I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     The passage tells us that after the death of Saul the people of Israel came to David in Hebron and made him king over Israel. David then captured the city of Jerusalem and made it his capital. After describing David’s conquest of Jerusalem the passage lists out many of the mighty warriors who followed David. These were the men whose backing put David in a position to be made king. We are told about The Three and The Thirty, which were two groups of David’s most elite warriors. One of The Thirty was Uriah the Hittite, whose wife was Bathsheba. Knowing this puts David’s affair with Bathsheba, and subsequent arranging of the death of Uriah, in a much worse light than just reading the story itself. Uriah was one of David’s loyal followers from his days fleeing from Saul, yet David betrayed him. After telling us of these two groups the passage goes on to speak of other noteworthy warriors who joined David while he was hiding from Saul.

     Once they were ashore, they learned that they were on the island of Malta. The locals treated them very kindly, going so far as to build them a fire on the beach (since the weather was cold and wet). Paul gathered some brushwood and put it on the fire. As he was doing so a poisonous snake came out of the wood and bit him. The locals saw the snake hanging from his hand and decided that this must be divine judgment against Paul for some crime he had committed against the gods. However, Paul just shook the snake off into the fire and went about his business. The locals expected Paul to show signs of the poisoning and watched him for a while. When after a long time nothing happened to Paul, they decided he must be a god.
     The chief official on the island lived nearby. He invited the shipwreck survivors into his home and made them welcome. His father was sick so Paul went in, laid hands on him, and he was healed. After this all of the sick on the island were brought to Paul and were healed. The people on the island honored Paul and his traveling companions. They gave them supplies for their journey when they set sail once more.
     When Paul arrived in Rome, he was allowed to live in a private house with a soldier to guard him. Paul called together the Jewish leaders in Rome in order to explain why he was there. He told them that he had appealed to Caesar because he thought the political situation and heated tempers in Jerusalem meant that he would not receive fair treatment there. He told them that he wanted to meet with them so that they could become acquainted and that he could relate to them his belief that the Messiah had come. They responded that they had received no word from Jerusalem concerning him.
     The Jewish leaders and other members of the Jewish community met with Paul at his house. Paul preached the Gospel to them using the Law and the prophets. Some believed him, while others disagreed. After they had argued for some time and the hour was getting late, Paul told them that this was what Isaiah meant in Isaiah 6:9-10 when he said:

     Today’s psalm is both a psalm of praise and an injunction to tell others about the wonderful things God has done. The psalmist reminds us that God will reign forever, rebuking the nations and destroying the wicked. He will rule with justice and equity. God provides shelter for the oppressed and a refuge in times of trouble. He avenges murder and listens to the cries of those who suffer. I will praise the Lord, for I have seen Him do these things with my own eyes.

     These three proverbs tell us some interesting things. The first tells us that it is better to be honest, even if poor, because those who are dishonest are fools. The second tells us that an enthusiastic worker who does not know what he is doing is bad and trying to do things too fast will end up leading to problems. The final one tells us that people often make foolish decisions and then blame God for what goes wrong. I cannot count the number of times I have seen all three proven true.

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     Today’s passage begins by listing some of the families which returned to Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. It tells us that there were descendants of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Levi. It specifically lists a few of the descendants of Levi and Benjamin, while telling us that there were a larger number of them who returned. The passage then goes on to give a more detailed list of priestly and Levitical families who returned.
     The passage concludes the genealogies by giving the family tree of King Saul (including some of his descendants) and then telling the story of his death. The passage repeats how Saul killed himself after he was wounded in battle against the Philistines. He did this in order to avoid being taken captive by the Philistines. Saul and three of his sons died in this battle and the Philistines took their bodies to hang on their city walls. The men of Jabesh-gilead retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and gave them a proper burial.

     Finally, after everyone had gone a long time without eating, Paul called everyone together and told them that God had told him that, while the ship would be lost, everyone on board would survive. He finished by telling them that the ship would run aground on an island. That night the sailors started taking soundings and discovered that the ship was entering ever shallower water. They dropped some anchors in an attempt to slow the ship. Then the sailors lowered the lifeboat and pretended that they were going to drop anchors from it. Paul warned the soldiers that if the sailors left the ship everyone else would die. The soldiers responded by cutting the lifeboat loose before the sailors could get into it.
     In the morning Paul urged everyone to eat. After doing so, he blessed them all and ate something himself. Thus encouraged everyone ate something, after which they threw the last of the food stuff into the sea. At daybreak the sailors saw a sandy beach and attempted to run the ship aground there. However, on the way to the beach the ship got hung up on some rocks. The soldiers were going to kill the prisoners, but their commander wanted to spare Paul’s life and so ordered them to allow the prisoners to live. The commanding officer ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and swim to shore. He then told everyone else to grab on to planks and other pieces of the ship. In this manner, everyone got to shore safely.

     What a wonderful psalm of praise, but it is more than that. It tells us some things about God and about our relationship with God. I like the NIV translation of verse 2:

     When we read the first of these proverbs, let us always remember the line I closed out my devotions on psalms today: “God is the ruler yet.” The second proverb tells us that some friends are unreliable and will bring us to ruin. Let us strive to be the type of friend who sticks closer than a brother.

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     Today’s passage includes more genealogy, something that I always struggle to read. The passage includes a list of David’s sons and a list of those who succeeded him on the throne. It also lists some of David’s descendants who were born during the Babylonian Exile. As I read this, I realized that while I was not seeing anything in it today this passage may shed new light on the interactions told elsewhere. Some of the people listed are mentioned in other accounts in the Old Testament and knowing how they are related will help understand why they did what they did.

     Five days after Paul arrived in Caesarea, the high priest came down with other Jewish elders and a lawyer named Tertullus to present the case against Paul. Tertullus started by buttering up Felix. He then declared that the Sanhedrin had found Paul to be a troublemaker who stirred up riots among Jews all over the world. Further he claimed that Paul was a leader of the Nazarene sect and was trying to desecrate the Temple when they arrested him. Tertullus concluded by saying that Felix could confirm their story by questioning Paul.
     Felix indicated that Paul should speak at this point. Paul started out by acknowledging that Tertullus was in essence correct in what he said when he buttered up Felix. However, he claimed that the Jewish leaders could not prove any of the accusations they were making against him. He told Felix that he had arrived in Jerusalem a mere twelve days before the current date. His accusers had not found him, at any point since his arrival, arguing in the Temple or stirring up a riot in the city.
     Paul goes on to say that he was indeed a follower of the Way, which the Jewish leaders called a sect. He went on to say that he believed everything that was in accordance with the Law and the prophets and that he shared with those accusing him a belief in the resurrection of the dead. Paul then tells Felix that he was in the Temple completing purification rites when the incident began. He was not surrounded by a crowd, nor was there any disturbance. There were however some Jews from Asia there at the time who should be present to bring charges, if they had any which would stand up in court. Paul then stated that his accusers who were present should state what crime they had found him guilty of when he was before the Sanhedrin.
     At this point, Felix adjourned the hearing, saying that he would issue a ruling when the Roman commander from Jerusalem came and testified. In the meantime he kept Paul under a sort of house arrest. A few days later, Felix summoned Paul to speak with him and his wife, who was Jewish. As Paul spoke with them about righteousness, self-control, and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened and ended the audience. Felix hoped that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent often to speak with Paul. After two years of this, Felix was replaced as governor. In order to gain some favor with the Jewish leaders, Felix left Paul in prison (actually a kind of house arrest).

     The psalmist calls on God to hear him and free him from his troubles. He tells us that God declares him innocent. God does declare us innocent, not because we have committed no sins, but because God has forgiven us for those sins. If God has declared us innocent, who is there with the authority to hold us guilty?
     I prefer the way that the New American Standard Version starts the next stanza: