For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
If you are unwilling to listen to constructive criticism you will be uncomfortable spending time around people of wisdom. Failure to take such advice will harm only you. On the other hand accepting and following that advice will increase your own wisdom.
Today the psalm continues the themes from yesterday. I will pray to God that He open my eyes to the truths contained in His instructions. I will gain wisdom and understanding by obeying His laws and meditating on His instructions. I know that I do not fully understand how God would have me live. But I know that as I strive to do those things I do understand that He wants I will gain the wisdom and insight to see more clearly what God wants from me. I am encouraged by meditating on God’s law.
Jesus told His disciples, and through them us, that they should love one another. He told them that people would know they were His disciples by their love for one another. As Jesus was giving His last sermon before His crucifixion to His disciples they still did not fully understand what He was teaching them. John makes this clear by recounting how three different disciples asked similar questions of what Jesus was saying. While Jesus chided them for having missed the point of things He had said, He did not condemn them. Rather He gently presented the ideas in yet another way.
The disciples wanted to know where Jesus was going and how they could join Him there. Jesus told them that He was going to be with the Father and the only way to get there was through Him. There are those who claim that there are many ways to heaven. Jesus makes it clear here that there is only one path to heaven and that path is through faith in Him. Those who have faith in Jesus will do the same works He did, healing the sick, helping the poor, forgiving the sinner, and proclaiming the kingdom of God.
After Abner’s death, Ishbosheth and those who looked to him as king became afraid of what would happen next. Two of Ishbosheth’s captains decided that his defeat was inevitable. So they decided to curry favor with David by killing Ishbosheth. When they brought evidence of Ishbosheth’s death to David, rather than reward them he had them executed. David chose not to encourage those who would turn traitor against his enemies.
When the Philistines learned that David had become king over all of Israel, they mustered their armies against him. He defeated them twice when they attacked his capitol. The first time, David defeated them by a frontal assault. The second time, when they deployed themselves to face such an attack, he defeated them by outflanking them.
Once he was secure in his position David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. As part of the celebration, David abandoned all of his dignity in praising God. David’s wife Micah, Saul’s daughter, was upset with him because she felt his lack of dignity reflected poorly on herself and on him. David responded that He was willing to look foolish in order to bring praise and glory to God. Let us never stand on our dignity when it comes time to praise God. We should be willing to look like fools in order that God may be glorified.