Controlling one’s temper is a sign of wisdom. Those who are sensible do not let anger control their actions. We should have respect for those who are willing to overlook slights and wrongs.
The wicked may be attacking those who seek to do right and the basis of law and order may have been undermined, but God is still in control. He will protect those who turn to Him. He will punish the wicked. God loves justice and will see that both the righteous and the wicked receive it.
It doesn’t matter if you were born and raised in a good, Christian family. Or if you go to Church every Sunday. If you do not do God’s will, you will be condemned alongside those who have never heard His word. It is not enough to know God’s word, we need to be transformed by His Spirit. We need to seek God’s praise, not that of our fellow man.
The fact that some who claim to be followers of Christ do wrong does not diminish the righteousness of God. Rather it highlights God’s righteousness and shows it in stark contrast to human sinfulness. However, that does not justify our sinfulness. The fact that God will receive glory for His willingness to forgive our sins does not give us an excuse to sin even more.
Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, treated David’s messengers as spies and enemies, instead of as the gesture of good will which they were intended to be. As a result, he started a war with David which he could not, and did not, win. He compounded his mistake by seeking allies to fight against David’s forces, rather than begging forgiveness. The end result of this was the complete destruction of his kingdom and nation. It is all too easy to misconstrue a well-meant act as an insult, or part of a plot against us and offend those who wished to be our friends. When we realize we have done so, let us beg the offended party for forgiveness, rather than prepare to attack them.
When David had completed two successful wars, one against the Ammonites a second against the Philistines, he decided to take a census of how many fighting men there were in Israel. It is not clear why taking the census was a sin. I have always felt that the sin was because David was attempting to determine how large an army he could field, rather than trusting God to supply him with sufficient men to accomplish whatever task God set for him. There is certainly some truth to that idea. This morning I came across a reference which pointed out that when God told Moses to take a census He, also told him that each person was to pay a ransom to God at the same time (something which David did not do). In a way, Moses census was taken by collecting that “ransom”.
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.
David went to war against the Ammonites after they insulted the ambassadors he had sent to offer his condolences about the death of the new king;s father. Instead of following the normal practice of kings and leading the army to war himself, David sent the army out under the command of Joab. David only came out at the finish to claim the victory (here, and elsewhere in the Bible, David is chided for not leading the armies in the first place, but not for claiming the victory). After the defeat of the Ammonites, war broke out with the Philistines again. In several battles, warriors under David’s command killed Philistine warriors who were the descendants of giants and were larger than normal people.
Later, David decided to take a census of the people of Israel, against the advice of Joab. Joab told David that such a census was a sin, but David ordered it any way. God was displeased that David ordered the census and punished Israel for this sin. A plague spread over the land, stopping just before it reached Jerusalem. The passage tells us that David saw the angel of the Lord standing at the threshing floor of Araunah, with its sword extended over Jerusalem. Araunah also saw the angel. David approached Araunah to request that Araunah sell him the threshing floor in order for David to build an altar there. Araunah offered to give David the land, but David insisted on buying it. David then built an altar there to worship the Lord. <
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What was the sin that David committed by taking the census? The answer is that David wanted to know how big of an army he could raise. He did not want to have to rely on God when he went into battle. He wanted to know that he could win on the strength of the army he had. On another point, when I read about the plague that followed the census it strikes me that it is quite possible that the process of a few people traveling around the entire land in order to count the people, may have provided the vector for the spread of disease in a manner that ordinary interactions between people in different parts of the country would not have.
Growing peppers
The ritual of circumcision only has spiritual value if you keep the entire Law. If you do not fully obey every aspect of God’s law, then being circumcised makes you no better than anyone else. On the other hand, those who are uncircumcised, but otherwise keep God’s law, will be declared by God to be His people. It is not circumcision, or other outward markers, which makes someone one of the people of God. Rather, it is being changed inwardly by the Spirit into someone who seeks praise from God, instead of from people.
In the next paragraph Paul does what to me seems like a slight subject jump (I see the connection, but I it looks to me like his train of thought goes off in a different direction than the one he had been following). Paul starts by asking what value there is in being a Jew or in the ritual of circumcision. This is a rhetorical question which he starts to answer. He says that there is great value in both. First of all, Jews have been entrusted with God’s revelation of His will to mankind. Then he says that this is not diminished by the fact that some Jews were unfaithful. Their unfaithfulness in no way lessons God’s faithfulness. Even if every human is a liar, this does not mean that God is a liar. Paul goes on from there to address the idea that by sinning people make God look better and thus they should sin. Paul rejects this idea in its entirety. Paul is reacting to some who claim that he teaches that the more we sin, the better it is.
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In a way, Paul is starting in the middle of a particular discussion of theological ideas. Paul teaches elsewhere that no matter what we do, we end up serving God’s purposes. We cannot avoid it. Even when we do evil acts for evil reasons, the results of our actions will accomplish God’s goals. There are those who distort this teaching to attempt to justify their evil behavior, saying that since their actions have resulted in God’s will, doesn’t this mean that God is wrong to punish them for the evil they have done. Paul answers that even though God will use our evil acts to accomplish good goals, it does not mean that He wants us to do those evil acts, or that He will not punish us for the evil and harm we cause, even though He will use our rebellious action to bring about even greater good. ,br>
Lilies about to bloom
Today’s psalm seems oh so appropriate now. I will affirm what the psalmist says as his opening line. I will trust in the Lord for protection. I will not flee, even though it seems as if what he says shortly after is also true.
The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
What can the righteous do?
I will not flee because, despite appearances, the Lord still rules from heaven. This means that, while humans may have done everything in their power to destroy the foundations of law and order, those foundations are still secure. The foundations of law and order are in the Lord and beyond the ability of humans to effect. He will bring judgment and punishment on the wicked, while the virtuous will see His face.
Strawberries and stripes
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.
Today’s passage starts by telling us about David’s war against the Ammonites. We are told that when King Nahash of the Ammonites died, David sent messengers to his son expressing his condolences. King Nahash’s son, Hanun, became convinced that David’s messengers were spies sent by David to find out the best way to conquer his land. Hanun chooses to humiliate the men he believes are spies by shaving off half of their beards and cutting their robes short. Hanun then compounded his foolishness by hiring a mercenary army from the Arameans. When David hears of the large army that King Hanun has mustered, he responds by sending Joab out with the standing army. King Hanun divided his army, attempting to trap Joab between the two parts. However, this just allows Joab to contain one part of King Hanun’s army while he defeats the other part. After driving King Hanun’s army from the field, Joab returns to Jerusalem. King Hanun hires even more mercenaries from the Arameans. David musters the full military might of Israel and attacks. After David’s victory this time, the Arameans are no longer willing to hire out to King Hanun. The following year, David conquers the Ammonites. This passage illustrates the foolishness of insulting those more powerful than yourself.
After several battles with the Philistines, David decides to take a census of the fighting age men of Israel, against the advice of Joab. The passage tells us that this census was a sin against God. That rather than trusting in God to provide for the defense of the kingdom, David tried to determine how much military might he could muster so that he would know what he could do on his own. In judgement, God sends a plague on Israel. David built an altar and offered a sacrifice to God in order to stop the plague.
Paul wrote here that circumcision will not save you. That if you break some other element of the Law, being circumcised will in no way protect you from judgement for that infraction. Paul further said that uncircumcised Gentiles who keep the rest of the Law, will condemn circumcised Jews who do not. Paul sums up his point by saying that being born of Jewish parents or undergoing the ceremony of circumcision does not make you a true Jew. According to Paul, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. In this context, Paul appears to use the term Jew to mean “one of God’s chosen people”. Paul went on to say that true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the Law, but being changed by the Holy Spirit. Evidence of a changed heart is that we seek God’s praise, not that of people.
Paul began the next section by saying that even though circumcision does not save, it is of great value. Paul wrote that the first reason it is of value is that Jews received the whole revelation of God (not just the parts that could be deduced by observing nature). He never comes back and tells us what the other reasons are that circumcision is of value. Interestingly, I came across an atheist website that gives some insight into this, and into the early Church’s decision to not require Gentiles to become circumcised. It turns out that circumcision has some positive health effects, but those effects are mostly seen if the circumcision is done on an infant. Choosing to have a circumcision as an adult has less of an impact on health than choosing to alter other behaviors and the effect of circumcision on non-behavior related health issues is significantly less if the circumcision is performed on an adult.
Paul wrote that just because some of the Jews who were entrusted with God’s complete revelation were unfaithful that does not mean that God is unfaithful. Paul pointed out that our sinfulness highlights God’s righteousness. This does not however provide a justification for our sin. Paul wrote here that those who argue that it is ok to sin because it shows how wonderful God’s grace is are to be condemned.
The psalmist here says that he will not run and hide because he trusts in God for protection. The psalmist tells us that even if law and order has collapsed in our society, God still rules from heaven and is in control. God will protect the righteous and use them to bring glory to His name. We should echo the words of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that we believe that God is able to save us, but even if He does not, we will serve Him.
Controlling your temper is evidence of wisdom. People respect those who do not fly off the handle at every little perceived slight. At my current job, one of our clients is constantly calling in angry, yelling and demanding action. He believes that by doing this he will get better service. But in fact, he gets poorer service because people avoid taking his calls as much as possible. Rather than rush to get finished with something else so that they can deal take his calls, they take longer hoping that he will grow impatient or have another call and hang up. He thinks that by yelling he pushes them to give him better service, but since he always yells, even when they are doing the best they can, there is no incentive to give him good service. My co-workers are conscientious and still strive to give him good service, but human nature being what it is, they do not always succeed.
