don’t give your heart to the first boy who tells you you’re cute,” or “Don’t decide to like a boy just because all your friends are ‘dating.'” Our girls know they are not allowed to have a “boyfriend” until they’re much older, (and even then the jury’s still out on whether Dad will come around) and it’s very helpful to remind them that this isn’t just our rule, but also what God teaches is best for them.
Eve
======= Jasanna:
I believe that we are wise to apply Song of Solomon 8:4 to all areas of life. When we try to “awaken” anything before it’s time. A new job perhaps, a move, having a family etc. I have wanted to move out of the area I have lived for the last 30 years, back to my hometown. The last two years I have been trying on my own power to make that happen. The doors just kept slamming shut. It is only in the past few months when I surrendered this to God that the peace has come and the desire to move, while still there, is in the background and I know now If and when I move it will be on God’s timing not mine. God is teaching me how to be content right where he wants me to be.
Jasanna
======= Dee:
Speaking from your two cents Mike, as a teacher, I see too many families raise their children on the same mindset to chase love or be too boy crazy or girl crazy when it isn’t the time or place for such. Don’t rush Goda timing..be chaste humble and Let Go and Let God have his way.
One of my favorites ans one that one of my former pastors used to quote: God loves a cheerful giver! ..but our pastor used to say: he will take from a grouch also! : )
I love the penitential Psalms. I love hearing David in his deepest prayers to God. He like us want to be forgiven..we want to be washed white as snow. We want a clean and sure heart . And a repentant heart is worth more than sacrifice. Amen!
Anger and angry friends rub off on you and can drive a snare in your heart. Resist at all costs and pick your friends wisely.
Dee
======
2 Corinthians 9:1-15
9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
It never says anywhere in Scripture – “all that you want”. God supplies our needs, and usually not our “wants”.
I believe as long as you are focused outward – first, to the body of Christ, and then to the world – AND you trust in and rely on our Father in heaven, you will never be disappointed in the state of your affairs. And if you are it will not be for very long.
John
======= John:
Song of Solomon 5-8:14
8:6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death,
“Love needs to be constrained by public promise, and it is more powerful than all the destructive powers of the world, even death.” ================================================================================= 8:8 We have a young sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for?
“The speakers are probably the young girl’s brothers. She has not yet reached puberty, but they know that one day soon she will face all of the dangers and possibilities of sexuality, and their concern, wisely, is for her character. They know they need to help their sister defend herself against the possibilities that await her. They want to help her become a young woman who believes the best about herself and knows when and how to say “no” so she will not be swept away by peer pressure and the expectations of others. They want to help her become a wall in the most appropriate sense, someone who can stand strong as a person. The hope for the young person is not the sheltering protection of older brothers but a strongly formed character that is prepared to stand up to life’s challenges.” ================================================================================= “The marriages that are the healthiest and most passionate in the long run are those in which we are here for each other when one of us has the fl u, not just when we’re feeling amorous. Marriage is beautiful and lasting when we share concerns about both the mundane and the profound things of life. We help each other discover the spiritual gifts that God has given us and use them to engage the world around us. It’s not enough to focus on the two of us. The Lord God Himself is here fi rst and foremost, and if we love Him, He will teach us to love what he loves, which is all the rest of the world. And we will fi nd that if our love for each other is fueled by something other than selfi shness, then it will grow greater as well.”
4 “I want you to promise, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right. NOTE: Or not to awaken love until it is ready.
7 Many waters cannot quench love; neither can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with everything he owned, his offer would be utterly despised.
~~~~~~~~~~
MY NOTE: This love is HUMAN love—a gift from God. Many waters or rivers cannot quench it…BUT FOOLISHNESS CAN.
We need God’s wisdom. We need a solid rock commitment to laying our lives down, yielding ourselves to the Prince, the Lord of Love in order to really know how to love.
LUKE 9 (Amplified) 23 And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself * [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself]
and take up his cross daily and follow Me * [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].
24 For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [from the penalty of eternal death]. 25 For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and ruins or forfeits (loses) himself?
QUESTION: What does it profit a man or a woman if he or she AWAKENS LOVE BEFORE ITS TIME, WITHOUT WISDOM, and forfeits or loses himself or herself?
Unfortunately, this is happening all around us. Why? Because people are not making the promise to not awaken love until THE TIME IS RIGHT.
*** I PLEAD WITH YOU! If you are single, make sure you walk closely with the Lord and His Word. Also, make sure that when you meet someone you really love and want to marry, that you BOTH agree that the Bible is God’s Word. ALSO, make sure that you agree on what some may consider “secondary” issues such as tithing.
In fact, whether an issue is a Biblical issue or not…the more two people agree, the more they will build each other up.
Of course, tithing or not tithing will not determine one’s salvation. But issues like this MUST be agreed on as much as possible before marriage. Then, when life’s issues come against the couple, they are UNITED TOGETHER IN OBEYING GOD’S WORD. Then they are together in as many issues as possible.
Again,
b. Many waters or rivers cannot quench human love… but foolishness can. We need God’s wisdom.
b. What does it profit a man or a woman if he or she AWAKENS LOVE BEFORE ITS TIME, WITHOUT WISDOM, and forfeits or loses himself or herself?
Thus, before we even start—every day of our lives (single or married), we need to pray God’s will in Psalm 51. I believe the Lord wants us to see Psalm 51 not simply as “damage control” after sinning (THANK GOD FOR HIS GRACE !!), but as PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE of our souls! That way, we are PREPARE AND NOT CAUGHT OFF GUARD by human emotions or circumstances because we are not grounded in the Lord and in His Word.
Thus, I particularly like versions which translate Psalm 51:10 in this manner: “…Create in me a pure heart, O God, AND RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME. “
A STEADFAST spirit… day in and day out…single or married….COMMITTED TO BE STEADFAST IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
PSALM 51
6 But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right [STEADFAST] spirit within me. 16 You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 17 The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.
Vance
======== Vance:
Song of Solomon 5 (NKJV) 8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am lovesick!
NOTE: I like this from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon on this verse, and on the concept of Heavenly Love-Sickness!
There is a twofold love-sickness. Of the one kind is that love-sickness which comes upon the Christian when he is transported with the full enjoyment of Jesus, even as the bride elated by the favor, melted by the tenderness of her Lord.
Another kind of love-sickness widely different from the first, is that in which the soul is sick, not because it has too much of Christ’s love, but because it has not enough present consciousness of it; sick, not of the enjoyment, but of the longing for it.
Their love-sickness breaks out in two ways, and may be viewed in two lights. It is, first of all, the soul longing for a view of Jesus Christ in grace; and then again, it is the same soul possessing the view of grace, and longing for a sight of Jesus Christ in glory. In both these senses we, us accurately as the spouse, may adopt the languishing words, “If ye find my beloved, tell him that I am sick of love.”
Song of Solomon 5 (NKJV) 16 His mouth is most sweet, yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!
NOTE: Surely this is a picture of God’s view of love between a man and a woman.
“This is my beloved, and this is my friend”.
It is a very good thing to determine to be true friends first, and then marry as a couple in romance and love. Then, to read God’s Word together and pray together to build the spiritual strength and foundation of God’s Love is a very special thing, indeed.
Pertaining to interpreting this passage as a picture of our love for the Lord Jesus, I really like these words from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon:
Better to have a glimpse of Jesus, than to see all the glory of the earth all the days of our life. If we fail on this subject we may do better than if we succeeded upon another; so we will pluck up courage, seek divine help, and draw near to this wondrous text, with our shoes from off our feet like Moses when he saw the bush aglow with God.
This verse has been translated in another way: “He is all desires;” and so indeed Jesus is.
May we not just learn about our wonderful Savior and Lord Jesus. May we truly take the time to really ask the Holy Spirit to seal us in the Love and Enjoyment of Jesus. ~~~
I like what Andrew Murray says in “With Christ In The School Of Prayer”:
“It is in the adoring worship of God, the waiting on Him and for Him, the deep silence of the soul that yields itself for God to reveal Himself, that the capacity for knowing and trusting God will be developed. It is as we take His word from the Blessed Book, and bring it to Himself, asking Him to speak it to us with His living voice, that the power will come fully to believe and receive the word as God’s own word to us.” ~~~
I see Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt (1842 – 1919) pastor and statesman saying the same thing in a different way, and I find his words to be most excellent:
“Righteousness is our health; and the first point of righteousness is that we allow ourselves to be bound by God so that our spirit no longer desires its own freedom.”
Amen.
2 Corinthians 9 (NIV) 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”[ Psalm 112:9] 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
NOTE: I really like these verse in the New International Version of the Holy Bible. These verses contain the very clear mind of our Lord about giving.
a. verse 5 plan and prepare to give in advance – though worship can be spontaneous, the predetermination to worship is powerful and it pleases God
b. verse 6 how much we give in our act of worship from the heart will determine how much we are blessed. “whoever sows generously will also reap generously”.
“How much we give” cannot be truly seen by you or I, or anyone else on the earth. The woman who gave less than 1 penny greatly impressed our Lord Jesus, even though she gave a tiny fraction compared to how others gave.
This woman greatly impressed our Lord because she gave all that she had (though appearing to be a small amount), and so she gave more than all others combined!
Mark 12 (NKJV) 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
c. verse 7 God truly loves a cheerful giver. So, when we give without thinking about it as a ritual or simply “as our duty”, we are not giving in a way that pleases God.
d. verse 8 God’s grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense) is free. Obedience allows grace to flow fully to us in greatest measure. This is not at all “salvation by works” in any sense of the word.
This is the surrender of ourselves—our love, money, time—as living sacrifices to the Lord.
Giving out of worship cheerfully (verse 7) is obedience and places us in the position so we are fully opened up to all of God’s grace!
Giving is a key way that allows us to be like God and to receive what we need to do His will.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
e. verses 9 – 11 As we faithfully give our time, money, and love to the Lord, God blesses us in every way in His timing so we can be a blessing to others.
Jesus, our Lord, served us and give us salvation so we can be saved in order to serve others!
9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”[ Psalm 112:9] 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Note Psalm 112:9 and surrounding verses which the Holy Spirit gives to the Apostle Paul to quote from in 2 Corinthians 9:9:
Psalm 112 (NKJV) 1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments. 2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
8 His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies. 9 He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted with honor. 10 The wicked will see it and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Psalm 51 (NKJV) 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
NOTE: A life without a clean heart is a confused and tormented life. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Jesus, Matthew 5)
O Lord, may Your Presence, Your Word, and Your will be the most important thing in our lives.
Vance
======= Jim:
I really enjoyed the posts today, but let’s not suggest Christians have it easier (or aren’t daily responsibile to make a stand – it was a lack of such a stand that evil first entered the world… blame was not given to Eve or even Satan, but to Adam for his, perhaps, “waiting on God”).
God never gives us more than we can carry – so if we find the load getting lighter… it may be God is just not impressed (see Job). Max Lucado (senior pastor at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio) did a sermon April 20 about “false” Christians, criticizing how they boast of vague insider information with “’God LED me to say to you.’” Act’s ten conversion stories included audible instructions from God, Holy Spirit, or angle as core to a genuine conversion process. We are to learn from today’s scripture that real Love is about waiting on God as sincerity is never enough (we will always mess it up: for instance, Paul said he did nothing he was supposed to) without first “opening the door.”
Political scientists agree the greatest cause for hunger and violence in Africa is specifically the support efforts by Christian relief funds (run by people who are clearly not waiting on God to love). When food shipments stop and doctors fighting disease go home even more children die as it is like removing morphine injections from the body of an addict. And, governments are far more violent and poorly organized from the corrupting influence of removing their moral obligations for social services. Sadly, Christianity (without the desire to wait on God) seems like a plague on the Earth.
> “We are to keep away from angry, short-tempered people”
Did that include Martin Luther, who was known for his quick temper?
Finally, I was unexpectedly unimpressed with Mike’s suggested reading of Willard’s Renovation as being unscientific (being completely unaware of the field of spiritual theory) and unbiblical. Things simply don’t happen to us because we deserve them (it rains on the good and the bad) and our vertical relationship with God is of little importance compared to our horizontal sharing of His grace (see Cloud and Townsend’s “How People Grow”) – including our social and legal rules. Willard suggests the true Christian is a person of pure character. Where have I heard this before… oh, yea! Communism is based on the idea that if the “evil” system is removed, then a perfect Socialist Man will emerge. Democracy, on the other hand, is based on the idea that no person is safe without good checks and balances. “Real” Americans believe character is thusly essentially a SYSTEM of accountability (and economist Steven Levitt has successfully shown we are quite poor on our own at avoiding temptation). I personally believe this is why there is no “I” in the Model or Lord’s Prayer. Sadly, our churches (especially after America’s Great Awakenings) have little fear of wrong answers with great self-assurance while routinely spouting novel and pedantic dogma.
Christ once noticed two people praying in a temple: one who could not face God and begged forgiveness for doing everything wrong and another who thanked God for not being greedy, dishonest, an adulterer, while fasting and tithing regularly (Like 18:9-14). Which more closely describes you: 0-Doing everything wrong or 0-Regularly praising God for not being greedy? Christ said only the everything-wrong person has a right relationship with God.
And then, remember who Hosea was commanded to marry…
Old Testament – Today we begin the Song of Solomon! Now, for those of you that have not read Song of Solomon before, let me say this up front – this is a book for married folks y’all! 🙂 Well, yes, us single folks can read it, but we would do well to know that this book is all about the beauty of love and, yes, sex – within marriage.
~ Song of Solomon ~ Author: Solomon Date: Tenth century B.C. Content: This book, about the love of Solomon and a Shulamite woman, consists of a series of lyrics or songs, hence the designation in the text: the Song of Songs. It is a simple but moving piece, describing the longing of two lovers for one another, of the struggles that need to be overcome, of the tender feelings that love awakens, and of the joy that the lovers find in being together. The young women of Jerusalem, who appear with Solomon and his beloved, add to the dramatic effect of the story by adding observations of their own. Theme: The most obvious meaning of this narrative is that human love, which was ordained by God, is good and holy when enjoyed in obedience to the commands of God. Many interpreters have found a symbolic meaning in the book, however, and point to the love of God for Israel or the love of Christ for his church. Seen in this way it underscores the teaching of the New Testament that God is love (1 John 4:8). (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 10-11) More great commentary on the Song of Solomon is at this link.
Bible Project: Here is a terrific video overview of Song of Songs!
New Testament – Second Corinthians chapter 8 verse 23 stood out to me today – “If anyone asks about Titus, say that he is my partner who works with me to help you. And these brothers are representatives of the churches. They are splendid examples of those who bring glory to Christ.” I like that last sentence a lot. I believe each of us are called to be splendid examples of those who bring glory to Jesus! How is your example these days? Below is an icon painting of Paul ordaining Titus on the island of Crete:
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s (and tomorrow’s) readings in Second Corinthians titled “Keeping Your Commitments” is at this link. Below is a great image for Second Corinthians 8:20-21 today:
Psalms – Psalm 50 verses 14 & 15 are beautiful words from God to Israel – “What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High. Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” Do you believe these words can apply to us today as well? Are you giving true thanks to God each day? Are you trusting in God in your times of trouble? Are you giving God glory for all that he has done for you? How often do you say “thank you” to God?
Below is a great image for Psalm 50 verse 1 today:
Proverbs – Proverbs chapter 22 verses 22 & 23 teach us today: “Do not rob the poor because they are poor or exploit the needy in court. For the LORD is their defender. He will injure anyone who injures them.” This is a strong warning to not rob or exploit the poor. I think we would do well to think of this not only in terms of the materially poor, but the spiritually or emotionally poor too. Let us not rob them or exploit them. For the Lord is their defender!
Worship Video: Psalm 50 verse 15’s “you will give me glory” reminded me of Third Day’s great song “Show Me Your Glory!” Here’s a live version:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today:“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.” Proverbs 22:22-23 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you will never exploit the poor. Pray that you will bless the poor, know them, love them, and serve them – as you know, love, and serve yourself.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
II Corinthians 8:16-24 20 By traveling together we will guard against any suspicion, for we are anxious that no one should find fault with the way we are handling this generous gift. 21We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to know we are honorable. Accountability and integrity as practiced by Paul: Never do anything alone that can bring on suspicious talk or rumor. In accounting the hand that takes should never be the hand that gives and there should always be a “Paper-trail.” Too often in ministry and churches across the country ministry does not submit to scrutiny or accountability which can lead to God’s name being Blasphemed when the shepherds abuse the sheep they have been assigned to watch over. Psalm 50:1-23 13 I don’t need the bulls you sacrifice; I don’t need the blood of goats. 14 What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High. Too often, we get caught up in the ritual and not the God who made us. Our worship should point to God. Yet we wind up worshiping the worship instead of the one we have been called to Worship, God. Proverbs 22:22-23 Exploitation of the poor is almost applauded in this society. Predators seeking out a person’s week spot not to try to build them up but to take advantage and tear them down. Lust desires to benefit self at the expense of others while love desires to benefit others at the expense of self. Lusting after people’s gifts, talents and abilities makes us enemies of God a position no one who is supposed to be filled Wisdom should ever want to be in. Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Caryn:
I can’t help but feel a little cynical as I read Song of Songs, because I know that the author, Solomon, did not have only one wife, but rather several hundred concubines! It makes me wonder if perhaps amongst them he had one true love who should have been his one and only wife. Or perhaps the book describes what he imagined it might be like if he had found that one true love? Ultimately, Solomon’s love of women was part of his downfall. Caryn
======= Pat:
It has long been debated if the book of Ecclesiastes should have been included in the Bible because of it’s negative approach to seeking God. For me Ecclesiastes contains many great teachings, such as there is a time for everything and the glory of seeking God over folly. I have personally always wondered why the Songs of Solomon was included in the Bible. It just doesn’t seem to fit as there is no reference to God or God’s teachings in the Songs of Solomon. Maybe some of you can open my eyes as to why you feel it was included in The Word. God Bless! Pat
======= Ramona:
Pat, Sometimes things are written and included in the Bible to give us the BIG PICTURE, sometimes they are written as examples, both positive and negative. Song of Solomon can be seen and is looked at as an Allegory reflecting the relationship of Jesus to His Church, the Bride of Christ, and/or His relationship to Israel, His Beloved. I do know how you feel. Last year, after having read the Book of Esther hundreds of times, I had a total break-down, not the mental kind, but an emotional break-down (I believe my writing is still in the achieve Mike? You see when I was a child, two different churches I attended used that book and the phrase, “For such a times as this,” as justification for sexual abuse which was rampant in both places—two different denomination and none of them were Catholic. What God has shown me is that we flock together with like kind when we are not looking for truth and use the Word of God as a cover—wolves in sheep clothing. My family has a history of allowing pedophiles to run rampant—dirty uncles, low-down parents and grandparents, so they went to churches where there was no accountability and predators were rampant in the pews and the pulpit. People don’t check each others behavior when everybody, or at least most, are doing it. I pray that God shows you how the Song fits into His Purpose. These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did … These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Corinthians 10:6-11 NET.) The reason I have dedicated myself to reading and studying the Word for myself is to be able to counter in my mind, and often out loud, those who misuse scripture and not allow those folks into my life. Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Jan:
Re: Song of Songs I look at this way – from Genesis (the Beginning), God intended for man & woman to be together & that portrays our relationship with Him/being One. I know that some of us are still single (some by choice & others not) – but I do believe if the Fall had never happened we would all have Godly perfect mates/spouses in Christ. That is just the way He chose to do this world. Jan
======= Halle:
The Book of Solomon: In reading the Book of Solomon, there are two things that should be noted: (1) Solomon is actually a romantic musical with a chorus made up of friends standing on the back of the stage and Solomon and the Shulamite woman standing to the front of the stage. It is very hard to read from the KJV and much easier to follow when read from a study Bible that breaks out the separate performers. A study Bible makes the script easy to follow along with the interaction between the performers. (2) Even though interpreters compare this book to the love God had for the Israelites or the love Christ has for us, nowhere in the entire Bible in either the OT or the NT is there a reference made to or a quote taken from this book. It is a stand-alone love song. We also need to remember that the Shulamite woman was only one of Solomon’s many wives and concubines. If we do take this book as an interpretation of Christ’s love for us, then the lesson we get from it is that even though we are only one of many Christians, Christ has a special love for each individual one of us. God Bless! Halle
======= Jill:
I think one thing we have to remember is that not everything in the Old Testament is what God is telling us to do. Most of it is simply what people did. It is the history of the people on the earth after the fall of man and before redemption provided by Christ. I don’t take this to be wedded bliss; but just an example of how our natures are and how emotional sex is and how volitile it can also be. Not only did the people of the Old Testament live in sin – they also learned the hard way about it. I think we can get into trouble in thinking that Solomon was a true and faithful man to his wife – he had many. I think this is just to show us our raw emotions and how easily we can be beset by them. Many good people have been caught up in the web of emotons which were hormonal and from lust and not love. I don’t think this is just a glimpse of that side of our nature that we must work to control. Jill
======= Chad:
Would we not all work hard to hear this praise: “And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.” Chad
======= Betty:
In the Song of Solomon passage we see the superiority of genuine love: like a lily among thorns (2:2), sweet fruit (2:3), being brought to a banqueting hall (2:4), better than wine and more fragrant than the sweetest smelling spices (4:10). The love relationship we have in Christ is superior to anything we could imagine! In the Corinthians passage we see how to demonstrate love to others–in the care for brethren in need–not just lip service. Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you. 2 Corinthians 8:24 NASB That is that love is demonstrated and we, who are loved by God are called to demonstrate our love to those in need. Psalm 50 tells of the sincere sacrifice of love. Verse 8, God is not reproving because they are sacrificing, but, if you’ll excuse the expression, wants them to cut out “the bull.” Sincere sacrifice is one of thanksgiving and not ritual obligation and cannot be accepted when we are being unkind to one another (v. 20). The Proverbs show us the extreme opposite of love–withholding love by not caring for the poor is actually robbing them; this pits us against the Lord–the source of that genuine love that we recognized back in the Song of Solomon. Betty
======= Bob:
Psalm 50. I love the tension in these words as we are called to the sacrifice of our own heart. Bob
======= Dee:
I love Song of Solomon(Songs). True fact..years ago..newly married..my husband and I used to read a chapter of this in bed together. Loved that God’s words, the Bible can be so sensual and unadulterated pure about sex in marriage. Love it I love how Paul loved the church and loved his understudy Titus. We should love people that much and teach and train them in the admonition of the Lord. Psalm wants us to trust the Lord and put our faith in Him in all we do! Trust in Him Proverbs..don’t abuse the poor. Be kind and compassionate. I love the words in the song today..Show me your glory! Yes Lord. Dee
======= John:
Song of Solomon 1-4:16 I do not believe there is any greater feeling than the love of a man or woman for the person God has raised up for them (to love). I am a 5 year Christian who met a Christian woman three years ago. We became friends. To my eyes she was nothing special. She would never have beeen my type “back in my secular days”. She could be likened to the woman in SOS who says: 1:6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected. It was funny, but after getting to know her as a person, then as a friend, and finally looking at her as a woman – God stepped in. We were at lunch and she turned her head into the sunlight and I was struck speechless. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. This went beyond a physical thing – I TRULY BELIEVE I see her as God sees her – and it is beyond description. Wish I could say there was a happy ending to this love, but there is not – at least at this time on earth. This woman sees me in all my flaws and rejects anything more than a casual friendship. Why God touched my heart about her is not known by me. There are several life lessons I can think of, and it also provides a way of knowing the Father better. And who knows – maybe our lives will be intermingled in the afterlife – and that would be for all eternity when we are both perfect. The blessing for me is: the way I see her now (as God sees her aka glorified), and despite the rejection I still love her as Christ loves the Church. It is awesome to love someone unconditionally like that, and I can truly say: 1:15 How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves. John
======= Vance:
Psalm 50 14 & 15 “What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High. Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” This makes me think of what I heard Chuck Swindoll preach about this morning on the radio from Revelation 2: 1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: 2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. ************ This really strikes me: We can have the “correct doctrine”, and be right on in defending truth — we can have discernment to discern truth from error and expose liars — and still lose our first love!! Psalm 50 spaeaks volumes today. Vance
========== Vance:
Song of Solomon (NKJV) 1 The song of songs, which is Solomon’s. THE Shulamite [A Palestinian young woman (compare 6:13).] 2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your [Masculine singular, that is, the Beloved] love is better than wine. NOTE: It is interesting of the love between Solomon and a Palestinian young woman—especially in light of the tensions and conflicts between Palestine and Israel. Besides seeing a human love story, I also see God’s love story. May God’s love be to us “better than wine”—that is better than anything this world could ever give. 2 Corinthians 8 (NKJV) 24 Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf. NOTE: Faith without works is dead. Works, in worship and love to God from our hearts as prompted by the Holy Spirit, complete and strengthen our faith. And, our faith demonstrates the grace of God THROUGH us TO others—so they are encouraged, strengthened, and built up. Psalm 50 (NKJV) 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. 3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. 5 “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” 23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” NOTE: God is “the perfection of beauty” and “the beauty of perfection”. He is holy, and He cannot tolerate sin—“ a fire shall devour before Him”. May we keep our spirits and minds fixed on Him, and may our beings be purified as we do so. THANK GOD—that He has taken the initiative and has first “made a covenant with [us] by sacrifice”. God is worthy of our praise from the heart in worship—no matter how “bad” or “good” we have been. None of us are worthy in ourselves. Only God in Jesus makes us worthy. God wants to show us His salvation. True, worship of praise is good for the soul, and glorifies God. Proverbs 22 (NKJV) 23 For the LORD will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them. NOTE: WOW! Truly, “give and it shall be given to you” (Luke 6:38)—whether good or evil. May I learn to truly treat all people—even people I do not like—with respect as they (like me) are created in the image of God. All people are poor in some way, not just the physically poor. May we follow the exhortation of the Holy Spirit in word and deed: Ephesians 4 (NKJV) 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Vance
Old Testament – We finish up the book of Ecclesiastes today, and what a finish it is! Song of Solomon begins tomorrow! I love Ecclesiastes chapter 10 today. It’s basically a series of rapid Proverbs. Great great stuff. I had forgotten about this gem of a chapter in the Bible. This chapter is again a great reminder of why Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, wrote many of the Proverbs. He had godly wisdom no doubt! I love verse 1 in this chapter today – “Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, an ounce of foolishness can outweigh a pound of wisdom and honor.” This is a powerful truth for us to take to heart. We can so often live our lives with wisdom and honor… and then, we let an ounce of foolishness seep into our lives and it outweighs all of our wisdom and honor! This is so true… I think this is particularly true if we are harboring any unchecked sin in our life. We need to put that sin in check! We need to repent and flee from that sin. Otherwise we are harboring an ounce of foolishness in our lives that can outweigh our pounds of wisdom and honor… and this is just as bad as a dead fly in a bottle of perfume! What a great analogy by Solomon. Think of unchecked sin in your life a dead fly in the perfume of your life… it is a sad but true analogy… Get that dead fly out of your life!
I love verse 18 as well – “Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot.” This is so very true, of course. Are there any areas of laziness in your life where you are letting some “roofs leak?” Are there “rafters rotting” in your life? Will you pray to God for freedom from your laziness in those areas of your life and will you simply go and fix the roof?
Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 13 is the key verse in this entire book! “Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person.” Take a moment to meditate on this verse. Do you agree with this teaching? Do you fear God? What does it mean to fear God? (Bible.org has a good overview of fearing God at this link – scroll down on that page to the commentary on verses 11-22) Are you obedient to God’s commands? Do you believe this is your duty?
New Testament – Second Corinthians chapter 8 verse 9 today is one of those verses that can really make you think about how blessed you truly are and why through Jesus: “You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” I imagine that most of us reading this blog right now are living pretty nice lives overall. In most respects it may be fair to call us “rich.” Many of us have rich lives in terms of where we live, our spiritual freedoms, and other freedoms. And why do we have these riches in our lives today? Because Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth and made himself poor for our sakes. Jesus was born in a manger. He lived his life “homeless” in many ways. He was sinless, but yet died a criminal’s death by execution on a cross. Jesus was very rich in heaven. But yet, because of his love and kindness, he made himself poor and died on a cross for us, so that we would be “rich.” And now, realizing this, how are we utilizing our riches? Are we demonstrating love and kindness to others like Jesus did to us? Are we investing our lives – lives that were given to us by God and saved by Jesus – for Kingdom purposes? Are you living your life as if you are literally working for God in all that you do?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians today titled “Learning To Be Liberal” (it is a great essay on Paul’s call to give generously to the church in Jerusalem) is at this link.
Psalms – Psalm 49 verses 1-3 are a fantastic teaching that the Word of God, the Bible, is for everyone, no matter what our lots in life may be – “Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor–listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight.” Are you listening today? Are you paying attention to the wise words and insights of the Bible? Are you truly studying the Bible and then applying the Bible’s teachings to your life? Then, verse 15 in this Psalm is beautiful: “But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of death.” How about for you? Will God redeem your life? Like the parable of the lost sheep that we read about in Luke 15:3-7, has Jesus saved you from being snatched from the power of death?
Proverbs – Proverbs 22 verses 20-21 today teach us: “I have written thirty sayings for you, filled with advice and knowledge. In this way, you may know the truth and bring an accurate report to those who sent you.” These two Proverbs verses today actually tie in quite nicely with Psalm 49 verses 1-3 above. Let us know the truth of God’s Word and then report it accurately to others! Actually, this is probably a good point for me to ask you if you are participating in a Bible study at your church? If not, can I encourage you to consider starting up a One Year Bible study / small group at your church next year? Seriously. Please think and pray about this leadership opportunity. I do realize not everyone is called to something like this. But – I think many of us are – probably more of us than we think are. If you have been going through the One Year Bible with us this year, you have learned much! I think you are in a great position to lead a One Year Bible study / small group at your church next year. All you need is a One Year Bible, perhaps the One Year Bible Companion book with Q&A teachings for each day’s readings, and a willingness to take this opportunity on. Will you think and pray about this? Will you talk to your pastor or the appropriate person at your church about this? You don’t need to know the Bible backwards and forwards to lead a group! You just need to take the initiative to lead, and invite others to join you on the journey. You will be amazed by how God moves in a Bible study! It will bless you and those around you immensely! Will you lead someone (or a group of someone’s) through the One Year Bible next year?
Worship Video: Our 2nd Corinthians readings and Psalm 49 today reminded me of the MercyMe song “So Long Self,” which has a fun video:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of every human being.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you have a godly fear and an everlasting love of God. Pray that you are able to daily move toward keeping his commandments through grace and a saving faith in His son Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= John:
Ecclesiastes10-12 So live supportively, live generously, live thoughtfully! Solomon has looked at life from every angle, from every discipline, from every philosophy, and apart from God it is all meaningless. God is HERE, He Contols, He Gives, He Judges, but if you live apart from God it is all Meaningless. So – how are we to live? In ch 10-11, Solomon says, ‘Live supportively with regard to the government; live generously with regard to the hurts and needs of those around you; and live thoughtfully as you daily make the choices and decisions of life.’ Sounds nice, and quite frankly many atheists (and many people of all faiths) live this way. Again, people can do good here on earth from the view of “mankind”. We are all in the image of God (though corrupted after the fall), and we all have sense of right and wrong, feelings of love, compassion, intellect – to some degree we all have the attributes of God and the Trinity. (It is on a spectrum with some more than others.) But even if you live the way recommended above – in the end – without God, it is Meaningless. Sure people will have fond memories of you for a while. There may even be a building, statue, or library named after you – but in the grand scope of things it doesn’t mean anything. Pretty soon, people will forget you, what you did, and how you lived. They may recognize your name or may be able to study you in a history book – but they will not know you, the person. ====================================================== So what do we do? We can live the reccomended way, but we should: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,..” (I wish I had come to Christ when I was younger!) “The thought is: recall God’s presence daily; live in a relationship with him; seek to discover the greatness and glories of God while you are still young, before it is too late.” If you don’t discover God when you are young, as old age approaches one becomes set in his ways, resistant to change, perhaps seeking less. The danger? That you end up like the conclusion below: “The Searcher’s conclusion, then, as we have been seeing all through the book, is that life “under the sun,” life lived without having discovered the reason for living, is vanity, emptiness, futility. The greatest futility of all is a life that has not found the reason for living. What a waste to live your life and never discover why you are here! What a waste, to die without learning the secret of true existence!” – Ray Stedman Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!” God is the secret of life; He is the answer to the reason for existence. ====================================================== [The end of the matter [the sum of it all]: all has been heard. [Here it is] Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. {Eccl 12:13 RSV} I hope you will remove the word “duty” from your version. It is not in the Hebrew, although, unfortunately, every version seems to translate it that way. It is really this statement: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the wholeness of man. That is the secret of wholeness. To “Fear God, and keep his commandments” is to learn to be and to discover the secret of being a whole person. Who does not want that? We all want to be whole persons. Not broken, fragmented, easily upset, erratic, going off in all directions at once, but stable, controlled, balanced. whole people. Here is the secret of it. This is what we are to learn when we are young: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,” before all the pressures come upon you. This is the secret of wholeness: “Fear* God, and keep his commandments.”] God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. [Eccl 12:14 RSV} We can’t hide from God. He is evident in all our life. He knows everything that goes on; he knows every thought of the heart, every word of the mouth. He knows the motives that we seek to hide from others. He sees the duplicity, the deception, the lovelessness. He has made provision for it all; nothing can be hid. Everything is going to come out in the open at last. All the illusions by which we seek to convince ourselves that things are not the way the Bible says they are, will be stripped away and we will see ourselves as he sees us; and there will not be a voice lifted to challenge the righteousness of his judgment. Because of that the Solomon exhorts us and sets before us the wonder and the glory of our God and says, “Fear God.” Have faith in his existence; experience his grace; stand in awe of his Person; and resolve to obey him. That is what fearing God means. That is the secret to life; that is the secret of the wholeness of man. – ibid. John
======= Teresa:
Hey Mike! I just wanted to send a quick note of encouragement to you – I am always blessed to take time to look over your comments – they have been an encouragement to me all year – Thank you for your ministry! I pray that God wlll minister LIFE to any dry or weary places in your life (or your family) and that today will be a JOY-filled, PEACE-filled, GOD-filled day for you and yours! Teresa
======= Simon:
I too like this statement: ”Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink”! Ecclesiastes 10:1 I believe it is a good reminders that no matter how good something is, if it has been in the wrong atmosphere to long it will adapt. This is something we all can take into account in our own lives. Stay in the right atmosphere! Simon
======= Ron:
I like the T-shirt. The retirement benefits are definitely great working for God!! God bless. Ron
======== Eve:
We basically know and believe that the human body is composed of over 50 trillion cells that work together and reproduce, according to science. It is the same way with the body of Christ. I strongly believe in the importance of bible study/cell group. Every believer should be a part of it, to stay connected, work together, and reproduce. Eve
======= Tim:
Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot. Tim
========== Joyce:
Thank you Mike for your blog today! Thank you John for your comment! Mike, thank you for encouraging us to start a one year bible study/small group at our church next year. I feel I have received His grace abundantly through following this blog, and therefore able to systematically read His Word this year. I read in a sermon, the person who fears the Lord doesn’t ask “How much can I get away with?” Instead, he/she asks, “What more can I do? What more can I offer? How can I become more conformed to His character?” Yesterday Ramona in her comment brought up John 1:1. I looked up the EasyEnglish Bible version: “When the world began, the Word (Jesus) existed already. The Word was with God. And the Word was God himself.” (John 1:1) Have you all heard the song “People Need the Lord”? The Word is Jesus. Sharing His Word with others, is a powerful way to introduce them to our one true God. May God and His Holy Spirit move the readers in this blog, and enable us to share His Word with others more frequently, more willingly, more whole-heartedly. May His Name be glorified. And may God continuously encourage you and reward you Mike. Thank you for your faithfulness! Sincerely, Joyce
======= Dee:
Woohoo what an ending to Ecclesiastes..such wisdom..even the best looking sin is deadly like flies in a bottle of perfume. Crazy!! The love of Jesus for the world is so vast that while he stayed humble and came poor we have much and are penthouse through him. Amen! Insight and enlightenment for Jesus! Are we listening? Are we learning..are we loving? Proverbs: knowing the truth of Goda word and using it wisely..utilizing like we are in here..living learning applying..meditating on it is huge!! Dee
======== Imja:
Greetings, These two scriptures sum up everything for me… Ecc. 12 13+14 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. I found this so encouraging to read that in the midst of a very severe trial, the Macedonian churches had joy and generosity. May it be like that with all of us in this present climate. 2 Cor.8 1+2 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. Shalom to all, Imja
======= Vance:
Ecclesiastes 11 (NKJV) 9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. 10 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity. Ecclesiastes 12 (NKJV) 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. NOTE: How true are these words. I can reflect on my life and see how I walked “in the ways of [my] heart” and “in the sight of my] eyes”—and I am now reaping what I have sown earlier in my life. Yet, fearing God and keeping His commandments is the way to freedom. “You shall know the true and the truth shall set you free” (Jesus, John 8) I once heard a very famous American talk show host (who shall remain unnamed!!) say that the most important thing is to follow your heart. Is it? The heart, without God’s grace, is hardened against God and separate from fellowship with our Living, Loving Lord. Without God’s grace believed, received and relied upon through repentance and faith, “know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.” THE IDEA OF THE TRULY CHRISTIAN LIFE IS VERY SIMPLE: “Fear God and keep His commandments.” That is it. Everything else—being filled with the Holy Spirit, finding the ministry God has for us, prayer and doing God’s will—flows out of that one single thing. Over Labor Day weekend, my wife and I went to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and to the house of President Dwight David Eisenhower. Truly, very few men have influenced world history as much as President Eisenhower—as commanding general over the allied troops which defeated Nazi Germany or as President of the United States. Every leader of his or her respective country has had tremendous influence on history. Yet, I was amazed at the single minded focus that Dwight Eisenhower had his entire life. Imagine the myriad of increasing responsibilities that he would have had as commander of all of the allied troops in Europe as he led the troops in defeating Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. Imagine all of the responsibilities as the leader of a nation. Yet, fis life was focused. His focus which was gained, kept and sharpened enabled Eisenhower an ordinary farm boy, to influence the world. Think how much you and I could influence the world if we keep our focus on just the one thing from which everything else flows: “Fear God and keep His commandments.” 2 Corinthians 8 (NKJV) 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 12 For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. NOTE: This is true prosperity. Not just in having—though God does want to bless us richly with all things. But why does God want to bless us? In whatever measure we are blessed—it is for us to be a blessing. Prosperity clearly is not measured simply by what we have. The worldly mindset outside of Christ and on television tries to convince us that “getting” is success. Yet, the Holy Spirit clearly says this is not true: Psalm 49 (NKJV) 10 For he sees wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever [or. . . Their graves shall be their houses forever], their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. 12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain [or. . . does not understand]; he is like the beasts that perish. 13 This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah 14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. ~~~ Christ alone is to be our pattern of living and giving—do not just give “to give because it is the Christian thing to do”. No, give as an act of worship, and give sacrificially and willingly out of love. Otherwise it is not accepted by God. THAT IS TRUE PROSPERITY. THAT IS TRUE GIVING. We are given in order that we may use what we have wisely and in order that we may give sacrificially to others as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus guides and equips us. Only then we can be like the Lord Jesus. Ephesians 5 (NKJV) – Walk in Love 1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. ~~~ Psalm 49 (NKJV) 1 Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2 Both low and high, rich and poor together. 3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. 5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? 15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah NOTE: Fear God to be intimately linked with the Father and grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense). Then, we will have wisdom and strength to stand and be who God made us to be. Then, we will be preserved and saved, so we can be set apart to do His will! Proverbs 22 (NKJV) 20 Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, 21 That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may answer words of truth to those who send to you? NOTE: God has indeed spoken and written excellent things. May we feed on who God is and be filled with the knowledge of him. Then we may truly and from our hearts “answer words of truth to those who” God sends to us. Vance
======= John:
Ecclesiastes10-12 (“under the weather” so taking some medicine and going to bed. A little more “cut and paste” than usual, but I thought the points relevant and something to consider.) So live supportively, live generously, live thoughtfully! Solomon has looked at life from every angle, from every discipline, from every philosophy, and apart from God it is all meaningless. God is HERE, He Contols, He Gives, He Judges, but if you live apart from God it is all Meaningless. So – how are we to live? In ch 10-11, Solomon says, ‘Live supportively with regard to the government; live generously with regard to the hurts and needs of those around you; and live thoughtfully as you daily make the choices and decisions of life.’ http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3815.html Sounds nice, and quite frankly many atheists (and many people of all faiths) live this way. Again, people can do good here on earth from the view of “mankind”. We are all in the image of God (though corrupted after the fall), and we all have sense of right and wrong, feelings of love, compassion, intellect – to some degree we all have the attributes of God and the Trinity. (It is on a spectrum with some more than others.) But even if you live the way recommended above – in the end – without God, it is Meaningless. Sure people will have fond memories of you for a while. There may even be a building, statue, or library named after you – but in the grand scope of things it doesn’t mean anything. Pretty soon, people will forget you, what you did, and how you lived. They may recognize your name or may be able to study you in a history book – but they will not know you, the person. ====================================================== So what do we do? We can live the reccomended way, but we should: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,..” (I wish I had come to Christ when I was younger!) “The thought is: recall God’s presence daily; live in a relationship with him; seek to discover the greatness and glories of God while you are still young, before it is too late.” http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3816.html If you don’t discover God when you are young, as old age approaches one becomes set in his ways, resistant to change, perhaps seeking less. The danger? That you end up like the conclusion below: “The Searcher’s conclusion, then, as we have been seeing all through the book, is that life “under the sun,” life lived without having discovered the reason for living, is vanity, emptiness, futility. The greatest futility of all is a life that has not found the reason for living. What a waste to live your life and never discover why you are here! What a waste, to die without learning the secret of true existence!” – Ray Stedman Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!” God is the secret of life; He is the answer to the reason for existence. ====================================================== [The end of the matter [the sum of it all]: all has been heard. [Here it is] Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. {Eccl 12:13 RSV} I hope you will remove the word “duty” from your version. It is not in the Hebrew, although, unfortunately, every version seems to translate it that way. It is really this statement: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the wholeness of man. That is the secret of wholeness. To “Fear God, and keep his commandments” is to learn to be and to discover the secret of being a whole person. Who does not want that? We all want to be whole persons. Not broken, fragmented, easily upset, erratic, going off in all directions at once, but stable, controlled, balanced. whole people. Here is the secret of it. This is what we are to learn when we are young: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,” before all the pressures come upon you. This is the secret of wholeness: “Fear* God, and keep his commandments.”] *See Link for explanation of Fear. http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3816.html God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. [Eccl 12:14 RSV} We can’t hide from God. He is evident in all our life. He knows everything that goes on; he knows every thought of the heart, every word of the mouth. He knows the motives that we seek to hide from others. He sees the duplicity, the deception, the lovelessness. He has made provision for it all; nothing can be hid. Everything is going to come out in the open at last. All the illusions by which we seek to convince ourselves that things are not the way the Bible says they are, will be stripped away and we will see ourselves as he sees us; and there will not be a voice lifted to challenge the righteousness of his judgment. Because of that the Solomon exhorts us and sets before us the wonder and the glory of our God and says, “Fear God.” Have faith in his existence; experience his grace; stand in awe of his Person; and resolve to obey him. That is what fearing God means. That is the secret to life; that is the secret of the wholeness of man. – ibid. [Link to commentaries on whole Book of Ecclesiastes: http://www.pbc.org/library/series/3767 ] John
======= John:
2 Corinthians 8:1-15 Giving I am a firm believer in that – if you cannot give joyfully, then why give? Remember it is all His! Give as the Lord directs. DO NOT belllyache about how it is spent – If it is spent wrongly that is between God and the spenders. Our job is to be a part of the body of Christ in all forms. ================================================================================= 8:12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. If yopu pledged an amount that you can no longer pay. Give what you can. Do you not think God knows your circumstances, and will honor a person who gives what they can during their own tough economic times? DO NOT go into nhiding and give nothing. 8:13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. This is not proclaiming socialism as so many in the past have proclaimed. IMO. This is about having the equal opportunity to help a troubled member(s) of the Body of Christ, and them having the same equal opportunity when you are in trouble. It is about equal opportunities of helping when others are in trouble, NOT EQUALIZING INCOMES ALL THE TIME. John
Old Testament – Our readings in Ecclesiastes today reminded me of Solomon’s writings in Proverbs! (It was likely the same author of both books – well, most of the Proverbs – hence the connection) It seemed like a series of Proverbs in today’s readings – albeit with a more pessimistic view than the typical Proverbs we read… but still, overall great teachings and great reminders of how empty and vain life is apart from God. I love Chapter 7 verse 20, which is something we all probably need to be reminded of: “There is not a single person in all the earth who is always good and never sins.” And certainly that was true back then and now. Jesus was the only one ever to walk the earth who never sinned. Now, to go along with verse 20 we later read verse 28, which I’m thinking probably did not make women too happy to read: “Just one out of every thousand men I interviewed can be said to be upright, but not one woman!” Now, first and foremost, keep in mind this is the author of Ecclesiastes’ opinion or experience – not God saying this. Scripture does not declare anywhere that women are morally inferior to men. The bottom line of this verse is that basically no one is upright – men or women. The next verse 29 then says: “I discovered that God created people to be upright, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.” This verse again reminds us that though we were created for righteousness, we are broken. We are sinners. We are in need of a Savior. How about you? Do you know anyone who is always good and never sins? Anyone who does not need a Savior to forgive and heal them of their brokenness? Do you believe God created people to be upright? Without God and Jesus in our lives, do you think we are in severe danger of following our own downward path…
Now, another verse that says “women” but that I think could just as well say “men” is chapter 7 verse 26 – “I discovered that a seductive woman is more bitter than death. Her passion is a trap, and her soft hands will bind you. Those who please God will escape from her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.” This verse stood out to me as I read it, for one very modern and very dangerous reason: internet pornography. Now, I know I don’t need to tell anyone reading this that internet pornography is an incredibly serious problem affecting far too many people. Many of whom are Christians. The reason this verse stood out to me was the reminder that internet pornography is literally a snare that so many people are caught in. They can’t escape it. Well, they can, but it’s not easy on their own. I have a hunch that someone reading this is addicted to internet pornography. Or, maybe isn’t addicted – yet – but checks it out on occasion. Let me warn anyone who ever goes to an internet pornography site – it is a snare! A trap. Like chapter 9 verse 12 in Ecclesiastes today says: “Like fish in a net or birds in a snare, people are often caught by sudden tragedy.” Visiting a pornography website even once is a sudden tragedy that has come to your doorstep. You will then be like a fish in a net or a bird in a snare. You will need much prayer and counseling to escape it’s lure. I write this to warn folks too who have never visited an internet pornography site, but maybe someday in the future will be tempted to do so. Don’t do it. Ever. Run from it. Flee. Actually, I’ve had to think about this because I know some of my friends (friends from many years ago – who I still try to witness to) watch pornographic movies on occasion. I know it happens at bachelor parties, etc. Honestly, I don’t go to bachelor parties at all these days – unless I know for sure there won’t be any of this nonsense. But, I have a hunch someday I may be surprised at some gathering where a porn movie will be shown. And guess what? I will run. Literally, I will flee that location of wherever that movie is being shown, and I won’t look back. Why? I won’t just sit there and let that stuff pollute my mind. Pollute my very soul. Pornography is exactly that – soul pollution. It pollutes your soul! I realize I’ve been typing way too long on this issue – but I do so because I know it’s a major issue for our society today. It is a major issue for the church. Please let me encourage you in that if you are ever in a situation with friends that pornography or strippers or anything like that appears that you literally run. Flee. And don’t look back. And don’t fret about what your friends think. Your soul is so much more important. If anyone reading this is currently struggling with pornography, let me encourage you to talk to someone you trust about it immediately, and get help. Today. Go to counseling. You cannot get out of the snare on your own. You may succeed for short periods of time, but long-term you are going to need some help. But, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and his precious blood poured out on the Cross for our sins, yes, indeed you can be freed of the snare of pornography. You quickly need to run toward your freedom in Christ now; connect with pastors, friends & counselors who can keep you accountable and give you tools to beat this; and then please don’t ever look back to that which pollutes your very soul. In Christ, my brothers and sisters, we are forgiven. And Forgiveness will heal us. If we will let Him.
If you are struggling with pornography or any other sexual sin, Bible.org has some good essays and Q&A related to temptation (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the Q&A) at this link. If anyone else has helpful resources (books, websites, etc.) that will help others be free of pornography addictions or other sexual sin, please share in the Comments section below? Thanks.
New Testament – Second Corinthians chapter 7 verses 9 & 10 teaches us a great lesson – “It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow.” Do you believe that God can use sorrow for redemptive purposes? Do you believe there is such a thing as godly sorrow? Can sorrow turn us away from sin and toward salvation? Have you ever experienced such a sorrow? I know that I have. There have been times in my life in the past where I was pursuing the false glamour of sin. And that pursuit of sin delivered great sorrow. But, thanks be to God for that sorrow! It was a godly sorrow that turned me away from sin and toward God’s salvation. So, if you are experiencing sorrow in your life right now, or when you do, please seek God in the midst of the sorrow. Perhaps the sorrow was not caused by your sin, as it was in my case. But perhaps God can still use that sorrow ultimately for his redemptive purposes.
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Second Corinthians readings titled “Good Grief” is at this link.
Psalms – Psalm 48 is a celebratory Psalm of Mount Zion in Jerusalem, as verse 8 reads: “We had heard of the city’s glory, but now we have seen it ourselves- the city of the LORD Almighty. It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever.”
I like verse 10 a lot in this Psalm: “As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth.” I have had the good fortune to travel many places on this planet, and I will admit that it always encourages me to no end when I see God being praised and worshiped in other cultures. I always try to visit churches wherever I travel on Sundays, and I love seeing how different cultures worship God. One of the most memorable experiences was in the Dominican Republic in a very impoverished community. I honestly don’t know that I have ever seen a congregation worship God so wholeheartedly than I did that day in the DR. It was beautiful. The other thing I am reminded of when traveling is that when we are in relationship with Jesus, God is always with us no matter where we go. When we’re 35,000 feet above the ground in an airplane, God is with us. When we’re in the middle of nowhere that has no church – God is with us. So, no matter where we go, if God is with us, we have the opportunity to praise God’s name to the ends of the earth! Even if you’re traveling to some far off locale where no one else around you would praise God, will you?
Proverbs – Proverbs 22 verses 17 through 19 today are a great reminder for why we read and study the Bible! “Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction. For it is good to keep these sayings deep within yourself, always ready on your lips. I am teaching you today–yes, you–so you will trust in the LORD.” Great stuff. I love the part that says it is good to keep these saying deep within yourself – in your heart! And to memorize these sayings with your mind so that they are always ready on your lips. Are you listening to the words of the Bible? Are you applying your heart to the Bible’s instruction? Is studying the Bible enhancing your trust in God? Actually – if anyone out there memorizes Scripture, please post up in the Comments section below? I would love to know which verses you have found useful in your life? And – if anyone has advice on how to best go about memorizing Scripture, please post that up too. Are you memorizing Scripture on a regular basis? Are you bringing Scripture to mind when faced with temptation or sadness or whatever ails you?
Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of Matt Redman’s song “The Heart of Worship:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens the face and changes its hard appearance.” Ecclesiastes 8:1 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray for godly wisdom in your life today and forevermore.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18 Reminder to myself: Written under the sun; not under the Son. 13 Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don’t fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked? (7:13) Mike this is a plug for the One-Year-Bible Blog. The way to find out how God does things is to read His Word because God and His Word are One (John 1:1) 26 I discovered that a seductive woman is more bitter than death. Her passion is a trap, and her soft hands will bind you. Those who please God will escape from her, but sinners will be caught in her snare. (7:26). If our society had a revelation of the truth of this verse, the Pornography industry and the sexualization of women (and men) would dry up and die. This society glorifies the seductive woman with all her curves and make-up, which hides the reflection of the true face of disease, death and destruction. II Corinthians 7:8-16 Godly sorrow: I’m truly sorry and repentant for what I’ve done and whatever the consequences of my actions, I am willing to face. Worldly sorrow: I’m sorry that I got caught and why should I have to be punished or make restitution because after all I said I was sorry. Godly sorrow leads to a changed life, worldly sorry recognizes the wrong done only because it was found out and they cannot talk their way out of it. Worldly sorry fails to accept responsibility for their wrong; it was Mr. or Ms Somebody’s fault. Godly sorrow says, I did it and I accept full responsibility for my actions whatever that may be. Psalm 48:1-14 3 God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers. He reveals himself as her defender. The Lord will be my High Tower and my Defender just like He is, was Jerusalem defense. Proverbs 22:17-19 The thirty sayings of the Wise, hmmm, I need to study these thirty sayings ‘cause I’m in bad need of Wisdom. Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Lisa:
A great way to remember scripture: Recipe: RWSSP (READ it. WRITE it, SING it, SAY it, PRAY it) Choose the desired memory scripture and practice each of these five techniques with it several times. It works! Lisa
======= Gill:
I have found a good site for learning Bible verses, and enjoy it very much. I got to the actual verse-learning programme in a round-about way (hopeless on the computer!), try http://www.memoryverses.org, the Scripture Memory System (or Connection), and a man called Stephen Simpson runs it. You can choose provided verses, or put your own choices into it. There are various very helpful ways of learning by repetition, by testing yourself in stages, and good information on memorising Scripture. Gill
======= Ramona:
Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18 It’s nice to come across my motivation from going through the Bible this year in our readings, “Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don’t fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?” (7:13). Being that we are reading from this book that looks at the world through man’s eyes and not God’s this is a good little wake-up call to keep me on track. What I think about God, what anyone else things about God and how He does things really does not matter as we found out in the Book of Job. It’s all about God. Solomon looks at death outside of the knowledge of a resurrection. Although his father, David, had a revelation of a life other than what is lived upon the earth and resurrection (Psalm 69) it seems because Solomon couldn’t use the wisdom given to him to reason it out, he couldn’t see past the flesh. Revelation, not explanation, is the key to living a vibrant life of faith. You don’t come to Christ by explanation you come to Him by Revelation. Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Jan:
Bravo, Ramona – Bravo; I totally agree if it were not for the Holy Spirit’s revelation in us; the mystery(ies) of God would never be revealed. AMEN & AMEN & SO BE IT!!! : ) AND, I think I just read somewhere in our daily reading that without the Holy Spirit we are not even “saved!” Jan
======= Jan:
Regarding the porn problem: We deal with soft porn every day & people don’t think twice about it. I deal with it a work with a woman that dresses so seductive & provocative that is sickening & grieves my spirit so. I don’t watch programs on TV anymore like I used to – got revelation as to what should go in my ear & eye gates also (Desperate Housewives & movies on Demand). I choose not to watch Basic Instincts 2 just the other day & also violent movies too – I’m getting more radical in my pursuit of holiness & keeping myself from defilement. Here is an excerpt from a great book & explains why I feel the way I do about soft porn preceeding hard/hard core porn. You let a little yeast in & it will take over: An excerpt from Sex and the Supremacy of Christ by John Piper/Justin Taylor: Many varieties of flirtation, self-display, foreplay, & entertainment don’t necessarily “go all the way” to orgasm: dressing to attract & tease the lust of others, looking voyeuristically, suggestive remarks, crude humor, erotic kissing, petting, & the like. All these actions suggest an intention toward immoral sexual intercourse, whether the intention is consummated or not. Such behaviors (whether occurring in daily life or portrayed on film or page) cross the line of love. Whether or not our cultural context views such things as acceptable, or even as entertaining, they are evils. Love considers the true welfare of others in “the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:12 &13, NASB). 12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. In reading almost half way through the book I bought for my son, “Every Single Man’s Battle,” I have read something men or women for that matter should be doing – bouncing our eyes/the way we look at others (men or women). I’m going today to the Christian bookstore in town & getting “Every Young Man’s Battle” for my nephew so he can get a grip on it while he is young & in the throws of hormonal changes. Jan
======= Luch:
Two suggestions: The Navigators have produced a solid, biblically balanced scripture memory discipline called The New topical Memory system, available from Navpress as well, the book When Good Men Are Tempted by Bil Perkins is a very useful book and gracious book in helping men out of ‘the snare of lustful temptation.’ Luch
======= Mary:
I have some memorized, but not their location, and I probably paraphrase most….having said that here is the one God gave me to remember lately: “For I have not given you a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind.” AMEN! He always gives me a scripture to cope whenever I am battling something. I pray and woship you Lord, I am yours. Amen and Amen.
======== Samantha:
I am in a very serious relationship with the most wonderful man I’ve ever known, except my Lord and Savior Jesus Chist. He is struggling with a generational curse of porn addiction. He is a born again Christian and I feel that God wants me to help him with this. I found all of this very helpful and I sent it to him, with the prayers that he won’t get angry with me, for trying to help him. If any of you have any comments or advice, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank You and God Bless Samantha
======= Ann:
just wanted to say that the blog is a blessing to my life, and reading it refreshes my soul..and fills it with feeling God’s love and Gods grace. you are very close to God in your life, and this draws the people who read your blog closer to God as well..thanks and wish you many many years of blog writing and bible reading Ann
======= Susan:
My husband struggles in this area & both he & I have been helped by the Every Man’s Battle series. New Life can be googled & there are many resources there as well as Pure Life Ministries. Susan
======= Sam:
Thanks for your reminders today. We all need it. I need to preach on such topics, knowing the struggles are immense. Sam
======= Tabitha:
I make it a point to memorize scripture. Here are a few of the ways that I do that: 1) write it down on an index card or other convient to carry paper. 2) Pull that card out or paper everytime I eat, drink or after washing my hands. I look at it, read it and try to say it without looking. 3) I also have a big glass door in my kitchen that I go in and out of a lot. I use a dry erase maker and write the verse there. I read it when I go out and when I come in. When it is time for a new verse, I just wipe that one off and write a new one. It also works well on the bathroom mirror. That’s how I do it. Tabitha
======= Ray:
I think Bible verse memorization is very important and many verses help live our life in a Godly manner. One of the most important verses I recite prayerfully when I am tempted by something that doesn’t honor God is: 1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Ray
========= Karen:
Just a thought that came to mind. Maybe, because Solomon got so caught up with so many women he allowed himself to be entrapped by them in his weakness and then places the blame on the women???? Also, I have always had difficulty memorizing but have found that the more I read the bible the more I remember what I read. Many verses just come to mind in different situations without having had memorized them per se. Love & Hugs! Karen
======== Meagan:
I have found View a Verse by Jerry Lucas very useful. You can find it on the Dr. Memory site. Although, I must say I agree with Karen. Even though I practice memorizing the Bible, verses come to mind when I need them more so than when I purposely try to memorize them. Meagan
======== Cristina:
An excellent online resource for those struggling with pornography addiction is the website http://www.illbehonest.com, created by a guy (James Jennings) who was set free by God from this horrible addiction. The website is basically a collection of videos, sermons and sermon jams on christian themes like salvation, church life or the battle with sin; there is a whole section titled “Sexual sin/pornography” with 11 videos – testimonies and teaching, including James testimony. Grace to you all, Cristina
========= Chris:
“Every Man’s Battle” by Arterburn helped me close my mind (with Our Father to of course) to internet sexual sin. It is an excellent “tool” and “tool” only to help close your mind and heart to lust. But definitely a excellent starting point because it uses “down to earth” methods and examples. All men can relate to the information in this book one way or another. Chris
======= Jeff:
Thank you for the reading and your comments toady. Personally, I have found the Biblical approach encouraged by John Piper (desiring God) to be most helpful with Internet pornography or any sexual sin. He argues that ultimately, Christ needs to be your central desire and by enlarging our view of God and the central work of Christ (bring taken up more and more with Him) that we can see victory. No programme will work unless Christ and an encouragement to know Him more centrally in our walks will work. Accountability does help. Being honest and perhaps making yourself daily if necessary to a trusted fellow believer will help and I am sure that counselling if Christ focused will be a great benefit but ultimately we need a big view in our life of the completed work of Christ and a closer walk with God, even as we struggle. The words of a well known hymn may help express this view: Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace Jeff
======== Duane:
Pornography polutes our minds. The first and most important step that a person must take, is to stop filling their mind with these images. However, the images that are already planted by this sin will take along time to get rid of. Thats why it is so important to renew our minds everyday in the Lord Jesus Christ.I have fought this battle and I still fight it, but thank God I have never viewed this kind of stuff on the internet.I like the words that MIke has put out, we need to encourage those that are struggleing everyday to stay strong and constantly beware of the temptation that Satan throws at us. I believe that the Lord has delivered me from this sin, however I cannot gloat or be vain enough to think that I can’t fall. This is where I am weak and this is where I know Satan can get me to fall, so I must constantly beware and realized that its not my strenght but God’s. Greater is he that is in me then he that is in the world. I can do all things throught him who gives me strenght. Duane
======= LaRhonda:
Hello, I am the mother of seven adult children and as a single mother for many years I remember seeking God for wisdom in many areas. At one time before I was divorced, we had been evicted after 10 months of non-payment of the rent. I was raising babies and had no clue the rent was not being paid. I sought God as we moved into the back room of a friends home. I was pregnant with the fifth and already had 4 under 5yrs! I was devastated and began to pray as never before. As in 2Cors the sorrow caused me to seek God. then through the memorization of the word, God delivered my mind even before I was physically delivered from that back room! God gave me 1John 5:14 and 15 and Isiah 55:11 and Is 59:19. I read them to my children daily until l they memorized them, not knowing that the word was changing them and me! LaRhonda
======= Ginny:
You stress pornography but I would submit that dirty jokes, using foul language and inuendoes are also things to avoid. Perhaps that is how “addiction” to porngraphy begins. As Tom Dooley states in todays reading of Ecclesiastes, “our death can either be fragrent or putrid” depending on how we live our lives. Ginny
======= Will:
You stress pornography but I would submit that dirty jokes, using foul language and inuendoes are also things to avoid. Perhaps that is how “addiction” to porngraphy begins. As Tom Dooley states in todays reading of Ecclesiastes, “our death can either be fragrent or putrid” depending on how we live our lives. Will
======= Patricia:
God has given me an amazing love for His word and Bible memory work has been my hobby for many years. I have had the joy of putting together a battle plan of passages based on the three steps in James 4:7, 8a and have used it to fight and win many spiritual battles. There are many excellent reasons for making God’s word your very own through memorizing it. For one you are always armed with the “Sword of the Spirit” when a challenge presents. Then there is 1 Jn 2:14 which suggests that the very presence of God’s word in us causes the enemy to keep his distance. There is also the matter of controlling wandering thoughts. How better to experience 2 Cor 10:3-5 than to fill your mind with God’s word. I had radiation treatments a couple of years ago. The time of lying perfectly still just sped by as I simply lay there and “read” the pages of scripture I had memorized. Prior to that was the surgery. As the time for the surgery kept getting moved back, I simply lay in my cozy bed “reading” scripture and was so relaxed that I was dozing off as they administered the anaesthetic. One key, I believe is starting off slowly, maybe two verses a week and adding on in a way that you can connect the verses to help remember them in an order that works for you. I have found that very helpful.What may seem slow at first does get faster as you train your mind. To memorize a new passage I start with a single line or statement, then learn a second, then put them together, and so on until I have reached and included that last portion of the passage. To add to the above I began with a Navigator’s memory plan that included cards with the passages on them, and I am sure such plans are still available. Patricia
======== Nancy:
In regards to scripture memorization I follow the Bible Project as an email at no cost. They have flash cards of verses that turn over. On the front is a bunch of letters in a row that are the first letter of each word of the verse. You can turn the card over by clicking on it to read the actual verse. I was amazed how much that little help cause me to remember the verse. I hope to use this idea with other scripture verses in the future. I heard many scriptures thru the years from sermons or teachings & can quote them. The only problem is that I never learned their addresses (reference). So I am a concordance cripple. Hopefully with this tool I will do better in the future. To be honest I do better with verses that mean more to me personally. My church used “The Purple Book” as a way to teach the basics of our faith. My pastor added scriptures to memorize. Needless to say I haven’t done that great about memorizing them. Maybe now I can. The other problem is which version you memorized them in when trying to find them in a Bible app. I sometimes used Goggle instead. In the extra reading the phrase “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times was written by Charles Dickens. It is the first line of his book “The Tale of Two Cities”. Nancy
======= Dee:
The Ecclesiastes section today was rather sad or seemed negative…but it was saying that instead of focusing the here and now..focus on things eternal and of our time when we go to be with Jesus in eternity.thay is worth praising the Lord about. The sorrow in those life doesn’t compare to the life we have to look forward to with Jesus. Yes Godly sorrow can bring peace because when we are sad..sadness is but a moment because joy comes in the morning!! Psalm: A psalm pf Praise! You will be praised to the ends of the earth!! Proverbs: I’m so glad I study the bible. It keeps me grounded! Amen..what say you!? Does it do the same to you? Be blessed Dee
======= Margaret:
2nd Cor 7:9&10 For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sins and seek salvation. Seek god in the midst of sorrow as he sometimes uses sorrow ultimately for his redemptive purposes. godly sorrow shows that when we do the wrong things we have to fully repent and this will redeem us from all our sins Margaret
======= Jill:
This is the first time I have posted a comment, but wanted to share something with you. My husband has been a pastor for almost 45 years, & we’ve heard many different teachings in regard to “Where the Dinosaurs came from”. Recently we made a trip to the “Creation Museum” near Cinn. Oh. This museum is one of the best I have ever attended, and I am a museum advocate. Everything presented was scripturally based. It has just been open a short time, yet thousands of people have already gone thru’. One thing that impressed me was a simple statement. “We know that all life was created by God, it has also been proven that dinosaurs did exit, therefore God must have created them when He created all the other animals”. Job 41 refers to “leviathan”, could this be a dragon, or form of a dinosaur? He’s scaled, fire comes from his mouth etc. It causes you to think and dig a little deeper in the word doesn’t it. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy the Bible Study, especially all the extra info. that you send with it. May God continue to Bless Your Ministry. Jill
======= John:
[A bit long – but perhaps there is some info that might help someone in the area of “Lust”] People that know my testimony from earlier in the year know I have an addictive personality. Everything I did “pre-salvation” was done to excess and for my pleasure. God has performed miracles in my life simply removing most of my addictions in life – before, during, and after my “salvation prayer”. Gambling, drinking, cursing, smoking, gorging on food, and others. I say it is a miracle because they were removed by Him – not by my choice. I simply have no desire to participate in these activities. I did not have to go thru counselling, withdrawls, relapses, etc. – the desire was simply removed in these areas. I say this, because God did not remove my greatest weakness – Lust. It was primarily manifested in internet surfing – hardcore, softcore, chat rooms, etc. This weakness God left for me to work out through Him. A year after accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I still struggled with “Lust”. Still occasionally dropped back into the same old areas of internet. Oh, it was better, not as often, I could rationalize that I was “getting better” in this area – but it was just a rationalization. After a conversation with a “brother” I became convicted and signed up for “covenanteyes.com”. This is not a filter – it just grades and reports every internet site I visit while on-line. The reports go to my accountability partner and my pastor. It worked for me – I have not visited a “bad” site in over 15 months. The biggest complaint I get now is: the covenant eyes report is VERY long – I do a lot of research along with some reading of the news:) Yes, if you are computer savvy you can get around it. Yes, you can go to the library or office and get around it. Yes, it just eliminated one outlet of my lust. But the reason I think it works for me is – I repented, wanted to change, wanted to please God, and prayed about it. If you are just looking for something to keep you compliant, a report card, and not motivated by true repentance – it may not work for you. As Jan said there are other areas all around us that are a concern, and it is not just a young man’s battle I do not watch much TV and only been to a movie theater twice in last two years. satan is not stupid – he knows “Lust” is my greatest weakness. I eliminated internet as a problem, but I constantly get visual stimulation, sometimes offers from women, and constant memories of my past in the “lust” area. Jan, bouncing eyes is something I learned early on. Also, for me bouncing my eyes and saying softly – “a child of God” under my breath when seeing a woman helps. Praying and saying memorized Scripture passages help – but it is really Andrew that I owe a debt of thanks to in this area. When I got on my knees and presented (one time) myself to God as a living sacrifice,(Rom12:1-2), the change in me really kicked in. Now I simply lift my eyes when tested in the area of “Lust”, and yield myself to him asking for access and power of the Holy Spirit. It is amazing when I do this how the images, thoughts, or test(s) become laughable. [NOTE: When I fail, and I do, it is because I forget to go to God, or it all happens so fast. But God forgives and I go on, and much of the problem is under control.] As Paul said in Romans7:18, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (NIV) I have no power in this area of “Lust”, but through God “all things are possible”. The key is : “through God”. When we are pleasing to Him, believe in Him, taking Him at His word and acting on His word – God acts, He provides, and why not, as we are His children. What parent would not lovingly provide for his children if the above was the child’s attitude. How much more so God? If Andrew had not asked that question back in Romans regarding the abundance of the Holy Spirit – perhaps I might have glossed over Rom12:1-2. I pray that if you are struggling in your life with serving the Lord (in any area), that you take a moment and go back and meditate on those verses. John
======= John:
Ecclesiastes Solomon examines life and death from all the lifestyles and disciplines of man in the first nine chapters: Sciences, Hedonism, fatalism-existentialism-egotism, egotism-capitalism, religion, materialism, stoicism, common-sense view of life, and the value judgments of the world (ex. Ben Franklin) And all is vanity, emptiness, purposeless. And IT IS when God is left out of the equation. It is interesting though, that there are 32 references to God in the first nine chapters – not including the section on temple worship and vows. Yes, most of the references seem to indicate that God is there, but in the end – life under the sun is meaningless. But I wonder???? In Job, there were many spiritual truths dropped throughout the text of the speeches of Job and his friends. The dots were not connected, yet the “truths” were there. Solomon may put a negative spin on these references – yet they are still there. Is this why the book is included in the Bible? That despite the foolishness of Solomon’s examinations – God is still there. God will always be there. God gives, God controls, God is in charge, God is eternal, God is in heaven, God will judge, etc. Despite what any world view says about life – God is HERE and He is in control. In the midst of both believers and unbelievers. Even in a book that is from the human view – uninspired – there is inspiration. From a book that has a thesis statement – “Everything is Meaningless” there are nuggets of truth that indicate it is NOT meaningless. God cannot be shut out. -What a heavy burden God has laid on men! (1:13) -This too, I see, is from the hand of God (2:24) -To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness,..(2:26) -to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(2:26) -the burden God has laid on men(3:10) -He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; (3:11) -what God has done from beginning to end.(3:11) -this is the gift of God(3:13) -everything God does will endure forever(3:14) -God does it so that men will revere him.(3:14) – God will call the past to account(3:15) -God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked(3:17) -God tests them so that they may see (3:18) -God is in heaven and you are on earth (5:2) -Therefore stand in awe of God.(5:7) -days of life God has given him(5:18) -this is a gift of God(5:19) -God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart(5:20) -God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor(6:2) -God does not enable him to enjoy them(6:2) -Consider what God has done(7:13) -God has made the one as well as the other(7:14) -The man who fears God will avoid all extremes (7:18) -The man who pleases God will escape her(7:26) -God made mankind upright(7:29) -it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God (8:12) -the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them(8:13) -all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.(8:15) – then I saw all that God has done(8:17) – what they do are in God’s hands(9:1) -for it is now that God favors what you do.(9:7) -God has given you under the sun(9:9) From the same guy that wrote: ECCLESIASTES: THE INSPIRED BOOK OF ERROR http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/0221.html seven years later wrote a series of commentaries that included this thought regarding Ecc6:2 [The key to all of this is in the words, “God does not give him power to enjoy.” That lesson is pounded home to our hearts over and over again throughout this book. Enjoyment does not reside in increased possessions, it is a gift which God must give. If he withholds it, no amount of effort is going to extract enjoyment from things. That is a difficult lesson for some to learn. We are constantly bombarded with alluring pictures in catalogs and in commercials that shout at us the opposite message. Enjoyment, however, is a gift of God. The question that immediately comes to mind is, Why would God withhold enjoyment? Why would he not give the power to enjoy if he gives the ability to have? The answer to that question is given in this book, and it is especially clearly stated in Chapter 2, Verses 25-26, where the Searcher says, … for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the man who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; {Eccl 2:25-26a RSV} “To the man who pleases him.” Again, I am afraid many people read that as though it means that some level of religious performance, some standard of morality, like joining a church or coming to meetings, is what pleases God. We must understand that the Scriptures never say that. Faith is what pleases God, believing him, taking him at his word and acting upon that word. This is what pleases God: obedience based upon faith. To such a man or woman God gives the gift of enjoying whatever he or she has. How little or how much it may be, is a gift poured out and taken from his hand. That is why gratitude, to be grateful for what you get, is the most important element of our lives.] John
======= John:
[THIS COMMENT FROM ECCLESIASTES POST IS SO IMPORTANT – IT BEARS SEPARATING OUT – IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE READ THIS SHORT POST AND THE ANSWER TO WHY WOULD GOD WITHHOLD ENJOYMENT?] The question that immediately comes to mind is, Why would God withhold enjoyment? Why would he not give the power to enjoy if he gives the ability to have? The answer to that question is given in this book, and it is especially clearly stated in Chapter 2, Verses 25-26, where the Searcher says, … for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the man who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; {Eccl 2:25-26a RSV} “To the man who pleases him.” Again, I am afraid many people read that as though it means that some level of religious performance, some standard of morality, like joining a church or coming to meetings, is what pleases God. We must understand that the Scriptures never say that. Faith is what pleases God, believing him, taking him at his word and acting upon that word. This is what pleases God: obedience based upon faith. To such a man or woman God gives the gift of enjoying whatever he or she has. How little or how much it may be, is a gift poured out and taken from his hand. That is why gratitude, to be grateful for what you get, is the most important element of our lives.] John
======= John:
2Cor7:10-11 Titus came to Paul with good news. The Corinthians had received Paul’s letter’s and had acted on them in a positive fashion. Paul had been saddened, yet firm. “Paul is willing to endure the personal pain of rebuking saints who are giving in to sin.” – Bob Deffingbaugh And Paul rejoices and forgives when news of repentance is received. “…he is ready and willing to receive them back into fellowship when they repent of their sin.” – ibid. 2Cor7:10-11 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.” NIV There are three Greek words for repentance – Paul uses “metanoia”, is used of true repentance, a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised. – see footnote 50 at Bob’s commentary. http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1229#P1052_417915 Wordly sorry can lead to “wallowing in it” or striking out at the world (or people involved). “Worldly sorrow does not regret having sinned, because it offends a holy and righteous God. The one who sorrows wrongly is not sorry because of their sin, but because of the suffering their sin causes them. Worldly sorrow regrets having to “pay the fiddler” for the wrong they have done.” – Bob Deffingbaugh “godly sorrow” leads to a change of mind – repentance – and a desire to get right with God. To take steps, as the Corinthians did, to get back on the “sanctification” path returning to a pleasing state in God’s eyes. It may not be perfect, there may be much more to work on, but the Corinthians are back on the right path. This brings Paul joy. Here is a tough question posed by Chuck Missler (and others)to Christians: How spiritual are you? (Pause) How much do you “hate sin”? John
Old Testament – I heard a good chunk of today’s readings in the book of Ecclesiastes at a wedding a few years ago. And really, these verses work out quite nicely for a wedding if you think about it. Chapter 4 verses 9 through 12: “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Pretty good stuff for a wedding, eh? The kicker is that last little bit about the triple-braided cord. The pastor at the wedding I was at said that God is the third strand in the triple-braided cord in marriage. I like that! Two people come together in marriage, and it’s good. But, throw God into the mix of the marriage, as I’m sure we would all want to do, and you’ve got a very strong triple braided cord! Great stuff. If you are married, is there a triple braided cord in your marriage? Is God always part of your marriage? Part of your every day life?
New Testament – Second Corinthians chapter 7 verse 1 today is powerful – “Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete purity because we fear God.” How does this verse speak to you? What promises do we have as followers of Jesus Christ? In light of these promises, should we cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body? And cleanse ourselves of everything that can defile our spirit? Are you living your life in such a way that you are moving toward complete purity? Do you believe that the Cross of Jesus Christ purifies you? What does the Cross of Jesus ultimately purify you for?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “Choosing Sides” is at this link.
Psalms – Psalm 47 is an awesome Psalm! I can almost hear and feel music and a drum beat as I read this Psalm today! This Psalm was used in later Jewish synagogue liturgies for Rosh Hashanah, the New Year Festival. This Psalm has also been used by the Christian church in the Celebration of Jesus’ ascension, in particular with emphases on verse 5 – “God has ascended with a mighty shout. The LORD has ascended with trumpets blaring.” Do you hear and feel the music as you read this Psalm? Verse 1 sets the stage so very well for verse 2 in the image below – “Come, everyone, and clap your hands for joy! Shout to God with joyful praise!”
Proverbs – There is an interesting “or” statement in Proverbs chapter 22 verse 16 today – “A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.” I hadn’t really ever thought that showering gifts on the rich might put one in the same boat as oppressing the poor. Oppressing the poor seems like the obvious no-no. But showering gifts on the rich… why do you suppose this is a no-no as well? What’s wrong with showering the gifts on the rich? I’m wondering if it is because our gifts would be better given elsewhere? e.g. to the poor?
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Ecclesiastes and Second Corinthians reminded me of Santcus Real’s awesome song “Lead Me:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today:“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If they fall down, they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up! “ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you have at least one great friend, and that you in turn are a great friend to someone else. Pray that you will help out your friend if they fall, and that they in turn will help you out if you fall.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Ecclesiastes 4:1-6-12 Clearly, Solomon wrote this book because he was an observer of life and people so there is much meat in these words. 8 If you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and justice being miscarried throughout the land, don’t be surprised! For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice only get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. 9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit! 10 Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth–except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers! (5:8-11) Verse eight is one I need to get way down in my spirit. I see so many people in leadership oppressing those they are either called to lead or who have been given supervisory positions yet despise, mistreat and totally abuse those they have been given charge over. I see leadership who fail to take responsibility for their departments; homes and businesses playing the Blame Game trying to pass their responsibilities unto those they are suppose to be leading. Justice fails when the attitude or understanding of the word justice is defined by a “just us” attitude, right behavior, actions and outcome are only just for us and not for them. We were not placed on this earth to self-consume, we will not get a prize for gathering the most “toys.” God gives each and every person gifts, saved and unsaved, so that they will realize that what they have they did not get because they are so great are so talented, no one makes themselves. God’s gifts are given without repentance. (Romans 11:28-30; Acts 17:26-27 In reading this book, I must constantly remind myself that Solomon wrote this book under the sun and not under the Son or hopelessness will take over. II Corinthians 6:14-7:7 14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: This admonishment by Paul can be applied to every area of life, not just marriage. Amos 3:3 states, Will two walk together, except they have agreed? (JPS) I see this violated so many times by Christians single women who are so desirous of getting married at all cost that they marry an unbeliever, and an unbeliever can be someone who goes to church. They scope out a man they want then manipulate them onto their hook. Once they catch them, scale them and fry ‘um up they then complain about the taste. What you see is what you get, you can’t change people unless they want to be changed and if they want to change they have to change we can’t make them or create them to be into the image we want. God does not even do that. If you can’t live with the man you see standing in front of you with all his flaws, leave it alone, don’t begin a construction project, you will fail. In fact what you really are doing is Practicing Witchcraft!! In reality witchcraft is the practice of trying to control someone else’s will, it aint ‘bout black cats and cauldrons folks it’s about manipulation. Psalm 47:1-9 When I read the Psalms of Praise that encouragement that instruct people to clap, shout, praise God with tambourines and cymbals and the like, I think Heaven is not going to be a quite place and that sometimes at church we are to make a lot of heavenly noise so we won’t be shocked when we get there. Of course this “noise” should be in a manner that is deceit and in order. Proverbs 22:16 This Proverb may be dealing with giving actual gifts but there is another Proverb, in the next chapter that warns of receiving gifts from the “rich,” the gift of a meal, or those who have power over you. Mike maybe this is because the writer understands the human nature of our “gift” giving. Are we giving a gift because we want to bless the person or are we giving a “gift” as a disguised bribe hoping we will find favor with the wealthy person who will give bigger gifts in return or at least get the crumbs from the ruler’s table. WHEN YOU sit down to eat with a ruler, consider who and what are before you; For you will put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to desire. Be not desirous of his dainties, for it is deceitful food [offered with questionable motives]. Weary not yourself to be rich; cease from your own [human] wisdom. [Prov. 28:20; I Tim. 6:9, 10.] Will you set your eyes upon wealth, when [suddenly] it is gone? For riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens. Eat not the bread of him who has a hard, grudging, and envious eye, neither desire his dainty foods; For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost]. The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up, and your complimentary words will be wasted. (Proverbs 23:1-8 AMP). In fact this verse, 16 A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty, would not be out of place with today’s reading in Ecclesiastes dealing with the seeking of wealth (Ecc 5:8-20) Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Pat:
A comment on Psalms 47:7 = In my Bible study I am using and comparing the Scripture in two versions, the NIV and the NKJV. I realize that the NIV is today’s most commonly used version of the Bible but I feel in the case of this verse that it omits a very important part of 47:7 that is clearly stated in the KJV and NKJV versions. NIV gives this verse as: “For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.” NKJV gives this verse as: “For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with UNDERSTANDING.” What the KJV and the NKJV says to me is when you sing praise to the Lord it should be done with meaning and not just lip service. It seems that “Praise the Lord” has become a common phrase today that is kicked about lightly. It’s raining today – PTL! Its sunny today – PTL! The store had my favorite kind of ice cream – PTL! Before “Praise the Lord” comes from one’s lips, the praise should first be sung in the heart by truly recognizing the greatness of the Lord and His hand in the everyday events of our lives. God does not take us lightly. He walked on earth and died on the cross for each separate one of us! Therefore, we should never take God lightly or be perceived by others as taking God lightly. God Bless! Pat
======= Ramona:
Mike, maybe “…showering gifts on the rich …’ flows from the same motivation as, “oppressing the poor,” the desire for wealth. If someone is rich then what gift can you really give them that they can’t get for themselves, and I’m using “gift” with a tone of sarcasm. If a gift is something you give with no strings attached to someone who supposedly has a need, then what can you really give someone who has more than you do? The reason why people give a gift to the wealthy is that they want something. They are in reality not giving a “gift” but a bribe, something to smooth the way for a reverse exchange, they are priming the pump. They are looking to get ahead, jump the line a head of everyone else. Why is the poor oppressed? To keep someone down in an attempt to devalue their self-worth and obscure their true value. If a person sees themselves as valueless, then whatever they have in their hands to do be it raw material, human labor, you can give them less than what their labor value is worth and reap a greater profit on the sale of the finished product. To God, the one who made everything we value as being priceless and precious, we, the peeps (people) are his treasured possessions. So we worship the one’s who we think have the stuff and we oppress the ones who label is worthless so we can acquire more of the stuff from the profits What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. (Romans 1:21-23 MSG) Ramona
======= Jan:
In regard to this scripture: “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” It sounds nothing like what Paul preaches about staying single & focused. I do understand the “theory” of this Proverb verse – but it also makes me feel left out at this time in my life cause I don’t have that second person (male or female). I wish I did!!! : ) But I sure think I may start to remind God of His Word & perhaps He will remedy my situation. Regarding purity: I just read “The Purity Principal” by Randy Alcorn, a very short little profound book (93 pages) for sure & also bought “Every Single Man’s Battle” guide for personal & group study for my 23 yo son (like to read a book before giving it away). I plan on buying “Every Young Man’s Battle” for my nephew – he is 15 & asking me questions today about sinning & asking forgivness – will he still go to heaven. He attends church regulary, but still has quesitons. I told him a little about the book & said I would get it tomorrow & mail it to him. He said he keeps doing the sin & I think I know what he is talking about – perfect book for him at his age. Jan
======= Allan:
Mike I just want to tell you that I appreciate all you put into producing this oneyearbibleblog…..THANK YOU! Allan
======= Dee:
True Ramona about listening the readings of Solomon of Ecclesiastes..I like how the commentary speaks about wanting what we don’t have or being aggravated when others get..we have to or need to be thankful for all we have ..not be considered in something we don’t have. Eccleciastes 4-6..sounds a little like congress and government..everybody doing what is commanded of them and oppressing the poor and being rule followers instead of walking in peace and giving favor or relieving hardship..history repeats itself..rich get richer and poor get oppressed. God calls us to take care of widows and orphans.. 2nd Cor 6:14..don’t be unequally yoked with an unbeliever.. I tell my sweet daughter who has yet to be thrusted into the man God created for her yet..I tell her be careful when she begins dating because being a believer or not believing in any is a big thing and not worth the obstacle to date a non believer. Psalm 47..I could so be there! Singing loudly and band going..worshipping to the Lord.. Proverbs: taking from poor and giving to boost rich is wrong..our government does it ..politicians do it and corrupt tax offenders who don’t pay like should do it..but also when we see someone poor and we turn a blind eye..we too are being against the poor by our actions. Ouch! Dee
======= John:
Ecclesiastes 4-6:12 God has purpose for everyone & everything?(3:1-15) – “It doesn’t seem like it,” thinks Solomon! This is what Solomon sees from a man’s perspective (not God’s perspective): 1)THE OPPRESSED AREN’T COMFORTED! 2)COMPETITION BREEDS ENVY! 3)MAKE IT TO THE TOP AND LIKELY YOU WILL DEAL WITH LONELINESS! 4)POPULARITY IS PASSING! ================================================================================= Get away from man’s perspective – go to the House of God. But if you go there – do not go with the wrong heart. do not go there trying to “play” or con God. Watch yourn step, your mouth, your promises, and keep your heart right and reverant: Prov 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,” ================================================================================= So what of Riches? Does Wealth bring happiness, rest, security, solutions to every problem – or just more complex and bigger problems. From Man’s viewpoint there is no gain from wealth – in the end you muct leave it behind. “Enjoyment does not come from possessions, or from riches. Nor does it come from companionship, from popularity and fame, from the approval and the admiration of others. Enjoyment comes by knowing the Living God and taking everything from his hand with thanksgiving, whether it be pain or pleasure. That is the gift of God, and that is the lesson of this great book.” – Ray Stedman ================================================================================= More Problems with life – from man’s perspective: WEALTH WITHOUT ENJOYMENT! “Enjoyment w/o God is merely entertainment, & it doesn’t satisfy!” – “Enjoyment w/God is Enrichment, & it brings true Joy & satisfaction!” -“Wiersbe” WORK WITHOUT SATISFACTION! It is neither wrong to work or eat, but when our life consists only in working or eating then we are controlled by our appetites, which puts us on par w/the animal’s on Discovery channel. QUESTIONS WITHOUT EXPLANATION! Ecc 6:12 For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone? No man, but God can, and that is why one needs to seek God out – for God can make sense of it all. John
======= John:
2Cor6:14a “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers…” I wondered why Paul went to such great lengths up to this point in 2Cor to point out travails of his ministry and the reassurance of what God is doing (or should be doing) in all their lives, and what God will do in their lives. It seems to lead up to 2Cor6:14a. OK. The yoking reference goes back to Deut22:10 and Deut14:1-8. The ox and the ass should not be yoked together because one is clean (oxen) and the other is unclean (ass). Also, as someone in here (Ramona?) pointed out back in Deut. – they are incongruent with each other – they do not walk in the same step (gait), unequal strength, etc. The path cleared by the two animals will more than likely be a screwed up path – not the one intended. I think that is the underlying concern for Paul. If you are yoked together, you will walk the same path. Like the unmatched animal pair – it is likely to be a screwed up path. And it will necessitate the believer adopting some (or most/all) of the values and goals of the unbeliever. If for no other reason than to get along, as the unbeliever will see the Christian way as “foolishness”. Upon initial reading I thought: Got it. Do not marry an unbeliever, do not become inextricably tied up with an unbeliever in fellowship and/or business and politics. Not isolationism from unbelievers, just NO close “bonding” or yoking with them. [In John 17 Jesus prays: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (Jn. 17:15). Paul also mentions relations with the world in 1Cor5:9-13. Neither is promoting isolationism.] Then I read Bob Deffingbaugh’s commentary,and while the above is true,in this specific case Paul may very well be referring to unbelievers (false apostles) in the Corinthian “body of Christ”. Paul goes to great lengths to re-establish the apostles authority and intent for spreading the Gospel. Re-establishing what God has done for the Corinthians and will do in the future. Perhaps it is not the influence of “Greek” love of man’s wisdom that caused Corinthians to screw up so much in 1COR, but man’s wisdom as taught by “false apostles” (using that strategy as a pinpointed weakness in the Greek culture) within the “assembly”. Being yoked to or following the teachings of a “false teacher” within the church can have devastating effects – as it has in Corinth. Paul is saying to separate yourself from these people (teachers) – do not follow their (screwed up)path. John
======= John:
2Cor6:14-18;7:1 This is another time – I think one is better off reading Bob Deffingbaugh’s commentary than my post
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1228 ====================================================== 2Cor6:14a “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers…” I wondered why Paul went to such great lengths up to this point in 2Cor to point out travails of his ministry and the reassurance of what God is doing (or should be doing) in all their lives, and what God will do in their lives. It seems to lead up to 2Cor6:14a. OK. The yoking reference goes back to Deut22:10 and Deut14:1-8. The ox and the ass should not be yoked together because one is clean (oxen) and the other is unclean (ass). Also, as someone in here (Ramona?) pointed out back in Deut. – they are incongruent with each other – they do not walk in the same step (gait), unequal strength, etc. The path cleared by the two animals will more than likely be a screwed up path – not the one intended. I think that is the underlying concern for Paul. If you are yoked together, you will walk the same path. Like the unmatched animal pair – it is likely to be a screwed up path. And it will necessitate the believer adopting some (or most/all) of the values and goals of the unbeliever. If for no other reason than to get along, as the unbeliever will see the Christian way as “foolishness”. Upon initial reading I thought: Got it. Do not marry an unbeliever, do not become inextricably tied up with an unbeliever in fellowship and/or business and politics. Not isolationism from unbelievers, just NO close “bonding” or yoking with them. [In John 17 Jesus prays: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (Jn. 17:15). Paul also mentions relations with the world in 1Cor5:9-13. Neither is promoting isolationism.] Then I read Bob Deffingbaugh’s commentary,and while the above is true,in this specific case Paul may very well be referring to unbelievers (false apostles) in the Corinthian “body of Christ”. Paul goes to great lengths to re-establish the apostles authority and intent for spreading the Gospel. Re-establishing what God has done for the Corinthians and will do in the future. Perhaps it is not the influence of “Greek” love of man’s wisdom that caused Corinthians to screw up so much in 1COR, but man’s wisdom as taught by “false apostles” (using that strategy as a pinpointed weakness in the Greek culture) within the “assembly”. Being yoked to or following the teachings of a “false teacher” within the church can have devastating effects – as it has in Corinth. Paul is saying to separate yourself from these people (teachers) – do not follow their (screwed up)path. [NOTE: Implications of this for today are in Bob’s commentary – and it may be a tough read for some.] ====================================================== WHY? Paul lists five rhetorical questions to which the answer is “No” or “none” Can the wicked and righteous be: -Partners -In Fellowship (deep bonding type) -In Harmony -Personal compatibility – “New creation” with the “flesh” -In Worship* [* NOTE: this last is what leads me to believe that Paul may very well be referring to False Apostles in Corinth.] “For we are the temple of the living God.” The “assembly” is the temple of God. Again the Gk. word “nous” is used for temple. Meaning the “Holy of Holies” – the innermost part of the temple where God once resided and now resides in you. ====================================================== Lastly I find it interesting how Paul used the OT to validate his point. -Promise mixed with prophecy. -Prophecy for end times -Promise. The promises Paul refers to in 1Cor7:1 “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” We will be a communal family with the Father and the Son as adopted children of God! Therefore purify yourselves (*to do a completed act) then pursue (*in an on-going manner) holiness out of reverence for God. * by the Gk. verb tenses To those with an interest, I would be interested to hear via email or a post here, what you think of the linked article. Does it make sense, do you see a flaw, or do you disagree? It is a one-pager, relatively short, and an “easy read”
John, I read the article “BY ANY OTHER NAME?” & totally agree – matter of fact, I just purchased a book this week, “Jesus Mean & Wild/The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God” by Mark Galli & can hardly wait to sink my teeth in to it. Here is a comment by Lauren F. Winner, author of “Girl Meets God” & “Real Sex:” “In this wonderfully provocative book, Galli recovers a more multifaceted portrait of Jesus, insisting that Jesus’ plan for our lives is demanding & difficult – & in that difficulty we find real love. This is not an easy book to read, because it promises to change you & your relationship with God. And I, for one, am very, very grateful that I read it. I know I will be reading it again.” It is just what the article on “agape” is about. Jan
Old Testament – Today we begin the book of Ecclesiastes! We will be reading about the vanity of life apart from God in this book. I think some people may find this to be a depressing book. I find it hopeful! Yes, indeed life is depressing apart from God. But life with God is an unending beautiful adventure. (certainly with some trials along the journey…) I pray the book of Ecclesiastes draws you into thanksgiving for the amazing life we can indeed have in relationship with Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit! Below is an image of King Solomon writing the words of the book of Ecclesiastes.
~ Ecclesiastes ~ Author: Probably Solomon, the son of David Date: Probably tenth century B.C. Content: This difficult book displays the dark philosophy of one who sought to find peace apart from God, but in the end realized that only futility is to be found there. The only possible solution to life’s puzzle concludes this book: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Leading up to that positive statement is a series of pictures, each one portraying the futility of life without God. Wealth, wisdom, popularity, and pleasure are all put down as so much vanity. Only when a man turns from this world to God will he find true happiness. Theme: There is a negative lesson to be learned from this book. It is a series of things not to do. It shows the emptiness of trying to live for oneself and to please oneself alone without considering the needs of others or considering God our Maker. There is a positive side, however. If one can see how not to live, perhaps then he will see what he ought to do and be spared the heartaches of living a wasted life. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 10)
Fantastic commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes titled “On The Wings of Eternity” is at this link and commentary titled “The Theology of Ecclesiastes” is at this link.
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Ecclesiastes titled: “Life and Death in Biblical perspective: An Examination of Genesis 5, Ecclesiastes 1, and 1 Corinthians 15:50-58” is at this link.
Bible Project: Here is a terrific video overview of the book of Ecclesiastes!
New Testament – I love Paul’s opening words in Second Corinthians chapter 6 verses 1 and 2 today, as he quotes from the prophet Isaiah – “As God’s partners, we beg you not to reject this marvelous message of God’s great kindness. For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.” How does this verse speak to you? What does it mean to you? Do you believe that God is ready to help you right now? Do you believe that today is the day of salvation?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “Authentic Apostleship” is at this link.
Psalms – Today we read Psalm 46, which is an incredible Psalm! This Psalm represents a song of hope celebrating the certain triumph of God’s kingdom – even in the midst of times of severe trouble. This Psalm served as the inspiration for Martin Luther’s famous Hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Just after 9/11 I saw emails on the internet floating around with the entirety of Psalm 46. I would encourage you to keep this Psalm in your “back-pocket” as a Psalm to meditate upon whenever you personally might be going through times of severe trouble – or whenever our world might be going through times of severe trouble. Near the end of this Psalm in verse 10 we will read a tiny little verse that I think is the key to this Psalm – “Be still, and know that I am God.” If you are going through a time of trouble in your life right now, will you take some time to meditate upon Psalm 46 and in particular verse 10? What does it mean to you to “Be still, and know that I am God?” Do you believe that being still during times of trouble can draw you closer to God? Will you be still today before God? In this stillness will you seek to know that He is indeed God? Even in the midst of whatever might be troubling you, will you seek to know that I AM is your God?
Proverbs – Today Proverbs 22:15 teaches us: “A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but discipline will drive it away.” This is a great reminder that loving and godly discipline is of great benefit to a youngster whose heart is filled with foolishness. Do you suppose that discipline is of great benefit to even us oldsters 🙂 who might have hearts filled with foolishness at times? Do you appreciate loving and godly discipline in your life today? Do you practice discipline in your life today? Are you disciplined? Are you a Disciple? Speaking of which, has anyone read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book “The Cost of Discipleship“? It is a great book! If anyone has read this book, please post up reviews in the Comments section below. Thanks!
Worship Video: Per the Psalm 46:10 notes above, here is Steven Curtis Chapman singing “Be Still:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today:“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you recognize the seasons of your life that God calls you to. Pray that you recognize your times to plant and times to uproot. Pray you will recognize God’s perfect timing in all things in your life.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Ecclesiastes 1-3:22
The thing that has been–it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been, in the vast ages of time [recorded or unrecorded] which were before us. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 AMP)
Everything under the sun maybe meaningless and vanity; but everything under the Son is gloriously new!
Today I had to struggle with my perspective. I could either fall victim to thinking under the sun or be delivered by realizing I was under the Son. The stories and images of the devastation wrought by Katrina were difficult for me to handle and I found myself sliding into despair thinking that everything was hopeless but that is a product of being under the sun. Yet I know that despite what things look like God is on the Throne and He is still in control. The Son has risen indeed.
Grace and peace, Ramona
====== Penny:
Yes, Mike, I read The Cost of Discipleship by Bonhoffer many moons ago and it left it’s mark on me. A particular quote remains embossed on my heart. “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” These weren’t just inspiring words to Dietrich Bonhoffer. He carried them out to the full as one of the chief apologists and motivators in the Resistance Movement against Hitlerin Germany. When he could have found safe refuge in America, he chose to practice what he preached in Germany. He ended up in a prison camp, dying just a few days short of the arrival of the allied forces.
The Cost of Discipleship is a series of expositions on topics such as Costly Grace, Discipleship and the Cross, The Beatitudes, Jesus’ Extraordinary Words Concerning Enemies, Hidden Righteousness and Prayer, The Community of Saints, etc. It is NOT light reading. If you’re not a reader I recommend the film “Bonhoffer” http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?movieid=60029227&trkid=189530&strkid=706554397_2_0
Looking back through the chapters, I wonder if I actually got through it all. But God used what I read to challenge and change me. It propelled me to lay down my comfortable American lifestyle and live a Spartan life of simplicity in West Africa. There, I experienced the treasures of discipleship in ways I never imagined.
Penny
======= Ramona:
Ecclesiastes 1-3:22
Some brief thoughts on Solomon’s Words:
.1) Balance is the Key to Life
2) We live in a closed system everything is recycled
3) There is a difference from living under the sun and living under the Son.
4) Solomon was a wise man because God gave him wisdom, but even that wisdom was foolishness compared to the Wisdom of God.
Grace and peace, Ramona
====== Matthew:
Just wanted to say that I appreciate the work put into the Bible reading plan. I’m on my second trip through, and plan on using it again. I chose the plan particularly because it separated out the Psalms and Proverbs (I read those on my own schedule). Anyway, thanks for all the work and God bless you.
Matthew
======= Jenny:
I like Ecclesiastes, but depressing…i remember when i used to sit and think like that! wen i didnt walk with the Lord. Life is sooo empty apart from Him!!!!
I love Psalm 46! “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear” amen!
v.10 “Be still, and know that I am God” 8 words, but one of the most comforting, powerful verses!
Jenny
======== Cheryl:
A Mighty Fortress has always been one of my favorite hymns. Amazing words and a great message! Praise God! His Kingdom IS forever and ever! AMEN!
I think the sooner in life we can learn the lesson of Ecclesiastes, the better life we will have. Unfortunately many in our world never take take this lesson to heart or do so only in their old age. May God help me to live my life running after Him and nothing else.
Cheryl
======= Art:
PSALM 46
Let us not forget – God is our refuge and our strength today, in present times, as he was in the time of David. All other refuges are lies, all outher strengths weakness. With perils and fears and alarms abounding, let us sing from our hearts today with the “chorus of virgins”.
Art
======= Mary:
So glad Job is over. I just could not get into his words, just yet, maybe later on. I kind of like Ecclesiastes though, looking forward to the time spent here! Love the “Be still” picture and quote. Thank you!
Mary
======= Greg:
Listen to Steven Curtis Chapman’s wonderful tune “Be Still and Know”
Greg
======= Renee:
The Ecclesiastes scripture reading made me think about the “burden” of Wisdom. 1 Kings 4:29-31 says God gave Solomon this incredible gift. Because, Solomon asked to be wise to lead God’s people. However, Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases. Wisdom is a level of maturity and responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Where much is given, much is required. Luke 12:48
2 Corinthians 6:2 I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation
Ps. 46 In it’s entirety… is encouragement for the soul! Shalom to all 🙂
Renee
======= Dee:
I love love ❤️ Ecclesiastes. The book where there is a time for… it is important to know there is time for certain things..and not time for others and we need to he mindful of this..
2nd Corinthians: today is the day!! Of salvation!! Hallelujah! Today is definitely the day of salvation..we need to get ready
Psalm 46..10 my fave!! Be still and know I am God. Love this..makes me think of Natalie Grant s song I will not be moved
Proverbs 22:15. Talks on children, discipline and when there is foolishness..discipline drives it away. Amen!
Dee
======== John:
Ecclesiastes
“Everything is Meaningless”
This is the thesis statement of the author (who I believe to be Solomon).
Key Phrases: 1) “I thought in my heart” (or some variation) occurs about a dozen times.
Interesting that this dovetails with Paul’s concern regarding the Corinthians. Solomon like the Corinthians is trying to reason things out from a self-centered perspective. The Greeks admired man’s wisdom and ability to reason things of life and death. Solomon who was the wisest man ever on earth, is doing the same thing (at least in early chapters), by investigating life and death from a “wise” man’s perspective. As Ramona says, this was “foolishness compared to the Wisdom of God.”
If one examines life and death apart from God, the conclusions in Ecclesiastes are the result. This book is “human philosophy apart from God”, and it is no wonder that atheist philosophers such as Voltaire, Russell, Sarte, and Eliot have come to the same conclusion.
2)”under the sun” occurs twenty-nine times.
“Everything is evaluated according to appearances alone — this is man’s point of view of reality and is utterly exclusive of divine revelation. As such, Ecclesiastes very accurately summarizes what man thinks.” – Ray Steadman
Love Ramona’s comparison of “living under the sun” vs. “living under the Son”.
Solomon is looking at life and death from man’s perspective in man’s domicile (under the sun).
3)”Meaningless” (“Vanity” in KJV;also Hebrew word can mean “purposeless”)occurs thirty-seven times.
When you look at things from man’s wisdom under the sun – Everything is Meaningless! ====================================================== ECCLESIASTES: THE INSPIRED BOOK OF ERROR
“The book of Ecclesiastes, or “the Preacher,” is unique in scripture. There is no other book like it, because it is the only book in the Bible that reflects a human, rather than a divine, point of view. This book is filled with error. And yet it is wholly inspired. This may confuse some people, because many feel that inspiration is a guarantee of truth. This is not necessarily so. Inspiration merely guarantees accuracy from a particular point of view; if it is God’s point of view it is true; if it is man’s point of view it may be true, and it may not. If it is the Devil’s point of view it may or may not be true, as well, but the Devil’s ultimate end, of course, is evil. Inspiration guarantees an accurate reflection of these various points of view.
Therefore the Bible does have much error in it. Whenever false views of men are quoted or set forth, the Bible is speaking error. Whenever Satan speaks, most of his statements are in error, and even the truth that he uses is twisted and distorted, and therefore is erroneous.
So it is quite possible to “prove” all kinds of utterly false things by quoting the Bible. because in that sense the Bible is filled with error. But the Bible always points out the error which it presents and makes it clear that it is error, as in the case with this book. Because of its remarkable character Ecclesiastes is the most misused book of the Bible. This is the favorite book of atheists and agnostics. And many cults love to quote this book’s erroneous viewpoints and give the impression that these are scriptural, divine words of God concerning life.
But right away in its introduction this book is very careful to point out that what it records is not divine truth. It presents only the human view of life…..” http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/0221.html ====================================================== Solomon examines his thesis statement in regard to Science, wisdom and Phiosophy – and it holds true.
“..the more knowledge, the more grief.” Ask Adam and Eve about this statement.
Solomon next looks at hedonism. Pleasure and materialism are examined. Wisodm is better than folly – but we all die.
“So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me.”
yup. That is pretty much what God told Adam that his lot would be in Gen3. As long as you are man-centered it is a tough world.
Finally in our readings Solomon turns to fatalism and existentialism. Life is what it is, and it is what we perceive it.
We want something deeper, but we cannot fathom it. So we do the best we can while here on earth.
“Ecclesiastes views God as men in general view God — as a not very vital concern of life. sort of a high-calorie dessert which you can take or leave. There is no understanding of God as a vital, living Lord, an authority in life with whom one can have a personal relationship.” – Ray Steadman
God is just out there doing His thing. We are left alone to find our satisfaction. If God were around – would there be “wicked” in the places of judgment and justice? This sounds alot like a “deist” theory of God. Even the judgments sound like they are here on earth (much like was espoused in early Job).
John
======= John:
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
What made this man switch teams? Remember, Paul was a Pharisee who was taught by the famous Gamiliel. As a Pharisee – Paul had all the money and power a Jew could accrue under Roman rule. Paul had it all, and yet switched teams. Why?
One Christian sect minimizes Paul’s writings saying = ‘You have to take Paul with a grain of salt’.
Not me. If Paul was called by God and switched teams – I want to take seriously everything Paul writes. ================================================================================= 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech and in the power of God;
Paul kept himself pure in a society where impurity was not only rampant – but ACCEPTED. Remember Romans 1. Paul constantly renewed his mind through the word of God, and exhibited great patience and kindness towards people.
These things Paul exhibited despite ridicule, beatings, imprisonment etc. How? How did Paul keep his sanity????
The same way we must do today. Paul maintains true love and truthful speech because Paul is in daily submission to God and Paul can truly say he is:
– “IN THE HOLY SPIRIT” (and the Holy Spirit is in Paul) – “IN THE POWER OF GOD”
Because of the Holy Spirit Paul has the power of God. We all can grow as Christians if we remember to ask God to do His work in us through the Holy Spirit.
John
======== Vance:
Ecclesiastes 1
14 Everything under the sun is meaningless, like chasing the wind. (EMPTY of glory)
17 So I worked hard to distinguish wisdom from foolishness. But now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind.
(EMPTY of glory, like a bubble floating in the sky –ready to pop)
Ecclesiastes 3
11 He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose in this is that people should fear him.
2 Corinthians 6
6 We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit. 7 We have faithfully preached the truth. God’s power has been working in us. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves. 8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us.
10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
Paul exemplified A LIFE OF RICHES THROUGH GOD’S GLORY. Not based on anything or anyone on earth, but “His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) Notice, God’s riches of glory are IN CHRIST JESUS… Who is in us.
2 Corinthians 4 – GLORY of Jesus in US
10 Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the [[a]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies. 11 For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the [[b]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.
Psalm 46
8 Come, see the GLORIOUS works of the LORD: (FULL GLORY of God) See how he brings destruction upon the world
10 “Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
11 The LORD Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
May we wait on the Lord, and let Him – AND His glory – be our refuge and our riches.
It reminds me again of the meditation on how the eternal is reflected in every day in the meditation of the Jewish Torah —and how waiting on the Lord allows us to enter into His glory:”
a) a ger (HEBREW WORD) is one who is just passing through, like a visitor or tourist b) whereas a toshav (HEBREW WORD) is one who is a resident, like a settler or citizen.
How can someone be both a visitor and a resident of a place, or a stranger and a citizen at the same time? How can one “pass through” a place he is said to dwell?
Being ger v’toshav means understanding that the changes of life are the medium for that which is eternal and abiding. We neither detach from life nor cling to it, but live in the mediation of time and eternity.
Every moment of life is therefore made sacred, since it is the occasion to transform the temporal into the eternal.
Vance
======= Vance:
Proverbs 22 (NKJV) 15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him.
Ecclesiastes 1 (NKJV) – The Vanity of Life 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “ Vanity [Or Absurdity, Frustration, Futility, Nonsense] of vanities,” says the Preacher; “ Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” 3 What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 2 (NKJV) 24 Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.
26 For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Ecclesiastes 3 (NKJV) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
2 Corinthians 6 (NKJV) 1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Psalm 46 (NKJV) 10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
NOTE: I see the following key thoughts as summary of today’s readings:
a. “toiling under the sun” – living life only from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective with His eternal wisdom
b. Vanity, Absurdity, Frustration, Futility, and Nonsense of life lived only “under the sun” We were not meant to have meaning only in ourselves and in our experiences.
Thus, the philosophy of existentialism is not true and is not helpful. This philosophy states that meaning only comes to a person through their experiences, and there is no objective reality outside of that.
This does not mean that God sees individual meaning as unimportant. Rather, the Holy Spirit of God Himself tells us that “a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage”. But meaning is not simply in the “work”, but in work as an extension of our worship of and service for the Lord Jesus.
Only God can properly interpret our lives for us: “Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”
c. This Foolishness is passed onto children. It is not that a child is born without the foolishness of a sinful nature.
d. Do not “receive the grace of God in vain”. God is real, and we can know Him. The only sure way to know Him is through prayer, planting ourselves in God’s Word and God’s Word in us, fasting, etc., and yielding ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit leads us.
Why Jesus instead of any other spiritual leader? Because Jesus made claims about Himself that are unique, and He demonstrated the true reality what He said—the most important demonstration was dying for our sins and raised from death to give His life to us.
Again, I am particularly struck by the example of Johann Christoph Blumhardt, a German pastor who lived from 1805-1880.
A friend had directed his attention to our Lord’s words about fasting. Blumhardt resolved to give himself to fasting, sometimes for more than thirty hours. From reflection and experience he gained the conviction that it is of more important than is generally thought.
The Holy Spirit used Johann Christoph Blumhardt to bring revival to the town where he lived, and many people were brought to personal faith and relationship with the Lord Jesus. Also, Blumhardt really sought the Lord to know how to help people struggling with sickness or trials.
“I tried it [i.e., fasting], without telling anyone, and in truth the later conflict was extrordinarily lightened by it. I could speak with much greater restfulness and decision. I did not require to be so long present with the sick one; and I felt that I could influence without being present.”
e. How do we make sure to not “receive the grace of God in vain”? By insisting with a determined faith that we will obey God’s command and gracious invitation: “Be still, and know that I am God”. Then we can know for ourselves for certain: “the God of Jacob is our refuge”.
f. Finally, I see another idea, not directly stated, but very much present in today’s readings: ““a man should rejoice in his own relationship with God, for that is his heritage”.
g. Yet, we are never to simply focus on “our own navel” and ONLY have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
This relationship is very precious!
Since we “can do nothing without Jesus” (John 15), it becomes evident that we cannot serve the Lord effectively without a deep abiding personal relationship with Christ.
A true relationship with Jesus will greatly desire to break out to others with the Love and Life of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus!
This is confirmed in many passages.
The Apostle Paul quote a from a passage in Isaiah as the basis of the urgent and wonderful statement in 2 Corinthians 6: “Now is the day of salvation”
The Holy Spirit speaks to us that a true, vital relationship with Jesus will break out to others.
Isaiah 49 (NKJV) 8 Thus says the LORD: “ In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
THIS IS TRULY AMAZING!–
GOD actually includes us in the work of the Lord Jesus in His work of intercession for people, and saving people from sin, world, flesh, and the devil.
May we be filled with Jesus’ prayers, Jesus’ Life, and Jesus’ activity every day!
Old Testament – We finish up the book of Job today! King Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes begins tomorrow! In our Job readings today, one very interesting thing that I really want to now study further is what exactly was the “behemoth” in Job Chapter 40 and what was the “leviathan” in Job Chapter 41? Were these dinosaurs?? 🙂 Currently my thinking is lined up with the New Living Translation saying that the behemoth is a hippopotamus and that the leviathan is a crocodile – and obviously you can view my blog entry below to see I have images up of a hippo and croc. A few website links about the question of dinosaurs being mentioned in the Bible are at this link, this link, and this link. Below is artwork titled “Behemoth and Leviathan” by William Blake from the year 1825:
In our Job readings today, God talks all about Intelligent Design. 🙂 Seriously, when I read today’s chapters in Job 40 about the hippopotamus and 41 about the crocodile, I could not help but praise God for indeed being the Almighty Intelligent Designer! Great stuff. You cannot argue with Job chapter 40 verses 15 through 18 where God says to Job – “”Take a look at the mighty hippopotamus. I made it, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. Its tail is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are tightly knit together. Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. It is a prime example of God’s amazing handiwork.” Amen. Thank you hippopotamus for reminding us today that God intelligently designed you too!
And we can’t forget about your intelligent and powerful design either Mr. Crocodile! 🙂 God’s words about you in Job 41 verses 31 through 34 – “”The crocodile makes the water boil with its commotion. It churns the depths. The water glistens in its wake. One would think the sea had turned white. There is nothing else so fearless anywhere on earth. Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts.” I thought the mighty Lion was the king of the beasts?? I guess not. The title goes to you Mr. and Mrs. Crocodiles!
Today in Job chapter 42 verse 1 we read – “Then Job replied to the Lord: ‘I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.’” This verse comes just after God speaks his mind to Job for the preceding 4 chapters. Job replies quite humbly and wisely in this verse above. This week as you read through God’s words to Job in chapters 38 through 41, please some time to meditate upon who God is and how great God is. Ask yourself, do you truly know that God can do all things? Do you know that no plan of God’s can be thwarted? In light of this knowledge, how then should you live your life? Will you align your entire life with God’s plans and purposes? Will you consciously choose each and every day to live your life in accordance with God’s will? Will you live in accordance with the will of the Creator of the universe and the very Creator of you? Or will you rebel against your Creator in some areas of your life? Will you dare to hold something back from God? Why? Why not let the rebellion toward God depart from your life? Why would you not live a fully holy and pleasing life for God?
New Testament – Today in Second Corinthians chapter 5 verses 17 and 18 we read – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” How do these 2 verses speak to you? I have a hunch that you have probably heard the first of these 2 verses before? (Michael W. Smith has a child reciting this verse at the beginning of one of his Worship albums.) I find it interesting to consider the first verse – being a new creation – along with the second verse – because God reconciled us through Jesus. I absolutely love the first verse. If we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we are indeed a new creation. Our old self has gone and the new self has come. And why do we receive this amazing gift? Because the Creator of All has reconciled his Creation (us) to himself through Jesus and the ministry of reconciliation. We have been reconciled to God! This is a powerful thought to consider. It is a joyful thought! It is also a thought that should make us realize that there was a time in our life when we were not reconciled with God. And it should make us realize that there are people in this world right now whom we know who are hurting and are not reconciled with God. Are you reconciled with God through Jesus? Do you rejoice frequently in the Spirit and in prayers of thanksgiving that you are a new creation? Are you working and praying for reconciliation for your family and friends and others God has brought into your life? Do you believe that they want to leave their old self behind and become a new creation?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “Out With the Old, In With the New” is at this link.
Psalms – Psalm 45 is very likely a song of praise to King David on his wedding day. Interestingly, after the Babylonian exile, this Psalm was applied to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the promised Son of David. I can see how some verses in this Psalm could apply to both the current king of the day and the true king yet to come. Verse 7 is a good example: “You love what is right and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.” Below is Mary’s (Martha’s sister) anointing of Jesus from the Gospel of John chapter 12 verses 1-8.
Proverbs – Proverbs 22 verse 14 teaches us today: “The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; those living under the LORD’s displeasure will fall into it.” Let us all watch our mouths – though really it is our hearts we must guard, for what comes out of our mouths starts in our hearts. And let us not fall into the trap of listening to anyone’s immoral talk. Immoral talk is indeed a deep pit! (or for you old-school Atari fans out there, perhaps a Pitfall?… 🙂
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Second Corinthians reminded me of Casting Crown’s song “Until the Whole World Hears:”
Are you singing about Jesus until the whole world hears? Click here to Sing!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are completely “in Christ” through a saving faith and relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Pray with rejoicing that you are a new creation! Pray that the old is truly gone from your life and your new life with Jesus has come!
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Job 40-42:17
After the Lord had spoken the previous words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has. … And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. [Deut. 30:1-3; Ps. 126:1, 2.] (Job 42:7,10) AMP)
Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies, but here God rebukes Job’s friends, tells them to go to Job and offer a burnt offering and to humble themselves so Job could pray for them. They were forced to seek the prayers of a man they thought was sinful. God has this way of reversing man’s standards. It is the greater that always blesses the lesser. They thought they were above Job but God said, “Not So!”
In my times of reading through this book, I’ve always thought that young Elihu most have had more wisdom than the other three because nowhere in this text is there recorded a rebuke by God of Elihu’s speech. I think I have changed my mind and am considering another perspective, Elihu may have just been a fool/mocker/scoffer, as defined by the book of Proverbs, not worthy of being given a response or answer.
So don’t waste your time on a scoffer; all you’ll get for your pains is abuse. But if you correct those who care about life, that’s different–they’ll love you for it! (Proverbs 9:8 MSG)
Don’t bother talking sense to fools; they’ll only poke fun at your words. (Proverbs 23:9 MSG)
II Corinthians 5:11-21 I needed to be reminded of verse 15 and I love the way it has been translated in the NLT, 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them.
For all those “who receive” I believe is the key here to this verse catching my attention. Jesus’ work on the Cross-was a gift. It wasn’t a bribe or exhortation or enticement it was a gift. A gift by its very name means that there is “No Strings Attached,” no payment of an in-kind gift required. A gift is something given to someone, just because … On the other end there is the art of receiving a gift. A gift given does not mean the person who has received the gift will use it. They may even say thank you but then put the gift in the closet.
There are many reasons why people don’t use or value a gift given. They may not know the value, they may despise it, they may recognize the value but that knowledge causes them to lock it up and never take it out due to fear.
The gift that Jesus has given us can never be stolen and was given to us to be used. Is your salvation hiding out in a closet somewhere?
For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Mark 4:25 NET.)
How can you take from someone who doesn’t have? Either they don’t know they have it or they don’t know it’s value and allow someone to take it away.
There is a Praise Chorus that has this line,
This Joy I have the World Didn’t Give it and the World Can’t take it Away, but if we don’t know its value we can give it away.
Psalm 45:1-17 The forth verse reminds me of two repeating refrains in the 24th Psalm,
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. (Psalms 24:8-10 KJVR)
Proverbs 22:14
Mike, this verse churns up another perspective for me. Yes, we need to watch our hearts for what ever is in our hearts will flow out of our mouths. However, the last half states another deep principle, our hearts, thus our mouths are controlled by our relationship with God. Those who are not walking in the Fear of the Lord, this verse states, will fall into the deep pit. It doesn’t say they might, it says they WILL.
But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. (Psalms 81:11-14 KJVR)
Grace and peace and know that God is still on the Throne no matter what it “appears” to look like.
Ramona
======= Colin:
What I like about this section of 2 Corinthians (chapter 3 – middle of 6, but especially here) is this link Paul makes between our transformation by the Spirit and our evangelism.
It is because of the reconciliation with God and the transformation since then that we seek to ‘persuade others’, but also the evidence of our lives provides powerful evidence to others that turning to Christ has a benefit to them. As someone who finds talking to non-believers about my faith difficult, I find this a great encouragement.
And I can relate to Paul’s uncertainty about ‘boasting’ too: God has done some amazing things in my life which I want to tell people about, but it’s sometimes hard to do so and give the glory to God, not to me.
Colin
=====
I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You. (Job 42:5 AMP)
All who gather here to read at the Bible in a Year Blog are gathering here to receive this revelation that Job received. We are taking the journey from just hearing about God to knowing Him from and with our own personal experiences, to see Him with our “spiritual” eyes. Glory to God in the Highest. God is so Awesome, God is so Loving to have a desire for us to know Him in an intimate way. He has said that we love Him because He first loved us. Let us relax in that Love and reflect back to Him everything He has given us. And He has given us ALL THINGS! Amen and Amen.
Ramona
======= Pat:
My thoughts on the Book of Job: First let me start out by saying that I have really been blessed through this study of Job. It has never been one of my favorite books of the Bible because I have always had trouble understanding how God would allow Satan to attack Job in such horrible ways. This time though the Lord opened new windows of understanding that have touched me deeply.
Satan did not pick out Job to test – God did! Satan said that he could make ANY man curse the Lord and the Lord said that Job would not curse him, and God was right! However, Job’s weakness, his flaw, surfaced during this testing. Job saw himself as being pious. He loved the Lord, he obeyed the laws of the Lord, and he loved the respect he received from others because of it. When his possessions, his family and his health were stripped from him, and when he lost the respect of others, he didn’t curse the Lord but instead wanted to present his case before God. In other words, he wanted to argue the case of his piousness with God – he wanted to convince God that he was unworthy of the trials because of his own goodness.
Only God is truly pious – only He is perfect and without flaw! Only God has the right to present His case of goodness to mankind. Mankind is so inferior to God that our goodness is only a flicker in the light of God’s greatness. We have no case to present before God. Job recognized the greatness and goodness of God, but Job also recognized what he perceived as his own greatness and goodness. He wanted to stand before God and tell God that he was too good to have to endure the trials he was facing. It was not until Job finally saw himself as being truly unworthy before God that he started repenting – and only after repenting did God restore all that he had lost and more!
It is easy for us today to see ourselves as being pious. We love Christ, we read the Bible, we pray, we attend church, we tithe in our own way, we tell others about Christ, we help others, we do what we consider is right for us to do as Christians. The danger is that we may start depending on our own piousness instead of God’s piousness for our salvation. We start thinking about what we are doing for God instead of realizing that it is really what God doing for us! We don’t need to present before God our case of what we are doing that is right because He knows what we are doing. What we need to present before God is our weaknesses, our flaws, our sinful nature, and beg for His forgiveness and strength to work through these.
God Bless! Pat
======= John:
Pat,
You hit a home-run with your comments today… You are right on track… Helps explain JOB to me and is some of the same conclusions I have drawn from the book!
Glory John
======== Ramona:
Job 40-42:17
I took a while to post my thoughts today (9/2) because there were some things I saw in the Book of Job I was seeing being played out in front of me and I wanted to get not only come to grips with what I was seeing but I wanted to get some kind of understanding.
What I saw and experienced was not the “trials” of Job but the same type of character Job had in his three “friends.” When we first began reading this book, I questened the use of the word “friend” to describe Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, and Zophar from Naamath (Job 2:11). Were they calling themselves friends of Job because they knew everything about him and still liked him, or where they just acquaintances? Job considered himself “tight” with God because of all his success and his wealth, he considered himself “righteous” but the righteousness he perceived he had was based on his “works” not on his relationship with the Righteous God.
Job said, I have heard of thee (God) by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. (Job 42:5 KJV)
Job’s relationship with God was based on what he had heard not what he had experienced with God. Job’s three friends had a relationship with an image they had in their heads, they really didn’t know the man. When God speaks to Eliphaz after speaking to Job he tells Eliphaz that 1) he is angry with him and his “two friends,” He doesn’t say three friends which would include Job. Job may see these three guys as his friends, Job may call them friends but to God they are only friends amongst themselves. Why? Could a clue be found in the writing of Paul,
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV)
Could the key be really knowing the difference between a “believer” and an “unbeliever?’ Just some things for me to think about. We may call our group of people friends but does God see us as being friends?
Grace and peace, Ramona
======== Jeff:
I was reading from the NKJV & it doesn’t call those animals hippopotamus & crocodile, in fact the animals described seem bigger & fiercer than those two. Now, I don’t get into arguing about translations because I know so little – the NKJV is just what I happen to read – but as I was reading I was thinking “I’m glad I wasn’t around to see those creatures!” In any case, it’s awesome to think that God created them, as well as the spinning planets – Pluto now excluded (lol) – with his “fingers” and his word.
Jeff
======= Jennifer:
I believe that the behemoth and leviathan were actual dinosaurs talked about in Job. I take the bible literally and believe that the dinosaurs once roamed with humans, but died in the flood of Noah’s time. There is no way that dinosaurs could have lived before God created man. Sin and death did not enter the world before Adam and Eve, it entered after them when they ate the forbidden fruit. Also, the word “dinosaur” didn’t exist until it was coined in 1842 by British anatomist Sir Richard Owen.
Jennifer
====== Tim:
I have read and studied the book of Job for a long time, but that is not to say I know all the answers, because I do not. I do believe,however, that, the behemoth is something similar to the big dinosaur. It is described far too large to be a hippo. The leviathan seems to be a “Dragon” type creature. After all, couldn’t God have created a fire breathing creature, gone extinct because of the flood. Yes! That would have placed Job before the flood. Why not? That is as good as any other answer. In Christ, Tim
======= Alan:
Greetings and Blessings Mike! This is my “first-ever” post! I have been enjoying your “blogs” for a couple months now, having discovered it after being a “One Year Bible” (Tyndale) reader for the past 3-4 years. I am continually blessed by the harmony of the readings – so often a common thread runs through the readings, as unplanned as they are – God’s “word spoken in due season” – how good and pleasant they are. I was going to respond early on to the question about Behemoth and Leviathan being dinosaurs, but I’m glad to see someone already had responded. I’ll offer these links to particular articles about them on the Answers in Genesis website… http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v15/i2/behemoth.asp http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v19/i4/seamonsters.asp
I’ll also admonish our friend “Footsteps of God” to spend more time on the Answers in Genesis site to find answers for the questions he posts. The short answer to the question he struggles with “Can evolution and the Bible both be true” is an emphatic “No”. The “evolution” that he claims Answers in Genesis is “forced to argue for” is sometimes called “microevolution” – or the adaptation over time in a species due to the LOSS of genetic information. This “natural selection” is not disputed by proponents of Biblical, young earth creationism rather is consistent with the “according to its kind” phrases in the 1st chapter of Genesis. Evolution by definition is the GAIN of genetic information which doesn’t happen in nature. This is consistent with the 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics, which states that order is lost in a closed system. (hmmm – sounds a lot like what sin did to the perfect world God created!). Lastly, I would encourage everyone to consider Darwin’s Theory of Evolution in light of some not-so-well-known quotes of Darwin himself as he neared the end of his life – you may be shocked (and pleasantly surprised?!) by what you read!
Blessings Mike on your continued “ministry” through OYB! Alan
Darwin, Charles Robert (February 12, 1809-April 19, 1882), was a British naturalist. He propounded the evolutionary theory of origins. In his work, Origin of Species, 1859, Charles Darwin wrote:
To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree. May we not believe that a living optical instrument might thus be formed as superior to one of glass, as the works of the Creator are to those of man? Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory. For I am well aware that scarcely a single point is discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those at which I arrived.
There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one.
Reflecting on his work near the end of his life, Charles Darwin confessed: I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them.
Being bedridden many months before his death, Darwin was often found reading. When one visitor asked what it was he was studying, he replied: Hebrews, still Hebrews. “The Royal Book,” I call it.
After speaking on “the holiness of God” and “the grandeur of this Book,” Darwin is reported to have stated: Christ Jesus and his salvation. Is not that the best theme?
Alan
======== Briee:
Very interesting thoughts regarding Leviathan and Behemoth. I’d have to say I don’t think the Behemoth is a hippo as the Bible says it’s tail is straight as a cedar. As for the Leviathan, I don’t think that it is a crocodile as Croc’s don’t have falmes coming out of their mouths or smoke out of their nostrils. As for dinosaurs disappearing during the flood, I used to believe that, but don’t any more. It says in the Bible that God took 2 of every animal, and not 2 of every animal minus the dinosuar. Every means every. I still have no idea, though very thought provoking.
🙂 Briee
======= Adwin:
Behemoth that described in book of Job, is not looks like a hippo for me, it looks like a big-great and awesome animal. It also the same with the leviathan … God said that you cannot defeat the leviathan … but God does it easily. (You can defeat the hippo and crocs with some spear or sword … and that doesnt make God looks powerfull if He can tame those animals dont you ?)
I never know what it is… We dont know when the events in book of Job happened. some scholars believed it happened before the Abraham called to go outside his hometown. May be Leviathan and Behemoth are kind of animals that extinct already. or … may be they are a “spirit animals” … just my opinion 🙂
Adwin
======= Lauler:
Hippopotamus??? Are you kidding? A tail like a cedar tree resembles a hippo’s?? Job 40+ is clearly describing a dinosaur. Several posts above are right on. Do check out Answersingenises.com
Lauler
======= Jenny:
oh yes, i’ve heard lots about that chapter in Job referring to dinosaurs, like with his strength in his hips and a tail like a cedar. i forgot which kind, but that a dinosaur. sounds like also talking about a dragon. there is a lot of evidence that man and dinosaur dwelt together. cave drawings, footprints of man and dinosaur together, etc.
Awesome verses: Corith 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
verse 21: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Ohh, I’m an atari fan, but dont know that game! I know Q-bert! 😛
My commentary regarding proverbs was good: The flattering seductions of such a woman lure men into a pit as God makes their sin its own punishment.
Jenny
======== Kim:
Reading Job made me remember a verse in a song that i heard awhile ago… ‘If you want to make God laugh, then make a plan’. very simple but so true.
Kim
======Greg
As far as dinosaurs and dragons go, I would be inclined to say yes. The scripture passage seems to describe them more clearly than a hippo and a croc. Would it be like satan to get rid of those things that show GOD’s mighty handiwork.
Greg
======= Kary:
I have long believed they were dinosaurs (Job probably being the oldest book penned and evidence that dinosaurs died out only recently) but I also see how it and/or both could possibly be Lucifer incarnate (who is in the opening of the book by the way walking to and fro and whom we know was cast down to the earth). There are many references to physical things we see describing these creatures which would seem not to be associated with something that is a spirit but there are also many spiritual things which would not seem to be associated with something physical.
Consider Job 40:19 “He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.” or verse 21 “His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth.” Or think about the other phrases we see, at least in NKJV, such as “…sorrow dances before him” (v.22) or “His heart is as hard as stone…” (v.24) but especially most convincing for me is verse 34 ” He is king over all the children of pride.”
That being said, since Satan (or literally “the adversary”) is mentioned specifically at the beginning, I do still think that Leviathan and the behemoth could be just physical animals and as such dinosaurs (leviathan probably being the Sarcosuchus which was a 40 foot crocodile weighing 10 tons and the behemoth the brontosaurus which ate grass and would have been in and out of the Jordan river even if flooded (and why water would be in his mouth) and whose tail was certainly the size and like the moving of a cedar tree) it is just that reading this today hit me that it could be describing the devil and possibly his number two demon in their incarnate form.
Kary
====== Maegan:
We know dinosaurs are real because we have fossil evidence of them. Given the description of large animals with tails the size of trunks, I would be inclined to believe they are indeed dinosaurs.
I have found the work of Carl Baugh to be very interesting on this subject.
Maegan
======== Martin:
I Believed New Testament was written in Greek Language, we can refer to the original book what is that and we can check the exact location where it was written and to discover what they are referring to according to their tradition and culture. We can not just translate it literally.
Martin
======== Erik:
Leviathan sounds to me like a Godzilla type creature. in another translation i was reading. fire is mentioned that flashed from His mouth. Now of course a Crocodile and a hippo can’t blow out fire.
he also had scales on his back. sounds to me like a Godzilla type creature
Erik
======= Lizzy:
Hi Mike!
I am not convinced that today’s passage from Job refers to the hippo or the crocodile. The creatures are far more fearsome than that, and one of them breathes fire.
My best guess is that these creatures are now extinct.
Lizzy
======== Phillip:
Just wanted to say thank you and I loved the Atari reference to Pitfall. Great work you are doing.
Phillip
====== Bjorn:
I love your posts! Thanks you! You may have heard this before, but a group of crocodiles is called a “committee!” Might be interesting to note if you have been involved in a Church fight!!
Bjorn
======== Nancy:
I shared 2 Corinthians 5.17 with a new believer. I explained that her past was in the the past. That she didn’t need to share it with anyone unless her former life could help someone. Sadly people can be judgemental & critical. She will be joining my small group in a few weeks. Want to help her get well grounded in the Lord.
I know Calvinist thinking is different than what I believe. John 3.16 says whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. It is a choice to be made. Even tho God knows who will come it is still a choice for everyone. Otherwise it isn’t free will. Not trying to argue. I believe we can not understand God’s thinking. Isaiah 55.9 says: As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. We will discover the answers to it all when we go to be with Jesus. The main point is the basics of salvation are what is important. Other issues are man’s thoughts in the matter. We were once one group in the beginning but sadly splintered off over other ideas.
Nancy
======== Dee:
Love this Ramona!! U are such a wise and lovely blogger..I loved when Christ came on ..God spoke in His wisdom and shut up the mockery. Job was restored even more than before. 140 yes longer life.. wow..
So good to make it through Job..God showed up amd showed out. But I will say..God bragged some on his boy Job after he repented in comparison to his friends and he forgave Jobs friends after Job prayed for them.
2nd Cor: the prayers of the righteous availeth much. Amen!
Psalm..made to David on his wedding day possibly..your tongue is like a ready writer..that is one of my fave verses..however we hace to be careful what we say in front of others.
Proverbs..be careful of wrong influences and ungodly women. Amen
Dee
======== John:
WHEN DID GOD FORGIVE JOB?
Job repented, and God forgave – right? Maybe not. Let me explain.
Job repents, and God immediately turns to three friends and berates their speeches. They are experiancing God’s mercy – for if God was as the friend’s said then they should experiance justice (punishment). This must have been humbling to the three. It was done. Job prayed, and —- what?
“..and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.” NIV
This is unfortunate translation. The literal Hebrew is:
“..Jehovah doth accept the face of Job.” (Young’s Literal Translation)
This is when God forgave Job. Forget that the Hebrew word for “accept” can mean “forgive”. The Hebrew idiom – “accept the face” means to forgive the person (Bullinger, The Companion Bible).
But if Job truly repented, and he seemed to, why did God not forgive him at verse 6?
I can only surmise that God knew Job’s heart. Yes, he was sorrowful and full of repentance to God, but perhaps he was still feeling some bitterness towards his friends.
“Job is now being asked to love his enemies and pray for those who abused him. He is being asked to bless those who cursed him and not to return evil for evil. And he is still a very sick man! God has not yet reversed his misery. Why? What is the lesson here? Isn’t it the same as Matthew 6:14?
“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” http://www.soundofgrace.com/piper85/pn850023.htm
Or, maybe Job was not bitter, but God was making an object lesson “of the above” for the benefit of hearers or readers of the story. That being “right with God” should maifest itself in our outward behavior – displaying His characteristics. The idea we now have of “walking in the Spirit” or the “fruits” we bear after salvation. ====================================================== GOD REVEALS HIMSELF
In four chapters, 123 verses, and 77 questions – God does not once address Job’s suffering. Job’s suffering is a tangential part of this Bible Book.
God does reveal himself to mankind in regards to: -Creation -Providence (provisions for animals, man, and earth) -Restraint of Evil
Maybe next year, I can delve into the scientific and structural truths embodied in the first two sets of rhetorical questions.
Some say – that “evil” is really bad now. Others say – You should see evil if God were not restraining it in the world.
The latter could be inferred from Job Ch.40, but maybe there is more there. The “behemoth/hippopotamus” and “leviathan/crocodile” get a lot of play (many verses) in Job. Is it because they are really special creatures? What is so important about them to deserve such space by the writer. What is God saying?
Chuck Missler suggests it is because the two represent something. He thinks the behemoth/hippo represents man’s pride (flesh), and the leviathan/croc represents the “world” with Satan at its head.
Try it. Go back to the chapters and insert in those concepts in place of the animals. I was a little skeptical until I saw:
Is27:1 In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.
Maybe the idea of man’s pride (flesh) being so powerful, yet the maker can approach it and restrain it (carrying a sword implies with punishment????)
The world (and it seems to slowly dissolve to Satan) is so powerful, so terrifying, and yet God keeps it in check – until the time of its destruction “in that day”.
Anyway – just throwing it out there as something to “chew on”. ====================================================== SUFFERING
So suffering is not directly mentioned by God. There are reasons given for suffering in the NT.
– to learn obeidance (Heb5:8) – to complete salvation (sanctification process) Heb2:10 -to develop your faith (1Peter6:7) -to keep us from sin (1Peter4:1-2) -to develop patience (James1:2-3) -to be able to comfort others (2Cor1:3-4) -to manifest the life of Jesus (2Cor4:10-11) -to deliver us from pride (2Cor12:7-10) -so that the works of God are made manifest in us (John 9:1-3)
Any others?
John
======= John:
2Cor5:11-21
MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
Since Adam, God’s plan has been about restoring His relationship with mankind.
-Foreshadowed in OT. -Means provided through Christ in Gospels. -Proclaimed in rest of NT.
What does this mean to us: :…And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
This is why we are here on earth, and not spirited away upon salvation. We are to be the carriers of His message – in speech and through behavior. ====================================================== A CHILL PILL VERSE
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Some people will say that Christ did experience sin – that he was not sinless based on this verse. (a supposed contradiction of the Bible).
I don’t argue with these kind of propositions. I do point out that the translation could just as well be that Christ was made a “sin offering” or that He “bore” (carried) sin for us.
Since being ‘made sin for us’ is contradictory in my mind – I lean to the alternate translations.
Let the reader decide.
John
======= Vance:
Job 40 (NKJV) 1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said: 2 “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” 6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7 “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: 8 “ Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
3 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 4 “ Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
Job 42 (NKJV) 1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2 “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
NOTE: There are mysteries in life that—from a human perspective—will never be answered this side of heaven or hell.
Yet, God is good and God is in control. He is rich and abundant is Mercy and He greatly desires to pour out His abundant Mercy on those who will trust Him and obey Him through Grace. Yet, He will not leave the guilty unpunished—those who persist in doing wrong.
Exodus 34 (NKJV) 5 Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
Isaiah 30 (NIV) 18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
Isaiah 30 (NKJV) 18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.
BECAUSE WE CAN KNOW AND TRUST GOD’S CHARACTER, we can trust the Loving Father when we don’t understand what the gracious Lord allows. Even when God “doesn’t seem to make sense”, we CAN AND NEED TO TRUST HIS CHARACTER!
We can trust God’s Love!
2 Corinthians 5 (NKJV) 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ~~~
Job had legitimate questions, as do you and I. We can choose and allow anger and pride to gain a foothold in us so that we question God—but He is not accountable to us! We are accountable to Him!
Hebrews 1 (NKJV) 8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” [Psalm 45:6, 7]
This is why it is ALWAYS GOOD TO PRAISE GOD REGARDLESS OF circumstances and even if we do not have full and complete understanding.
It is not about us. God is always worthy. Consistent and persistent praise keeps our eyes on God. Praise places us in the position to be in submission to God and to receive from God so we are able to learn through difficult times when God is ready to teach us.
Isaiah 30 (NKJV) 15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “ In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
Praise and worship is the way that the Lord keeps our hearts pure in the midst of difficulties and when life is perplexing.
Psalm 50 (NKJV) 23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
What a truly awesome privilege it is to place ourselves before God and allow Him to teach us His wisdom in all stages of our lives—when life “makes sense to us and is all that it should be” or when we are perplexed about questions for which we do not have answers.
As we praise, we learn to love goodness and righteousness in all things, and we participate in the character of God the Father and God the Son.
In doing so, we learn to be like the Son of God, and God can anoint us with His Spirit of Holiness and Joy!
Hebrews 1 (NKJV) 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” [Psalm 45:7]
Vance
======= Jim:
Do those of you who believe the Bible is to be always taken literally also believe that Christ stating John the Baptist was Elijah meant that a dead man’s soul literally returned in a new born infant (and thus that the Bible proves the theory of reincarnation)? Since Jesus says In John 14:12-14, “In solemn truth I tell you, anyone believing in me shall do the same miracles I have done” and in Mark 16:17 that, “those who believe, in my name will cast out demons,” can I likewise assume that you also literally cast out daemons and walk on water before calling yourself Christian? Can I also assume that you’ve cut off any sinning limbs and stoned to death any disobedient children? That Paul told the American Indians his testimony since literally commanded to in Acts 22:15. Not to mention that you believe Jacob to have literally bested God (the wimp)?!?
The basis of all science is that only God knows and the best one can do is statistically provide sufficient evidence for a hypothesis (or hunch) in order to call it a theory. A theory is not just a wild guess, of course, but represents a well established body of knowledge that has undergone significant testing and peer review. Even Newton’s Law of Gravitation, however, is unable to explain certain anomalous behaviors associated with planetary motion in strong gravity fields (notably, Mercury) and completely fails at the atomic level (which is why we have relativity, and after that unified field theory, and today string theory, etc). The idea that any scientific premise is open to debate is one of the hallmarks of science. But is it a principal tenet that must separate science from religion?
Why is theology so seemingly beyond such debate? For example, a boy in a biology class in Baltimore, MD last year declared, “There’s one less rib in boys!” The teacher pulled out a male and female skeleton from the closet and had the boy count the ribs to demonstrate that men and women had, in fact, the same number of ribs. The next day the boy claimed he told his priest what happened and that his priest had called the teacher a heretic. Is science and critical thinking heresy? Does knowing where babies come from diminish the hand of God making it a miracle? Why does the religious acceptance of evolutionary biology and geology need to be fundamentally different from the acceptance of other sciences, such as astronomy?
Can both evolution and the Bible be true?
Even creationist sites (http://www.answersingenesis.org/) are often forced to argue for evolution (which literally only means change) within classes, “When you realize that horses, zebras, and donkeys are probably descended from the horse-like ‘kind.’” In 2001, Michael Behe admitted his work on irreducible complexity in support of intelligent design in his 1996 book Darwin’s Black Box had a “defect” and does not address “the task facing natural selection” (see http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/biph/2001/00000016/00000005/00353967). Evolution theory is likely to see some serious corrections, but it will NEVER be disproved. Of all the “creation myths,” most believe that the Bible story is the one most validated by science. For example, DNA research has demonstrated a single Eve (a single Adam is harder to do and yet to be done). Thus, any rational person must believe that Cain married his sister.
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” – Albert Einstein
3.6 million years ago, a volcano now called Sadiman puffed out a cloud of ash that blanketed the area surrounding the famous Laetoli hominid footprints. A light rain then turned the ash into a sort of cement that recorded thousands of tracks of antelopes, rhinos, guinea fowl, and monkeys, as well as the footprints of prehistoric humanoids. Volcanic rock can be dated by a method called potassium-argon dating. Hot, newly erupted lava and ash contain the radioactive chemical element potassium-40 that, over time, decays into a different material called argon-40. By comparing the ratio of potassium to argon, scientists can gauge how long this natural clock has been ticking. The age of volcanic rock and ash can be pinpointed to within roughly twenty thousand years – a mere moment in Earth’s 4-billion-plus year history. Likewise, we know that “Lucy” (discovered in 1974) and other members of her species, Australopithecus afarensis, lived between 3.9 and 3.0 million years ago (3.2 million years specifically for Lucy). Australopithecus afarensis were muscular, heavy-browed humanoids that walked upright but with small, chimp-like brains where males were almost two feet larger than females (Lucy was only 3.5 feet tall). The Hader skull was discovered in 1992 (3.0 million years old) and a family of 13 individuals was found in 1975 (3.2 million years old).
Such dating comes from several methods. Potassium-Argon dating is generally provided with a plus and minus 12% 1-sigma error but can be used on samples from the beginning of the earth (4.6 billion years) to less than 100,000 years ago. Argon-40 to argon-39 ratios has recently been shown to provide even more accurate dating information but confirms these previous estimates. Other Chronometric techniques include written records (as far back as 3,000 BC), tree (living and dead) ring analysis (data goes back 8,000 years in Europe, 3,000 years in the American Southwest, and 10,000 years for a few other places), Amino Acid dating (for bones, fossilized feces, shells, and calcium rich soil for as much as 200,000 years), geomagnetic reversal time scale: magnetic north moves about 25 miles per year and has often reversed (good for dating recent events up to 8,000 BC and relative to reversals that occurred at .69, .89, .95, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, and 2.43 million years ago – this is the time frame that our genus Homo has evolved), radiocarbon dating (based on carbon-14 radioactivity decay in all living tissue after death, accurate to less than 1 out of 1,000 years after certain small corrections are applied, but only good up to about 40,000 years), urnium-238 dating for crystalline minerals (for a few decades old to the formation of the earth), thermoluminescence dating (good to about 300,000 years ago, but with higher error rates), electron spin resonance dating (new technique good back roughly half a billion years), uranium / horium dating, oxidizable carbon ratio, optically stimulated luminescence, varve analysis, and obsidian hydration dating. Relative dating techniques (to simply determine which of two items is older) include stratigraphy, index fossils, fluorine analysis, geochronology, artifact time markers, seriation, and pollen analysis. Most items can be dated accurately using several of these techniques as confirmation of the results. It is unlikely that all are outright wrong.
Moreover, the overwhelming evidence for evolution has come from four sources: 1) the fossil record of changes in earlier species, 2) the chemical and anatomical similarities of related life forms, 3) the geographic distribution of related species, and 4) the recorded genetic changes in living organisms over many generations. Much has been added to our understanding of evolution since Darwin – six different processes can operate independently or in concert to bring about evolution (recontextualization, pruning, chunking, merging, appropriation, and mutation). The current theory is called the synthetic theory of evolution since it combines the concept of Darwin’s natural selection, Mendel’s basic understanding of genetic inheritance, and a variety of evolutionary theories from population genetics and molecular biology. The biological sciences now generally define evolution as being “the sum total of the genetically inherited changes in the individuals who are the members of a population’s gene pool.” Evolution is the change in frequencies of alleles in the gene pool for a population. For example, recent research has shown that a woman making poor nutritional choices during pregnancy will not only produce a child of low birth weight but a grandchild of low birth weight as well due to measurable changes in her child’s alleles. While natural selection is the most powerful evolutionary process, it only selects among the existing variation already in a population. The ultimate sources of the new variation are the recombination of existing genes and mutation. Dr. Stephen O’Brien has discovered some Europeans carry a genetic mutation that prevents HIV. We also have DNA samples from four Neanderthals, though, that show that we are not decedents. Thus, the “missing link” for humans continues to be missing. But, in the eight million years since the earliest ancestors of humans diverged from the apes, more than a dozen hominids have lived on the Earth (see http://www.becominghuman.org/ and http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/index.htm). See “Is evolution just a theory?” at http://video.pbs.org:8080/ramgen/evolution/educators/students/e_s_1.smil and “Why is evolution controversial?” at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/11/2/real/e_s_7.html on the brutality of honest reasoning. There are 480,000 research biologists and geologists in the world and about 160,000 of them are Christian. Of these, only about 700 believe in new earth creationism and yet most churches actively work to minimize such widely held beliefs.
The U.S. Supreme Court has judged that “Creation Science” is not a science because it refuses to subject itself to objective review. This intolerance is not a Biblical canon, however, but only the unfortunate state of a church effectively unchanged since the lack of such review got it into so much trouble over insisting that the Sun revolved around the Earth (as recently as 1966, Muslim leaders were still trying to suppress the Copernican “heresy”). Never has a single creationist ever received a doctorate in anthropology, spent decades in the field doing core research, or published in major scientific publications with critical review. Creationists often make the assertion that evolutionists only take the data and force it into their personal atheistic views. The reality, however, is that this actually describes ALL creationists because not a single one is actually acquiring any data (no need in their eyes). Instead they only babble on about some great conspiracy where everyone is out to get them and they refuse to discus the issues with real scientists (http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_dialog.htm). I would personally appreciate being shown the data from the “research” into global changes from the vapor canopy left by the global flood. This is not even biblical as Psalm 104:5-9 states that the global flood during creation (which IS supported by science in the creation of Pangaea) would never happen again. Moreover, when 1 Kings 10:24 states that “the whole world” sought audience with Solomon no one really thinks that this included the Native American Indians or that when Paul writes in Romans 1:8 about reports “all over the world” that he included them as well, so why expand the “global” flood. See a discussion by an U of A Christian student at http://www.saintjoe.edu/~dept14/environment/rogero/ppt/creationism_cmsharp.ppt.
Early in your comment you stated, “The idea that any scientific premise is open to debate is one of the hallmarks of science.” Later, you said, “Evolution theory is likely to see some serious corrections, but it will NEVER be disproved.” The latter statement is quite strong if we are leaving all hypotheses open to debate; if willing to openly evaluate all theories supported by evidence, it is reasonable (though arguably not likely in light of the current evidence) that even evolution could be misfounded.
Old Testament – Today we begin reading four amazing chapters in the book of Job when God speaks to Job! We’ve been reading a lot so far about what Job would like to say to God. Well, stay tuned for chapters 38 through 41 in Job starting today… it appears God was indeed listening to Job and has some things to say to him! (and to us!) I love the opening words of chapter 38 verses 1 through 3 – “Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.” Below is English poet and artist William Blake’s engraving below from the year 1825 titled “The Lord answering Job out of the whirlwind”:
Below is an amazing painting by modern day artist Rina Coetzee for God’s words in Job chapter 38 verses 4 through 6! “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”
And one more fantastic painting below from Rina for verses 8 through 11: “”Who defined the boundaries of the sea as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, `Thus far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!'”
New Testament – Paul’s words in Second Corinthians chapter 4 verses 16 through 18 are incredible for each of us to take to heart: “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” I don’t know about you, but I confess that I all too often get caught up in the troubles we can see right now. I forget about the joys to come that will last forever. It’s sad when I forget about the joys to come. There is so much hurt and disaster in our world that I am afraid all too often I focus only on these negative things and forget that this is a world where bad things happen. Through our faith and relationship with Jesus we will one day be in heaven where there will be no more tears. No more crying. No more suffering. But, this side of heaven, we will suffer. Each of our bodies will deteriorate and these earthly bodies will die. But, as Paul says in these verses above, though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day! I pray this is the case for you. I pray this is the case for me. Are you experiencing renewal in your spirit every day? Let us pray for renewal!
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Second Corinthians readings titled “Death: No Longer a Foe, but a Friend” is at this link.
Psalms – Every time I read Psalm 44 verse 23 it reminds me of one of the amazing aspects of the Psalms – that the Psalms are people like us speaking to God – and in all sorts of emotional ways: “Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever.” This type of verse reminds me that it’s okay for us to not always talk to God in our “church voice.” It’s okay to get a little bit passionate in our prayers to God. I think God would prefer us to be real with him – where we are right now or at any given moment – rather than try to put on any special facades for God. If ever you feel like you are at a loss for words for what you might want to say to God – how you might be needing to pray to God – surf through the Psalms… you’ll very likely find voice for what you are trying to say.
Proverbs – Today we read in Proverbs chapter 22 verse 13 – “The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!” or, “I will be murdered in the streets!” How does this Proverb speak to you? To me it is a reminder of all of the excuses I can make for not participating in God’s will for my life. I strongly believe that God has an amazing purpose and an amazing plan for each of our lives. I also believe that we can often do a very good job of refusing to participate in God’s plan for our life. We either think that God’s plan really isn’t all that good, so we’ll do things our own way. Or we are simply lazy or afraid or cowardly or who knows what. We make a million excuses for why we won’t get on with God’s plan for our life! How about you? Do you believe that God has an amazing purpose and plan for your life? Do you know what it is? If not, will you seek it? In either case, are you actively working on Kingdom things in your life these days? Are you living out in your life the call of the Gospel to actively love and serve others each and every day? Or are you making excuses?
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Second Corinthians reminds me of Switchfoot’s song “Your Love is a Song:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you will never lose heart. Pray that you are being renewed day by day through your saving faith with Jesus Christ. Pray that your relationship with Christ encourages you and strengthens you, even while outwardly you may be wasting away.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Job 37-39:30 I love the 7th verse (38) in the King James or Amplified Bible, “Gird up your loins now like a man; I will demand of you, and you answer Me” (AMP). God is serious and he means business. It’s like God is saying to Job, straighten up and fly right, take responsibility for yourself and stop gripping and complaining. The created can’t tell the Creator anything, especially since the Creator didn’t put “anything” on Job, though he allowed it. When God first comes in to speak to Job He does not address anything Job’s friends have said nor does He address Elihu. This speaks personally to me letting me know that my primary concern is to answer God not man. Men can hold me accountable for what I believe, say and do, but whom I will really answer to is God. God’s address to Job also shows that each and every created thing has a purpose and is uniquely designed to carry out that purpose despite our not having an understanding what it’s purpose is. Our lack of understanding does not void its purpose. If I fail to discover my purpose or reject that purpose that doesn’t change God’s purpose for me. I can use a screwdriver to drive in nails by banging the nail with the screwdriver. The nail my go in eventually, but that does not negate the usefulness of the tools ability to turn screws if I fail to use it properly. Charles Dickens’s tale of the “Prince and the Pauper,” shows a great example of the Pauper using the Seal of England outside of its purpose, a tool to crack nuts. Its’ improper use did not negate the power of the Seal. II Corinthians 4:13-5:10 This passage is one of my very favorites. When I first came across this passage I realized that who I am was more then my body, my flesh. Who I was as a person was who I was in spirit. I am a sprit, I have a soul and I live in a body. 1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down–when we die and leave these bodies–we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. The power of this verse hit me by happenstance. Someone I really liked at work had died and I was asked if I would read a scripture at his memorial service. I didn’t know what to read and suddenly this passage fell open. Now I do not subscribe to the I-have-a-problem-open-the-bible-and-whatever-page-it-falls-open-to-that’s-the-answear society, but these verses spoke to me mightily. I wanted to be able to speak something, read something that would leave people with hope, and I found it. Psalm 44:9-26 I repeat from yesterday, this Psalm is an encapsulation of Job’s lament. 23 Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever. 24 Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression? 25 We collapse in the dust, lying face down in the dirt. 26 Rise up! Come and help us! Save us because of your unfailing love. Proverbs 22:13 Mike I feel you in your comments about this particular verse. Reading this verse this morning while on the train going to work I jotted down this little note: Is this speaking about a something other than true fear? Or is fear somehow rooted in laziness. In the Parable of the Talents, the man who buried his talent said he was afraid, the Master said he was lazy, as well as wicked. (Matthew 25:24-26) The writer of the Book of First John states, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18 KJV). So what is fear and what is its relationship to laziness? Is there really a relationship between fear and laziness, or are we calling laziness fear to make it more palatable? Hmm, a quandary. Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Arun:
Wonderful Scriptures from JOB. God answers with a set of questions. Awesome. No one else can answer those questions except the One who made it. Those scriptures shows How WISE, How Mighty … Man, Our God is AWESOME GOD. 2 Corin 4:16-22 The God’s advice on focus is the problems but on the problems producing fruits of immeasurably glory. I guess I ll have to look at my problems in this light. Psalms, Mike, that is really good that you mentioned about reality in prayer. People recite and say prayer by rote. But Honestly from heart, That is real prayer Proverbs, Even in the best of days, We might say all excuses just to cover our laziness, God make us to realise when we do that. Bless us ALL, Amen Arun
======= Ramona:
Job 37:1-39:30 I have heard this, “God is in control,” probably hundreds of times. It is one of those pithy little sayings that I just repeat but have never really considered the words that make up the saying nor the true weight of the saying. Today, with this reading I kind of “get it.” God IS in control. No matter what it looks like, feels like, whether we call out, “Where was God when the World Trade Towers fell five years ago, God is in control. “And have you ever ordered Morning, ‘Get up!’ told Dawn, ‘Get to work!’ So you could seize Earth like a blanket and shake out the wicked like cockroaches? As the sun brings everything to light, brings out all the colors and shapes, The cover of darkness is snatched from the wicked– they’re caught in the very act! (Job 38:12-15 MSG) God is surly in control despite what we may think, despite what it looks like. WOW Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Jan:
Ramona & isn’t there such comfort in finally coming to the Truth/Realization of your revelation that GOD TRULY IS IN CONTROL. Oh what a sweet deliverance from unbelief & doubt when we come to know our Savior truly is in control of all. Jan
======= Jenny:
I loved reading God’s words in Job. This may sound weird, but i almost had to bow as i read the words directly from God, I just feel such reverence. Of course Jesus is God incarnate, but i dont know..it trips me out sometimes! Oh, and Corinthians readings are amazing! i LOVE it! Jenny
======= Terry:
I always like your pictures. Terry
======= Eve:
“The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!” Proverbs 22:13 A lazy person is someone that finds even the most impossible reason to excuse himself from doing something. Lion outside his house? Does he live in the jungle or his house’s in the zoo? 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” Eve
======= Judie:
Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. This verse from 4:16 in today’s reading is so comforting and true! I don’t like to be reminded that I am getting old, but some days my body sure tells me that it is. Thank you God for renewing my spirit everyday. When my body doesn’t want to move much, my spirit can fly! Judie
======= Robert:
Job 38-41 Today’s readings were so good. Sometimes I need a reminder of the power and might God has. Using the wonders of weather, the natural world and immenseness of the Heavens God shows us the abstract of how things work and how He has the ability to control every element in the Universe. I liked vs. 39:26: God says to Job: “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?” I watched a documentary last week about these little finch birds in the North-east USA that migrate every year 4000 miles to Brazil. Their timing has to be precise otherwise they will get caught in Hurricanes crossing the Gulf. No one knows how these birds sense their departure time. Robert
======= Dee:
I think this is some serious dialogue today when the creator comes down and addresses the created. I feel for Job but like u said Ramona..man can help us in accountability but we answer essentially to God. 2 Cor..God is renewing our body..outwardly we will pass away..but praise God for the renewal We don’t get to have a ringside seat too often where God is speaking to arguments thrown by us much. Job tried to reason himself and used complaints and grumbling along with his friends however God sets him straight. Was Job there when the world was created..did he survey the land or form the clouds and stars.. 2nd Corinthians, this made me think of how we yearn for being with the Lord..this life is temporal but being with the Lord is eternal..what a day that will be. Psalm 44 ..being able to talk to the Lord in big girl voice and be real with the Lord. God is good and he is a big boy and God knows that his children need to come to him with big issues and big prayers and He really listens. Psalm 44..I think we have all felt this way before. Desperate..relentless..wanting God to hear us..are u there Lord? Do u care? We have all been there. Proverbs..lazy bones..yes..makes me think of..when u have an idea from God. Act quickly. If not he will seek someone else. Amen. Don’t be lazy..making excuses instead of plans is always a bad idea. Be careful.. Dee
======= John:
2Cor4 and 5:1-10 2Cor4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” I believe praying for this kind of “focus” is in God’s Will, and the kind of prayer God answers. ====================================================== 2Cor5 2Cor5:1 “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” NIV How do we “know”? John 14:1-4, and more importantly the last part of verse 19. “..Because I live, you also will live.” Because Jesus is alive. When our physical body dies, we will have a glorified body in heaven. “not built by human hands”, being “not of this creation” (Heb 9:11) but of God – an eternal body. From tent to house or building – in software terms – we are due for an upgrade : ) ====================================================== The problem here, and I did not see Bob Deffingbaugh pointing it out: We do not get glorified bodies until the resurrection of our earthly bodies. In the meantime, at death, we live in heaven as disembodied spirits (if I am wrong about this – please someone correct me.) So while Paul has no problem with absent from the body – he is REALLY looking forward to the Resurrection. Paul wants his glorified body, as should the Corinthians. Maybe Paul is making this point here because of how Greeks view the spirit and the body. They think being a “spirit” in the afterlife is the be-all-end-all. That the body is just a hindrance and the spirit is what counts. Paul is saying, ‘You don’t know – the heavenly glorified body will be fabulous – it will be the completion of all God’s plans – we will be like Jesus. You want – you should really really want this glorified body.’ Because when we get the “glorified body” we will not be naked – our disembodied spirit will be clothed. I think this is also a reference to the completed work of God in regards to Adam and Eve. After sinning they realized they were naked, now in full circle we will be eternally clothed in our “glorified body”. Death and what it does to our mortal bodies will here be completely conquered. 2Cor5:5 “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” Greek tense is aorist – completed action – and there is that word again – “deposit” in Gk. “arrhabon” meaning: money which in purchases is given as a pledge or downpayment that the full amount will subsequently be paid. We have God’s Word on the deal. ====================================================== There are only two places a “saved” person can be – on earth or in heaven – never in the “grave”. Thus while on earth we make it our goal to please him, as we do in heaven (by what we have done on earth in his name.) Why? Because “the “saved” person will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ for our rewards or lack of rewards. If we strive to please Him on earth, then He will be pleased with us in heaven. The Bema Seat in Corinth is still there (I hear) and is on display. The athletes from the Isthmian games received their rewards at the Bema Seat. Punishment from trials was also administered from the Bema Seat. Paul has already mentioned in 1Cor that our works will be tested by Christ, and only what is good will be left. That is what we will be judged on for our rewards. How many will you and I have left after Christ’s assessment of our Christian lives??????? ====================================================== So the saved person will have a final exam before Christ. Paul would tell the Corinthians – when do you start prepearing for the “final”? – morning of, night before, or in advance. To do well, it should be in advance. So set your sights on the eternal, prepare for your exam now. Get cracking! What will be judged? According to Chuck Missler: deeds according to Scripture, motivation of deeds (to bring honor/glory to God), and the words you speak (perhaps thoughts also – oops that is a biggie!) John
======= Sue:
John, You said: The problem here, and I did not see Bob Deffingbaugh pointing it out: We do not get glorified bodies until the resurrection of our earthly bodies. In the meantime, at death, we live in heaven as disembodied spirits (if I am wrong about this – please someone correct me.) I don’t know that I want to go so far as to “correct” you, but I would offer something I read recently by J. Vernon McGee that may provide some additional light on this subject: Thru-The-Bible Commenary Series, The Epistles, Ephesians, J. Vernon McGee, pp. 118-119 “When he ascended up on high” refers to the ascension of Christ. At that time He did two things: (1) He led captivity captive, which refers, I believe, to the redeemed of the Old Testament who went up to paradise when they died. Christ took these believers with Him out of paradise into the very presence of God when He ascended. Today when a believer dies, we are not told that he goes to paradise, but rather he is absent from the body and present with the Lord (See 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). (2) When Christ ascended He also gave gifts to men. This means that He conferred gifts upon living believers in the church so that they might witness to the world. In His ascension, Christ not only brought the Old Testament saints into God’s presence, but he also, through the Holy Spirit, bestowed His gifts. At the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit baptized believers into the body of Christ and then endowed them with certain gifts, enabling them to function as members of the body. The Holy Spirit put each of them in a certain place in the body, and He has been doing the same with each new believer ever since. “(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above the heavens, that he might fill all things.) [Eph. 4:9-10] “The logical explanation of these verses is that since Christ ascended, He must have of necessity descended at some previous period. Some see only the Incarnation in this. The early church fathers saw in it the work of Christ in bringing the Old Testament saints out of paradise up to the throne of God. Although the Apostles’ Creed states that He descended into hell, it means hades, the place where the dead were, and it is not necessary to assume that He entered into some form of suffering after His death. His Incarnation and death were His humiliation and descent, and they were adequate to bring the redeemed of the Old Tstament into the presence of God. I recognize, however, that there are other interpretations.” Sue
======= John:
Sue, Thanks. I also have McGee’s commentary. No problem with what you quote here in your post. I am not sure what the “gifts” bestowed to Old testament saints were in McGee’s observation, but I am sure it can be reconciled. When I say – “disembodied” I am not referring to not being in the body of Christ, just that we will be in “spirit” status until we receive our glorified bodies. We probably can receive gifts of the Holy Spirit without having a physical body in heaven. Perhaps we receive wisdom and knowledge (as gifts of the Spirit) in that we know the answers to all the questions we had here on earth. I can also see having fruits of the Spirit – joy, peace, love, etc as that would seem to be what heaven is all about. I don’t think it is necessary to have a “physical body” to receive the items mentioned above. John
======= Sue:
Hi again, John. Yes, I did perceive that was what you meant after I was about halfway through the exerpt from McGee, but honestly I hadn’t considered whether or not our bodies would be “spiritual” (Glorified?) or physical (such as Jesus portrayed on earth). I wonder if it is a little of both, in that Jesus did not come through the door when he visited the apostles in the upper room; he was apparently able to pass through solid fixtures (like walls), and yet Thomas was able to place his hand into his wound in his side. I have to think on this; it is a concept I had not onsidered. Thanks. Sue
======= Vance:
OB 38 VERSES 1 through 6 “Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” This is exactly why, even if we are right in the truth we believe, we need to be humble before our Loving Lord and others. For the attitude of the heart is more important than the truth known. Of course, one cannot actually truly, sincerely believe the truth without the proper humility of heart—but pride is always a caution to guard against. 2 CORINTHIANS 4 VERSES 16 through 18 “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” I like the meditation from the website, hebrew4christians.com, which is a Messianic Jewish website enabling Christians to glean from the richness of our Jewish roots. It relates directly to this point, and its words are excellent: ********* For I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as were all my fathers. (Psalm 39:12b) In this verse, David confesses that he, like his forefathers, is ger v’toshav – a stranger and a sojourner in this world. This is a paradoxical phrase, since: a) a ger is one who is just passing through, like a visitor or tourist b) whereas a toshav is one who is a resident, like a settler or citizen. How can someone be both a visitor and a resident of a place, or a stranger and a citizen at the same time? How can one “pass through” a place he is said to dwell? Being ger v’toshav means understanding that the changes of life are the medium for that which is eternal and abiding. We neither detach from life nor cling to it, but live in the mediation of time and eternity. Every moment of life is therefore made sacred, since it is the occasion to transform the temporal into the eternal. Like a stranger, the ger v’toshav a. holds on to things lightly, b. yet at the same time is passionately committed to them as a gift from God. He is both infinitely resigned in life and infinitely engaged in life, since he understands that all of life is ordered to ultimately reveal the glory of God. He dies to this present world and is resurrected in the undying life of God. If we are given grace to answer the call of Jesus to “take up our cross,” we presently become ger v’toshav. As gerim, we confess that we are strangers in this present world, but as toshavim we believe that our labors are not in vain, and that our true citizenship is in heaven. We must die in order to live. *************** PSALM 44 There are times when we have reaped the consequences of our own foolishness and sin (thus dealing with a sense of our foolishness blocking us from God’s intimacy, and experiencing His discipline). Or there are times when, even when people have faithfully obeyed and yielded their hearts to the Lord through the Spirit in obedience, God has seemed distant just like what is expressed in verse 23: verse 23 “Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever.” Yet, either way, God is always faithful to His covenant and His word—and that is what we can and must be rooted in… for OUR LIFE! PSALM 44 4 You are my King and my God. You command victories for your people. 5 Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. Notice, God has commanded victory for His people. He will not fail His Word. Thank Him for that. Let us continue to pray and give to those affected by the hurricane in Louisiana. Vance
======= Vance:
In my reading of “With Christ In The School Of Prayer”, I ran across a reference to a Lutheran pastor named Johann Christoph Blumhardt (1805-1880). I found the following information very enlightening and encouraging from a website with sermons by Richard M. Riss from Middlesex Presbyterian Church, Middlesex, N.J. The name of this sermon is called, “THE ACTS OF GOD IN HISTORY”, given Feb. 22, 1998. source: http://www.grmi.org/Richard_Riss/sermons/0002.html “One of the most remarkable modern-day stories of revival concerns Johann Christoph Blumhardt (1805-1880), who began pastoring a Lutheran church in Moetlingen, Germany in 1838. Within a few years, a young girl in his church named Gottlieben Dittus was diagnosed by physicians as ‘demon-possessed.’ She had what people said was a strange nervous disorder, and many psychic phenomena were taking place in her home. Everyone in her family and in the village seemed to knew about these things, and finally, one of the doctors came to Blumhardt and asked him, ‘Is there no pastor in this village who can pray? I can do nothing here.’ Blumhardt wanted to have absolutely nothing to do with this, but because of pressure from his congregation, he felt compelled to pray after this doctor confronted him. The resulting spiritual battle lasted two years, and during this time, Blumhardt was neglecting his pastoral work. He was becoming tense and exhausted, and people began to think that he was about ready to collapse, mentally and physically. But then, something happened unexpectedly. Gottlieben’s sister, who was in the room, gave a loud, long cry in a strange voice, ‘Jesus is Victor,’ and suddenly, this girl was delivered. On the very same day, many people in the village reported hearing the whirring of wings and cries of despair, ‘Into the abyss, into the abyss, woe oh woe, we must go into the abyss!’ These events transformed the whole village. There was a tremendous revival in which lives were transformed, broken marriages were restored, enemies were reconciled, and people began to experience physical healings. Blumhardt was more surprised by this than anyone. Prior to this time, as a matter of course, he had been laying his hands upon various members of his Lutheran church for absolution. But suddenly, people were experiencing healings when he was doing this. His preaching began to take on a new depth, and people started to come from all over Germany to hear him preach. He had to conduct five services every Sunday, and his little church was filled to capacity each time, with people standing outside up to a radius of up to an entire kilometer. At one point, the German emperor himself came to find out what was going on in this little town.” Johann C. Blumhardt (1805-1880) is regarded by many as the father of German pietism. He had a son named Christoph F. Blumhardt (1842-1919) influenced a whole generation of Europeans, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Emil Brunner, Oscar Cullman, and Karl Barth. Praise God for a godly legacy! What rich treasures are in the Body of Christ! Job 37 (NKJV) 23 As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress. 24 Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart. NOTE: Elihu really got this exactly correct! God is truly awesome! We can never ever hope to find God unless He had taken the first step and revealed Himself to us. THANK GOD THAT GOD TOOK THAT FIRST STEP—when we look at the Lord Jesus, we do see the Father! John 14 (NKJV) 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Job 38 (NKJV) – The LORD Reveals His Omnipotence to Job 1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2 “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. NOTE: We really have to be careful to speak “glibly” and “so casually” that we give the impression that we are on His level or that we know everything about God! It has been said before and it bears repeating: Job’s “friends” were convinced they knew the mind of God and God’s will concerning Job—and they were completely wrong as God Himself says in the last chapter of the book of Job. Yet, we CAN REALLY KNOW God, and we are CALLED TO REALLY KNOW God. But, it must be born out of spending time before the Lord in prayer, meditation on God’s Word, fasting, etc. We do not do these things to EARN entrance to intimacy—it is just the way to intimately know God. We need to set aside distractions (sin, desires for pleasure that war in our members, TV, other good things, etc.) in order to know God. It is easier to talk about it than to do it. Yet, IT IS WORTH IT! The Lutheran pastor Johann C. Blumhardt (1805-1880) is one example of reaching deep into the treasures of the Presence of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4 (NKJV) 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” [Psalm 116:10] we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. NOTE: Now the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul speaks how we can reach into the treasures of the Presence of Christ. Reading a portion of Psalm 116 (NKJV) is very helpful in understanding what the Holy Spirit is saying in 2 Corinthians 4:13 Psalm 116 (NKJV) 1 I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. 3 The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!” 5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful. 6 The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. 7 Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. 10 I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.” ~~~ The Jewish translation and comment on Psalm 116 is extremely useful and helpful in helping me understanding what the Holy Spirit speaks through the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:13. THEN I WOULD INVOKE THE NAME OF HASHEM: ‘PLEASE HASHEM, SAVE MY SOUL!’ This denotes fervent pleading. GRACIOUS IS HASHEM AND RIGHTEOUS, OUR GOD IS MERCIFUL. The Psalmist explains that BEFORE He invoked Hashem’s Name, these thoughts passed through his mind. That is, he meditated on God’s Word, in which his faith was planted, and out of which his faith grows. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget NOT His benefits.” RETURN TO YOUR REST, MY SOUL; FOR HASHEM HAS BEEN KIND TO YOU. I said to my soul that it would find peace and comfort ONLY if it would return to Hashem. I KEPT THE FAITH ALTHOUGH I WOULD SAY, ‘I SUFFER EXCEEDINGLY.’ I trust that which I have previously said – ‘Return my soul, unto your rest’ – for I believe that God can redeem me from my deep suffering and restore my tranquility. That last comment is a TREMENDOUS blessing! It really unlocked a key for me. In essence, this has been my meditation today: David calls upon the Lord. Before he does so, however, he meditates on the CHARACTER of God as WRITTEN IN THE WORD of God in order to establish his prayers in the faith God can accept. I call on the Lord. Before I do so, however, I meditate on the CHARACTER of God as WRITTEN IN THE WORD of God in order to establish his prayers in the faith God can accept. As David meditates on the Lord, he speaks to his soul that it would find peace and comfort ONLY if it would return to Hashem. He casts all of his care, all of his being, onto the Lord, the ONLY Source of his total life! As I meditate on the Lord, I speak to my soul that it would find peace and comfort ONLY if it would return to Hashem. I cast all of his care, all of his being, onto the Lord, the ONLY Source of his total supply! Then, David verbally RE-AFFIRMS the positive confession he made earlier in the midst of a great trial: He trusts that which he had previously said – ‘Return my soul, unto your rest’ – for I believe that God can redeem me from my deep suffering and restore my tranquility. Vance
Old Testament – Elihu continues his strong discourse from yesterday! There is a lot of good stuff in his words today. Chapter 34 verse 12 is awesome – “There is no truer statement than this: God will not do wrong. The Almighty cannot twist justice.” I pray you believe this verse to be very true…? In chapter 35 the beginning of verse 26 really stood out to me – “Look, God is exalted beyond what we can understand.” This is a powerful verse to meditate upon. It is so true! Certainly in this life we can know many things about God. We can read God’s Words in the Bible. We can surrender our lives to God’s perfect Son, Jesus. We can allow God’s Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. And yet, even after all of this, isn’t God still exalted beyond what we can understand? This is beautiful to think about. Beautiful to know. We will not fully understand God this side of heaven. But I do think we can certainly begin to know more and more about God and His holy love and righteousness and grace as we go through our lives. God’s glory is so immense that we have a lifetime of adventure before us as we learn and experience more and more of God’s glory. And then, as we pass on to the other side of this life, there is an eternity with God! The God of all glory. Who is exalted beyond what we can fully understand this side of heaven. Preach it Elihu!
New Testament – I love Second Corinthians chapter 4 verse 1 today. In fact, if there is nothing else you remember from today’s readings I hope you will remember the last 4 words of this verse always – “And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up.” We never give up. That is powerful for each of us to remember. Why? Because we will have good and bad days. Days when we are happy. Days when we might be feeling sad. And there will be days when we make mistakes. When we will stumble. When we will fall. But you know what has often gotten me through days like those? This simple prayer or statement or something that fortunately comes into my mind – “I’m not giving up!” We shouldn’t say this as justification for our falling short of God’s plan for our life. But, when we do fall short, I have found it helpful. Or, if I haven’t fallen short, but bad stuff is happening to me, I say it. And I don’t say it just to myself – as if my own will power will get me through the tough times. I say it to God. I say it really as a prayer. I say it almost as a statement against the devil, who would love nothing more than for us to give up. The devil would love it if we stumbled and stayed on the ground. If we decided this Christianity thing was just not for us. But you know what – don’t give up! When times are tough. When you stumble, pray it to God – “I’m not giving up.” Tell it to yourself. We’re not giving up! We’re never giving up…. (go frog!) 🙂
Verse 7 today is indeed a wonderful reminder that we humans are but jars of clay – “But this precious treasure–this light and power that now shine within us–is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.'” We really do have very fragile bodies. They are wonderful! But they are fragile. They break. They will die. As one writer puts it, “our condition is terminal.” And it’s true. This side of heaven, our bodies will eventually wear out. But – as Paul tells us in this verse – there is light and power that shines within us when we are in relationship with Jesus! The Holy Spirit indwells our earthen vessels. Our jars of clay. And hopefully we and others recognize that the glory within us is not our own. It is of God. And it is a glory that is available to anyone. Free of charge. It is grace and it beckons us to receive God’s glory in our jars of clay so that we will live eternally in heavenly bodies. But for now, we are simply in the hands of the Potter…
Psalms – Psalm 44 verse 3 is a wise statement about where the Israelites and our true strength and victory in life comes from – “They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strength that gave them victory. It was by your mighty power that they succeeded; it was because you favored them and smiled on them.” As you look back on your life and at the good things that have happened to you, do you think that these things occurred because of your own power or work alone? Or, do you think it is possible that God’s hand was blessing your life through all of those good things – even if maybe you did not notice God was there at the time?
Proverbs – Proverbs 22 verse 12 is convicting – “The LORD preserves knowledge, but he ruins the plans of the deceitful.” This Proverb reminds me that we truly need to examine our motives. Why do we do what we do? Why do we give? Why do we love? Why do we volunteer? And this list goes on. And I think we need to continually pray that we are doing what we do for pure motives. Not for any hidden agendas. Let us not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. Because, if we are acting with hidden agendas – selfish motives – it is deceitful. Deceitful to others and deceitful to ourselves. We may be tricking ourselves into thinking we are doing something for pure motives when truly there is a selfish agenda in the shadows. God’s grace and love and knowledge can of course heal us of our impure motives. And this indeed may be a process over the course of our lifetime. I guess this Proverb jumped out at me because I am realizing that there are times when I do not act with pure motives – particularly when it comes to doing something that on the surface looks good. I am unfortunately oftentimes subconsciously looking for some glory. And ultimately, I know that selfish plans will fail. They will be ruined. How about you? Why do you do what you do? Why do you give? Why do you love? Why do you volunteer? Is it all for the glory of God? Or is there any hint of wanting your own glory?
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Second Corinthians about “Jars of Clay” reminds me of this Jars of Clay 🙂 song called “Two Hands:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today:“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that though you may be hard pressed on every side that you will not be crushed, through your saving faith in Jesus. Pray that that though you may find times in your life that you are perplexed, that you will not despair. Pray that if you are ever persecuted, you will not feel abandoned, but know that Jesus holds you in His hands.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS: (our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Job 34:1-36:33 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, from the Almighty to do evil. (Job 34:10 NET.) Elihu is absolutely correct in his assessment; however, he like Job and his friends assume that it was God that brought this turn of events upon Job. Like all tests given to people the test maker devises the test to measure how well the person has learned the lessons. However, in Job’s case, in our case, God is not the one who creates the tests, the devil and our own sins create the trials and temptations we encounter; however, God uses those trials as tests. He, God doesn’t have to tests us because he knows everything about us, the one who needs the information the test scores brings is US and possibly the devil. If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small, (Proverbs 24:10 AMP) so the writer of Proverbs states. Crises do not come to take us out; they come to reveal the cracks. Growth comes by way of crises, plans come by way of crises and truth, the truth about ourselves come by way of crises. All truth is confrontational especially the truth about ourselves. Now why did I go off on that tangent? ELIHU PROCEEDED and said, Bear with me and wait a little longer, and I will show you, for I have something still to say on God’s behalf. (Job 36:1-2 AMP) Are Elihu’s words presumptuous here, not forgetting that he is sort of a Blow-Hard, but does God really need us to speak, work on His behalf? Has God become senile, has He become weak? What we “do” for God I believe God alowss us to do, He always us to be Co-laborers with Him and in that we should be blessed and in awe of His graciousness and His mercy. Hmmm, the process of evaporation was known back in the 10th century B.C., Just a little side note. Behold, God is great, and we know Him not! The number of His years is unsearchable. [I Cor. 13:12.] For He draws up the drops of water, which distil as rain from His vapor, Which the skies pour down and drop abundantly upon [the multitudes of] mankind. (Job 36:26-28 AMP) II Corinthians 4:1-12 I like this, Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God. (2 Corinthians 4:1-2 MSG) I love Paul’s integrity, his faith in God and His Word, his faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross can be clearly seen in the first two verses of this chapter. Jesus said, “And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me.” (John 12:32 MSG). Paul preached, “…nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2 NET.) Today, we have chicken dinners, great singers, bands, flash, lights, smoke and mirrors to attract folks to church. Where is the “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” message? Do many fall away because we present a Christ that is not true, do we subvert the message because we don’t really believe in it and its power to change the lives of people? As the Newsweek article that Mike linked stated, American’s are looking for the spiritual, they want an experience with God. But is the experience we Believers are giving them is it God? No every sprit is of God. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 NET.) Psalm 44:1-8 In the vernacular of the masses, this Psalm can be summed up in one sentence, It Ain’t about you, or us, it’s all about God! Proverbs 22:10-12 Hmmm, 10 Throw out the mocker, and fighting, quarrels, and insults will disappear. Sooo does that mean if you have fighting, quarreling and insulting behavior in the midst, which is an effect then there must be a mocker as the cause. What’s going on on your job, in your home? Does this verse go along with what is written in the Book of James? For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices. (James 3:16 AMP) Grace and peace, Ramona
======= Mary:
my friend and i are going to green pastures and we found so much encouragement relevant to our own personal situations.may godbless you with a double portion so that you can continue to feed others. Mary
======= Jill:
thanks for the encouragement. or thank God rather, about not giving up. Jill
======= Jeff:
I noticed Ramona’s aside about the ancient people understanding the water cycle, too. Also, the 28th chapter points out that they were well versed in the technology of underground mining and smelting of ores, and had an idea of the underground rocks being “transformed as by fire.” These old timers were no dummies. They observed nature and interpreted it wisely. But the little gem that really catches my eye in this passage is in 35:10. “But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,’” What musician hasn’t awakened in the morning with a glorious musical inspiration? Something new and exciting that hadn’t previously crossed their mind? Elihu tells us where they come from! : ) Jeff
======== Art:
Psalm 44:3 This is a beautiful parable of the work of salvation. Man is not saved without prayer, repentance, etc., but none of these save man. Salvation is altogether of the Lord. Yes, its not about what we do, but rather about what the Lord does. Art
======= Dee:
I love the stork and the frog in never giving up! Ever..and where Elihu spoke from his head instead of his heart. All in all good story Dee
======= John:
Job What about Elihu? After Job gives his last speech (ch. 31) which is basically self-vidication, he rests. Not only does Job recount the sins he did not commit, but in the last few verses claims to be environmetally and ecologically correct : ) Who is this guy? He gets six chapters, so he must be important???? Is he the mediator Job wishes for in earlier chapters? Is he the false prophet as some claim? Or is Elihu analogous to John the Baptist in that he prepares the way for the Lord in this story? Elihu means “My God is He” or another translation “in God’s stead”. Reading ahead Elihu is not mentioned by God, but the other four are addressed. Some feel he is loving and gentle – yet very critical of Job. It is also said Elihu does not reason (like the three friends) – but reveals. Who is Elihu? ====================================================== ELIHU Some think Elihu is a bit of a braggart. but consider the times, and he may be just laying the platform for a “right to speak”. Elihu says the friends are wrong by saying suffering is in correlation to unrighteousness. They offer no remedy to Job’s condition – yet they condemn Job. This condemning (judgment – “krinos”) is the kind Jesus later said we are not to do. Job is wrong – the root problem with Job is there’s a sediment of pride in the bottom of the beaker of his life and when he’s upset by the 3….the sediment stirs up with his life of righteousness……and thats a problem – john Piper http://www.suffering.net/piper3.htm In Job’s self-vindication – Job has gone too far. God is not accountable to man, but it is the other way around. How often when disasters happen do we hear people want to know “Why did God allow this?” Interesting, that when good things happen in life – I am not so sure the same people are there to thank God. God is not his enemy. There is another reason that God punishes. Elihu feels there is a residue of pride in the righteous. Chastisement is the correction. ‘Like a surgeons knife causes pain, but the purpose is to cure.’ (John Piper) ====================================================== Some revealing statements: God is just Job34:12 “It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.” Should there be forgiveness with no repentance? Job34:33 Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? Elihu believes Job has added rebellion to his sin of pride. Man brings nothing to the table. Job 35:7-8 If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only the sons of men. [NOTE: We can do good or bad in this world. Good or bad can be recognized by mankind. But what has this to do with standing before God? We are not perfect – thus we have no standing before God on our own merit.] God does not answer the cries (prayers) of the wicked. Job 35:12 He does not answer when men cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked. [Note: I believe this is also mentioned in Proverbs. It may sound harsh, but I believe the first prayer God will heed from man is – “I am lost – save me”. Think about it – Why should God heed (he hears, but will not heed) a request from one who rejects Him? And later rejects His Son and plan of salvation?] Again repentance is the key to forgiveness. Job 36:10-11 He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. Man rejects or accepts. Job 36:13,15 “The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help….But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.” God is calling you Job. He is trying to get your attention. God is not a bellhop – who is at our beck and call. Quit trying to deal with God. Treat God with the respect He deserves. Know that His wonders are beyond our comprehension. Be in awe and revere God. John
======= John:
Job 34:1-36:33 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, from the Almighty to do evil. (Job 34:10 NET.) Elihu is absolutely correct in his assessment; however, he like Job and his friends assume that it was God that brought this turn of events upon Job. Like all tests given to people the test maker devises the test to measure how well the person has learned the lessons. However, in Job’s case, in our case, God is not the one who creates the tests, the devil and our own sins create the trials and temptations we encounter; however, God uses those trials as tests. He, God doesn’t have to tests us because he knows everything about us, the one who needs the information the test scores brings is US and possibly the devil. If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small, (Proverbs 24:10 AMP) so the writer of Proverbs states. Crises do not come to take us out; they come to reveal the cracks. Growth comes by way of crises, plans come by way of crises and truth, the truth about ourselves come by way of crises. All truth is confrontational especially the truth about ourselves. Now why did I go off on that tangent? ELIHU PROCEEDED and said, Bear with me and wait a little longer, and I will show you, for I have something still to say on God’s behalf. (Job 36:1-2 AMP) Are Elihu’s words presumptuous here, not forgetting that he is sort of a Blow-Hard, but does God really need us to speak, work on His behalf? Has God become senile, has He become weak? What we “do” for God I believe God alowss us to do, He always us to be Co-laborers with Him and in that we should be blessed and in awe of His graciousness and His mercy. Hmmm, the process of evaporation was known back in the 10th century B.C., Just a little side note. Behold, God is great, and we know Him not! The number of His years is unsearchable. [I Cor. 13:12.] For He draws up the drops of water, which distil as rain from His vapor, Which the skies pour down and drop abundantly upon [the multitudes of] mankind. (Job 36:26-28 AMP) II Corinthians 4:1-12 I like this, Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God. (2 Corinthians 4:1-2 MSG) I love Paul’s integrity, his faith in God and His Word, his faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross can be clearly seen in the first two verses of this chapter. Jesus said, “And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me.” (John 12:32 MSG). Paul preached, “…nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2 NET.) Today, we have chicken dinners, great singers, bands, flash, lights, smoke and mirrors to attract folks to church. Where is the “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” message? Do many fall away because we present a Christ that is not true, do we subvert the message because we don’t really believe in it and its power to change the lives of people? As the Newsweek article that Mike linked stated, American’s are looking for the spiritual, they want an experience with God. But is the experience we Believers are giving them is it God? No every sprit is of God. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 NET.) Psalm 44:1-8 In the vernacular of the masses, this Psalm can be summed up in one sentence, It Ain’t about you, or us, it’s all about God! Proverbs 22:10-12 Hmmm, 10 Throw out the mocker, and fighting, quarrels, and insults will disappear. Sooo does that mean if you have fighting, quarreling and insulting behavior in the midst, which is an effect then there must be a mocker as the cause. What’s going on on your job, in your home? Does this verse go along with what is written in the Book of James? For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices. (James 3:16 AMP) John
======= John:
2Cor4:1-12 Review Mercy–not getting what you do deserve / withheld punishment Grace–getting what you don’t deserve / unmerited favor ====================================================== Paul realizes that he has been shown God’s mercy. Since he is divinely called, will he also not be divinely enabled? Thus Paul can have confidence in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul preached boldly (with no fear), humbly (message of the cross/it is not about mankind), truthfully, and with integrity. [NOTE: Paul did not complain of what he did not have, but rejoiced in what he was given. Can we say the same?] ====================================================== 2Cor4:4a “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers…” Age or world can be interchanged. But – Who is the “god of this age”? Satan, the concept of false idols, or something we concentrate (and hence worship) more than God? Or “all of the above”. Realize that Satan uses idols and outside interests to detract and diminish God – anything to keep people from seeking God. Satan has no power to blind peoples minds. God does, but Satan does not. So how does he do this “blinding” of Gentiles? Through “lies and deceit”. John 8:44 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” NIV It is all a big “con” job with satan. Think about how a “con man” operates. A con man does not steal your money – he gets you to give it to him. How? By creating a scenario that is very believable (but not true), in that scenario the “con man” appeals to the “victim’s” pride, intelligence, greed,etc. The victim falls for the story, and hands over some money. In the end – the victim is separated from his money, and left with nothing. satan works the same way. A scenario is created that comes close to God’s plan, but does not include Jesus or concept of grace. The victim has his ego stroked. Your a smart guy. You can figure this out. Doesn’t this make sense to you? In the end, one is left not separated from money – but from God. How many people do you know that have it all figured out? Have something that works for them. Makes sense to them. Gives them a participatory role in their going to heaven. The problem is they are self-centered – focusing on what they know, what they can figure out. As long as they are looking inward for the solution, they will always be blinded. Until they turn to God and quit looking inward – they will never find the “truth”. In essence, Satan convinces one to blind himself from the truth. That is the ultimate “con job”. ====================================================== I like in verse 6 that Paul references Genesis: “Let light shine out of darkness” to give us the idea that we are a new creation”. ====================================================== JARS OF CLAY Not ming dynasty valuable vases, but jars of clay. The treasure is not the jar – it is common everyday vessel – but in what is inside the jar. So that it would be evident to anyone who had eyes to see that the work was being done by the power of God, not the power of the vessel. Paul keeps refering to the death of and life in Christ. If we did not have Christ’s death we would not be able to have the “life in Him”. The two are intertwined. I need to keep an eye on this next year in readings, but a commentator mentioned – whenever Christ talked about his coming death in the Gospels – he also always refered to the resurrection. The two go hand in hand. Missed this back in Matthew Matt6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” NIV I always thought a later scribe added “one” after evil – from the scribe’s own line of thought for clarification. Turns out that “evil” in Greek is “poneros” and it is being used in the nominative case in this verse. Jesus is naming/giving a title to “evil”. “The word is used in the nominative case in Mt. 6:13. This usually denotes a title in the Greek. Hence Christ is saying, deliver us from “The Evil”, and is probably referring to Satan.” http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/4/1156971793-3363.html Guess the scribe was correct in adding “one” to the text : ) Just adding to my list for reality of entity known as – satan. Posting for others that might be doing the same. John
======= Vance:
2 Corinthians 4 (NKJV) 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. Psalm 44 (NKJV) 4 You are my King, O God; command [or, Who commands] victories for Jacob. 5 Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. Psalm 44 (NIV) 4 You are my King and my God, Who decrees victories for Jacob. [or, King, O God; / command victories for Jacob] 5 Through you we push back our enemies; through Your Name we trample our foes. NOTE: May we pray, wait on the Lord, fast, do whatever the Spirit of God is prompting us to do so “the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body”. It is true that Christ is in all believers—but are the Presence, Authority, and Love Christ being seen through us? We may not always see or know how the Lord Jesus is using us. If we are totally surrendered and consecrated to the Lord, we will “see and follow” the Holy Spirit very closely as did the Perfect Man, the Lord Jesus, and as did the apostles in the NT. Galatians 2 (KJV) 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. ~~~ God has decreed victories for Jacob, i.e., has commanded victories for Jacob. May we truly enter into the GLORY of Christ so we are a living letter, a living doorway to the Glorious Presence of Christ. May we always pray for the peace of Jacob (i.e., Israel) as a nation. Israel’s enemies, no matter who, will fail. Psalm 44 (NKJV) 7 But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. 8 In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever. Selah May we pray for the spiritual Israel as well. Galatians 6 (NKJV) 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. May we pray for many Arabs, as well as other Gentiles, to come to truly know the Prince of Peace. Vance
I do not watch much TV and only been to a movie theater twice in last two years. satan is not stupid – he knows “Lust” is my greatest weakness. I eliminated internet as a problem, but I constantly get visual stimulation, sometimes offers from women, and constant memories of my past in the “lust” area.
Isaiah 1:1-2:22
Ahh, this book contains some of my favorite passages. There is a verse in the 49th chapter that utterly floored me when I did my first read through the bible seventeen years ago. It was one of three verses that literally spoke to me in such a way that my life immediately changed.
Come, let’s consider your options,” says the Lord. “Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool. If you have a willing attitude and obey, then you will again eat the good crops of the land. (Isaiah 1:18-19 NET.)
When I first came upon these verses I realized that God wanted me to dialogue with Him. I could not only bring my problems, but I could debate with Him, I could bring to Him those things that I didn’t see as “sin” and God would talk to me about it. I took God up on his offer almost twenty years ago and I haven’t stopped talking to him sense. There are many people who are afraid to challenge God about the things they see, the unfairness the wickedness and the things they read in God’s Word, I’m not. I have gone to God often about the things I thought were unfair and have had my eyes opened every time by the great Master.
The last verse in today’s reading, 2:22, is so deep in its depth of understanding.
22 Stop putting your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. How can they be of help to anyone?
To often we put our trust in men and they fail us and then we get all bent out of joint. Man is not God. If we can just get this Wisdom down in our spirits, if we can just grasp the understanding of this verse, then we will learn how to manage our disappointments.
We are not disappointed by what we find, we are disappointed by what we expected to find. If we keep putting our trust in men, government, relatives and ideologies, we will always be disappointed.
II Corinthians 10:1-18
One of the reasons we, God’s folks, have such a hard time with taking up God’s weapons and putting down ours is because we want to be in charge and we are rebellious. That rebellious nature can even be seen in a two-year old child who insist on putting on his shoes by himself, even when he is trying to put them on the “wrong” foot. Rejecting all help and suggestions the child stubbornly resists the help and walks around for a very long time with the right shoes on the wrong foot. How much like that child are we? We pick up vengeance, manipulation, violence and all the other human tools to try to get people to do things the right way or at least the way we want.
If we use God’s weapons then God will get the Glory, which is rightly His. However, if we use our puny weapons and win the battle, although we will latter find out we lost the war, we stand and take credit for everything thus feeding our egos. The seventh verse tells us why this will not work:
7 The trouble with you is that you make your decisions on the basis of appearance.
The type of weapon used in a war is always based on information about the enemy, wrong information means wrong weapons will be used. Since God knows everything, He is the one we need to trust to supply the right weapon at the right time.
Psalm 52:1-9
This Psalm is an example of a man who was defeated by God’s weapons. (1 Sam. 21-22),
Psalms 52:3-5 AMP
(3) You love evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness, justice, and right. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
(4) You love all destroying and devouring words, O deceitful tongue.
(5) God will likewise break you down and destroy you forever; He will lay hold of you and pluck you out of your tent and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
Proverbs 22:26-27
I know the words in these two verse speak about co-signing someone’s loan or note and we immediately think of paying back money on a debt that we didn’t make. I think this concept of taking on monetary debt is part of it but a very small part. What we are vouching for is the person’s character and integrity. Our integrity is manifested by our deeds, our behavior. Either we have it or we don’t. If someone needs a loaned co-signed then it means the lender doesn’t trust the person. As a co-signer we are vouch safe the person by connecting our integrity with his or hers. There is a 50/50 chance that the person can pull the co-signer down to his or her level if they don’t pay back the loan; or they will come up to the level of the co-signer. Either way the co-signer has placed his/her reputation into someone else’s hands. The more I think about this the more I believe that these two verses need to be looked at in the light of the reading from yesterday because they share the same principal.
Yesterdays reading:
Make no friendships with a man given to anger, and with a wrathful man do not associate, Lest you learn his ways and get yourself into a snare. (Proverbs 22:24-25 AMP)
And today’s reading:
Be not one of those who strike hands and pledge themselves, or of those who become security for another’s debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take your bed from under you? (Proverbs 22:26-27 AMP)
Both passages have the common theme of not allowing someone else to define, damage or make our integrity and reputation.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
======= Luch:
Isaiah 1:2 “Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! This is what the LORD says, “The children I raised and cared for have turned against me.” What a helpful, reassuring word for parents who are in pain because their own children have gone away from God or the values they may have been brought up with. In a child centered community as cultural Christians have produced, this verse reminds us that even perfect parents (such as God our FAther) can do a perfect job of raising their kids in an idyllic environment and THEY STILL REBEL. Parents try to control their kids environments by sending them religiously to church, to private schools, keeping them ‘sheltered’ from the bad old world, and yet they still rebel. Go figure. It seems to me that righteousness in our children cannot be legislated or imposed. Righteousness must be chosen. see Hebrews 5:12-14. People mature as they learn to distinguish good from evil.
I have raised 3 sons all ranging from ages 27 to 20. Although I am relieved to say that each of them is walking with God today, at different times they have lived far from God DUE TO THEIR OWN CHOICES, not because I was a lousy parent, although I have failed many times as a parent.
I just want to say to parents who have rebellious kids, take heart. God understands how you feel. REad Isaiah 1:2 again in this light, and then go read Jeremiah 31:16 “But now the LORD says ,”Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you. Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” says the LORD. Your children will come again to their own land…”
I love what Billy Graham’s wife Ruth said, “It’s my job to love Billy. It’s God’s job to change him.’ I think that applies to raising our kids too. The story of their son Franklin Graham’s rebellion and return to God is very encouraging to those of us who have had prodigals.
Many times the prodigals make the strongest followers of Jesus.
Luch
======= Steve:
Hey Mike,
I just discovered your blog this morning, and I am VERY impressed! Today is the day! I have been putting off my daily time with the LORD for some time now. But today when I woke up a voice in my head said, “come and spend some time with me.” I got up, made coffee and started to read the newspaper (ignoring the voice). The voice in my head kept saying, “seek me first…” and, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer. 29:13
I put down my coffee and newspaper and Googled “daily bible reading plan,” which led me here.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Steve
======= Jan:
Steve, welcome to our family at OYBB – you have a precious last name & I love the movie Schindler’s List; what a privilege to do what he did for the Jews.
Isn’t God amazing how He continually prompts us to spend time with Him.
Also, Mike – I think it is interesting the picture from Rowe with the eagle in the background – seems the prophetic is always portrayed symbolically by the eagle.
Jan
======= Sue:
I also want to extend my welcome to you Steve.
Praise God you heard and answered His call. Grow and learn with us; this place is truly a treasure!
Sue
====== Laura:
Welcome Steve
Now that we are in the welcoming mode, I just had one comment: Isn’t God an Awesome God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He reached out into the spans of the world wide net and speaks His words to the masses. It brings me joy to know that God has gone high tech……. Pretty cool
Laura
====== Steve:
Jan & SissySue (What a GREAT name!) Thanks for such a warm welcome and encouragement! I can tell already that God led me here for a reason!
Jan, that was a great movie, huh? Overwhelming. I visited the Concentration Camp at Dachau on a trip to Europe years ago. My heart was in my throat! How God keeps putting up with us is beyond my understanding.
Yes Laura!!! What an awesome God we serve. Thank you for the welcome also. My oldest daughter’s name is Laura. I love that name.
Steve
====== Pat:
Welcome Steve! I’m the granny in this wonderful Christian group. So nice to have you as a member of our family.
God Bless!
Pat
======= Ramona:
Hi Steve,
I have participated in the OYB Blog going on two years and I just love it. For me it is a place for me to journal my thoughts and comments without worrying about am I fitting into the denomination or church setting. This is a place where I can wrestle with God and learn from others who are doing the same thing.
And a big Thanks for giving us your Testimony on how you got here. It helps us to remember that God still speaks to us even when we don’t want to listen He continues to call us and direct us.
May God’s mercy, grace and wisdom be imparted to you as you journey with us.
Isaiah 1:1-2:22
It is said of the Prophet Isaiah that, “He cried loud and spared not.” John the Baptist herald the coming of Jesus and he cried loud and didn’t spare anyone the blunt message he was told to deliver. In the second verse of the first chapter, Isaiah gets down to business. No how are you, no you are blessed like the Apostle Paul gave in the introduction of his letters. Bam—Isaiah tells Judah, you guys are in trouble.
The ritual’s don’t have any meaning to God, the clothes don’t mean anything and the number of sheep, lambs, goats and bulls sacrificed on the alter doesn’t mean anything without the right heart.
Isa 1:12 When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want this —
animals trampling on my courtyards?
Isa 1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless offerings;
I consider your incense detestable!
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations!
Isa 1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;
they are a burden
that I am tired of carrying.
John the Baptist cried out, … “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! (Luke 3:7-8 NET.)
If Isaiah cried out in the Old and John cried out in the New before the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, who is crying out today? And most important, whose listening?
Grace and peace,
Ramona
====== Steve:
WOW! What a great group! I am overwhelmed by your welcome. Thank You. You all have made me feel like I belong here. All God’s Blessings. Steve
======= Jan:
Believe me Ramona, I live the prophet’s scorn; but the Word of God says that if we receive the prophet, we also receive their reward & not many do either!!! 🙂
Steve, isn’t it wonderful when you find home… 🙂
Jan
======= Luch:
Isaiah 1:2 reminds us that we cannot produce ‘perfectly obedient christian kids’. Even our heavenly Father’s kids rebelled against him in a perfect environment. Who are we to think we can do better.
thank God for the grace in our children’s lives that allows them to be found by Him, in spite of good or bad parenting.
Luch
====== Langat:
thanks a lot for your sacrificial work
Langat
======= Miriam:
The verse that stood our form me is Psalm 52:9 “I will wait for your mercies in the presence of your people.”
Yes, I will wait for God’s mercies in spiritual and other aspects of my life. I will wait and not be impatient. I will wait in the presence of His people and look for solutions from the Word and not from the world.
Miriam
======= Beth:
Just a quick opinion. I don’t think it’s wise to even co-sign loans for our children. We need to teach them to live within their means. There are no addendum to that verse!
Beth
======= Charles:
Hi
Enjoy reading your blog and the comments, it helps me to consistently read God’s Word!
The readings from 2nd Corinthians made me think of the recent movie “War Room”.
Charles
======= Imja:
I love how tangible our Good Father is! He loves to communicate with us. He desires us to come and see what is on His heart for us.
Is. 1:18
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
2 Cor. 10:17
But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Ps.52:8+9
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.
Shalom to all 🙂
Imja
======= Dee:
I have to say in all the years I have went back and forth with studying..17 years it took me to mature and stay the course and get to the beginnings of Isaiah. I love and this is new to me: that Isaiah is a small version of the bible. There are 66 chapters in Isaiah like there are 66 books in Bible. 39 chapters of the sins of the world just like in our OT..and 27 chapters of the Hope of the gospel. Just like NT. How neat.
2nd Corinthians boldness must be mixed with meekness..resetting our mindset with the love of Christ! And mindset of christ.
When the Edomite was coming to Saul to humble or call him out: he told him that he loveth evil more than good; and lying rather to speak righteousness. Ouch!! It is better to love mercy and trust in the Lord rather than Riches. Amen
Proverbs 22: 26-27
Why are you putting up securities for unfaithful people and you are suffering. If you fail to pay..it gets bad and your bed could be taken..yikes.
Dee
======= Vance:
2 CORINTHIANS 10
4
We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds.
I like this comment:
“But, good news is that we have access to God’s “weapons” through our relationship with his son Jesus.”
One day while I was meditating on this, this thought occurred to me: God has given me His weapons. That might sound obvious… but did you get it? Do I get it?
I Samuel 17:47: “…for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
Yes, without faith it is impossible to be aware of God, know He is real, come to Him, and receive from Him. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) reads:
But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
Though my faith and your faith is very important (as Jesus said many times—“Your faith has saved you” “Your faith has made you whole”), there is no such thing as faith by itself.
All people—even atheists—have faith in someone or something. It is not possible to have faith WITHOUT a point of reference—a person, a thing, or a belief—that faith rests on. Example: I am sitting in a chair at this moment. The fact that I am sitting in the chair demonstrates that I have faith that the chair will hold me up. Otherwise, I would never be sitting in it.
All of us—no matter who we are—trust the government in some degree, the grocery store, the bank, etc.
GOD IS FAITHFUL… and KNOWING WHO GOD IS enables our faith to be rooted IN HIM, and enables our faith to RISE UP within us so we can “be strong in the Lord, and in the Power of HIS might.” (Ephesians 6)
The point is this: God has given me and given you HIS WEAPONS… and HIS WEAPONS NEVER FAIL!
So… we can always trust His Word, as long as we yield our mind, thoughts, way, and will to His mind, thoughts, way, and will.
PSALM 89
33
Nevertheless, My loving-kindness will I not break off from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail [to lie and be false to him].
34
My covenant will I not break or profane, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips.
35
Once [for all] have I sworn by My holiness, which cannot be violated; I will not lie to David:
36
His Offspring shall endure forever, and his throne [shall continue] as the sun before Me.
But this necessarily means that we must seek the Lord, in truth and sincerity, from our hearts, in loving surrender and submission. The Holy Spirit through Isaiah makes this VERY CLEAR:
ISAIAH 1
14
I hate all your festivals and sacrifices. I cannot stand the sight of them!
15
From now on, when you lift up your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look. Even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen. For your hands are covered with the blood of your innocent victims.
16
Wash yourselves and be clean! Let me no longer see your evil deeds. Give up your wicked ways.
17
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows.
18
“Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.
19
If you will only obey me and let me help you, then you will have plenty to eat.
20
But if you keep turning away and refusing to listen, you will be destroyed by your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
** NO MATTER HOW GOOD OR HOW RELIGIOUS we look to others, God knows our hearts. And, eventually our hearts will manifest in our words and lives that others can see.
ISAIAH 2
3
Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Temple of the God of Israel. There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him.” For in those days the LORD’s teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem.
6
The LORD has rejected the people of Israel because they have made alliances with foreigners from the East who practice magic and divination, just like the Philistines.
10
Crawl into caves in the rocks. Hide from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty.
19
When the LORD rises to shake the earth, his enemies will crawl with fear into holes in the ground. They will hide in caves in the rocks from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty.
20
They will abandon their gold and silver idols to the moles and bats.
21
They will crawl into caverns and hide among the jagged rocks at the tops of cliffs. In this way, they will try to escape the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty as he rises to shake the earth.
Notice that last phrase:
“…In this way, they will try to escape the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty as he rises to shake the earth.”
IT WILL BE TOO LATE AT THAT TIME. I am once again asking the Lord to help me get a clear handle on the difference between the fear of the Lord and the kind of terror described above.
Yes… we are to really fear God. In our “I am OK – You are OK” mentality of today’s culture and in the desire to honor another person’s “sincerely held religious beliefs”—it is easy to forget this.
Note these verses on the FEAR OF THE LORD (Amplified Bible)
PSALM 85
9
Surely His salvation is near to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, [and is ready to be appropriated] that [the manifest presence of God, His] glory may tabernacle and abide in our land.
10
Mercy and loving-kindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
MATTHEW 10
26
So have no fear of them; for nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, or kept secret that will not become known.
28
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).
I JOHN 4
18
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].
19
We love Him, because He first loved us.
** MAY WE SEEK THE LORD, TRULY BE ESTABLISHED IN THE LORD AND HIS WORD, SO WE WILL BE ESTABLISHED. Then, let the “chips” fall where they may. Others can come with us or not. Are we willing to make that choice? Am I?
Read Psalm 85:9 above again. May we be that generation.
MATTHEW 10
37
He who loves [and takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me;
38
And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me.
Vance
======== Vance:
Isaiah 1 (NKJV)
11
“ To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says the LORD. “ I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats.
12
“ When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?
13
Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14
Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.
15
When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
18
“ Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “ Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19
If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land
21
How the faithful city has become a harlot! it was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.
22
Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.
2 Corinthians 10 (NKJV)
17
But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”[Jeremiah 9:24]
18
For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.
NOTE:
How many of us are really the same way. We want to look good to others, but inside we are full of intense desires that do not please God. And certainly if these desires were known by men, they would appreciate them either!
Mark 7 (NKJV)
20
And He [Jesus] said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.
21
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23
All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
~~~
When “silver has become dross, wine [is] mixed with water”, I pray the Lord will reveal this to us. Purity of heart and motive is key. As Andrew Murray says in “With Christ In The School Of Prayer”:
“It is in prayer that we hold up our desires to the light of God’s Holy Will, that our motives are tested, and proof given whether we ask indeed in the name of Jesus, and only for the glory of God. It is in prayer that we wait for the leading of the Spirit to show us whether we are asking the right thing in the right spirit.”
To actively and willingly humble myself before the Lord on a daily basis is key. Only God has the right to commend and praise who I am or what I do. “I am what I am by the grace of God”.
Thank God that we can genuinely find forgiveness. Our sins—though obvious with deep stains on our being—can be washed away.
The moment we come to Christ we receive complete forgiveness. The barrier between us and God has been removed. Paul says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Jesus took all our sins—past, present, and future. God takes all our sins and buries them in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
As the Dutch author Corrie Ten Boom used to say, “He puts up a sign saying ‘No fishing’ ”
~~~
Isaiah 2 (NKJV)
1
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.
3
Many people shall come and say, “ Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
17
The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
18
But the idols He shall utterly abolish.
NOTE:
Even in the midst of the sin of the people of Israel and even in the midst of our sins—God sees the completed end.
Right in the middle of the Holy Spirit confronting the people of God with their sins, the Holy Spirit brings with clarity to Isaiah the vision of the people of Israel following after God—such that they become a light and magnet for the nations of God’s Word and glory:
“in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.”
On this mountain, the Holy Spirit sees the Messiah—the Anointed One—the Lord Jesus as the One who is teaching His people and drawing all from every nation to learn from Him.
Truly, the “loftiness of man shall be bowed down” and all idols will be destroyed!
2 Corinthians 10 (NKJV)
3
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
6
and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
NOTE:
I watch the news of what people are doing to others—killing, stealing, etc.—and it grieves me. It is easy for me to see people who do wrong things or believe wrong things as “the enemy”.
Yet, people are the real enemy. The devil is, and therefore the battle is spiritual and can only be won through fasting, prayer, and intercession.
Even when people have so given themselves over to misbeliefs and to Satan’s ways that they choose to be my sworn enemy—of course I have to be wise and see that they have chosen to become my enemy.
Regarding people who chose to become my enemy, we must all lawful means to stop them so they face justice.
Yet, the battle there, too, is spiritual. Only through loving our enemies and deeply praying for them can there be wisdom to experience the victory that Jesus paid for.
Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for them” (Matthew 5).
I like what Andrew Murray says in “With Christ In The School Of Prayer”:
“Lord Jesus! my Blessed Teacher! Teach me to forgive and to love. Let the power of Your blood make the pardon of my sins such a reality, that forgiveness, as shown by You to me, and by me to others, be the very joy of heaven.”
“Show me whatever in my intercourse [interactions] with fellowmen [that] might hinder my fellowship with God, so that my daily life in my own home and in society may be the school in which strength and confidence are gathered for the prayer of faith. Amen.”
Psalm 52 (NKJV)
8
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
9
I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.
NOTE:
Again, we can only flourish as we feed on God, and in prayer and surrender.
Actively waiting on and receiving from God is a high privilege for us who love Jesus.
Proverbs 22 (NKJV)
26
Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who is surety for debts;
27
If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?
NOTE:
What an indictment of American society! May we truly live by what God’s Word says and owe nothing to anyone except to love them.
Romans 13 (NKJV)
8
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
We are not to owe any debt of love by withholding love, and we are not to owe anybody any money either.
Then we are free to really give our time, money, and love to others without being in bondage to the businesses we owe money to.
Vance