For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
It is a natural human tendency to be friends with the rich and powerful, but to avoid those in need, the poor and powerless. We should not decry people because they are that way, but we should strive to be friends and spend time with those who are otherwise ignored or outcast.
The wicked arrogantly ignore God, they believe that they have no need of Him, They imagine that God is just make-believe. They lie and curse and cheat, thinking that the good times will last forever. They are confident that nothing and no one will ever hold them to account for their actions.
But they are wrong. God takes note of their actions. The helpless may safely trust in Him. He will defend the orphan and the powerless. God will call everyone to account for their actions, both the righteous and the wicked.
I often here people say that times were different when Paul wrote his letters and that as a result this or that which he writes is no longer applicable. Yet every time I read this passage I think of the arguments made by people in our society today (and of the actions which they justify by those arguments). Paul describes those very arguments and actions in this passage. As part of that process he rebuts those very arguments.
Proof that God exists is there for anyone who wishes to look for it. It is there in the world around us. God created the universe and its very existence testifies about Him. No one has any excuse for not knowing about God. However, many people, full-well knowing what God was truly like, made up foolish ideas about Him that are not supported by the evidence. They then rejected God on the basis of the foolish ideas they made up about Him. They foolishly reject God and call it wisdom.
The people Paul is referring to rejected the truth about God and in its place accepted a lie. The result of believing that it is foolish to acknowledge that God exists is to lose the ability to distinguish foolish ideas from wise. They turned from normal sexual relations to sexual perversions, including same-sex relationships. They did this despite the fact that sexual relations between men result in significant health problems (something recognized in Paul’s day and known by modern medical science). As we look around at those who have rejected God we can see that they, sooner or later, justify all sorts of sins in their lives. Some sin because they see no reason to not do so. Others justify their sins in order to accomplish some goal which they proclaim as noble. Both groups not only commit theses sins, but they encourage others to do the same.
Two thousand years later and the words Paul wrote here read as if he is writing them about what is happening today.
In yesterday’s passage David became angry with God because of the death of one of those who were transporting the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David believed that he was doing God’s will by moving the Ark. Yet, something terrible happened. David got angry and blamed God. This was a natural reaction. However, today’s passage shows us why David, despite his sins, can be an example to us. As David thought about what had happened, he realized that the mistake was his (and his advisers). They had failed to consult with God about how to transport the Ark and had just done it in the way that seemed best to them.
We can learn from David that it is not enough that we are striving for the goal which God desires. We must also work towards that goal in the manner which God desires. We can only accomplish God’s goals by using God’s methods.