Monthly Archives: June 2019

Daily Bible Study

June 21, 2019 Bible Study — The Lord Is My Shepherd

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 23-31.

Today’s passage begins with Psalm 23, which everyone knows, or thinks they know.  Certainly every Christian should know it.  If you don’t know it, please spend some time familiarizing yourself with it.  Anyway, I am not going to spend much time on it today, except insomuch as it contains themes also in today’s other psalms.  I will cover these themes in the order they jumped out at me as I read this over trying to decide what to write today (yes, that’s right, this is one of those times I went over the passage again and again trying to figure out what to write).

 

So, why should I be afraid?  That is what the psalmist asks in the first verse of Psalm 27.  The psalmist had addressed this same issue in Psalm  23 when he said, “I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”  Again and again through these psalms he tells us that if we trust in the Lord we not only don’t need to be afraid, we should not be afraid.  In fact, it is our enemies who should be afraid.  Of course, it is not enough to trust in the Lord.  We must give our lives to Him and humbly follow the path which He shows us.  

We will be tempted to sin in order to gain pleasure, comfort, or wealth.  If we remember what the psalmist tells us here it will help us to resist the temptation: God will give us all that we need if we remain faithful.  The earth and everything in it belongs to God.  From that plenty He will supply our needs.  Besides which, not only does everything in this earth belong to God, so do all of the people.  Which means that we belong to Him, so we should do as He commands even if He had not promised to care for our needs.  

Let us praise the Lord and sing of His glory.  He will protect us and care for us.  When we sin, He will forgive us.  If we focus on doing His will, He will not let us be disgraced.  The psalmist even has something for those who feel that their prayers are bouncing off of the ceiling: 

In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.

That’s right, even when we think we are cut off from God He hears us.  Do not lose faith. Continue to put your trust in Him and He will answer you.

Daily Bible Study

June 20, 2019 Bible Study — Images Which Convey God’s Power

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 18-22.

I love reading books from the Fantasy genre (think Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones, although I am not a fan of the latter two for reasons of personal taste).  As a result, I love the imagery which the psalmist evokes on Psalm 18.  First we have the image of the distress in which the psalmist found himself:

  • “The ropes of death entangled me”
  • “death laid a trap in my path”

  Then we have the images of God’s response to his cry for help:

  • “the earth quaked and trembled”
  • “Smoke poured from his nostrils”
  • “He shrouded himself in darkness”
  • “rained down hail and burning coals”
  • “great bolts of lightning flashed”

The psalmist paints an image with his words of God’s power. A power which God will exert when the faithful cry out to Him, or when He deems it time to act on behalf of the oppressed.  I wish to never be on the receiving end when God strikes down those who abuse the poor and weak because, as the psalmist mentions here, then it will be too late to call out to God for rescue.

Psalm 19 speaks of how the created world testifies to God’s glory.  All of Creation speaks of God without making a sound.  No one has an excuse for believing that there is no God.  More importantly, Creation should inspire those of us who believe to praise and glorify God, just as the rest of Creation does.  But Psalm 19 tells us more than that.  It tells us of the beauty of God’s Word, and the pleasure in studying His Law.    Only by the careful study of His Law and the power of His Spirit can we be cleansed from sin.  And by “cleansed” neither I nor the psalmist just means forgiven.  Cleansed from sin means transformed so that I sin no more, a transformation I humbly pray that God completes within me soon (although I fear that it will not be soon).

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, oh Lord.

And finally, my prayer for those reading this today (from Psalm 20):

“In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.”

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2019 Bible Study — The Wicked Think That God Is Dead

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 10-17.

I am not sure I will be able to pull this off, but as I read today’s psalms I see some intertwined themes which go through them.  I will try to bring out those themes in my blog today.  Psalms 10, 11, and 12 take different perspectives on one idea: society is breaking down, the wicked are prospering, and the righteous are disappearing.  God seems far away and the wicked appear to be prospering.  The godly seem to be disappearing from society; everyone lies and deceives even those who should be their friends.  Perhaps because too many take the advice to flee and hide in the mountains/wilderness.  But if we trust in the Lord we will stand our ground and remember that He will bring justice to the wicked.

In these psalms the psalmist uses two metaphors for those who have brought about the situation described above.  First he tells us that the wicked think that God is dead.  Then later he tells us that only a fool says in his heart that there is no God.  Those that say God is dead mean that God was a useful fiction which has stopped being useful, which of course means that they believe that there is no God.  They think that God is not necessary for there to be a stable and good society.  And that is where the second part comes in, because such a belief is complete folly.  Such thinking results in society descending into complete chaos and evil becoming ascendant.  Of course such people are mistaken because there is indeed a God and God will rain down destruction on evildoers while protecting and lifting up the righteous.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

June 18, 2019 Bible Study — Meditating On What God Wants For Me Is the Path To Joy

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 1-9.

I could probably make this entire blog entry on Psalms 1, but that would shortchange the rest of the psalms in today’s passage.   The wicked may show us how to gain pleasure, but it will come at the expense of joy.  The path to joy is meditating on God’s laws and commands so as to internalize them.  This seems binding and limiting to many, but it is the path to joy and satisfaction.  The wicked reject good as slavery and embrace the bindings which come from evil.  Those who seek after God’s law find joy and prosper in all they do.  Many people misunderstand what this means because they see doing good as a means to an end, but those who truly listen to what God says see doing good as an end in itself.  If I do good as an end in itself, prospering in what I do means that I have done good, not that I have gained wealth.

In fact, the psalmist illustrates in the next several psalms that just because we do good does not mean that we will not experience trouble and suffering.  However, when we experience trouble let us cry out to God.  If we put our faith in God we will be able to lie down in safety and rise up with joy.  Even when we experience suffering let us rejoice in doing God’s will.  Then we will have greater joy than those who have all of the good things material wealth can bring.  Even while we are in distress we can praise the Lord for we know that He will rescue those who rely on Him and do His will.

 

When we look at the world around us, how can we not see the majesty of God, who created all of it?  The God who created the majestic mountains and the stars in the night sky, died for me!  I am but a speck in this universe which He made, and yet, He values me enough to suffer for me.  When I look at nature around me I struggle to understand how anyone can believe that it all just happened by chance.

Daily Bible Study

June 17, 2019 Bible Study — We Lack the Knowledge To Question God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 38-42.

When Elihu finishes speaking, God responds to Job’s challenge.  The questions which God asked of Job reveal how little we humans truly know about the universe, they reveal that we lack the knowledge to understand the hows and whys of what God does.  Even though modern science has answered many of the questions posed here, those answers reveal that there is even more to know.    Further some of the questions show us that even when we think we know the answer, we are really only guessing.  We weren’t there, we did not see it happen.  

The passage further points out that not only don’t we have the knowledge to understand why God does what He does, we lack the power to genuinely understand what it would mean if God did as we thought that He should.  We lack the power to imagine what the unintended consequences would be if God acted as we think that He ought.  We recognize that there are beasts which we cannot tame and use as beasts of burden.  If we lack the power to do that, how could we possibly think we should exercise the power of God in other ways?

Daily Bible Study

June 16, 2019 Bible Study — Elihu Tells US To Ask God To Reveal To Us Our Sins

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 34-37.

As I wrote yesterday, I am not quite sure what to make of Elihu’s monologue which continues in today’s passage.   He seems at times to condemn Job as Job’s other friends did, but he also says some very insightful things.  I will focus on the things he says which strike me as insightful and leave the rest for another time.  Before I get started I want to point out something I just realized.  Previously when I have read Job I have struggled mightily with the bulk of it.  It seemed like it went on and on about a subject which could have been wrapped up in just a few chapters.  This time as I am going through it I find much more than ever before.  Which gives me hope that in another year or two God’s Spirit will reveal meaning for me in the parts which are opaque to me now.

In chapter 34 Elihu tells us that God does not, cannot, sin.  Further God loves justice and watches the actions of everyone everywhere.  There is no obstacle which can hide us from God’s eyes and He will determine when we come before Him for judgement.  When God deems the time is ripe, He brings the wicked to judgement without asking anyone’s opinion, no matter how mighty they might be. All of which brings us to Elihu’s key insight in this section. <blockquote>“Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned,
    but I will sin no more’?
Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done—tell me.
    If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?</blockquote>

We know that God sees and knows our sins.  So, why don’t we confess them and ask Him to help us stop committing them?  And why don’t we ask Him to show us the ways in which we sin that we are unaware, so that we can stop doing those things?

Elihu continues to teach us that our sins do not harm God and a righteousness grants Him nothing He does not already have.  God’s commands to us are not for His benefit but for ours.  The godless suffer because they are too proud to seek God and His guidance.  They condemn Him for the suffering which results from their own actions and refuse to call out to Him for relief.  

Daily Bible Study

June 15, 2019 Bible Study — When God Seems Silent It Means We Aren’t Really Listening

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 29-33.

There are multiple lessons which can be taken from Job’s monologue in today’s passage, but I want to focus on his declaration of innocence.  In particular, he does not base his claim on innocence on what he has not done.  No, he declares what he has done.  We often make the mistake of thinking that sinning is just a matter of what you have done.  However, Job shows us that we sin when we do not do the right thing.  Being a righteous person is more than not doing the things which God commands us not to do.  Being a righteous person means doing the things which God commands us to do: things like feeding the hungry and helping the poor.

Now we come to Elihu’s monologue.  I struggle with what to make of it.  Elihu is not mentioned in the beginning of the Book as one of the friends who came to comfort Job, nor is he mentioned at the end when God reprimands the other three.  Of those who challenged Job, Elihu seems to make an argument which we should heed.  First, he makes a point of being humble and stating that he is no better than Job.  This is the first lesson we can learn from Elihu, if we find it necessary to point out error or sin in those who are suffering we must be emphatic in stating that we make no claim to being better than they.

Second, Elihu reprimands Job for accusing God of wrongdoing in not responding to people.  Elihu points out that the fault is not God’s, because God speaks to people in multiple ways.  The fault lies with those who refuse to listen to what God has to say because He does not say what they want to hear in the way in which they wish to hear it.  Further, Elihu points out that sometimes God sends suffering upon the righteous in order to correct them or draw them closer to Himself.  We need to remember that when God seems silent it just means that we are not listening to what He has to say, perhaps because we do not want to hear it.

Daily Bible Study

June 14, 2019 Bible Study — Fear of the Lord Reveals Wisdom, Forsake Evil to Gain Understanding

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 22-28.

In this his third response to Job, Eliphaz goes well over the line. Not content with general allegations that Job must have sinned, Elihphaz now begins to theorize about what sins Job must have committed.  Eliphaz is convinced that Job must have committed one or more of the worst sins that he can imagine solely on the basis of Job’s suffering.  He has witnessed no action on Job’s part  on which to base these accusations.  Eliphaz makes a mistake to which we are all too prone.  He wants to believe that bad things only happen to bad people.  Therefore, he decides since bad things are happening to Job, Job must be a bad person.  I pray that I never make this mistake.  I know that I have been tempted to do so in the past.

I do not know what to make of most of the rest of this passage.  I can see several things which deserve my attention, but do not know how to write anything about them.  However, Job makes a vow which I strive to make my own, and I pray that you will do the same.  In Chapter 27 verses 3 & 4 Job says:  “as long as I have life within me,  the breath of God in my nostrils,  my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies.”  Certainly easier said than done.  Nevertheless, I will strive to follow his example.  Then at the end of today’s passage Job reminds us that wisdom is more valuable than anything else we can obtain, and much harder to find.  In order to find wisdom we must approach God, for only He can direct us to it.  If we forsake evil we will gain understanding and fear of God reveals wisdom to us.  

Daily Bible Study

June 13, 2019 Bible Study — I Know That My Redeemer Lives

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 16-21.

Job’s friends had come to him to comfort him, but they got caught up in trying to help him and forgot.  They got so caught up in convincing him that he had sinned that they did not stopped doing anything to comfort him.  Job further points out that strangers who know nothing about him mock him and make his life worse.  An important lesson for us, we should never judge those we do not know who are suffering.  We should not assume that those who are suffering deserve their suffering.  And we should seek to comfort those who are suffering even if we know they deserve the suffering, because we too have sinned and deserve to suffer.

Previously Job had cried out wishing that he had a mediator between himself and God.  In today’s passage he declares that he does have an advocate and mediator in heaven.  Also previously Job had asked the rhetorically  if someone who had died could live again, with the answer he would give being “No”.  However, today he declares that he knows the his Redeemer lives and will one day stand upon this earth.  Moreover, Job declares  that after he dies and his body decays he will, in his body, see God.  There is a great old hymn hymn which expresses what this means to those of us who believe in Christ:

Verse 1:
I know that my Redeemer liveth,
And on the earth again shall stand;
I know eternal life He giveth,
That grace and power are in His hand.
Chorus:
I know, I know that Jesus liveth,
And on the earth again shall stand;
I know, I know that life He giveth,
That grace and power are in His hand.
Verse 2:
I know His promise never faileth,
The word He speaks, it cannot die;
Tho’ cruel death my flesh assaileth,
Yet I shall see Him by and by.
[Chorus]
Verse 3:
I know my mansion He prepareth,
That where He is there I may be;
Oh, wondrous thought, for me He careth,
And He at last will come for me.
[Chorus]

And that is the comfort those who believe in Christ can take whenever they suffer: They can indeed know that their Redeemer lives and will again stand upon the earth.  I know that some day I will stand before God and any suffering or misery I experienced in life will disappear.

 

Daily Bible Study

June 12, 2019 Bible Study — Only If The Dead Can Live Again, Can We Have Hope

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 11-15.

Zophar’s response shows us the perils of being involved in a debate with more than one person.  He takes what Job has said to counter the other two and answers it from a different direction.  Zophar says one thing which is true for all of us, God punishes us far less than we deserve.  The problem is that Zophar’s statement is aimed solely at Job and does not include himself.  Zophar’s whole statement is that Job is suffering because he is a sinner and all Job needs to do to stop suffering is stop sinning, confess his sins, and beg God for forgiveness.  Then all will be lilies and roses.  Zophar does not actually know what sins Job has committed.  He just “knows” that he must have committed some heinous sin to be suffering as he is.  The main point of this book is that suffering is not always evidence that someone committed a great sin. 

Job’s next monologue contains many truths.  First, several times he says something his friends should have said themselves and that each of us should keep in mind: Job’s friends were no better than he.  And, what they were saying was not something known only to them.  I strive to remember both of these things.  I believe that I am pretty good at making people aware that I do not think I am better than they, but I struggle to remember that others often know the same insights which have come to me. 

In this monologue Job asks a rhetorical question, “Can the dead live again?”  He is sure that the answer is no, but he says something from which those who believe in the death and resurrection of Christ take great comfort.  If the dead can live again, then we have a basis for hope when we suffer.  And since Christ rose from the dead we know that the dead can indeed live again.  We know that death is not the end, so we can endure suffering knowing that even if it leads to death, God will raise us again to live with Him.

When Eliphaz first spoke, he made minor errors.  This time he gets too caught up in convincing Job that he is wrong.  Previously, Eliphaz had merely suggested that Job had sinned.  This time he makes it a full-blown accusation.  Yet, he cannot site what terrible sin Job has committed.  He has judged Job guilty of some terrible, unknown sin just because Job is suffering.  Eliphaz makes one true statement in this monologue: no man is truly pure, all have sinned.  However, he fails to see that this means that he also has sinned and is just as deserving of suffering as Job.