I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     After the generation that grew up in the wilderness died, their children did not acknowledge the Lord and took up the worship of Baal. They angered God by worshiping the gods of the people around them. God handed them over to raiders from the nations around them, when they went into battle He was not with them. The people were in great distress. This led God to raise judges for them to lead them against their enemies, but when the judges died the people went back to their evil ways.
     Shortly after Joshua’s death the people of Israel were forced to serve a king of Aram for eight years. When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, He raised up Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, to lead them. God gave Othniel victory over the king of Aram. There was peace in the land for forty years. However, after Othniel’s death the people returned to doing evil in the Lord’s sight.
     God gave Eglon, king of Moab, control over the people of Israel because of their sin. They served him for eighteen years being forced to pay him tribute. When the people of Israel once more cried out to God for help, He sent them a deliverer. Ehud, a left-handed man of the tribe of Benjamin, was sent to deliver the Israelite’s tribute to Eglon. Ehud made himself a long double-edged dagger and strapped it to his thigh, under his clothes. After Ehud delivered the tribute, he started home with those who had helped carry it. However, after they had gone past a point which got the others clear of Eglon’s forces, Ehud turned back. Ehud went to Eglon and told him that he had a secret message for him. Eglon commanded his servants to leave the room. As soon as they left the room, Ehud approached Eglon and told him that he had a message from God for him. Ehud then drew his dagger and buried it in Eglon’s stomach. Ehud closed and locked the doors to the room and escaped down the latrine. When the Eglon’s servants returned and found the doors locked, they thought that Eglon was using the latrine. After a long delay, they forced the doors and found Eglon dead.
     Meanwhile, Ehud had fled and mustered the people of Israel. Ehud took control of the Jordan River crossings and attacked the Moabite forces west of the Jordan River killing about 10,000 of their strongest warriors. Israel had peace for eighty years after that.

     As Jesus and the disciples sat down to eat the Passover meal, Jesus told His disciples that He had been eager to eat this Passover meal with them because it was the last He would eat until its meaning was fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. Jesus then took the cup and told the disciples to share it among them because He would not drink wine again until He did so in the Kingdom of Heaven. He continued by breaking bread and telling them to take it and eat it because it was His body broken for them. He then went on to tell them that one of them, sitting there with Him as a friend, would betray Him.
     The disciples then began to ask each other who among them might do such a thing. This discussion deteriorated into an argument about who was the greatest among them. Jesus interrupted their argument by telling them that the rulers of this world lord it over people and then call themselves the “friend of the people”. Jesus’ followers were not to be like that. If we want to be the greatest among His followers we must take the lowest rank and be the servant of others. The greatest among us are not those who tell others, “Do this” and “Do that”. The greatest among us are those who ask others, “what can I do to serve you?” or perhaps even just go ahead and do it without asking.
     Jesus then turned to Peter and told him that Satan desired to sift him like wheat. But Jesus had pleaded in prayer that his faith would not fail. That when he had repented and turned back to Jesus again, Peter would strengthen his brothers. Peter responded by telling Jesus that he would go to jail with Him, that he would even die for Him. At this Jesus told Peter that before the crow cried Peter would deny Him three times.
     I will probably touch on this again, but this passage is one which gives me heart. If Peter could be forgiven for denying Christ and become such a key contributor to the early Church, then there is hope for me after the times I have failed to stand up for what I believe to avoid being thought silly or looked down on. It does not mean I can do such things with impunity but it means that I dare hope that, if I am faithful going forward, God will make some use of me to build His Kingdom.

     I will proclaim God’s unfailing love in the morning and sing of His great faithfulness in the evening. When I think of what God has done for me, I am thrilled. His great works leave me in a state of awe. The Lord has given me strength and made me strong. The Lord is just and there is no evil in Him.

     If you are wise, you will carefully build your house. On the other hand, those who are foolish tear it down by their foolishness.
     Those who fear the Lord walk upright on a straight path. Those who sneak along in the shadows as they wind their way trying to stay out of sight despise Him.