For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
Beauty in someone who is thoughtless and heedless of others is not attractive. Those who think their beauty gives them license to treat others poorly will learn otherwise to their sorrow.
Those who are evil think they are clever. They believe that their plans are so cunning that no one will catch them out. They may be able to come up with a plan which will hide their evil from their fellow man, but God will see and strike them down.
I note that in this passage the man possessed by the demon began demanding to know why Jesus was interfering with him before Jesus had made notice of him. I find it interesting how often people today do the same thing with people of faith. I have often seen people promoting sinful behavior. Then, when someone mildly comments that they think such behavior is wrong, accuse the person of interfering with their freedom. Yet if they had not made a point of publicizing their behavior, the person who does not approve would never have known about it.
To repeat: in this passage, Jesus did not seek out the demon possessed man in order to drive out the demon. Rather, the demon-possessed man made a scene in front of the crowd and accused Jesus of interfering with him. In the same way today, if you take a stand and say that, because you believe a certain behavior is wrong, you will not do it, some people will accuse you of interfering with their freedom to undertake that behavior. I believe that when people draw attention to their sin that it is our responsibility to tell them that it is sin and to call on the Holy Spirit to convict them of its sinfulness.
I have read over the account of the tribes of Reuben and Gad requesting that they receive their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River several times today. I feel like there is a lesson there for us, but I just can’t put my finger on what it is. At first I thought about the fact that Moses misunderstood their intentions because of how their parents had responded to the reports of the spies, but I could not actually figure out what the lesson was there. Then I thought about how the two tribes committed to accompanying the rest of Israel across the Jordan to fight, but could not figure out what that lesson was either. So, I guess I will just leave it at that.