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. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me. I had three visits from Nepal yesterday. If whoever that was is back today (or someone else from Nepal), do you know Dale Nafziger?
After the Israelites turned aside from Edom the Canaanites that lived in the Negev attacked them and took some of them captive. In response the Israelites called on God for vengeance against this group. God granted their request and they utterly destroyed the cities and towns of the Canaanites living in the Negev.
From there the Israelites took the road around the land of Edom. Once again the people of Israel began grumbling about the wilderness and complaining about having nothing to eat except for manna. In response God sent poisonous snakes among the people and many were bitten and died. This caused the people to repent of their grumbling and ask Moses to call on God for relief. God told Moses to set up a bronze snake on a pole. Anyone who was bitten could look at the bronze snake and be healed. They moved on until they came to the border of the land of the Amorites. When they requested permission to cross the land of the Amorites, the king of the Amorites attacked them (as opposed to the king of Edom who merely mustered his army to keep them out). The Israelites responded to this attack by conquering the land of the Amorites and settling in their cities. They then continued their march which went toward Bashan. The king of Bashan also attacked them and they defeated him as well and occupied his land.
The Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan river, across from Jericho. The people of Moab were terrified by the numbers of the Israelites. The king of the Moabites, Balak, sent messengers to Balaam, who had a reputation for being able to bless and curse whole peoples. When the messengers arrived, Balaam told them to stay overnight while he inquired of God if he should go with them. God told Balaam not to go with them because He had blessed the people which Balak wished cursed. In the morning, Balaam told the messengers that he could not go with them. Balak sent a second, larger delegation to Balaam promising to pay him whatever he wished if only he would curse the Israelites. Balaam told them that he could do nothing, no matter how much Balak offered him, that was against the will of God. However, he told them to stay the night and he would inquire of God again. This time God told Balaam to go with them, but to only do that which He instructed him to do.
Do we recognize that we are powerless to do anything against the will of God? Do we carefully seek God’s will before we act? I know that all too often I act without taking the time to seek God’s will in prayer. I have learned to sleep on all big decisions, to think them through over night. Even so, I do not spend as much time seeking God’s will on many decisions as I ought.
When Elizabeth was six months pregnant the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary (this would be while Zechariah was still unable to talk). Mary was confused and troubled by the angel’s appearance. When the angel told her that she would conceive and bear a son, she questioned how that could happen since she was still a virgin. Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would cause it to happen and as evidence that this was possible pointed to the pregnancy of her cousin Elizabeth. Mary’s response is one of humble obedience, “I am the Lord’s servant.”
Shortly after this Mary traveled to Judea, where Zechariah lived. She appears to have stayed there until Elizabeth gave birth. When she arrived and greeted Elizabeth, Elizabeth was immediately aware that Mary’s child would be special. Elizabeth tells Mary that Mary is blessed because she believed the Lord would do what He said He would do. Luke then records one of the earliest hymns of the Church which he tells us was Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s greeting. It is often referred to as “The Magnificat” or as “Mary’s song”. I tried to summarize this song or to restate the message it has for me today, but find that not truly possible. So, I will settle for quoting a few lines that especially resonate with me today.
and he has done great things for me.
While I have not experienced anything close to what Mary experienced, I will still agree with this. God has done great things for me. I just wish that I had followed His leading and allowed Him to do more through me (although I know He is not through with me yet).
to all who fear him.
I strive to make fear of the Lord the centerpiece of my life. I have found that fear of negative consequences is an integral part of making good decisions (desire for positive consequences plays an important role as well).
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
Those who proudly rely on their own strength will be brought down and crushed, while those who humbly rely on the Lord will be raised up. I strive to humbly acknowledge that all that I have is a gift from the Lord.
Once again this psalm really speaks to me. The psalmist calls for God to have mercy on him. I will take refuge in the shelter of God’s wings in times of trouble. In addition to the beauty of this psalm there is one line that gives us something to apply to our lives. If we walk a path of integrity before God and man, our enemies will fall into the traps which they lay for us.
The psalm tells us that we can sing God’s praises because we are confident in Him. Am I confident enough in God to praise Him at all times? I strive to be and I will echo this line and call for its fulfillment:
May your glory shine over all the earth.
The godless destroy their friends with the things that they say about them. The righteous, however, avoid suffering from the words of the godless because they rely on knowledge, not say-so. When you hear something bad about another, consider the source and what you know about the individual in question.
Society as a whole benefits when the righteous prosper and when the wicked fall. The behavior and words of the upright lead a community to glory, but the words of the wicked lead to its downfall. When a society praises the wicked and condemns the righteous it is doomed.