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, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     I was going to write something about the wise always being willing to be corrected for their mistakes and the righteous always being grateful to those who show them their sins (and well, I guess I just did). However verse 10 in today’s Proverb’s passage needs to be quoted in full:

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

We do not truly start to acquire wisdom until we learn to fear God. As we learn to know God we develop the tools necessary to exercise good judgment.

     The psalmist reminds us that the first step in serving the Lord (and thus having a healthy and happy life) is learning to control the words we say. He tells us to avoid speaking evil and telling lies. This is a necessary step to turning away from evil so as to do good. I love the way the psalmist couples those two things. It is not enough to turn away from evil, we must turn and do good. If we do what is right we will still face many troubles, but God will rescue us from those troubles. I will strive to avoid evil words and lies. Beyond that I will turn to doing what is good. God rest Your Holy Spirit upon me and show me how to serve You.

     When I first read the beginning of this passage today, it struck me as a statement of great joy, which indeed it is. I do not know how to express the thought that went through my head as I read, “Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning,…” In part it made me want to go out early in the morning and worship God as the sun is just rising over the horizon at dawn. There is something inexplicably exciting about a new day dawning. I don’t often greet the day by worshiping God as the sun rises, but perhaps I should do so more often.
     While my first reaction to this passage today was somewhat different than usual, my second thought was something I have often thought about when I read this passage. The women went to the tomb looking for Jesus, the angel told them, “He isn’t here.” How often do we go looking for Jesus in places where He no longer is? How often does God have to send us messengers to tell us, “He isn’t here.” The angel told the women to go to the disciples and tell them, “He is going ahead of you to Galilee.” That is God’s message to us. The place may not be Galilee (as a matter of fact, for most of us it isn’t), but Jesus is going ahead of us to the place where God wants us to go next. Let us always remember that, if we want to be with Jesus we need to go where God is sending us, because Jesus is already there waiting for us.
     The passage concludes with the Great Commission. Many have commented on it and I doubt I can add any new insight to it (and I will not try). Jesus told His disciples to go. That meant that they had to leave their comfort zone and do some things that made them uncomfortable. We too need to leave our comfort zone and do some things that make us uncomfortable (that’s a tough one for me…even though, or maybe because, there is not a lot that makes me uncomfortable). He told them to make disciples. Disciple is closely related to the word discipline. We cannot be disciples if we do not have discipline. We cannot make disciples if we do not teach others to be disciplined.

     I am not much for “ostentatious” decor, especially not in a place of worship. However, this passage is a reminder that there is a place for opulence. Under the right conditions such decor can inspire us to higher levels of awe towards God. This passage describes in some detail how beautiful and sumptuous the Tabernacle was. I have upon occasion entered places of worship which by their grandeur inspired worship of God. On the other hand, I have more often entered places that were supposed to be places of worship which, rather than inspire worship of God, inspired admiration for those who built them. Most of the time I find it easier to worship God some place that is built simply and humbly, but their are times and places for more grandeur and this passage reminds us of that.

     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, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     If you attempt to correct the mistakes of mockers or the wicked, you will be insulted and possibly even injured. On the other hand when you offer correction to the mistakes of the wise, you will make a friend. How do you react when people correct your mistakes? Are you grateful for the correction, or do you revile them?

     This psalm is wonderful, and a challenge. I strive to praise the Lord all of the time. I wish to be constantly telling others of the wonders He has done for me, but I do not always do so. The psalm tells me how to get better at it, get together with others who have experienced the wonders of God and want to talk about it. The Lord listened to my prayers and rescued me from my troubles. The psalmist writes, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” I will echo that idea. If you are facing problems and troubles (or even if you aren’t), try believing in God, or at least, live as if you believe in Him. You will see a wonderful difference in your life. It will not be long until you really do believe, and not just believe, you will know.

     Usually when I read this passage, I am struck by the fact that, in the throes of the agony of crucifixion, Jesus praised God by quoting Psalm 22. Matthew makes a very strong effort to make sure that his intended target, who would have been intimately familiar with Jewish Scripture, cannot miss it. He points out the soldiers dicing for Jesus garments(Psalm 22:18). He points out the religious leaders saying, “He trusted God, let God rescue Him.”(Psalm 22:8) And of course, Jesus Himself crying out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Psalm 22:1) However, that is not the part that speaks to me today.
     What speaks to me today is the reaction of the Roman soldiers who oversaw the crucifixion. When they saw how Jesus faced death, a terrible, horrible death, and the events which followed His death, they could not help but exclaim, “This man truly was the Son of God.” Matthew points out all the fulfillment of signs from Scripture that were fulfilled at Jesus’ crucifixion, yet it was not the people who knew the Scripture forward and backward who saw the hand of God. No, it was the pagan oppressors, the Roman soldiers who saw God’s wondrous power in Jesus’ death. Do we see God’s power in the world around us? Do we see how God is working His wondrous plan in the suffering of those who love Him? Are we willing to suffer in order for others to experience God’s wondrous love?

     Moses told the people what materials were needed to build the Tabernacle. The people responded by gathering their gold and jewels, their silver and bronze objects. They gave it all to the Lord. Those who had the skill spun thread and prepared fine linen. They gathered all of the fine materials that were needed to build the Tent of Meeting. The passage tells us that “all whose hearts were willing” came and presented goods for the Tabernacle. Moses appointed the craftsmen God had selected to oversee the construction of the Tabernacle and they began to work. But the gifts from the people did not stop. They continued to give gold, silver, bronze, jewels, thread, fine linen, fine wood. Until finally, the craftsmen came to Moses and told him that they had all of the materials they could use. Are we like that? Are our hearts willing to give to God’s cause to the extent that the workers have to tell us to stop?

     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, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     Wisdom has laid out a feast and invited everyone to come. No one needs to remain mired in foolishness, wisdom is offered to any who wish it. Those who desire wisdom are welcome to partake, there are no excuses for foolishness. If you lack wisdom, it is your own fault.

     It is not by the size of its army that a nation remains strong, and it is not by my strength that I will overcome obstacles. Neither weapons nor skill will ensure the victory. God will watch over and rescue those who rely on Him. I will put my hope in Him alone. His unfailing love surrounds me. When your enemies surround you (or better yet, before that) turn to God and put your trust in His name. He will be your help and your shield. He will make your heart rejoice. Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself.

     Pilate attempted to evade responsibility for the decision at Jesus’ trial before him. First, he attempted to convince the crowd to accept Jesus as the prisoner to be released as his Passover gift to the people of Israel. When that failed, he refused to accept responsibility for Jesus’ death even as he gave the orders for his crucifixion. How often do we do the same thing? Attempt to pass off responsibility for a decision which is ours to someone else? Despite the fact that the crowd accepted responsibility, it was still Pilate’s decision to make. Pilate was no more able to pass off responsibility for this decision than he was to evade being recorded in the Gospels as the one who made it. Ultimately, we are responsible for the decisions we make. for good or for bad.

     God commanded Moses and the people of Israel to make no treaties with the people of the land He was giving to them. At first this sounds harsh, but then as you read further you realize that God is telling them that the halfway point between righteous and evil, is still evil. The compromise between worshiping idols and worshiping only God is still idolatry. Ultimately, compromise with sin is still sin.

     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, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     Joy will come to those who pay attention to the wise course and then follow it. Those who find wisdom will live and find favor with God. Those who fail to do what is wise are hurting themselves and following a path which leads to death.

     It is appropriate when those sing praises to God. Let us constantly seek new ways to praise God because His word holds true. God will display His faithfulness in everything He does. God merely spoke and the universe was created. Everyone on the earth should fear and be in awe of Him. I fear the Lord and am in awe of His majesty. God’s plans will stand firm and cannot be shaken, but when people and nations make plans contrary to His will He disrupts them.

     The story of Peter denying Jesus is one which should give us hope. If Peter could be forgiven for denying Jesus three times that night, than I know that I can be forgiven for the times when I have allowed fear of embarrassment lead me to deny my faith in Him. In a way, this passage compares and contrasts Peter’s betrayal of Jesus with that of Judas. Peter went away and wept bitterly over having betrayed Jesus, Judas went out and killed himself. While one can argue that their level of betrayal was different, an important lesson here is that Judas preemptively decided that his sin could not be forgiven and removed the possibility of forgiveness being offered. This is certainly one form of the unforgivable sin which is mentioned several times in the New Testament.

     I am torn about what to write about this. The people of Israel turned away from God because they did not receive guidance from God through Moses for an extended period of time. This happened because God had called Moses into His presence. When Moses was absent for longer than they expected, the people of Israel sought guidance from sources other than God. The people of Israel lost patience in waiting for Moses to return. Then they turned to Aaron and told him to make them gods to follow. Notice that they did not ask Aaron to tell them what God wanted them to do. They told Aaron what they wanted him to do. How often do we make this mistake? The mistake of telling our spiritual leaders what we want, rather than asking what God wants of us. Aaron made the companion mistake of doing what the people asked him to do rather than asking God what he, and they, should do.
     How often do we do like Aaron and the people of Israel did when they lost (or thought they had lost) their spiritual leader? Do we start to tell our remaining leaders to “make us a god who can lead us”? Or do we call out to God for guidance? If we are in a position of leadership, do we do as the people request? Or do we call them to continue following God? It is much easier to follow a leader who tells us what we want to hear than it is to wait for God’s direction and follow that. And it is much easier to control a group of people when you tell them what they want to hear than if you tell them what God wants them to hear. Let us choose the harder path.

     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, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     Wisdom has been with God from the creation of the universe. In addition, God built wisdom into the design of the universe. If you seek wisdom and follow the path that truly leads to it you will find God. In addition, you will only completely find wisdom when you come to God.

     This psalm gives us some great lessons for life. We will experience great joy when we accept the forgiveness which God offers to us. It is only when we confess our sins and admit our guilt that we can begin to heal from the damage our own sins have done to us. I will obey the Lord because He instructs me and guides me in the best path for my life. I will rejoice in the Lord and be glad.

     When Judas came with a crowd of armed men to arrest Jesus, one of the disciples (the Gospel of John tells us that it was Peter) drew his sword and began defending Him. Jesus immediately told him to put away his sword. Jesus continued by saying that He could call on thousands of angels for protection, but if He did that the Scriptures which had predicted what would happen would not be fulfilled. Jesus then turned and confronted those arresting Him, asking them why they waited to arrest Him in secret. Jesus was making it clear to those arresting Him that His arrest was irregular (I am using the term “irregular” here to indicates something that while not necessarily illegal is done to get around legal barriers to doing it).
     As I was reading this several thoughts crossed my mind about what to write, but as I began to write I realized something that I had never noticed before. Jesus’ response to the court is a model we should follow when people are tossing out various accusations against us because of our faith in Him. His opponents brought many witnesses out against Him, but their accusations were not consistent one to another. They finally found two whose testimony agreed, but it was not really much of an indictment. The point is that to all of these accusations, Jesus did not make a defense. He remained silent.
When the high priest finally pushed to where He had to answer, Jesus did not address the charges brought against Him. He, also, does not directly answer the question as to whether or not He is the Messiah. Rather, He tells them that they have said that He is (in a manner that the context suggests He is saying, “and you are right” without actually saying that). Then He goes on to tell them that certain distinctly Messianic Scriptures are about to be fulfilled. This should be our model. As long as our opponents are bringing inconsistent accusations against us, we should not dignify those accusations with an answer. When we finally need to offer an answer, let our answer be the Gospel.

     The passage lays out various preparations and regulations for the people of Israel. Each man is to pay a small tax each time they take a census of the people. This tax will prevent plague from spreading among them during the census and the revenue generated is to pay for the upkeep of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. The passage then explains how the priests must wash their hands and feet before they approach the altar. Followed by the formula for making an oil of anointing for priests and an incense for priests to use during worship.
     In the middle of this (well, not exactly in the middle, since it changes direction after this, but what comes before and after have more in common than they do with this next bit), the passage tells us that God has specifically chosen and appointed two men to head up the craftsmen making the items for the Tabernacle. God tells Moses that He has given these men special gifts and talents for the explicit purpose of making or directing the making of all of the items required to make the Tabernacle according to His plans. Furthermore, God tells Moses that He has given special skill to all of the craftsmen called to this project. The important lesson from this passage is that God has called us to some task and He has given us the gifts necessary to not only accomplish that task, but to accomplish it with excellence.