For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
Those who ignore discipline and refuse correction are not only going astray themselves, they lead others down the path to destruction with them. On the other hand, those who exercise discipline provide an example that others will follow to life as well.
This psalm is a deep heartfelt cry to God. The psalmist is suffering great discouragement.People around him are challenging his faith in God. Yet despite this he continues to put his trust in God. He recognizes that part of the source of his discouragement and depression is that he allowed his faith in God to lapse.
When we begin to wander why God has forgotten us, we need to realize, as the psalmist did, that God did not forget us, we forgot God. The first step to escaping depression is to return to praising God. We may remember the joy we took in joining others in praising God, but do we consider that perhaps the reason we feel depressed is because we no longer do so? We say that we believe in God. Let us demonstrate the truth of that by joining with others in praising Him.
I had never noticed before that in this passage Jesus had gotten into an argument with the local Pharisees. It was in the context of that argument that they asked Him for a miraculous sign. They did not ask for the miracle to meet a particular need. They wanted Him to perform a miracle in order to convince them to have faith. Jesus did not perform miracles in order to convince people to have faith. Rather He performed miracles in response to people’s faith.
The first thing that struck me when I read this passage was verse five where it talked about giving a peace offering. As I read it I read it as, “When you make a sacrifice to show your love of God, do it right and don’t dilly-dally about it.” Decide what you are going to do, plan it out, and get it done.
The other thing I noticed is that there is a common theme that runs through most of these commands. I will list a few, then I will tell you what I see as the theme:
- Do not steal.
- Do not deceive.
- Do not defraud.
- Do not twist justice by favoring the poor..or the rich and powerful
There are a few more in there that are pretty important, but that list gives you a taste for the theme. The theme to me seems to be what Jesus called the second most important command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There are a few commands in this passage about practical agriculture, but the bulk either fall into clarifications of that one command or of the one which Jesus said was the most important, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind.”