If you guarantee a stranger’s debt, make sure that you are able to pay it off. How can you possibly know if they can and will pay the debt themselves?
Doing wrong may give us a frisson of excitement that we enjoy, but once that has worn off the consequences will be unpleasant.
If you want your plans to succeed, get good advice. Do not undertake a major risk without first obtaining wise advice.
If we turn to God when trouble surrounds us, He will turn to us. Let us call out to God, and rely fully upon Him, for rescue from the dangers which overtake us. He will rescue us and protect us. If we do His will, He will not let us be disgraced.
Paul speaks of his plans to stop in Rome on his way to preach in Spain. We know that he made it to Rome, but that he never went to Spain. This illustrates the importance of remembering that all of the plans we make, no matter how well-intentioned, are subject to change according to the will of God. Paul asks the believers in Rome to pray that the believers in Jerusalem will accept the moneys raised for them by the believers in Greece and Macedonia. This suggests that even then there were those who were willing to sacrifice to meet the needs of others, but were unwilling to accept when others sacrificed for them.
When Assyria began to invade Judah, Hezekiah strengthened the defenses of Jerusalem. However, he did not point to these defenses, nor to his army, when he encouraged the people of Jerusalem. Rather he pointed to God. He acknowledged that the Assyrian army was more powerful than his own, and that they were capable of breaking down his defenses. However, he publicly proclaimed that God was capable of turning aside even the mighty army of Assyria. The Assyrians, on the other hand, dismissed the possibility that God might be able to stop them from conquering Jerusalem. They did so loudly and publicly, attempting to dishearten both the people in Jerusalem and elsewhere. When the Assyrian army was destroyed and Sennacherib was forced to withdraw from Judah, the surrounding nations recognized God’s power.
Let us follow Hezekiah’s example. Let us prepare for difficult times, but trust in God to deliver us, not on our own preparations.
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.
After Hezekiah had completed his religious reforms and brought the people of Judah back to worshiping the Lord, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah. Hezekiah responded to this invasion by strengthening Jerusalem’s defenses. He repaired the wall of the city and built a second wall outside of the first. Most importantly, he secured the water supply for the city while at the same time making sure there were no readily available water sources right outside the city.
While conducting a siege on another city, Sennacherib sent messengers with a letter for the people of Jerusalem. In it, Sennacherib started by claiming that God would not save Jerusalem from his armies. However, he continued by claiming that even if He would be willing to do so, God would be powerless to save Jerusalem from him. The officers sent by Sennacherib to deliver his message shouted to the people of Jerusalem in an attempt to terrify them and reduce their willingness to resist an Assyrian attack. The officers compared God to the pagan gods of the surrounding peoples and insulted Him as if He were no more than an object created by human hands. Hezekiah responded to Sennacherib’s threats by crying out to God. God answered Hezekiah’s prayers by destroying a large portion of Sennacherib’s army, forcing Sennacherib to return home. Before Sennacherib was able to rebuild his army and resume conquest, two of his sons killed him while he was worshiping his own gods.
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What happened when Sennacherib invaded Judah is a classic example of the way that God works. The Assyrian army was overwhelmingly powerful. There was no chance that the army of Judah would have been able to withstand it in battle. However, Sennacherib became arrogant and challenged God. After Sennacherib proclaimed that God would be unable to protect Jerusalem from him, something happened to his army. The two passages that discuss this event do not describe what happened to the Assyrian army, but they read to me as if it was struck by disease of some kind. Whatever happened, Sennacherib was unable to complete his conquest of Jerusalem, despite his boasts that God could not stop him.
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After Hezekiah’s death, his son Manasseh succeeded him on the throne. Manasseh undid many of the religious reforms which Hezekiah had instituted and worshiped many pagan gods. He even sacrificed his own sons in fires (probably as part of worship of Molech,a god of the Phoenicians). Manasseh set up an idol in the Temple of God and worshiped it there. Despite many warnings from prophets, Manasseh did not turn from his evil ways. As a result, he was taken captive by the Assyrians. While held captive by the Assyrians, Manasseh finally turned to God and was released to return to Jerusalem.
More lobelia cardinalis flowers
Paul concludes his letter by telling his readers that he is finally going to be able to visit Rome. His plan is to stop there on his way to Spain. He has not been able to make this trip previously because there was more work for him to do in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia. However, he feels he has completed his work in these regions. He has one last task to complete before he can set off on his journey to Spain. The churches of Macedonia and Achaia had gathered an offering to aid the poor among the believers in Jerusalem and Paul was tasked with delivering it to the church in Jerusalem.
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It appears to me that by the time that Paul wrote this letter, several people had told Paul that the Holy Spirit was telling them that he would face problems from the Jewish authorities when he got to Jerusalem. While it is possible that his request of his readers for their prayers was a generic request for Paul, it appears to indicate that he was expecting trouble when he got to Jerusalem. I have wondered for several years if God was trying to tell Paul that he should not go to Jerusalem, or if the warnings he received were to prepare him for what he would face.
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Paul then asks the readers to care for the needs of Phoebe, who apparently is the messenger delivering his message. Finally, he extends special greetings to people he cares for who are now living in Rome.
Another picture of lobelia cardinalis
This is the conclusion to Psalm 25. I strive to pray similar to this when I face difficult times in my life. I believe that honesty and integrity will protect me because I put my hope and trust in God.
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.
Shortly after King Hezekiah restored Temple worship, the king of Assyria invaded Judah. King Hezekiah repaired the walls of Jerusalem and secured Jerusalem’s water supply. In addition, he gathered the people of Jerusalem and told them not to fear the king of Assyria because while his army was great, God would protect Jerusalem. While he was still besieging another city, King Sennacherib sent messengers to Jerusalem proclaiming that God would be unable to protect Jerusalem from his armies. King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah prayed to God for rescue. The passage tells us that an angel of Lord destroyed Sennacherib’s army and he was forced to return to home, where his own sons killed him. We see two things come together here. First, King Sennacherib and the Assyrians challenged God. They said that God was unable to prevent them from doing whatever they liked, so the people of Jerusalem should not rely on Him. Second, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem said that only through the action of God could they withstand the attack by the Assyrians. They acknowledged that if Jerusalem did not fall to the Assyrians, the credit would all belong to God.
We are told that after the destruction of the Assyrian army, Judah was left in peace for the remainder of King Hezekiah’s reign and even accumulated significant wealth. Unfortunately, King Hezekiah’s son and successor, Manasseh, was not as faithful to God as his father. On the contrary, Manasseh rebuilt the pagan temples and altars that Hezekiah had destroyed. He sacrificed his own sons to the fire. He even set up an idol in the Temple. God allowed Manasseh to be taken captive by Assyrian armies. While in captivity, Manasseh turned to God. Upon his release and return to Jerusalem, he gave up his evil practices.
Paul now writes of his plans for future travel. He tells the believers in Rome that he plans to stop there on his way to Spain, after he has gone to Jerusalem to take a gift from the believers in Greece to the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. He requests their prayers that he be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God, which suggests that he has already heard the prophecies of what will happen when he returns to Jerusalem. Then he acknowledges that all of his plans are subject to the will of God.
Paul then commends Phoebe to the believers in Rome, which suggests that she was the person to whom he gave the letter to deliver it to the Roman Church. He follows this by listing various people now living in Rome and extending his greetings to them. While this is primarily a personal message to these individuals, it also contains a bit of testimonial for them, suggesting their opinions should be treated as somewhat authoritative by the believers in Rome. He mentions several women as Church leaders. This needs to be taken in balance with his writings elsewhere where he says that Church elders should be exclusively men.
Today’s section of psalm goes well with today’s passage from 2 Chronicles. When the people of Jerusalem thought there problems were irresolvable, they wholeheartedly turned to God for rescue from the Assyrians and God granted it to them. The psalmist here completely acknowledges that his only hope is through the action of God. That he has no ability to extricate himself from his troubles through his own skill and/or might. We must take a similar viewpoint to life. I am where I am in life, not because I am special, or better than anyone else, or through any other human agency, but because of the grace of God.
The first proverb today talks about how unwise it is to guarantee debt to someone you do not know. The second tells us that illicit behaviors are initially pleasant, but quickly result in regrets. The final one tells us that the more critical a plan, the more vital it is to listen to good advice before implementing it.
