For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    If you wish to understand how the world works you need to acquire knowledge. If you wish to follow the path of wisdom you will seek out knowledge. There is a corollary to this. As you acquire knowledge you will come to understand the world better and develop a desire to understand it even better. As you seek out knowledge you will gain wisdom, which will lead you to seek even more knowledge.

    As I read this I was reminded once more of what has been going on politically, and in the courts, in the U.S. recently. All too many Christians have been relying on Congress and the Supreme Court to save them. This psalm reminds us that victory comes from God. It is time to stop asking the courts and our government to save us from those who are enemies of our faith. It is time for us to turn to God for rescue. Our enemies may think that God will not act, that God cannot act, but they are mistaken. If we put our trust in Him, God will keep us safe from all of our enemies, no matter how badly they outnumber us.

    When Paul’s enemies realized that they could not beat him in debate, they stirred up a riot to attempt to kill him. When that was broken up, they discovered that they could not defeat him in a legal setting, so they conspired to kill him. They even included some of the authorities in their plot. However, God did not wish Paul to die in this manner and arranged for their plot to be revealed. We will face similar plots, perhaps not to the extent of seeking our deaths. However, God will foil such plots until such a time as He can use them to advance His Kingdom. Let us put out trust in God and not fear those who can merely harm our bodies. They will have no power over us that is not given to them by God.

    I always struggle with understanding the point of the genealogy at the beginning of the 1 Chronicles. I know there are those who find great meaning in them, but I rarely do. When I went back and read over it one more time, I had the thought, “What is the point of the list of kings of Edom?” It then occurred to me that at some point archeologists may discover inscriptions which place one or more of these kings into historical context.