Monthly Archives: July 2019

Daily Bible Study

July 11, 2019 Bible Study — Wisdom Calls Out To Us

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on Proverbs 5-8.

The writer warns against immoral women.  One can easily get caught up in the fact that his comments about sexual promiscuity focus on immoral women, but one must remember that his target audience was men.  As I read the passage today it reminded me of a few women I have encountered, but I know just as many men who behave that way towards women (and one or two who do so towards other men).  The advice given here is valuable.  If you allow yourself to get sucked in by sexually promiscuous people, it will ruin your life.  It may be flattering when such a person takes interest in you.  You may feel a certain excitement from considering following up on their attention.  You might even get some transitory pleasure from such an encounter.  But sooner or later such behavior will destroy your soul, and maybe even your life.  On the other hand, if you make a commitment to one other person and stick with it throughout your life, the joy, pleasure, and contentment will last as well.

The writer anthropomorphizes (makes it seem to be a person)  wisdom several times throughout this book.  As an aside I want to note that when he does so he makes it a woman.  He uses the metaphor that wisdom is a person to make it clear that finding wisdom is not hard.  Wisdom is there for the taking for anyone who wishes.  The writer lays out the characteristics of wisdom for those who do not know what to look for.  Wisdom is not devious or deceptive and neither are those who possess it.  If you seek wisdom, you will find it, but all too often we turn aside from wisdom for things we value that are of less worth.  Some turn aside from wisdom for the promise of wealth, others for sexual pleasure, and still others allow their pride and arrogance to direct them away from wisdom.  Wisdom is progressive in that if you do the simple, plain, and obvious things which wisdom directs you will gain new insight into the wise course through more complex situations.  

Daily Bible Study

July 10, 2019 Bible Study Only a Fool Thinks He Has No More to Learn

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on Proverbs 1-4.

The Book of Proverbs was composed to teach wisdom and discipline.  Wisdom tells us to do what is just, right, and fair.  Those who are simple-minded will gain insight by studying these sayings, and those who think they are too wise for such guidance are greater fools than the most simple-minded.  Wisdom does more for us than any amount of wealth.  Yet, we so often ignore what it tells us.  There is a saying, “Common sense isn’t common.”  While that is unfortunately true, it does not have to be.  Anyone can be wise, they just have to seek wisdom.  If you want to be wise, seek out wisdom, then do what it says to do.

The proverb writer starts with some ideas which are intertwined with each other.  Do not be enticed by the pleasures people tell you are to be had by doing wrong.  Rather trust in God and do good.  Every time you do the wise thing, the right thing, you will gain a better understanding of what is right and wise.  Conversely, every time you choose to do what you know is wrong you will find it harder to know, let alone do, the right thing.  When you suffer because you did wrong (whether that suffering comes as punishment from some earthly authority,, or is the natural result of your foolish choice), accept the suffering and learn from it.  

 

 

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2019 Bible Study — Praise God for the Things Which He Has Done

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 143-150.

There is a kind of progression in today’s psalms.  In the first psalm the psalmist writes of his deep depression and begs God to answer his plea.  Having made his plea the psalmist remembers God’s great works and gives himself to God.  He asks God to teach him to do His will.  In the second psalm he continues to ask God to exert His power on his behalf, but he also calls on us to praise God, who teaches us the skills we need.  We need not, should not, wait for God to exert His power on our behalf.  We should praise Him now for the things He has already done. 

Everyone and everything should praise God because He shows compassion to all of creation.  He is there for those who call on Him.  The psalmist proclaims that he will praise God with every ounce of his being.  I will strive to do the same.  I know that the psalmist is correct in warning against depending on powerful people.  Even if they wish to help you, and even if they are able to help you at the moment, their life will end and their ability to help you will vanish.  Those are big ifs.  On the other hand, God is able to help you and will do so as long as you follow His guidance, and God’s ability to aid you will never end.  As we praise God it will lead others to do the same until all of creation honors His name.

Daily Bible Study

July 8, 2019 Bible Study — His Faithful Love Endures Forever.

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 136-142.

The first of today’s psalms is a responsive reading.  I would love to hear it done by a group in several different ways.  Most groups would have the worship leader read the part which changes and the congregation read “His faithful love endures forever.”  Yet, when I read this I imagine the congregation reading the first part and the worship leader responding.  Another option which intrigues me would be having a group of people where the part being read goes from one to another.  I imagine these different ways of reading this because its message strikes me powerfully and responsive readings have become so rote that we tend to miss their power.  We need to find new and innovative ways to communicate the message which God gave His people long ago.  A message which has not, and does not, change, no matter how much some might wish for it to do so.  Let us give thanks to God for He is good.

Again today we have a theme I touched on yesterday.  We cannot escape from God’s presence no matter where we go.  There are two sides to this.  On the one hand, we cannot hide anything we think or do from God.  On the other hand, we cannot be any place where He is not aware of what we are experiencing and come to our aid in our time of need.  The psalmist does such a wonderful job of expressing both of these thoughts.  He even manages to capture the comfort we can feel from our inability to hide our wrongdoing from God.  An element of that comes from the fact that we need not be embarrassed to confess to God our sins: He already knows.  As important, God cares deeply for us and wishes for us to embrace the goodness He has in store for us if we do His will.  Let us welcome God’s examination of our lives and beg Him to show us what we have done, are doing, are about to do which is wrong so that we can correct our path.

Daily Bible Study

July 7, 2019 Bible Study — My Help Comes From the Lord

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 120-135.

I am going to touch on several things which the psalmist writes about in today’s psalms.  I doubt that I will be able to tie these things together because the psalmist does not tie them together.  Our help comes from God.  There are those who look to the mountains, or to the sea, and even some who look to idols.  Sometimes I look to the mountains or the sea when I need help, but not because I think they will help me.  No, I look to the mountains or the sea because they remind me of their Creator.  As for those who turn to idols for help, those idols have ears, but do not hear, eyes, but do not see, and mouths but do not speak.  I will trust in the Lord without Whose help I would already have died.  God watches over those who trust in Him all of the time.  He never sleeps, not even to take a short nap.  God’s eyes are upon us when we stay home and indoors and when we travel, even to the end of the earth and beyond (yes, God was watching over those men who walked on the Moon).

We can work ourselves to death, but if our effort does not have God’s support our work will be in vain.  However, if we are doing God’s work, He will give us time to rest and refresh our strength.  I am reminded of the pastors who spend so much time doing “Church” work that they neglect their wives and children.  When I wrote that I realized that those pastors have fallen into the workaholic trap that many others do as well.  God does not desire that you spend so much time doing His work that you do not have time for the family He gave you.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

July 6, 2019 Bible Study — Following God’s Instructions Brings 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 119.

Psalm 119 is rather long and I often have trouble finding a theme to write about when I come to it.  Interestingly enough, this year the themes jumped out at me.  The psalmist starts with a basic theme and then builds on it.  That basic theme is one which comes up again and and again in the Psalms: following God’s instructions brings joy.   Actually what the psalmist says is that joy comes to those who have integrity, but he immediately tells us that integrity comes from following God’s commands.  If we want that joy we must study and embrace God’s commands.  But it is not enough to study them, we need to ask God to make them clear to us.  As we study His commands we need God’s Spirit to enter into us and make clear what God wants us to do.  If we ask, God will give us understanding so that we can do as He desires of us.  

The psalmist tells us one of the great paradoxes of life.  God’s commands are so easy to understand that even the most simple-minded can comprehend them, but so complex that studying them will make you wise.  The simple who study and follow God’s law become wiser and will be given greater insight than the most erudite person who rejects them.  This explains why we must never compromise with evil.  No matter how things may seem to be, it is always foolish to do evil, or even less than the maximum good of which we are capable.

 

I want to touch on some of the other things the psalmist writes about studying God’s law and asking Him for a better understanding of it.  The psalmist tells us that God’s word gives light so that we can see our path and that God will give us better understanding of His law if we ask Him for it.  I think my opening sentence today is illustrative of this.  When I first started doing this blog in 2012 I struggled coming up with something to write about this psalm.  It seemed to me like it went in too many directions to write a coherent blog entry.  In addition, I felt like in many places it got boringly repetitive.  Yet today as I read through it, even though its length still overwhelmed me at first, I went from “This is so long I am going to lose my train of thought,” to “Oh look, there is another expression and reason about why we need to study God’s word.”  I want to encourage you to read through the Bible, not just once, but as often as you can.  Do it in a year or faster if you can, but read it, then read it again.

Daily Bible Study

July 5, 2019 Bible Study — Align Yourself With God and You Will Be Victorious, Otherwise Everything Will Collapse Around You

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 117-118.

Everyone should praise God because He loves us deeply and faithfully.  He will never stop loving us.  His love means that we need not fear anything.  God acts for our best interest and no one and nothing can harm us against His will.  We may be outnumbered and surrounded on all sides by those who wish us harm, but we can stand and fight for the cause to which God directs us without fear.  God’s strength will over come whatever stands against us.  The metaphor of battle which the psalmist uses here powerfully applies to many of the problems we will face.

However, the psalmist uses a second metaphor in today’s passage, one which we often overlook.  This metaphor was applied to Himself by Jesus which often leads us to miss some of the meaning which it has.  “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”  Jesus was rejected by the religious leaders of His day.  Those who presented themselves as the experts on doing God’s will rejected the centerpiece of God’s will.  In the same way, many of those today who strive to present a moral code for others to live by reject the central assumptions upon which any actual moral code must be built.  In pre-modern buildings, all parts of a building were aligned off of the cornerstone.   If the cornerstone was not cut properly and then positioned properly, all of the rest of the building would not line up properly and will fall apart.  In the same way, if try to build our lives without God we will end up with a misshapen mess that constantly falls apart around us.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

July 4, 2019 Bible Study — Do God’s Will Because He Loves YOu

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 108-116.

Put your confidence in God and sing His praises with all of your heart.  The psalmist writes about how he joyfully rises with the dawn to praise God to everyone.  He does this in the face of those who curse him despite his attempts to do good to them.  I was going in a different direction here, but it just struck me that the psalmist is writing about people who have started to believe the lies they tell about him, that is why they curse him.  We face the same thing today.  People convince themselves that their behavior is perfectly OK, then call you a hater when you point out how destructive their behavior actually is.  They convince themselves that those who attempt to point out how they hurt themselves with their behavior hate them for things beyond their control.  So, they curse such people with curses like those listed by the psalmist.  What they do not realize is that they are calling such curses down upon themselves.  Nevertheless, let us continue to show such people God’s love, not the false love they demand from us.  

Once again I am not sure how I am going sure how I am going to get the idea in my mind written down here, but I am going to try.   I always hesitate when I write something like the previous sentence because I am afraid that I am suggesting that, if I do a good job you should praise me.  However, the fact of the matter is that I write such things to make clear that if you find what comes after insightful or useful, the praise goes to God, not to me.  Which brings me into the point I want to make.  Those who fear the Lord will do good.  This contains a real paradox.  If we fear the Lord we will do His will out of fear of what He will do to us if we do not.  But as we do His will, we experience His love and love drives out fear by making us realize that He wants what is best for us.  Which leads us to do God’s will in order to return to Him His love.  But as we continue on this path we realize that there is nothing we can do for Him which He needs from us.  Which cycles us back to His love.  He gives us commands because He loves us and His commands instruct us to do what is in our own best interest.  

Daily Bible Study

July 3, 2019 Bible Study — God Will Save Those Who Trust In Him

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 105-107.

Today’s psalms focus on praising God for what He has done.  Psalms 105 and 106 describe how God cared for Israel from Abraham through the Exile.  The psalmist calls on us to praise God for these wonderful things which He has done.  Reviewing these great deeds of God reminds us that His love is faithful even when we are not.  Then in Psalm 107 the psalmist calls on all who have experienced God’s redemption to speak up.  If God has done great things for you tell others about it.  Help them see how God could save them from their troubles.  The wise will see that history demonstrates God’s great love for the righteous.

Daily Bible Study

July 2, 2019 Bible Study — Praise God And Live a Life of Integrity, Even In Private

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 98-104.

Today’s psalms all share a common theme.  Some of them have other themes as well, but they all share one theme.  They call on us, and all of Creation, to praise the Lord.  All should praise the Lord because He acts with justice and righteousness.  In many ways these follow on after yesterday’s declaration that praising God brings joy.  This comes about because He made us and we belong to Him.  God is good and His love and faithfulness continue forever.  Each generation has the opportunity to experience God’s love.

I want to put special focus on Psalm 101 because it provides us a guide to what being truly righteous involves. Here are the steps which will lead us there.

  • Live a life of integrity, even in private.
  • Refuse to look at anything vile or vulgar.
    • This one can be tough. Sometimes we feel that we need to read the details about a terrible crime in order to know if the accused is actually guilty. But doesn’t it often turn out that we had no reason to actually pass judgement on the accused one way or the other?
  • Have nothing to do with those who deal crookedly.
    • Even when their crooked dealings have nothing to do with our connection to them they may be able to use us to further their crimes or we might inadvertently profit from them.
  • Reject perverse ideas and stay away from evil.
    • This one is similar to the previous. Staying away from evil makes us less likely to be tempted by it.
  • Do not tolerate those who slander others.
  • Do not endure conceit and pride, in yourself or others.
  • Do not hire those who practice deceit and do not hang around with those who routinely lie.
  • Search out faithful, righteous people with whom to spend your time.
    • They will encourage you to live a life of integrity and call you to account when you are tempted to do wrong.

This reads as such a simple formula. Yet is much harder than it looks.