All posts by AttilaDimedici

July 18, 2013 Bible Study — Rooting For God’s Team

July 17, 2013 AttilaDimedici

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.

1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34

Today’s passage discusses how the Levites were assigned as gatekeepers and to oversee the various Temple treasuries. It also describes how they were assigned roles as kingdom officials over various parts of David’s kingdom. The passage then goes on to describe how David organized his army and the various individuals he put in charge of managing the kingdom.

Romans 4:13-5:5

Paul tells us that it was not by the law that Abraham received the promise that he would be heir to the world. Rather it was by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, it is pointless. Paul points out two reasons the promise would be pointless. The first is that if we received the promise because of obeying the law, there would be no need for the promise because we would be earning the reward. Second, no one can successfully keep the law. All the law does is show us where we fall short of God’s standard. God’s promise is given on the basis of faith and it is a promise of giving us a free gift.
Abraham continued to have faith that God would keep His promise long after a logical analysis would have said there was no hope of such a thing happening. Even when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah beyond child-bearing years, Abraham believed God when God said that through Sarah he would become father to many nations. Abraham continued to believe that God had the power to do what He said that He would do. This faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. This was recorded so that we would know that it was by faith that righteousness is received.

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Paul concludes this section by advising us to boast about our hope in the glory of God. This is not a boast about something we have done, rather it is a boast about something God has done. It is similar to boasting about a sports team we root for, not boasting to the fans of other teams, but to those who we believe are, or should be, fans of our team. In the same way we should boast to those around us about what God has done, in order to convince them that they should be rooting for God’s team. To continue the sports metaphor, there are times when we look at a successful team that we say that a particular player “put the team on his back and carried them to victory.” One of the things that is meant by that statement is that the star player played so well and so hard that it did not matter that the other players on the team were not really good enough to deserve being in the championship game, let alone win it. This is sort of what it’s like to be on God’s team. We do not have what it takes to win righteousness, but, unlike in the sports metaphor, God does. God is able to carry us over the line to victory and give us righteousness despite our utter inability to even play the game, let alone being able to win.
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I could stop right there, because that is the main message for me today. However, Paul says something else that I think we need to pay attention to in today’s passage. Paul says that we should not just endure suffering, but glory in it. We should embrace suffering. Why should we embrace suffering? Because suffering teaches us both how to persevere and to actually do so. But perseverance is not the product we are after. Perseverance develops character. When we persevere, we learn to behave in ways that make our character better. But even yet we are not at the goal. The goal is not to have good character (although that is a good thing). No, the goal is to have hope. As we develop character, we learn to have hope. And not just any hope, but hope in God. Our hope in God will not be disappointed. We know this is the case because we know that God loves us. We know that God loves us because God fills us with His Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with God’s love (both for us and for others).

Psalm 14:1-7

This psalm starts off with a beginning statement that is one of my favorites.

Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
The NIV translation contains a note which says that the Hebrew word translated as “fool’ denotes someone who is morally deficient. People choose to deny that there is a God because they wish to do things for which they know God would hold them accountable. The thing that makes them fools is that these actions cause as much harm to those who do them as they do to others. The psalmist goes on to ask if the wicked will ever learn? People suffer the consequences of doing evil and fail to recognize that it was their own actions which caused their troubles. Rather than change their ways, they continue to do things which will cause them pain. Those who continue to do evil will find themselves gripped by terror, but God will be with the righteous (and we learned in the passage from Romans, that those are those who have faith in Jesus).
The psalmist tells us: All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
This reinforces the message which I have seen in the passages from Romans over the last few days. We do not earn our salvation by doing good, because none of us is capable of doing good.

Proverbs 19:17

Something to always remember:

If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
and he will repay you!
God always pays back His loans in full!

Daily Bible Study

July 17, 2013 Bible Study — I Have Nothing To Boast About

July 16, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Chronicles 24-26:11

Today’s passage is a list of the groups which David divided the priests and Levites into in order to assign them their duties. The various groups were assigned their duties by the casting of lots so that no preference was shown for one group over another.

Romans 4:1-12

Paul continues on his theme about salvation through faith by pointing to the example of Abraham, who was viewed by the Jews as their forefather. Paul points out that the Scripture tells us that Abraham was counted as righteous because of his faith, before Abraham was circumcised. Circumcision, rather than being a source of Abraham’s righteousness, was a sign of Abraham’s righteousness, a product of that righteousness. Paul concludes that Abraham was the spiritual father not of those who were circumcised, but of those to whom righteousness is credited because they believe.

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Once more Paul very subtly tells us that we act because of the righteousness we have received, not in order to receive that righteousness. We receive righteousness through our faith in Jesus Christ. Once we have received that righteousness, we begin to act according to God’s will as a result of receiving that righteousness. Paul points out that not even Abraham was in a position to boast about what he had done in service to God. If Abraham was not in a position to boast about what he had done in service to God, then no one is.

Psalm 13:1-6

The psalmist asks God how long God will allow him to suffer, how long God will allow his enemy to have the upper hand? Yet, even though it is clear that the psalmist is feeling like God has abandoned him, the psalmist makes known that he has faith that God will rescue him. The psalmist trusts the Lord and acknowledges that the Lord has already done good for him. When times seem difficult and God seems far away, I will still trust in Him, because He has rescued me in the past and I know that He will rescue me again. God does not rescue me because I am good. He rescues me because He is good.

Proverbs 19:15-16

Today’s proverbs sum up two basic truths. If you are too lazy to work when there is work to be done, you will experience hunger. If you keep God’s commandments, you will have a happy healthy life. If you break them you will experience suffering and death.

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July 16, 2013 Bible Study — All Have Sinned

July 15, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Chronicles 22-23:32

David decided that the place where the threshing floor of Araunah had been would be the place that the Temple of God would be built. He then gathered materials to be used in the construction of the Temple. Because he thought that Solomon would be young and inexperienced when he became king and David wanted the Temple to be grand and magnificent, David began making plans for the Temple. He instructed Solomon on building the Temple. David said to Solomon that God has told him, David, not to build the Temple because he had shed the blood of too many people. Rather David was to leave the building of the Temple to Solomon, who would reign in peace. David then gave orders to all of the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon in building the Temple.
David took a census of the Levites and assigned them to one of three divisions based on the clans descended from the three sons of Levi. He assigned the majority of the Levites to the task of supervising the work at the Temple. A second smaller division was to serve as officials and judges. The third division was divided between those who were to be gatekeepers and those who were to be musicians praising the Lord. David did this shortly before he arranged for Solomon to be crowned to take the throne in his place.

Romans 3:9-31

Having stated that there are benefits to being a Jew and to being circumcised, Paul asks if this means that Jews are better than other people. He answers his own question by saying resoundingly no. Paul tells us that all, both Jew and Gentile, are equally under the power of sin. He quotes several psalms in order to support this claim, pointing out that the psalmist tells us that:

No one is righteous—
not even one.
…
All have turned away;
Paul continues by telling us that the purpose of the law is to make us aware of our sin, no one can be made righteous by the works of the law because no one can keep it in its entirety.
From there, Paul explains that God has now revealed the way to be made right with Him, without keeping every last requirement of the Law. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. The Law and the prophets told us that this was coming. It applies to all who are willing to believe. Everyone has sinned and we all fall short of God’s standard. God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin and thus freed us from the power of sin. God will declare any sinner righteous who is willing to believe in and rely on Jesus for their righteousness. This means that our righteousness gives us no basis to boast, or to claim to be superior to someone else, because it is not based on anything we have done. It is something we receive solely on the basis of our faith in Jesus. However, this does not mean that we ignore God’s law. It is only as an expression of our faith that we are truly able to fulfill the law.
***
There are two lessons that Paul is attempting to teach in this passage. The first is that we do not have any basis for considering ourselves better than someone else. There is no way that we have lived i\up to God’s standard well enough to be able to say to someone else, “Well, at least I didn’t do that!” Every one of us has something in our life that other people, no matter how steeped in evil they may seem, can point to and say the very same thing about us. no matter how hard we have tried, we have failed to meet the standard which God has set for us. Nevertheless, God has given each one of us the option of accepting His free gift of His righteousness. Which brings us to the second lesson Paul is teaching in this passage. Once we have accepted God’s gift of righteousness, we will be inspired to do God’s will by living a life faithful to God’s commands.

Reading Phillies conference on the mound

Psalm 12:1-8

This psalm is a psalm of hope in a day when its opening line once more seems to be coming true.

Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
The psalmist tells us that the Lord has seen the violence done to the helpless and He will rise up and rescue them. The wicked may strut around displaying pride in their wickedness and evil may be praised throughout the land, but God will keep the needy safe and protect them from the wicked.

Proverbs 19:13-14

Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth,
but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.

I will not attempt to add anything to this, except to say that I have been blessed by God.

Daily Bible Study

July 15, 2013 Bible Study — The Foundations of Law and Order Have Collapsed

July 14, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Chronicles 19-21:30

David went to war against the Ammonites after they insulted the ambassadors he had sent to offer his condolences about the death of the new king;s father. Instead of following the normal practice of kings and leading the army to war himself, David sent the army out under the command of Joab. David only came out at the finish to claim the victory (here, and elsewhere in the Bible, David is chided for not leading the armies in the first place, but not for claiming the victory). After the defeat of the Ammonites, war broke out with the Philistines again. In several battles, warriors under David’s command killed Philistine warriors who were the descendants of giants and were larger than normal people.
Later, David decided to take a census of the people of Israel, against the advice of Joab. Joab told David that such a census was a sin, but David ordered it any way. God was displeased that David ordered the census and punished Israel for this sin. A plague spread over the land, stopping just before it reached Jerusalem. The passage tells us that David saw the angel of the Lord standing at the threshing floor of Araunah, with its sword extended over Jerusalem. Araunah also saw the angel. David approached Araunah to request that Araunah sell him the threshing floor in order for David to build an altar there. Araunah offered to give David the land, but David insisted on buying it. David then built an altar there to worship the Lord.
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***
What was the sin that David committed by taking the census? The answer is that David wanted to know how big of an army he could raise. He did not want to have to rely on God when he went into battle. He wanted to know that he could win on the strength of the army he had. On another point, when I read about the plague that followed the census it strikes me that it is quite possible that the process of a few people traveling around the entire land in order to count the people, may have provided the vector for the spread of disease in a manner that ordinary interactions between people in different parts of the country would not have.

Romans 2:25-3:8

The ritual of circumcision only has spiritual value if you keep the entire Law. If you do not fully obey every aspect of God’s law, then being circumcised makes you no better than anyone else. On the other hand, those who are uncircumcised, but otherwise keep God’s law, will be declared by God to be His people. It is not circumcision, or other outward markers, which makes someone one of the people of God. Rather, it is being changed inwardly by the Spirit into someone who seeks praise from God, instead of from people.
In the next paragraph Paul does what to me seems like a slight subject jump (I see the connection, but I it looks to me like his train of thought goes off in a different direction than the one he had been following). Paul starts by asking what value there is in being a Jew or in the ritual of circumcision. This is a rhetorical question which he starts to answer. He says that there is great value in both. First of all, Jews have been entrusted with God’s revelation of His will to mankind. Then he says that this is not diminished by the fact that some Jews were unfaithful. Their unfaithfulness in no way lessons God’s faithfulness. Even if every human is a liar, this does not mean that God is a liar. Paul goes on from there to address the idea that by sinning people make God look better and thus they should sin. Paul rejects this idea in its entirety. Paul is reacting to some who claim that he teaches that the more we sin, the better it is.

***
In a way, Paul is starting in the middle of a particular discussion of theological ideas. Paul teaches elsewhere that no matter what we do, we end up serving God’s purposes. We cannot avoid it. Even when we do evil acts for evil reasons, the results of our actions will accomplish God’s goals. There are those who distort this teaching to attempt to justify their evil behavior, saying that since their actions have resulted in God’s will, doesn’t this mean that God is wrong to punish them for the evil they have done. Paul answers that even though God will use our evil acts to accomplish good goals, it does not mean that He wants us to do those evil acts, or that He will not punish us for the evil and harm we cause, even though He will use our rebellious action to bring about even greater good.
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Psalm 11:1-7

Today’s psalm seems oh so appropriate now. I will affirm what the psalmist says as his opening line. I will trust in the Lord for protection. I will not flee, even though it seems as if what he says shortly after is also true.

The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
What can the righteous do?
I will not flee because, despite appearances, the Lord still rules from heaven. This means that, while humans may have done everything in their power to destroy the foundations of law and order, those foundations are still secure. The foundations of law and order are in the Lord and beyond the ability of humans to effect. He will bring judgment and punishment on the wicked, while the virtuous will see His face.

Proverbs 19:10-12

Being slow to anger is a sign of wisdom and the fastest way to earn respect is to forgive those who have done you wrong.

Daily Bible Study

July 14, 2013 Bible Study — I Am Just As Bad

July 13, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17

Once David had brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem he commissioned to perform worship services and conduct sacrifices to God before it on a daily basis. He then settled into his palace and began making plans to build a temple for God. He summoned the prophet Nathan and spoke of his plans. Nathan initially told David to go ahead with his plans. However, God spoke with Nathan and instructed him to tell David that he was not to build a temple for God, that one of his sons would do so.
Nathan returned to David and told him the vision he had received from God. Through Nathan, God told David that He had taken David from being a shepherd to being the leader of His people. God had destroyed all of David’s enemies and would make David’s name as famous as that of anyone who had ever lived. Further God told David that He would raise up one of David’s descendants to succeed him. This descendant would build God’s house and God would establish his throne forever. God said that he would set this descendant over His house and His kingdom forever.

***
This is an example of a prophecy that I believe has a double meaning. In the context of the passage it is clear that those who heard it at the time this book was written would have seen it as applying to Solomon. And God was certainly referring to Solomon in this passage, but God was telling His people more than that. He was telling them that He would raise up a Messiah who would reign forever. In addition to being about Solomon, this prophecy was about Jesus. In that context, Jesus has built God’s house, which is the Church and now reigns over both it and God’s kingdom.
***
In response to God’s message, David praised God in humility. David admits that his success is entirely due to God, not of his own making. God has done great things and there is no one like our God. No other god worshiped by anyone is like to the God of the universe. God has promised good things to His servants and He will keep His promises.

Romans 2:1-24

Having given a list of the offenses committed by those who have refused to acknowledge God in yesterday’s passage, Paul today addresses those who do acknowledge the Creator of the Universe as God. He tells us that we are in no position to condemn others for their wickedness, because we are just as bad. On top of that, we have no excuse because we are fully aware of God and what He expects of us. Paul continues by telling us that God is kind, tolerant and patient. God is kind to us in order to turn us from our sin. However, God’s patience will not last forever and if we continue sinning we will face His wrath. It is not enough to know God’s laws and to listen to them, we must obey them. It is not enough to know the right thing to do, we must actually do it. If we are teaching others to keep God’s law, why aren’t we keeping it ourselves?

***
The main thrust of today’s passage is that it is more important that we keep God’s laws than that we tell others what they are. There is a fine balance between telling others that their behaviors are causing them harm and avoiding being judgmental. The most important thing to realize is that we are not better than others. Our first emphasis when studying God’s word should be on applying it to our own lives. When we speak to those who have no desire to do God’s will, we should not focus on what they are doing wrong, rather we should focus on what God is offering them and what they need to do to become right with God. The most important lesson to be taken out of today’s passage is that we are not better than anyone else, no matter how bad of a sinner they are. Anything about our lives that might make us seem better is to God’s credit, not our own.

Psalm 10:16-18

Today has the conclusion of yesterday’s psalm. God will hear the cries of the helpless. He knows their hopes and will bring them comfort. God will bring justice to the fatherless and the oppressed. If they rely on God, mere humans will lose the ability to frighten them. I know that God is control of everything that happens, why should I be afraid of what people can do to me? They have no ability to act against God’s will and He has promised good things to His servants, of which I strive to be one.

Proverbs 19:8-9

If you love yourself you will seek to acquire more wisdom and understanding. I would rather learn that I am wrong than continue to be wrong. Of course, I would rather be right, but the only way to be right is to seek to learn where I am wrong and change my belief to that which is right. I did not originally see the connection between these two proverbs, but I realized that there is one. Some people are so determined to be “right” in every debate that they will use arguments which they know to be false if they think it will “win” the debate for them. Such people will pay the price for doing so. I strive to never follow that approach.

Daily Bible Study

July 13, 2013 Bible Study — God Has Made It Plain

July 12, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Chronicles 15-16:36

David realized why things had gone wrong when he first tried to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He summoned the Levites to Jerusalem and told them to purify themselves. He then instructed that the Ark would be carried by Levites (rather than transported on a cart). He prepared a place for the Ark in Jerusalem and then summoned all of Israel for a celebration of bringing the Ark to Jerusalem. David organized singers and musicians. Once the preparations were complete, they all went to the house of Obed-edom and brought the Ark to Jerusalem with much singing and dancing. David himself led the parade dancing and jumping for joy. He made such a spectacle of himself that his wife, Saul’s daughter, Michal, held him in contempt.

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We should take a lesson from David here. We should worship the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind, having no concern about what others think of us while we are doing so. When we worship the Lord, we should become completely immersed in the experience.
***
David wrote a song of thanksgiving that he gave to the Levites to sing for this celebration. In it he reminds us to give thanks to the Lord. Let us tell all of the earth what He has done. Every day I will proclaim the good news that God saves and tell people about the wonderful things He does.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

Romans 1:18-32

     Paul starts by telling us that God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against wickedness. This wrath is not against those who are wicked through ignorance because the nature of God is evident by looking at the world around us. There is no excuse for not knowing God. There are several authors who have gone into detail on what all we can know about God by looking at the world around us. C.S. Lewis is one such author.
     Paul tells us that people intentionally chose to ignore what they could know about God from nature and refused to worship Him. To support their refusal to worship God they proclaimed foolish ideas as the height of wisdom, ignoring what could be known from observing the world around them. People refused to worship the true, eternal God and instead began worshiping created objects.
     The result of willfully refusing to acknowledge God was that they became inflamed with sexual impurity, degrading themselves with one another. Rather than accept the truth about God, they embraced lies. And rather than worship God, who deserved it, they began to elevate things that were designed to serve man as things to be worshiped. The product of this refusal to worship God was women embracing unnatural sexual acts as opposed to those which are natural and men choosing to have sex with other men. Paul tells us that this sinful behavior results in health problems.
     The more people reject the knowledge of God and His commands, the more they accept evil behavior. As people reject God’s clear instruction about how to live they become more accepting, both in themselves and in others, of evil behavior. They know that their behaviors are deserving of death yet they practice them anyway. Beyond that they encourage others to practice these self-destructive behaviors.

***
I see what Paul is talking about in the world around me every day. This passage speaks directly to our society. I read where Paul says that those who have rejected God are “gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.”(NIV) It describes so closely many of those who have managed to set themselves up as opinion leaders in our society. This sort of behavior is the inevitable result of rejecting God. We can move closer to God by doing our best to stop doing these behaviors. On the other hand, we can successfully overcome these behaviors by actively seeking to do the good things that God commands.

Psalm 10:1-15

This psalm is a great follow up to the passage I just read from Romans. The psalmist tells us that it seems as if the wicked will never be held accountable for their wickedness. They believe that God does not see their sins and that they will not be held accountable. But the psalmist tells us that God does see the trouble and grief which they cause and will call them to account. God defends the orphans and the helpless are not mistaken to put their trust in God.

Proverbs 19:6-7

Today I have nothing to say regarding these proverbs. Except that I hope I do not behave this way towards others.

Daily Bible Study

July 12, 2013 Bible Study — The Righteous Live By Faith

July 11, 2013 AttilaDimedici

I am trying something different today. Sometimes when I read a passage, it speaks to me directly. Other times, it speaks to me in context of summarizing what the passage says. Sometimes it does a little of both. Today, I am going to try separating out my commentary on the passage from my summary of the passage. I will see how this works out and may try variations on it as time goes by.
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.

1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17

     The passage starts out by telling us of a group of warriors who defected from the Israelite army to join David as he marched with the Philistines before Saul’s final battle. This is something I had never noticed before. It suggests that Saul may have been alienating the people he ruled over, causing those who had options to go into opposition to him. David and those with him ended up not fighting against Saul because the Philistine commanders were afraid that they would switch sides in the middle of the battle. After Saul’s death more and more warriors joined David increasing his might until all of Israel made him their king.
     David decided to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem from where it had been kept since its return after its capture by the Philistines. He had it placed on a cart that was guided by two of the sons of the man whose house the Ark had been kept at up until this point (probably Levites). When the Ark was getting close to Jerusalem, the cart hit a rough spot. Uzzah, one of the two men guiding the cart, reached out to steady the Ark. When he touched the Ark, something happened and he died immediately. This frightened David such that he decided to leave the Ark at the house of a man named Obed-edom. During the time that the Ark was at Obed-edom’s house, God blessed him in ways that were obvious to everyone. After three months, David moved the Ark the rest of the way to Jerusalem.
     When the Philistines realized that David had become king of Israel they attacked him. The first time they attacked, David fought them straight on and defeated them. After their defeat, the Philistines returned, prepared for David to attempt what he had done the last time. This time, however, David circled around them and attacked them from the rear, giving them an even more decisive defeat.

Romans 1:1-17

Paul starts the letter to the church in Rome by giving them summarizing what he considered important about himself and his message. He starts by saying that he was set apart by God to preach God’s gospel. So, the first thing Paul tells us is that he defines himself according to what God has done, not according to what he, Paul , has done. He then realizes that he needs to say what God’s gospel is. He says that it is concerning Jesus Christ who was shown to be the Son of God through the power of the resurrection of the dead. All of this is a quick summary because he is writing to people who already know the Gospel. Paul finishes by saying that his ministry was to call Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. Paul follows up his introduction of himself by describing who he is writing to, Gentiles in Rome who have been called by Jesus to follow Him.

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Paul points out an important aspect of being a Christian here in what is almost an aside. Obedience to God is a result of faith in God. There are other places in scripture where this point is made, but I wanted to point it out here as well. We behave according to God’s commands, not because doing so brings us salvation, but because we have faith in Him and truly believe that He has saved us already.

***
Paul goes on to write that he has been planning to come to Rome for some time, but other things have constantly gotten in the way, now it seems like he will finally be able to get there. He tells them that he hopes to be able to impart some spiritual gift to them, but that he does not expect this to be one-sided. He expects that they will have a gift from God for him as well. Paul tells us that he is obligated, that he owes, both Greeks and Barbarians, both the wise and the foolish. His obligation is to bring them the word of God. It is in the interest of fulfilling this obligation that Paul was eager to preach the Gospel in Rome. Despite the troubles that it had brought him, Paul was still not embarrassed of the Gospel, because it embodied the power of God to bring salvation to everyone who believes, both Jew and Gentile. The Gospel reveals God’s righteousness.
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Paul states here a theme that will be the centerpiece of this letter: “The righteous will live by faith.” That quote is taken from the second chapter in Habakuk. Paul tells us that the only righteousness we can have is that of God, and the only way to get that righteousness is through faith in God. However, as I mentioned previously, as a result of that very same faith we will obey God. Our obedience does not give us righteousness, our righteousness gives us obedience. Righteousness is a gift from God that we can do nothing to earn and it there for anyone who will accept it. No matter how well we obey God, it does not make us any better, any more righteous, than anyone else. Obedience to God can however give us greater happiness and joy. I obey God because I believe Him when He tells me that certain acts will make me happier and more fulfilled than other acts, not because obeying Him will win me brownie points with God. I can never do enough good to earn enough brownie points to overcome my failings, that can only come through God’s free gift.

Psalm 9:13-20

God will be known by His acts of just judgment, while the wicked will be caught in the snares and traps they set for others. God will never forget the needy and He will provide hope for the afflicted. Those who make wicked plans will be destroyed by their own actions. God will show those that wish to usurp Him that they have neither the wisdom nor the knowledge to do so, let alone the power.

Proverbs 19:4-5

Everybody wants to be friends of the rich and famous, but nobody goes out of their way to be friends with the poor. Those who give false testimony will pay a price and those who tell lies will suffer for it.

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July 11, 2013 Bible Study — Be Ever Hearing, But Never Understanding

July 10, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Chronicles 11-12:18

The passage tells us that after the death of Saul the people of Israel came to David in Hebron and made him king over Israel. David then captured the city of Jerusalem and made it his capital. After describing David’s conquest of Jerusalem the passage lists out many of the mighty warriors who followed David. These were the men whose backing put David in a position to be made king. We are told about The Three and The Thirty, which were two groups of David’s most elite warriors. One of The Thirty was Uriah the Hittite, whose wife was Bathsheba. Knowing this puts David’s affair with Bathsheba, and subsequent arranging of the death of Uriah, in a much worse light than just reading the story itself. Uriah was one of David’s loyal followers from his days fleeing from Saul, yet David betrayed him. After telling us of these two groups the passage goes on to speak of other noteworthy warriors who joined David while he was hiding from Saul.

Acts 28:1-31

     Once they were ashore, they learned that they were on the island of Malta. The locals treated them very kindly, going so far as to build them a fire on the beach (since the weather was cold and wet). Paul gathered some brushwood and put it on the fire. As he was doing so a poisonous snake came out of the wood and bit him. The locals saw the snake hanging from his hand and decided that this must be divine judgment against Paul for some crime he had committed against the gods. However, Paul just shook the snake off into the fire and went about his business. The locals expected Paul to show signs of the poisoning and watched him for a while. When after a long time nothing happened to Paul, they decided he must be a god.
     The chief official on the island lived nearby. He invited the shipwreck survivors into his home and made them welcome. His father was sick so Paul went in, laid hands on him, and he was healed. After this all of the sick on the island were brought to Paul and were healed. The people on the island honored Paul and his traveling companions. They gave them supplies for their journey when they set sail once more.
     When Paul arrived in Rome, he was allowed to live in a private house with a soldier to guard him. Paul called together the Jewish leaders in Rome in order to explain why he was there. He told them that he had appealed to Caesar because he thought the political situation and heated tempers in Jerusalem meant that he would not receive fair treatment there. He told them that he wanted to meet with them so that they could become acquainted and that he could relate to them his belief that the Messiah had come. They responded that they had received no word from Jerusalem concerning him.
     The Jewish leaders and other members of the Jewish community met with Paul at his house. Paul preached the Gospel to them using the Law and the prophets. Some believed him, while others disagreed. After they had argued for some time and the hour was getting late, Paul told them that this was what Isaiah meant in Isaiah 6:9-10 when he said:

When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
27 For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,…
This is a passage that we need to remember, God prophesied through Isaiah a long time ago that people would intentionally refuse to understand His commandments and messages. Many people are unwilling to understand the words of God, or the meaning of what He has done. There are two important lessons we need to take from this. The first is, are there any things which God is telling us that we are refusing to understand? Is there some area where I should be listening to God and turn to Him for healing? The answer to that is an obvious, “Yes”. Of course, the question is, am I understanding where God is telling me that? Or am I intentionally choosing to fail to understand what He is telling me?
The second lesson we need to take from this passage is that there comes a point where we need to do what Paul did hear and stop wasting our breath telling people things they refuse to understand. That is a challenge for me. I always try to correct people’s misunderstandings of positions, all too often I fail to consider that those misunderstandings may be on purpose.

Psalm 9:1-12

Today’s psalm is both a psalm of praise and an injunction to tell others about the wonderful things God has done. The psalmist reminds us that God will reign forever, rebuking the nations and destroying the wicked. He will rule with justice and equity. God provides shelter for the oppressed and a refuge in times of trouble. He avenges murder and listens to the cries of those who suffer. I will praise the Lord, for I have seen Him do these things with my own eyes.

Proverbs 19:1-3

These three proverbs tell us some interesting things. The first tells us that it is better to be honest, even if poor, because those who are dishonest are fools. The second tells us that an enthusiastic worker who does not know what he is doing is bad and trying to do things too fast will end up leading to problems. The final one tells us that people often make foolish decisions and then blame God for what goes wrong. I cannot count the number of times I have seen all three proven true.

Daily Bible Study

July 10, 2013 Bible Study — This Is My Father’s World

July 9, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Chronicles 9-10:14

Today’s passage begins by listing some of the families which returned to Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. It tells us that there were descendants of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Levi. It specifically lists a few of the descendants of Levi and Benjamin, while telling us that there were a larger number of them who returned. The passage then goes on to give a more detailed list of priestly and Levitical families who returned.
The passage concludes the genealogies by giving the family tree of King Saul (including some of his descendants) and then telling the story of his death. The passage repeats how Saul killed himself after he was wounded in battle against the Philistines. He did this in order to avoid being taken captive by the Philistines. Saul and three of his sons died in this battle and the Philistines took their bodies to hang on their city walls. The men of Jabesh-gilead retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and gave them a proper burial.

Acts 27:21-44

Finally, after everyone had gone a long time without eating, Paul called everyone together and told them that God had told him that, while the ship would be lost, everyone on board would survive. He finished by telling them that the ship would run aground on an island. That night the sailors started taking soundings and discovered that the ship was entering ever shallower water. They dropped some anchors in an attempt to slow the ship. Then the sailors lowered the lifeboat and pretended that they were going to drop anchors from it. Paul warned the soldiers that if the sailors left the ship everyone else would die. The soldiers responded by cutting the lifeboat loose before the sailors could get into it.
In the morning Paul urged everyone to eat. After doing so, he blessed them all and ate something himself. Thus encouraged everyone ate something, after which they threw the last of the food stuff into the sea. At daybreak the sailors saw a sandy beach and attempted to run the ship aground there. However, on the way to the beach the ship got hung up on some rocks. The soldiers were going to kill the prisoners, but their commander wanted to spare Paul’s life and so ordered them to allow the prisoners to live. The commanding officer ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and swim to shore. He then told everyone else to grab on to planks and other pieces of the ship. In this manner, everyone got to shore safely.

Psalm 8:1-9

What a wonderful psalm of praise, but it is more than that. It tells us some things about God and about our relationship with God. I like the NIV translation of verse 2:

Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
God has used the praise of children and infants, the weakest among us, to create a stronghold against His enemies. God uses weakness to overcome the strong. Then we come to the part that should humble us all. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?[c]
Yet you made them only a little lower than God[d]
and crowned them[e] with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
Reading that reminds me of the hymn “This Is My Father’s World. That song has much that touches my heart, but this line is the one that strikes close to my heart today. “This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.

Proverbs 18:23-24

When we read the first of these proverbs, let us always remember the line I closed out my devotions on psalms today: “God is the ruler yet.” The second proverb tells us that some friends are unreliable and will bring us to ruin. Let us strive to be the type of friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2013 Bible Study — Have We Listened to God’s Storm Warning?

July 8, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Chronicles 7-8:40

Today’s passage is a continuation of the lists of genealogies. One thing that is interesting is that at one point in today’s passage it lists three sons of Benjamin and their descendants. Later, it lists five sons of Benjamin. It then goes on to list the genealogy of King Saul. I find this genealogy hard to follow and looking at the varying translations and their notes it appears that this is a result of ambiguities in the original Hebrew.

Acts 27:1-20

     In due time Paul and several other prisoners set sail for Rome accompanied by a force of soldiers, Luke and a few others. They changed ships at Myra after which they had slow sailing and were forced by contrary winds to take a longer route than planned. They had lost a lot of time and were entering a season when sailing was dangerous. However, the ship’s crew wanted to get to a better harbor before winter set in. Paul warned the officer in charge of his guards and the ship’s officers that if they continued they would face storms which would lead to shipwreck and a loss of the ship’s cargo.
     However, the officer in charge of the prisoners followed the advice of the ship’s owner and its pilot and they set sail for a more sheltered harbor. As soon as a breeze that promised good sailing weather came up they set sail, intending to stay close to land. The ship was barely out of the harbor when stronger winds came up that blew the ship away from land. The winds were so strong that the sailors had no choice but to let the wind drive the ship where it would. The storm continued into a second day and was so strong that the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw some of the ship’s gear overboard. The storm continued for multiple days until everyone on board gave up hope of making it to shore alive.
     I usually avoid going this way, but as I read this passage today, it made me wonder how often I face “storms” in this life because I listen to secular advice rather than the advice given to me by those who have a word from God for me?

Psalm 7:1-17

I choose to live as the psalmist declares. I will go to the Lord for protection. I will count on Him to rescue me from my enemies. God will end the evil of the wicked and defend the righteous. God will bring punishment against those who do not repent of their evil ways. Those who plot wicked and evil things against others will find that the wicked and evil they planned for others will rebound on themselves. I will praise God because He is just and will save those whose hearts are true and right.

Proverbs 18:22

THis is a proverb which I will state from personal experience to be true. It was by the favor of God that I found my wife and living my life with her brings blessings from God to me everyday.

Fact and Fantasy

All posts by AttilaDimedici

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July 11, 2013 Bible Study — Be Ever Hearing, But Never Understanding

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July 10, 2013 Bible Study — This Is My Father’s World

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July 9, 2013 Bible Study — Have We Listened to God’s Storm Warning?

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