For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    It is from fear of the Lord that we learn wisdom. I have heard pastors preach that this does not mean “hide under the table” fear. I disagree with them. The first step to wisdom, the first step to faithful obedience to God, is learning to fear God in a way that makes us want to hide from Him. Only after we have learned to fear God can we understand how great His love for us is.
    The second part of this proverb tells us that we do not honour people who tell us that they deserve to be honoured. Those we see as deserving of honour are those who do what they do because it needs to be done and think it is nothing particularly noteworthy (or, at least, who appear to think it is nothing particularly noteworthy).

    The theme continues. As I read this passage today, I wonder how I lost track of the theme in this psalm the previous times I went through it. Reading this today, I feel a desire to reword almost every verse as part of what I write. However, I do not see the point to that when you can read them for yourself. I will however highlight a few, not because they stand out, but in order to show how they apply to me (and they all apply to me).
    I will join the psalmist in asking God to teach me His decrees. I strive to practice what I understand of God’s will because that is the path to happiness. I wish to desire God’s word more than I desire money. It is only through the help of the Holy Spirit that I will be able to abandon my sins, which are shameful, and follow God’s regulations, which are a better way to live. Then in verse 43 I am reminded of my greatest fear. I fear coming down with Alzheimer’s, or some other form of dementia. The greatest thing I fear about that is that I will forget the Scripture I have learned throughout my life and be unable to read it to be reminded of it again. Oh Lord, if it is your will that I suffer dementia, and forget everything else I have learned, let me still know your Word.

    Here Jesus tells us how God calms our fear of Him so that we do not feel the need to hide from Him. Once we have learned to truly fear Him, He sends His Spirit to us in order to show us His love. It is when we strive to do as Jesus instructs us that God, in all three of His aspects, will come to live with us and in us. When we recognize God’s love for us we will love Jesus. Out of our love for Jesus we will strive to obey His instructions. And here Jesus says the thing which relieves the fear I spoke of in my meditation on the psalm. Even if I forget everything I have ever learned, the Holy Spirit will teach me what I need to know and remind me of what Jesus has told me.

    Looking at today’s passage, we see God telling David that He had never asked anyone for a place of worship other than the tent which He already had. David wanted to build a Temple to honour God. God responded that it was not something for David to do. This struck me as something to which we should take note. It took me a bit to understand the message. The message is that sometimes we have an idea about something we can do for God, but God is not ready for us to do that (or for anyone to do that). It is not that our idea violates God’s will. It is just that the time is not right. When we undertake a project to serve God where it just seems like things never quite pan out, this is not necessarily a sign that the project is bad. It might mean that it is not yet God’s time for that project.