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. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
After returning from being held captive by the Assyrians, Manasseh tore down all of the idols he had constructed and reconsecrated the Temple. He told the people of Judah to worship only God. The people continued to offer sacrifices and worship at the high places, but they stopped worshiping idols there and worshiped only God. Manasseh’s son Amon succeeded him on the throne. Amon followed his father’s early example, encouraged the worship of idols and did evil in the sight of the Lord. His own officials conspired against him and assassinated him.
The people of the land rose up and killed the officials who had assassinated Amon. They then placed his eight year old son Josiah on the throne. Josiah began to seek the Lord when he was sixteen years old and had been on the throne for eight years. When he was twenty he began destroying the high places of worship, the Asherah poles, and the idols throughout the land. He even went into the lands of the Northern Tribes and destroyed places of pagan worship there.
When Josiah had finished purifying the land he commissioned some men to repair the Temple. While they were repairing the Temple Hilkiah, the high priest, found a copy of the Book of the Law. One of the king’s officials read the Book of the Law to him. Upon hearing what was written in the Book of the Law Josiah tore his clothes and wept for how badly he and the people of Judah had failed to keep God’s commands. He ordered Hilkiah and others among his officials to go to the Temple and inquire of the Lord what they should do. The prophetess Huldah told them to tell Josiah that God was going to bring disaster on Jerusalem because of the sins of the people. However, because Josiah had humbled himself and sincerely repented of the sins carried out by his forefathers, God would not bring the promised destruction until after his death.
Josiah then summoned all of the leaders of the people to Jerusalem. He read to the assembled leaders the Book of the Law and pledged to keep its commands with all of his heart and soul. He demanded a similar pledge from all of the people. The people of Judah did not again turn away from God for the rest of Josiah’s reign.
The first thing I realized as I started reading is that Paul was not finished with his letter in what I read and blogged on yesterday. Paul continues with greetings to specific people living in Rome of whom he thought highly. When he concludes his personal greetings, he gives two final commands. The first is for the believers in Rome to “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”
I am not quite sure what Paul intended with that command, but I have observed that people need a certain level of physical contact with other people in order to have healthy relationships. I think that Paul was suggesting that we need touch one another, shake hands, pat someone on the back, hug one another, and even exchange platonic kisses, that not all friendly physical contact between human beings is sexual in nature.
Then Paul gives the second of his final commands. He tells the believers in Rome to watch out for people who cause divisions by teaching things contrary to the teaching they have already learned. They are to stay away from such people and have nothing to do with them. They are not serving Christ, rather they are serving their own personal interests. They use smooth talk and flattery to deceive innocent people.
Paul points out two signs that we can use to recognize those who are false teachers. When someone always dresses in the finest clothes and goes to the fanciest restaurants AND is telling how wonderful they think that you are, you should be very skeptical of anything they teach which does not line up with what you were taught before you met them.
This psalm is a declaration of determination to live with integrity and in the middle of it the psalmist tells us how to do that. If we want to live a life of integrity, we need to follow the example of this psalmist.
nor do I associate with hypocrites.
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
If we spend our time with those that fall into the categories the psalmist lists above, we will begin to act as they do. If we want to live lives of integrity than we must spend our time with those who live with integrity.
Gossips are constantly telling other people’s secrets, those who are chattering away all of the time will, sooner or later, reveal any secrets you confide in them.