I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I write this daily blog because it helps me pay closer attention to the Scripture as I read it. Before I started writing this blog I had trouble disciplining myself to read the Bible regularly, let alone every day. I hope that by posting my thoughts I can encourage others to regularly read the Bible (and perhaps my thoughts will give someone encouragement in their walk with Christ). In order to make it possible for others to use my blog as part of their daily Bible Study (the hubris of that idea never ceases to amaze me), I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
If we trust in our wealth and material possessions we will fall. Wealth is only of use as long as others value it. Those who are righteous will always thrive because its value does not depend on others.
The day is coming when God will rise up and scatter His enemies. In that day the godly will rejoice. God’s presence will make them glad and fill them with joy. God is father to the fatherless and the defender of widows. He gives the lonely families who will love and care for them. When God gives the word against His enemies He does not need to send an army to retrieve the plunder. Kings and armies will flee God’s wrath and noncombatants will gather the plunder.
Luke continues on the theme about judging others. Rather than focus on what others are doing wrong, we should look to correct our own failings. If we want to think of ourselves as good people, we need to say and do good things. If we are prickly and people who get close to us tend to get hurt by what we do and/or say, then we are thorn-bushes or brambles, not fig trees or grape vines. We should judge ourselves by the fruit we produce. Elsewhere this passage is presented in a way that I heard summarized as telling us that we are not to judge others, but we are supposed to be fruit inspectors. I think that such is an accurate way to summarize the similar passage in Matthew. However, Luke is telling us that we should be concerned with the results of our own actions, not those of others.
Moses continued his recap of the Israelites travel through the wilderness. He reminded them several times not to forget what they have seen God do. That reminder stands for us as well. Let us not forget to tell the generations which come after us the things which we have seen God do. As I read this passage today, I am reminded of a book that my parents encouraged me to read when I was young. The book was called the “Martyrs Mirror”. This is a book is an account of the stories and testimonies of many who died as martyrs in service of God. There was a time when almost all Mennonite homes had a copy of this book. The importance of the Martyrs Mirror is that it is a reminder of what God has done down through the ages. We need to recount to the next generation the stories of what we have seen God do, and the stories which those who went before us told us.