For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I want to encourage everyone who reads this blog to work on reading the Bible regularly, whether it is to work your way completely through it, or some other method of disciplining yourself to read from the Bible each day.
Good advice given at the right time is like a gift of gold and silver. In the same way, well worded, accurate criticism of our actions are a gift of great value if we are wise enough to listen.
I am not sure if this psalm is a prophecy or a prayer…or perhaps both. If it is a prayer, it is one for the people of Israel, and all who love the Lord, to pray today. Once more, the people’s who surround the land of Israel have joined in alliance to attempt to destroy the nation of Israel. Reading it and looking at what is going on in the world today, it looks somewhat like a prophecy. For most of my life, the nations surrounding the modern state of Israel have been allied together with the goal of destroying Israel (and to one degree or another, the Jewish people). Yet, now, the fire which they started, with the intention that it would engulf Israel in flames, is threatening to consume them. Looking at the situation in the Middle East now, ISIS, which is a result of attempts by the rulers of Arab nations to stir up hatred against the Jews (there are other factors in its origins as well), is threatening to destroy those Arab rulers. The only hope to escape the fire burning in the Middle East is to acknowledge God as Lord of All.
My reading of the Bible has made me worry about my faith, because I have never been truly persecuted for it. Oh, I have experienced minor ridicule for it from time to time, but never anything that counts as persecution the way Paul and other Biblical writers refer to it. However, today I realized that this passage suggests that some Christians may not be persecuted. Paul tells the Thessalonian believers that God will provide a rest for those who are being persecuted when Jesus appears from heaven. Then he says that God will provide that rest “for us, as well”, implying that the rest will be for those who are not being persecuted.
As I first skimmed this, before reading it carefully, the first thing that struck me were the words, “keep on praying.” It was a reminder to me that God is calling me to work on my prayer life. It is important that all Christians find a way to have a disciplined prayer life. When I read the passage more closely, I found a clue to doing so. Paul in most of his letters refers to his prayers for those to whom he is writing. Let me unpack what it tells me. First, one aspect of developing a disciplined prayer life is making people who you interact with the subject of your prayers, both believers and unbelievers. Second, tell them that you are praying for them. When we pray for our fellow believers, let us pray that God gives them the power to accomplish the things which He is prompting them to do.
Jeremiah prophesied the downfall of the kings who succeeded Josiah. God had chosen to punish each of them for their failure to worship and honour Him, for their selfish oppression of the people. They did not follow the example of King Josiah, who had given help and justice to the poor and needy. God offers the same condemnation for political leaders and rulers today who use their position solely to advance their own interests and do not use their power to defend the poor and needy.
Jeremiah goes on to offer a similar warning to religious leaders. He warns that those who have risen to positions of religious authority are not living righteously. They are doing evil and abusing their authority. There is the recent story of the pastor who admitted to his congregation that he was HIV positive and had had sex with members of the congregation. In addition, I recently read about a congregation whose pastor received a $60,000 a year clothing allowance. These are both examples of what Jeremiah was talking about, religious leaders who are abusing their authority. Jeremiah tells us that God will bring judgement on both religious and political leaders who abuse their positions of authority. We need to be careful not to follow such leaders.