I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Ezekiel prophesies the fall of Tyre. He warns the king of Tyre that his doom is coming. Ezekiel tells the king of Tyre that he will suffer defeat and destruction because in his arrogance he thought himself a god, wiser than the wise and more knowledgeable than any other. The king of Tyre had used his knowledge and wisdom to acquire great wealth and power, but failed to recognize his limits. His failure to recognize his limits would bring about his downfall. This warning should stand for all who acquire power and wealth. If you become proud and begin to think that you need listen to no one, the day of your destruction will be near.
The writer gives us a list of people from the Old Testament who acted on faith. They took risks, they did things that the world around them said made no sense, some of them did things that they could not see how it could possibly come out right. But they all had faith that doing what God called them to do, that doing the right thing was the right thing to do. And as a result God blessed them. They were willing to face hardship and suffering. They were willing to take risks with no sign of reward. All because they had faith that the course of action they had chosen was the right one. Will the day come when people will say of me, “It was by faith…”?
I will speak of the wonderful things which God has done for me, things which I do not deserve. The psalmist reminds us that those who delight in the Lord will reflect on His great works. I will do so because His acts are just and good, by reflecting on them I can learn how to live my life as a just and good man. Fear of God is the first step in learning to be wise and following His commands is the way to grow wiser.
The proverb tells us that a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as the drip from a leaky roof during a rain storm. The steady drip reminds you of a problem, but there is nothing you can do to fix it. The fact of the matter is that being quarrelsome is just as tedious if it is the husband. For that matter, people who are quarrelsome are tedious no matter your relationship to them if you need to spend any length of time with them. I will strive to not be such a person.