I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
When I began reading today’s passage, I was depressed and somewhat frightened because I have come to believe that the Old Testament prophecies predicting doom on Jerusalem apply to the U.S. today (and to many other parts of the world). I look at the culture around me and the lack of respect for God’s laws and I see God’s judgment coming. It is more than that, I see the signs of the coming doom in events happening around me. As the prophet foretells, I foresee calamity following calamity as God brings judgment against the sins of the people. As I read this, I fear the coming destruction.
However, there is cause for some hope because the calamity and destruction, while widespread and seemingly all-encompassing, does have some limits. The prophet tells us that people will suffer because of their sins. That God will bring His judgment upon the people and deal with them according to their conduct. He will judge them by the standard by which they have judged others. A calamity is coming upon our nation and we are called to act as watchmen and warn them of its coming, but if we give our neighbors God’s warning, He will not hold us accountable for their sins. Let us turn to God and throw ourselves on His mercy while there is yet time.
No one becomes high priest just because he wants the job. One only becomes high priest when called to the job. This is doubly true of God’s High Priest. The only way to become God’s High Priest is to be called by God, just as Aaron was. In this way, Jesus did not appoint Himself as High Priest, rather God called Him and made Him High Priest. But not High Priest of the order established by Aaron. Rather, Jesus is High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Jesus does not succeed to the priesthood which served in the Temple in Jerusalem, instead He is the High Priest who serves in heaven before the throne of God.
The writer then warns us that we need to develop spiritually to the point where we consume solid spiritual foods. When we begin our Christian life, we need to feed on spiritual milk. But as we grow in our walk we need to start eating solid food. There comes a time when we need to start thinking about the more complex elements of our faith.
Yes, I will do as the psalmist recommends. I will give thanks to the Lord. I will proclaim His greatness. I will tell the whole world what He has done. I will seek the Lord and rely on His strength, my own is insufficient, but His strength will overcome. As the passage from Ezekiel tells us, calamity is coming for those who do not turn to the Lord. I will proclaim His greatness and call my fellow-man to pay attention to what He has done. The day is coming when everyone will know that the Lord is God.
Someone who lies regularly hates those to whom they lie. If you believe what a flatterer tells you, you will fall into ruin when you discover that you are not as good as they said you were.