Tag Archives: Bible Study

September 29, 2012 Bible Study

September 28, 2012 AttilaDimedici

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.

Isaiah 57:15-59:21

The prophet Isaiah condemns those who put on the forms of piety and righteousness without actually behaving in a righteous manner. He uses fasting as the example behavior, but I believe this applies to all sorts of “righteous” behavior. There are many people who claim to be working to do good who are in actuality merely working to please themselves. God gives the standards by which He judges righteousness. It is to free those who are wrongly imprisoned, to lighten the workload of those who work at your command. It is sharing your food with the hungry and shelter to the homeless. It is giving clothes to those who need them and making oneself available to relatives that need help. If you do these things, then God will bless you. This is not something that you delegate to someone else, whether that someone else be the church or the government. Further you need to keep the Sabbath as a day of rest and a day to focus on worshiping the Lord, not a day to pursue your own interests. This is where I most often fail. I too often spend my day of rest pursuing that which gives me pleasure rather than focusing on God. It is not the doing of that which gives me pleasure that is wrong. It is the failure to focus on God. Isaiah goes on to condemn a nation where lawsuits are based on lies. A nation where the courts oppose the righteous and justice is nowhere to be found. A nation where anyone who renounces evil is attacked. But God will step in. He will apply justice and save those who renounce evil. We must not delegate doing right to others.

Philippians 1:1-26

Paul begins his letter to the Philippians by praying that their love may grow with increasing knowledge and wisdom. I think this is an important connection. How do we know if our knowledge and wisdom are truly growing in a Godly fashion? The answer is that if they are, the increase in knowledge and wisdom will lead to an increase in our love for others and for God. If we find ourselves fighting with others and with an ever shrinking circle of people with whom we associate (or who associate with us) then we can know that our knowledge and wisdom are not growing in the fashion God intends.
Paul goes on to say that because of his imprisonment the gospel is being preached boldly. While some are preaching the gospel out of jealousy and rivalry with Paul, many are preaching it sincerely. Paul does not care what motives lead people to preach the gospel, as long as what they are preaching is the gospel. This passage concludes with Paul telling us that he is torn between continuing to serve God on this earth and dying and going to be with the Lord. This represents what our attitude towards life and death should be. We should view death as a joyous reward where we get to be in the presence of God completely. On the other hand we should view this life as an opportunity to serve God in all we do.

Psalm 71:1-24

The psalmist turns to God in his time of trouble. He calls on God to rescue him. Like the psalmist, God has been with me since childhood. I was raised in a Christian home by Godly parents. While there have been times in my life where I have fallen away from God, God has been part of my life since my earliest years. I hope that I have been an example to many, but I wonder if I have been less of a servant than I could have been. I call on God to use me as an example going forward so that those who meet me will desire to know Him as I do.

Proverbs 24:9-10

Fools scheme to commit sins. Do not take pride in your strength if it fails when times get tough.

Daily Bible Study

September 28, 2012 Bible Study

September 27, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Isaiah 54-57:14

When I read this passage I think of the modern state of Israel. I am in no way saying that this passage points to the modern state of Israel, but I would also hesitate to say strongly that it does not. However, this verse seems apt: “But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed.”
The next section is full of important words. The Lord will provide for those in need, all they need to do is come to Him and listen to His words. However, we need to seek the Lord while we can find Him, while He is near to us. If we reject the Lord when we know that He is calling us, we may not have the choice to answer later. When we are troubled by the way things are going on this earth we need to remember this:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
We cannot fully understand God’s ways and He does not do things the way we would. He sends His word out and it bears fruit. It accomplishes what He desires and prospers where He sends it. If we are faithful and listen to His voice, He will bring joy and peace to us and all of the world around us will sing joyful praises to Him. Up until here one could interpret this passage as only applying to the descendants of Israel. But now Isaiah tells us that God says that those who commit themselves to Him from every nation will be brought into His promises. He will bless those who love and serve His name.
This passage wraps up with a condemnation of leaders who use their position merely to enrich themselves rather than to serve the people they lead. He condemns those who worship things other than God. They may proclaim that they have done good deeds in the name of these false gods, but God will reveal the truth of the matter.

Ephesians 6:1-24

As is usual with good relationship advice, Paul here addresses both sides. Children should honor and obey their parents. Good things will come from such a course of action. On the other hand parents should not provoke their children to anger. If it always seems like your parents can push your buttons, as someone once told me, there is a reason for that; they put those buttons there. This means that parents know what makes their children angry and they should not do things which make their children angry just for the sake of making them angry. Then he gives advice to slaves and to masters. While we do not have slaves and slave owners in our society today, I believe that the advice Paul gives here is equally applicable in the modern workplace. If you are an employee, work with enthusiasm as if you were working for the Lord (because you are). On the other side, if you are an employer, treat your employees as your brothers and sisters in the Lord (for such they are, or at least, you should wish for them to be so).
Then Paul tells us to arm ourselves for spiritual warfare. There are people who spend a lot of time working up how Christians should prepare for spiritual warfare, but Paul lays it all out right here. We need the belt of truth. That means that we need to rely on being honest. There is no room in spiritual warfare for lies or deceptive behavior. No “spinning” to make red seem like green. There is no room for anything but the unvarnished truth. If you are tempted to say something that is truthful, but that you know your listeners will hear as something other than what is really true, don’t say it. Do your best to make sure that your listeners know what you think the truth about the situation at hand is. Put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is Jesus Christ. Recognize openly and honestly that our only claim to righteousness comes from our faith in Jesus. Stand grounded in the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith. Know that you don’t have to know the answer to every attack. Have faith that God has an answer that He will reveal to you in His own good time. Wear the helmet of your knowledge that you are saved through faith in Jesus. Then finally take up your offensive weapons. Use the sword of God’s word to go on the attack against our true enemies. Not the people who attack our faith, or otherwise make our lives difficult. No, our true enemies are the spirits to which those people are enslaved. Paul himself is evidence that, if we remember who our real enemies are in spiritual warfare, the most devastating attackers against God can be turned into even more effective promoters of His kingdom. People are not our enemies. Spiritual powers are our enemies and Christ has already defeated them. We need merely stand strong in our faith and they will flee from God’s Spirit which lives within us.

Psalm 70:1-5

As for me, I am poor and needy, without the aid of God I can do nothing. This is a good reminder for me. I was struggling with a project for work, where I had bitten off more than I could chew. For the last week, I have been praying for God to guide me through this project. I was struggling and not finding my way through. I prayed to God that He work it out according to His plans form me. Yesterday, I threw out the part of the problem that had stumped me to several of my friends. I was just looking for someone to point out where I had dotted an i or crossed a t wrong, but one of my good friends took what I had put together and reworked it in a fashion much more elegant than I could manage on my own. Everything else just fell into place after that. I have thanked my friend for his aid in my time of need. Now I am praising God for coming through for me what I was needy.
Magrat on her rock[/caption]

Proverbs 24:8

This proverb needs little explanation. People quickly learn who lays the plans that bring trouble for all around them.

Daily Bible Study

September 27, 2012 Bible Study

September 27, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Isaiah 51-53:12

Isaiah tells Israel to take comfort from God. Despite the fact that God has allowed them to suffer, He will redeem them. If we trust in God, there is no need to fear any human. God’s redemption is for forever, man’s scorn lasts for but a short time. Here we have a passage that has been made into a great song, “Our God Reigns.” “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” We are those messengers, or, at least, we are supposed to be. We have been sent to tell everyone the news of God’s peace and salvation. Those who listen to our message will certainly consider it beautiful that we delivered it.
All too often we do not deliver the message we have been sent with because we are afraid of suffering just a smidgen of what our Savior suffered. He was despised and rejected. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. How often do we still do the same? When we hear someone saying that Christians behave badly, do we ask them if they think that we behave that way? Do we behave that way? Or, are we afraid to be associated with the One whose followers they hold in such contempt? I am working on not being afraid to stand with my Savior, but I know that I am no stronger than Peter who denied Him three times.

Ephesians 5:1-33

We are to imitate God and live a life filled with love. We should follow Christ’s example as He gave Himself up to suffering for our sake. We should not be involved with sexual immorality, impurity, or greed. Those who are greedy are idolaters, they worship the things of this world. There are those today, just as there were in Paul’s day, who try to justify the above sins. Paul tells us not to be fooled by them. We should be careful how we live and take advantage of every opportunity to do what the Lord wants us to do.
Here we come to a passage that causes many to stumble. Paul tells us to submit to one another. That is not terribly controversial. Then he tells us that wives should submit to their husbands. This is a passage that many have trouble with. I believe this passage is fully normative. However, as I am not a wife, I do not spend much time with that passage. It is what comes next that I pay attention to. Paul tells us that husbands should love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the Church. How did Christ love the Church? He suffered and died for her. In the same way, we, who are husbands, should be willing to suffer and die for the good of our wives. But more than that, we should be willing to live every aspect of our lives so that we bring happiness and joy to our wives. Showing love and care for our wives is showing love and care for ourselves.

Psalm 69:19-36

Let us praise God’s name with singing and honor Him with thanksgiving. If we humble ourselves before God, we will see Him at work and it will bring us joy. God hears the cries of the needy and cares for them. Let us imitate Him in this way.

Psalm 69:19-36

When you find yourself in the presence of the wise, keep silent and learn. This is not what the proverb says, but it is what I take from it. There are times and places where I can bring wisdom. But there are also times and places where anything I would have to say would be foolishness. In those latter cases, I need to learn to keep silent.

Daily Bible Study

September 26, 2012 Bible Study

September 25, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Alanna's Chocolate Chip Cookies — Alanna’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Isaiah 48:12-50:11

The Lord alone is God. Isaiah writes of God’s lament that we did not follow His commands. This lament tells us something about why we should obey God’s commands. We should obey God’s commands, not to avoid God’s judgement, but because obeying them will result in us experiencing peace and often prosperity. Here God tells Israel that if they had obeyed His commands that they would have had peace flowing like a river and their descendants would have been too many to count. He does not say that He would have blessed them with these things, but that they would have been the result of obeying His commands.
Isaiah goes on to speak of one who was called by God to preach His message. Isaiah may be speaking about himself, or he may be speaking of Jesus, or perhaps a bit of both. But no matter who he was speaking about there is a message here for us. He says, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.” We often feel that such is the case in our lives. What is the point of doing what God tells us to do? What is the point of telling people God’s message? They do not listen or respond. However, Isaiah does not stop there. He continues, “Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.” That is the message for us when it feels useless to obey God’s command to us to preach His word because no one is listening. We need to leave the response in God’s hand. His Spirit will move in people’s lives when the time is right. Isaiah goes on to tell us that God says, “I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” While the traditional interpretation of that is that He is speaking here to Jesus (and that is not wrong), I believe that He is also speaking to us. Isaiah further tells us that God says, “At just the right time, I will respond to you.” And such is truly the case. We must not stop witnessing to those around us and praying for them. Because at just the right time, God will respond to our prayers, and make use of our witnessing to lead those wandering sheep back to Himself.

Ephesians 4:17-32

We should no longer live as sinners do (even though that is what we are). They have lost all sense of shame and indulge themselves in all sorts of impurity. Instead we should put on our new nature, which God has given us and live according to what we have learned from Jesus and the Gospel. What does this encompass? It means no longer lying, but telling our neighbors the truth. It means not letting anger control us, putting aside our anger before the end of the day. It means working hard so that we have resources to give to those in need. Not using foul or abusive language, but rather having everything we say be good and helpful, an encouragement to those who hear them. It means remembering that we are God’s own and we should not bring sorrow to His Spirit. Finally, it means this: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Wow, that is so much easier said than done, yet it is what we are called to strive for.

"MMMM, that was a good chipmunk" — “MMMM, that was a good chipmunk”

Psalm 69:1-18

I will try very hard to follow the example of the psalmist. It is my prayer that when I am in trouble (and even when I am not) that I will call out to the Lord for help, even when those around me mock me for it. I know that I am a fool and a sinner and that such is the source of my troubles, yet I know that when I turn to the Lord for help, He will rescue me. I pray that I may not be a source of shame for those who rely on the Lord. But, I also pray that I will not be ashamed of those who call on the Lord for help in their troubles, no matter why they are experiencing those troubles. I will keep praying to the Lord because His love is unfailing.

Proverbs 24:5-6

Today’s proverb tells us that wisdom is more powerful than strength and that knowledge is more important than prowess. Victory and success comes through listening to many advisers and choosing to follow good advice.

Daily Bible Study

September 25, 2012 Bible Study

September 24, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Isaiah 45:11-48:11

Isaiah wraps up his prophecy that says that Cyrus will overthrow Babylon and return the Jews to Jerusalem. He then goes on to say that the craftsmen who fashion idols shall be shamed and the day will come when all of humanity will be forced to acknowledge that God is the only god. Babylon will fall and be destroyed. Its gods will be shown to be powerless and its magic users to be no threat. The people of Babylon lived at ease and sought after their own pleasure with no concern for the well-being of others. They acted wickedly with no fear of judgement. Isaiah told them that the day of judgement was coming and would strike them without warning (although, since he is here warning them, he seems to mean that they had completely ignored the warnings). Any people who get caught up in their own pleasures and who believe that there will be no judgement for their wickedness will experience the calamity that Isaiah here prophesied for Babylon.

Ephesians 4:1-16

We should be humble, gentle and patient. Tolerating one another out of love. We should strive for unity because their is only one body of Christ and only one Holy Spirit. Despite this unity of God, He has given us each separate gifts. However, all of those gifts serve the purpose of equipping God’s people to do His work and to build up the Church. If we join in unity with our fellow believers we will not be easily susceptible to new, false teachings. We will learn to speak the truth in love as we become more like Christ and He binds us together as one Body. Paul tells us here to seek unity, but not unity at all costs. He advises us to seek unity in the Spirit and in God’s truth, so as to avoid being susceptible to false teaching.

Psalm 68:19-35

God is the God who saves us. He will destroy those who choose to be His enemies, those who oppress the weak and poor. We who have experienced His power should tell all the world of His might. Let us praise the Lord.

Proverbs 24:3-4

A house is built through wisdom and furnished through knowledge. This sums up the relationship between wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom is necessary to build. Knowledge provides the furnishings and decoration that make it a place that one would like to live.

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2012 Bible Study

September 23, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Isaiah 43:14-45:10

Isaiah tells us that God has done great things to save Israel in the past and is about to do even greater things. Yet for all that, Israel refuses to ask God for help. Nevertheless God is going to forgive their sins. He will lead them to follow Him. He will pour out His Spirit on them and they will proudly declare that they are His. God has done great things for me and all too often I do not ask for His help. I try to do things on my own without God’s help. I do not worship Him as I should. Yet, He has blotted out my sins and poured out His Spirit upon me.

Ephesians 3:1-21

Paul tells the Ephesians that if they read his letter, they will be able to understand the mystery of Christ, which God had revealed to Paul. This was a mystery which had not been revealed to previous generations. Now God has chosen to reveal it through His apostles and prophets. Paul was given the gift of being the one whom God chose to spread His message to the Gentiles, not because of any merit on Paul’s part but because of God’s grace to Paul. This mystery, which Paul was commissioned to preach to the Gentiles, was that God has chosen to join together all peoples in His Church through Christ Jesus. Jesus offers us the opportunity to approach God in freedom and confidence, despite our many sins.
Paul prays that the Ephesians will be rooted in love and thus have the power to grasp the immensity of Christ’s love which is beyond the extent of human knowledge to encompass. The metaphor of being rooted reminds me of the plants which I grow, especially those I grow in pots. I have several that I have been growing for several years. Every so often I have to take them out of the pot and trim the roots back because they grow out and start to tangle themselves up as they grow searching for water. If I wait too long to do this it becomes hard to do because the roots grow through the holes in the bottom of the pot that provide drainage. In the same way that these roots grow out searching for water, our souls reach out looking for love. If we root our lives in God’s love and remember to base all of our actions on love, we will find that God will grant us great power.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Psalm 68:1-18

Let us sing praises to God, who is a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows. He will provide the lonely with families. God knows our needs and supplies them. His power is such that the weak are able to plunder the treasures of the armies of His enemies. It is not through our power that God is victorious. God has been victorious and will live among us.

Proverbs 24:1-2

We should not be envious of the wicked or desire to be their companions because they plot violence and stir up trouble (which will often rebound upon them and the people around them).

Daily Bible Study

September 23, 2012 Bible Study

September 23, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Isaiah 41:17-43:13

Isaiah begins a prophecy of praise to God. He tells us that God will make the desert to blossom for the benefit of the poor and needy. Then he asks someone, anyone, to make the case for other gods. Can they tell us what happened before any of those present knew the story? Can they tell us what is going to happen in the future? In fact, he asks that they anything amazing, either good or bad. They do not, because they cannot. They are powerless. Isaiah then prophecies about the rise of Cyrus the Great. Isaiah then goes on to prophecy about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus.
Isaiah speaks of the gentleness of the coming Messiah. He will not shout or raise His voice in public. He will not so much as crush a weak reed, but He will bring justice to those who have been wronged. He will give sight to the blind and free the captives from prison. He will provide light as He leads those who choose to follow Him out of the darkness. He warns us about seeing and recognizing what is right, but failing to act on it. He warns us against hearing but not really listening. All to often I am guilty of this. I know what I ought to do, but I do not do it. I hear God tell me the words I ought to speak, but I do not say them. Despite all of this, He has ransomed me.

“From eternity to eternity I am God.
No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.
No one can undo what I have done.”

Ephesians 2:1-22

We were all once dead, when we lived in sin, obeying the commands of the spirit of disobedience. We were subject to God’s anger, yet God loved us so much that He gave us life when He raised Jesus from the dead. Note that in this passage the important thing is Jesus’ resurrection, not his death. Further, we cannot take any credit for our salvation. It is completely a product of God’s grace out of His love and mercy and is not a reward for any good works we may have done (which are, in fact, inconsequential when weighed against the evil we have done). There is no room for any of us to think of ourselves as better than others. Nor is there any room for any of us to think of ourselves as less than or inferior to others. We often stress the fact that in God there is no basis for any of us to consider ourselves better than others, but we often overlook the equally wrong view of considering ourselves inferior to others. In the Church, no one who has accepted Jesus as Lord should be treated as an outsider, but equally no one who has accepted Jesus as Lord should consider themselves an outsider. If you come among a new body of believers and they look down on you because you speak your mind before they have given you the “secret handshake”, they are the ones who are sinning. If, on the other hand, you come among a new body of believers and you withhold your counsel and wisdom until you feel that you have received the “secret handshake”, you are the one who is sinning. When we are part of a group, we are called by God to make newcomers feel a part of that group. When we first join a group, we are called by God to reject any attempts (intentional or unintentional) by that group to marginalize us.

Psalm 67:1-7

What a wonderful psalm and my prayer today.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
I ask for God’s blessing so that I may be a witness to others about how wonderful He is. This is the only reason to seek God’s blessing. Then when we receive that blessing, we should use it to help those in need. In all things, we should act and speak so that people to the ends of the earth will come to fear God and from that fear may come to know and accept His grace.

Proverbs 23:29-35

This proverb tells us of the dangers of drunkenness. The Bible does not teach us to abstain from all alcohol, but it does tell us to restrain our consumption of it.

Daily Bible Study

September 22, 2012 Bible Study

September 21, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Isaiah 39-41:16

     Today’s passage begins with the account of the envoys who came from Babylon to see Hezekiah. It is not clear to me what the point of Isaiah’s message to King Hezekiah was. Was Isaiah telling Hezekiah that he was wrong to show them all of his treasures? Or was he telling Hezekiah not to trust in the friendship of earthly kings because they would eventually betray him? There is one thing I do know, this passage does not reflect well on Hezekiah in my mind because Hezekiah thought that Isaiah’s prophecy was good because the prediction was that death and destruction would come after Hezekiah’s death.
     Here Isaiah has another one of those transitions I do not understand. He is writing about historical events in what is more or less prosaic language, then he enters into a prophetic message that is laid out in more poetic form. The prophecy does not appear to be connected to the event that was just described. Nevertheless this is a powerful message. We know from the Gospel of John that this is a prophecy of the Messiah, but even without that the imagery is powerful. He refers to a voice of one calling out “Make a straight highway…” His description reminds me of the way that modern Interstates are sometimes built. The engineers would build bridges over chasms, cut tunnels through mountains and blast rock out of the sides of hills and mountains so as to run the road where they intended. This imagery takes it beyond that to show that the path the Lord will take will not be obstructed by anything.
     Isaiah goes on to tell us that all of mankind is as nothing compared to God. In the magnificence that is God’s creation we are insignificant. He tells us of the hugeness of the universe. Isaiah uses the grandeur of the universe to express how ridiculous it is for people to think that they can create an image that represents the Creator of that universe. Yet despite all this, Isaiah tells us that God will strengthen those who trust in him.

They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles.
I would include more of the song here, but it is still under copyright.

Barony Wars, Don Po Fences (but where are the tiny bubbles?)

Ephesians 1:1-23

Today I begin studying Ephesians. This is Paul’s introduction to his letter and like the introduction to most of his letters it is very dense in theological concepts. Praise God that He has chosen to give us His redemption. He forgives our sins through His grace. When we heard the gospel we were included in God’s wonderful grace and given the gift of salvation. God has placed the seal of His Spirit upon us and within us. God has called us to the riches of His inheritance and has placed His power within us. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead. All powers and authorities have been made subject to Jesus and we are authorized to speak on behalf of His name. When I read a passage like this, I am ashamed of the weakness of my faith. We of the Church today should be performing marvelous signs, if only we had the faith to both believe that we could and to know where God intended us to exercise such power. I just realized that my failure is that I do not spend enough time in prayer. I am so glad I have started this blog because it has helped me to discipline myself to study God’s word as I have long known I needed to do. Now perhaps it will help me to discipline myself to spend the time in prayer that I need.

Psalm 66:1-20

I want to be one who is always shouting praise to God. Help me oh God to call out to those around me, “Come and see what the Lord has done.” I do not often enough tell people what God has done for me. When I confessed my sinfulness and acknowledged that I had no power over it, God forgave my sins and has continued to move in my life to bring glory to His name. He has listened to my prayers.

Barony Wars, the fencers study one another

Proverbs 23:25-28

Make your parents happy by following the Lord. This proverb tells us that a promiscuous woman delights in leading men to unfaithfulness. But beyond that I have learned that those who wallow in sin often take great pleasure in leading others to do the same.

Daily Bible Study

September 21, 2012 Bible Study

September 20, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Isaiah 37-38:22

When King Hezekiah received the report of what the king of Assyria’s agents had said, he immediately sent word to Isaiah asking him to pray for the people. Isaiah replied that God Himself would respond to the blasphemous statement by the king of Assyria’s messengers. The king of Assyria would return home and be killed by the sword. Soon after this King Sennacherib received word that an Ethiopian army was approaching and he left Judah to fight them. Before he left, King Sennacherib sent a letter to Hezekiah stating that God could not protect Jerusalem from his armies. Hezekiah took this letter and spread it out before the altar and prayed for God’s deliverance. Through Isaiah God promises that Assyria will not attack Jerusalem nor lay siege to it. In Isaiah’s prophecy of how God will force King Sennacherib to leave Jerusalem alone is some great imagery of how God controls the behavior of those who choose to defy His will.

“I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth.”
The imagery here is of how a man may control an animal that is much larger than himself and force it to go where he desires rather than where it would wish. The implication is not that God needs these devices to control someone more powerful than himself. Rather the implication is that resisting God’s will is futile, we can buck and fight, but in the end (and that end will not be long coming) we will be forced to do as God has decided. More than that, if we fight against that will we will suffer pain in the process of being turned to that path.
King Sennacherib is promptly forced to return to his capital. About this time, Hezekiah becomes ill and God sends Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that he will not recover. Hezekiah responded to this message by petitioning the Lord for healing. God sends Isaiah another message that He has heard Hezekiah’s prayer and will heal him. Hezekiah responded to being healed with a song of praise.

Galatians 6:1-18

     Paul here tells us that if someone falls into sin, we should humbly and gently lead them back into the path of righteousness. That certainly does not mean haranguing them about the sin. It does mean acknowledging that we also suffer temptations to sins just as bad as any that those we are attempting to correct are committing. It does mean acknowledging that we struggle with sin ourselves. Paul tells us to be careful not to fall prey to the same temptations that we are attempting to guide someone else away from. We should share one another’s burdens. We should not fool ourselves into thinking we are more important than we are.
     Here we come upon an interesting statement by Paul. Just a couple sentences back, he told us that we should bear one another’s burdens, yet now he tells us that each person must bear their own burden. People may argue about what he means, but to me it seems obvious. We should do our best to help others, but we should not feel that others are obligated to help us. To phrase it another way; as Christians we are obligated to help others, others are not obligated to help us.
     If we spend our resources satisfying our sinful nature, we will reap decay and death. If on the other hand we spend our resources doing the will of God we will reap everlasting life and blessings. We should take every opportunity to do good, especially for our fellow believers.
     Finally Paul closes the letter by writing his own words. This suggests that some people had claimed that those who wrote some of his previous letters had put words into his mouth. He points out that those advocating that Gentiles become circumcised do not follow the whole law. Paul says that they are advocating circumcision in order to avoid persecution and in order to boast of those who follow their teachings. He says that he will only boast of the cross. It does not matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What matters is whether we have been transformed by God into a new creation. I pray every day that God continue to transform me into a new creation.

Psalm 65:1-13

What a wonderful psalm of praise! God does answer our prayers. I sin time and again, relying on my own strength rather than turning to God. I, once more, dedicate myself to relying on God rather than myself. I know that God will once again forgive me this sin, just as He has my others. In many ways it shames me that I have so much experience with His forgiveness.

Proverbs 23:24

Children give your parents joy by seeking God’s wisdom.

Daily Bible Study

September 20, 2012 Bible Study

September 19, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Isaiah 33:10-36:22

     Isaiah prophecies that Assyria will be consumed by the very fires with which they swallowed up other nations. Those who do not trust in God will be frightened and threatened by this destruction, but those who trust in the Lord and follow His commands will be safe. Isaiah directed this prophecy to the coming Assyrian invasion. He predicts that Assyria will completely destroy the surrounding nations and come up against Jerusalem, but that the kingdom of Judah will be unconquered and Assyria will fall. Jerusalem will stand because its people will turn to the Lord.
     Isaiah goes on to prophecy that God is coming to save His people. When he does, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk and the mute will sing. This is the passage with which Jesus answered the question from John the Baptist’s disciples as to whether He was the one that was to come or if they should look for another. When we turn to the Lord and put our faith in Jesus, all of these things will happen and we will experience joy.
     After these prophecies, the book gives a historical record of the Assyrian invasion during the reign of Hezekiah. When the king of Assyria’s representative was talking to just Hezekiah’s court officials he claimed that the Lord had brought Assyria to destroy the kingdom of Judah. However, when he turned to speak to the people of Jerusalem standing on the walls, he claimed that God would be unable to protect Jerusalem from his armies. One will often see such behavior on the part of people who reject belief in God. They will initially claim that we should see their success as evidence that God is supporting them, but before long they will start bragging that their success is evidence that God is powerless. This always ends badly for those who so brag.

Barony Wars, fencers await their next bout

Galatians 5:13-26

Paul has been telling us throughout the letter to the Galatians that we have freedom through our faith in Christ, rather than slavery to the Law. Now he tells us not to use that freedom to satisfy our sinful lusts, but instead use our freedom to serve one another in love. If we are guided by the Holy Spirit, as we should be, we will not be doing the evil that our sinful nature desires. If we live the life of our sinful nature, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Paul contrasts the fruit of our sinful nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these; with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We should strive for the latter and eschew the former. I look at the list of the fruits of the Spirit and I go down the list and think of myself that I am doing OK, until I come to self-control. Then I realize that I fall short. I do not have the self-control that I ought. And once I recognize that, it becomes quite clear to me that I do not exhibit the other fruit to the degree that I should. You cannot truly exhibit one of the fruits of the Spirit without showing them all. Certainly, it is useful to focus on those areas where one struggles the most, but one can only develop the fruit of love to a certain degree if one does not exhibit the fruit of patience. These fruit of the Spirit are not separate things, but rather they are different aspects of a single fruit. We are not like a tree that has “love” growing on one branch and “patience” on another. We are like trees that produce a single type of fruit and if that fruit is the fruit of the Spirit each one that we bear has love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Psalm 64:1-10

If our enemies are evil and the enemies of God, then God will protect us from them and destroy them. We do not need to take action against them, God will act for us. If we believe that we must take action against our enemies, we should consider if perhaps we are the ones being evil. Elsewhere in the Bible, Paul writes that as much as it is within our power we should be at peace with everyone. God Himself will bring ruin on those who plot evil against the godly.

Proverbs 23:23

Today’s proverb fits well with the passage from Galatians about the fruit of the Spirit, because the things mentioned in the proverb go together in much the same way that the fruit of the Spirit form a single whole. Truth, wisdom, discipline and good judgement are all parts of a single whole. You do not truly have one of them if you do not have all of them.

Fact and Fantasy

Tag Archives: Bible Study

September 29, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

September 28, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

September 27, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

September 26, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

September 25, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

September 24, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

September 23, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

September 22, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

September 20, 2012 Bible Study

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: