For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    I agree with the proverb writer. I would rather faithfully serve God and be poor, than gain great wealth through dishonesty and deceit.

    If we understand the truth in today’s psalm, and in the rest of Psalm 119, we too will love God’s instructions. Reading, meditating on, and following God’s laws will make us wiser than our enemies and give us insights not possessed by our teachers. The former will happen because we will have no enemies who study and follow God’s laws if we do the same. The latter is one of the wonders of God’s law. His Spirit will give fresh insights to each individual who studies His law. Let us share the insights He has given us with each other that we might all grow in our knowledge of Him.
    The great thing about studying and following God’s word is that it reveals the dangers of doing wrong before we are even tempted. Our enemies may set traps for us, but if we have studied God’s words and instructions carefully, we will walk right around them without ever being in danger. If we are careful in not allowing our enemies to lead us away from God’s word their traps will close on them rather than ourselves.

    When the Temple guards and Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus, it appears that they were expecting armed resistance. When Jesus told them that He was the one they were looking for, they fell back. I believe that they did so in order to prepare for the attack they believed was coming. When Peter attempted to begin the attack which the soldiers expected, Jesus stopped him. Jesus was willing to accept the suffering which was coming. We, also, should accept the suffering which will come our way for our faith.
    When the high priest asked Jesus detailed questions about His teachings, Jesus replied by telling him to ask those who had heard Him preach. Jesus did not teach in secret. The important thing here is that Jesus refused to get caught up in making His case in soundbites. It was not, and is not, possible to sum up the whole of Jesus’ teachings in a debate over the course of an evening. If you find yourself in a debate with someone where they keep bringing up some other aspect of what the Bible teaches, end it at once and suggest they come to Church and listen to the sermons for a year or two. Someone who goes from one “problem” to another is not looking for understanding. They are looking for an excuse to find fault.

    David continues to mishandle his son Absalom, allowing Absalom to feel neglected and unloved, and then, allowing Absalom to stir up dissatisfaction with David’s rule. This story, also, gives us an example of how a person who wants to gain political power will use behaviors and activity which make them seem sympathetic to the plight of individuals without needing to actually do anything. Absalom told everyone that he would have ruled in their favor, if he but had the power. No one considered whether what he was telling them was consistent with what he was telling someone else. They were convinced that Absalom would serve their if he were king. There is a warning here to be careful of those who promise everyone everything they desire.