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.

     Solomon continues his closing prayer by asking God to watch over the Temple and hear prayers said towards it (I believe that this is the origin of the idea of facing towards a holy place when praying). He acknowledges that the Temple cannot possibly contain God, since not even the heavens can contain Him. Solomon then asked God that when people sin and suffer for their sins, if they turn to God, confess their sins and repent of them, he asked that God forgive them and return them to His favor. Solomon asked that God extend His mercy not only to the people of Israel, but to anyone from any land who turned to God and sought to serve Him.
     God responded to Solomon’s prayer and gave Solomon a message that is as important for the Church today as it was for the people of Israel. “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

     I did not read this part of today’s reading before I wrote what I wrote about the Old Testament passage, but Paul touches on exactly the point I made at the end of that. We want to do what is right, but we don’t. We don’t want to do what is wrong, but we do. It is human nature to want to do what is right, what God commands. But it is also human nature to be enslaved to sin. But God has given us a way out. We can die to the law through Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to control us, rather than sin. If we continue to think about sinful things, we will be controlled by sin. On the other hand, if we are controlled by the Holy Spirit we will think about spiritual things.

     The beginning of this psalm is very familiar to us.

     If you strike a mocker, someone naive and/or simple-minded may learn to be shrewd. But all it takes for those who are wise to learn is a simple correction of their mistakes.

     Yesterday(just as a reminder, for me, yesterday was June 19), I titled my Bible Study, “How Can I Serve The Lord Right Now?” Then today when I was on Facebook looking at what my friends had posted I came across something that answered the question for any time I am out in public. The post was about someone who, when they were out driving around, would smile and wave to everyone they encountered. When asked why they did it, they responded that they had seen a story about people who had tried and failed to commit suicide. In that story they read that many of those people would not have tried to kill themselves if someone, anyone, had acknowledged them with a smile and a wave. I don’t know if that is true, but I do know that I feel better when people pleasantly acknowledge encountering me. I have decided that at least part of the answer to my question is that I can pleasantly acknowledge everyone I see.

     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.

     Solomon had bronze and gold furnishings made for the Temple. When the Temple and all of the furnishings were completed, Solomon summoned all of the leaders of the people of Israel to Jerusalem for a holy festival to move the Ark of the Covenant from where David had placed it into the Temple. When all of the leaders arrived, Levites picked up the Ark and brought it to the Temple. In addition other priests and Levites brought the tent it had been in and all of the sacred articles that were in the tent into the Temple. During the process of moving the Ark Solomon and the people of Israel sacrificed so many animals, sheep, goats, and cattle, that no one kept track of the number.
     When the sacrifices were finished, the priests carried the Ark into the Holy Place in the Temple. After the priests left the Holy Place the priestly and Levite musicians performed together to praise God. While they were singing and playing a thick cloud filled the Temple. The cloud was so think that the priests could not continue the service. Solomon then concluded the service by praying a prayer thanking and praising God for choosing David, his father, to be king over Israel, and himself to build God’s Temple in Jerusalem.

     I always find it hard to explain what Paul is saying in today’s passage. I think that partly that is because Paul had a hard time expressing the idea he was trying to convey. The first point Paul makes is that cancels all of our commitments under the law. He then goes on to show how that means we are freed from our bondage to sin. We were bound to service to sin by the law. However, when we died with Christ at our baptism we were freed from that bondage. We are no longer captive to the law, before our death with Christ in baptism we were obligated either to keep every jot and tittle of the law or we were bound to serve sin in our every action. Christ’s death freed us from those two choices and allowed us to serve God according to the spirit of His intentions.
     Another point which Paul makes is sin takes advantage of our knowledge of good and evil to entice us to do evil. The law was introduced in order to show us the boundaries of good behavior, but in our sinfulness we see those boundaries as lines to cross to demonstrate our independence. I’m still not getting it right. Every time I read this passage I think, “Wow, that is an awkward way to say that.” Then I try to reword it another way and it always comes out either being even more convoluted, or saying something completely different from what Paul was saying. Or both.

     The psalmist prays to God for deliverance from his foes and his troubles. Why does he do this? Because he knows that God will answer. That God will bend down and listen, just as a loving mother will bend down to hear what her child is saying. The psalmist goes on to warn us that those who look for their reward in this world will face destruction at the hand of God. But those who are righteous will be vindicated because they seek to see God face to face as their reward. This psalm sums up where those who follow “prosperity gospel” go wrong. “Prosperity gospel” teaches that we will receive a reward in this world. While we may receive good things in this world, our reward is to see God face to face.

     What we truly desire is to be loyally loved. We will be happier being poor with someone who honestly loves us than rich with someone we cannot trust. If we truly fear the Lord, and act accordingly, we will have no reason to fear anything else and trouble will pass us by.

     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.

     When Solomon took the throne he called together all of the leaders of Israel to worship at the Tabernacle in Gibeon. David had moved the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, but the Tabernacle that was built in the wilderness was still at Gibeon. In addition, the bronze altar that had been built during the Israel’s time in the wilderness was there as well. Solomon offered 1,000 burnt offerings on the altar before the Tabernacle in Gibeon.
     That night God appeared to Solomon and asked him what he would like God to give him. Solomon responded by asking God to give him the wisdom and knowledge to be a good ruler of God’s people, Israel. God was pleased that Solomon had not requested wealth, long life, death to his enemies, or honor. Because of this God promised Solomon that he would grant his request for the wisdom and knowledge to be a good ruler, and he would give him wealth, honor and a long life.
     The passage goes on to recount Solomon’s correspondence with Hiram, king of Tyre, in preparation for building the Temple. It concludes with a describe the building of the Temple itself.

     There is a lot of stuff in today’s passage, but for me, I want to highlight the following verses (Romans 6:12-14)

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master,…

There is not much I can say to make the meaning of this any clearer or explain how it applies to my life. I do think this fits very well with what the Old Testament passage said to me. If we give ourselves completely to God and ask, “How can I use this to serve the Lord?” of everything we do, it will go a long way to helping us fulfill the other part of what Paul tells us: “do not give in to sinful desires.” I will strive to ask in every moment, “How can I serve the Lord, right now?”

     This psalm has an important point to make. Every good thing we have comes from the Lord. I will follow the example of the psalmist and make the godly people in the land my heroes. They will be the ones that I will emulate and that I will encourage others to emulate. I will resist the temptation to follow other gods, because that is the route to destruction.
     The Lord will guide me and instruct me. He is right beside me, ready to answer whenever I ask, “How can I serve the Lord right now?” I just need to listen (something I am not very good at).

     Today’s proverb recommends that we get all of the advice that we can and take whatever instruction we are given, this is the route to always being able to determine the wise course of action. It does not say to follow all of the advice we are given, merely to get all of the advice that we can. The second proverb tells us that we can make all of the plans that we wish, but only those that serve God’s purpose will come to fruition. Which brings us back to my question for the day, “How can I serve the Lord right now?”

     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 summoned all of the leaders of Israel to give his final instructions to them and to Solomon. He told Solomon that God had chosen his family out of all of Judah to be kings over Israel, chosen David out of all of his father’s sons, and now chosen Solomon out of all of David’s sons. David gave Solomon an important piece of wisdom. He told him that if he seeks God, he will find Him. David then went on to give Solomon detailed instructions for building the Temple. David then turned to the leaders of Israel and told them what treasure he was giving from his personal wealth for the building of the Temple and asked them to do something similar. The leaders responded by giving a large amount of wealth. David gave over $3 billion worth of gold at today’s prices and the leaders of Israel all together gave over $5 billion worth. In addition, they, David and the leaders, gave silver and other metals for the construction.
     David then prayed a prayer of praise where he acknowledged that everything which he had had come from God. He refused to accept any credit for the wealth which he had donated to the Temple construction, since that wealth came from God in the first place. David tells us that we have nothing to give to God, because we have nothing that did not come from God.

     Paul tells us that very few people would be willing to die for someone who was a “good person”, a few more might be willing to die for someone who was universally acknowledged as good. But Christ died for us when we were sinners, enemies of God. If we were reconciled to God through Christ’s death while we were still in opposition to God, how much more will His life bring us salvation? Jesus has made us friends with God, allowing us to rejoice in our new relationship with Him.
     Paul goes on to draw the comparison between Jesus and Adam. It was through Adam that sin and death entered the world. Adam’s one sin led to the sins of many. Christ’s obedience to God led to many being made righteous. Through Adam’s sin, sin came to rule over the earth, bringing death to everyone. Through Jesus’ obedience onto death, God’s grace wrested the rulership over the earth from sin resulting in eternal life through Jesus.

     Today’s psalm gives us a list of how we should attempt our lives.

1. speak the truth
2. refuse to gossip
3. refuse to harm our neighbors
4. refuse to speak evil of our friends
5. despise flagrant sinners
6. honor those who faithfully follow the Lord
7. keep our promises even when it hurts
8. lend without interest
9. do not accept bribes to lie about the innocent

If we do these things we will stand firm no matter what troubles come our way.

     I read the first of these proverbs and could not help but think of reports I have read concerning the youth in our country. So many parents want to be their children’s friends and don’t want to anger their children. So rather than disciplining their children they are becoming a willing party to their death. I have watched several families raise their children. The children of the strictest disciplinarians went through life knowing they were loved. The children of the most permissive spent their lives looking for love.
     The second proverb has a similar message. If you save someone who allowed anger to overcome their better judgment from the consequences of their actions, they will not learn their lesson and will repeat the mistake.

     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 is a list of the groups which David divided the priests and Levites into in order to assign them their duties. The various groups were assigned their duties by the casting of lots so that no preference was shown for one group over another.

     Paul continues on his theme about salvation through faith by pointing to the example of Abraham, who was viewed by the Jews as their forefather. Paul points out that the Scripture tells us that Abraham was counted as righteous because of his faith, before Abraham was circumcised. Circumcision, rather than being a source of Abraham’s righteousness, was a sign of Abraham’s righteousness, a product of that righteousness. Paul concludes that Abraham was the spiritual father not of those who were circumcised, but of those to whom righteousness is credited because they believe.

     The psalmist asks God how long God will allow him to suffer, how long God will allow his enemy to have the upper hand? Yet, even though it is clear that the psalmist is feeling like God has abandoned him, the psalmist makes known that he has faith that God will rescue him. The psalmist trusts the Lord and acknowledges that the Lord has already done good for him. When times seem difficult and God seems far away, I will still trust in Him, because He has rescued me in the past and I know that He will rescue me again. God does not rescue me because I am good. He rescues me because He is good.

     Today’s proverbs sum up two basic truths. If you are too lazy to work when there is work to be done, you will experience hunger. If you keep God’s commandments, you will have a happy healthy life. If you break them you will experience suffering and death.

     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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     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.

     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.

     Being slow to anger is a sign of wisdom and the fastest way to earn respect is to forgive those who have done you wrong.