I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     As the Philistines mustered for battle, the other commanders asked Achish why David, a Hebrew was part of their army. They insisted that David be sent back, as they were afraid he would turn against them in battle. I am sure they were in part remembering the first major battle against Saul, when they had large numbers of Hebrews in their army who turned joined with Saul when battle was entered. Achish argued for keeping David and his men in the army, but the other Philistine commanders insisted that he be sent back. Finally, Achish agrees to send David back. David argues his case with Achish, but the decision has been made, so David and his men return to Ziklag.
     When David and his men get back to Ziklag, they discover that the town had been sacked. Their possessions had been taken and their families made slaves. David’s men were angry with him, and blamed him even though his wives have also been taken captive. David called Abiathar, the priest, to consult God as to what he should do. Abiathar told David that God was telling him that if he pursued the raiders, he wiould overtake them and recover the people and stolen goods. David set out with his 600 men in pursuit. As they were in pursuit, about 200 of his men became too exhausted to continue, so David left them to watch the supplies while he went on with the remaining 400 (this actually resembles a practice he had used before, where he left about one-third of his force to guard the supplies while the rest continued to battle).
     Shortly after this, they came upon an Egyptian in a field. David’s men brought him to David. They fed the man and gave him some water since he had not had anything to eat or drink for three days. When his strength returned, they questioned him. He told them that he had been the slave of an Amalekite who had been part of a force which had raided in Judah and burned Ziklag. The Egyptian agreed to guide David and his men to the camp of the Amalekites as long as they promised not to kill him or return him to his master. They readily agreed. The man led them to the Amalekite camp, where the raiders were spread out celebrating the success of their raid. David and his men attacked them killing all of the Amalekites except for 400 young men who fled on camels. They recovered all of their families and their goods. When they rejoined those who had been left behind, some of those who had gone into battle did not want to share the plunder with those who had remained behind. David insisted that the plunder be shared equally between those who had fought and those who had guarded the supplies. When David got back to Ziklag, he sent shared part of the plunder with the elders of Judah.
     Meanwhile, the Philistine army attacked the Israelite army and defeated it soundly. They killed three of Saul’s sons. In addition, the battle raged around Saul until Philistine archers wounded Saul. Saul asked his armor bearer to kill him so that he would not be taken alive by the Philistines. When his armor bearer refused, Saul killed himself. When his armor bearer realized Saul was dead, he also killed himself. The Philistines took the bodies of Saul and his sons and mounted them on the walls of one of their cities. The men of Jabesh-gilead went under cover of night and removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the walls of the city and brought them back to Jabesh-gilead, where they buried them.

     As the time of the Passover Feast arrived, Jesus went to Bethany to visit with Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Martha served, Lazarus reclined at the table with Jesus and Mary took a bottle of expensive perfume and poured it on his feet, which she then wiped with her hair. Judas Iscariot complained that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. John editorializes that Judas said this because he was in charge of the disciples’ money and helped himself to what was put into it. Jesus answered Judas by telling him that Mary was preparing Him for His burial. They would have plenty of opportunity to help the poor, but only a short window with Jesus. There are two possible ways to interpret this. First is that Jesus was a special case and it was appropriate for Mary to use up this luxury item on Him because He was the Messiah. I don’t think this would have gotten this story into the Bible. The second possibility is that Jesus was telling us that sometimes we need to “treat” those around us, that we need to make sure that those we love know that we love them. I think this latter is the case. Sometimes we need to splurge a little on those who are important to us.

     What a great psalm! It has many lines that I want to pull out and remind myself of.

     Today’s three proverbs are linked. The wise do well because they remember the other two proverbs. Those who become proud of their possessions will see those possessions taken from them. Yet God protects the widow. I have seen both sides of this. God detests the plans of the evil and will bring them to ruin, but he will reward those who are upright and speak honestly.

     I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     Saul once more brought his army out looking for David and his men. One night while Saul and his army were sleeping, David slipped into the camp with one of his men, Abishai. David and Abishai managed to get all the way to Saul’s side with no one waking up. Abishai offered to kill Saul for David, since the Lord had placed Saul in their power. David refused to allow Abishai to kill Saul, but he took Saul’s spear and his water jug. Once the two of them had left the camp, David called out to Abner, the commander of Saul’s army. David asked Abner why he had failed to protect the king. When Saul heard David’s voice, he apologized to David for seeking his life and invited him back (although David wisely did not take Saul up on this offer, as this was the second time Saul had felt remorse for attempting to kill David after David had spared his life). I meant to touch on a point that comes up again today. David did not kill Saul because Saul was God’s anointed king over Israel. I think this tells us something important about what our attitude should be towards government leaders. We should be respectful towards those who are in positions of government authority, since they are in that position because God put them there. I struggle with following this when I disagree with those in authority, but it is something I am working on with the Holy Spirit’s help.
     When Saul withdrew from hunting David this time, David realized that he would never be safe among the Israelites as long as Saul was king and that if he stayed, eventually Saul would catch him. So David went to live among the Philistines. He took his 600 men and joined Achish, the king of Gath. He convinced Gath that he and his men should stay in one of the country towns around Gath, rather than in the city itself. Achish gave David and his men Ziklag. From this base of operation, David and his men raided the towns of enemies of Israel. When they raided a town, they killed everyone there so that no one could report that they had attacked the town. After sacking a town, David would return and report to Achish. Achish would ask him where he had raided most recently and David would reply that he had raided Judah or allies of the Israelites. Achish became convinced that David was becoming hated by the Israelites and had no choice but remain loyal to him.
     After David had lived among the Philistines for a little over a year, the Philistines prepared to go to war against Saul. King Achish called David and required him to bring his men to join the attack. David replied that now Achish would see what he could do.

     Jesus was on the east side of the Jordan River when He received word that Lazarus was very sick. Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus’ sickness would bring glory to God and remained where He was for two more days. When He told His disciples that He was going back to Judea, they responded that only a few days earlier the people of Judea had been trying to stone Him. Jesus said that Lazarus has fallen asleep and He was going to wake Him. When the disciples demonstrated that they did not understand, Jesus told them that Lazarus had died. At that point Thomas (which means twin in Aramaic), said to the others, “Let us go and die with Him.”
     When Jesus got to Bethany, where Lazarus and his sisters lived, He was told that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was close to Jerusalem and many Jews had come out from Jerusalem to comfort Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters. Martha came out to meet Jesus, but Mary stayed at home. When Martha greeted Jesus, she told Him that if He had been there, Lazarus would not have died. This does not appear to be an accusation, merely a statement of faith. Jesus replied that Lazarus would rise again. When Martha said that she knew he would rise on the last day, Jesus replied that He was the resurrection and the life and that everyone who believed in Him will live even after dying. He then asked Martha if she believed this. She replied that she did indeed believe that He was the Messiah.
     Martha then returned to her home and told her that Jesus had come and was looking for her. Mary went out to see Him at once. When those who had been with Mary comforting her saw her go out so hurriedly, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’ tomb to mourn for him there. So, they accompanied her. When Mary saw Jesus she threw herself at His feet and told Him that if only He had been there, Lazarus would not have died (this was closer to being an accusation then Martha’s greeting). When Jesus saw her weeping and those with her wailing, He was deeply moved and troubled. Jesus asked where they had put Lazarus. They took Jesus to Lazarus’ tomb and when Jesus got there He wept. Some of the mourners openly expressed the thought that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying in a manner that asked why He had not done so.
     Jesus asked them to roll aside the stone in front of the tomb. Martha protested that Lazarus had been dead for four days and by now the smell would be terrible. Jesus told her that He had said that if she believed she would see the glory of God. So the people rolled the stone aside. Jesus then loudly thanked God for hearing His requests, pointing out that He was speaking for the benefit of those listening, not because it was necessary. Jesus then called out to Lazarus and commanded him to come out of the tomb. When Lazarus emerged clothed in the traditional grave clothes, Jesus ordered those around to unwrap him and set him free. I think there is a lesson here that we do not need to pray out loud when asking for miracles from God. The only reason for praying out loud when we are requesting a miracle from God is as a witness to those who are close enough to hear what we say. This suggests that there is a time for openly praying for a miracle and a time for quietly praying for a miracle. We should be careful that when we pray out loud for a miracle, we are doing so to bring glory to God, not to ourselves.

     Praise the Lord for His faithfulness endures forever. A wonderful, although short, psalm of praise.

     When making plans, get advice from many sources. This is the best way to make sure that your plans will succeed (as long as you actually take the best of that advice). The second proverb tells us that saying the right word at the right time brings one happiness. But that does not just happen. It requires thinking about what others have said and considering one’s words carefully, and it requires being open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

     I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     David fled from Saul into the wilderness. His relatives joined him there, since they knew that Saul would come after them when he could not get David directly. In addition, David was joined by other men, mostly troublemakers and other discontents, for a total of 400 men. After securing the protection of the king of Moab for his parents, David returned to Judah. When Saul heard that David had returned to Judah, he threw a fit in front of his men, accusing them of being disloyal and Jonathan of plotting with David to have Saul killed. When Doeg, the Edomite, heard Saul’s rant, he came forward and offered that he had seen David consult with the priest, Ahimelech, who gave David supplies.
     Saul sent for Ahimelech and his entire family of priests. When Ahimelech appeared before Saul, Saul accused him of plotting with David against him. Ahimelech replied that he had no reason to suspect that Saul’s son-in-law, the captain of Saul’s bodyguard was plotting against Saul. Saul would hear nothing of Ahimelech’s defense and ordered his bodyguards to kill him and his family. His bodyguards refused to kill priests of God. Saul then turned to Doeg and asked him to kill them. Doeg did so and then went to their home town and killed all of their relatives and livestock. Only Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, escaped. He fled to David in the wilderness.
     When Abiathar joined David, David expressed deep regret that he had been the cause of he murder of Abiather’s family and promised to protect him with his life. Shortly after this the Philistines began raiding an Israelite town. David consulted the Lord and felt led to go defend the town. His men were afraid to go up against the Philistines, so David asked God for more direction. Once more David received guidance from God to defend that town. This time his men were convinced. David and his men slaughtered the Philistines raiding the town and rescued the people of the town. When Saul learned that David had gone there he mustered his army and headed out to trap David in the town. David learned of Saul’s plan and once more consulted God. He asked if Saul would indeed come after him there and if the people would betray him. God answered both questions in the affirmative. So David and his men, now up to about 600, left the town and returned to the wilderness.
     Jonathan came out to visit David in the wilderness and express his continued friendship. Shortly after Jonathan’s visit, some of the men of the region where David was hiding out went to Saul and told him where David was. Saul sent them back to track David more closely, then followed with his army. When David heard that Saul was bringing his army after him, he withdrew even further into the wilderness. Finally, as Saul was about to overtake David and bring him to battle, he received word that the Philistines were attacking. Saul withdrew his army to defend against the Philistines.
     Perhaps I am making too much of it, but throughout this passage I see a difference in how the two men chose their actions. Saul chose his actions, always looking for how it benefited himself and enhanced his power, factoring in worshiping the Lord as just one more political calculation. David on the other hand, sought the Lord’s guidance every step of the way. Which is the way that I approach life?

     Today’s passage is Jesus’ illustration of Himself as the good shepherd, who cares for the sheep. In it He contrasted Himself to those who taught contrary to what He taught. He compared those other teachers to thieves and robbers, who are out to slaughter the sheep. As opposed to a good shepherd who is willing to die to protect his sheep. In addition to referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus also compared Himself to the gate through which good shepherds come. Thieves and robbers come over the wall, but good shepherds come through the gate.
     So, we have two messages for us in one illustration. The first is the most obvious. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and laid down His life for us His sheep. He even tells us how we can tell if we, or someone else, is part of His flock. Those who are part of Jesus’ flock will listen to His voice and follow Him. Not all of those who were part of Jesus’ flock were Jews. But Jesus said that He would go, gather those other sheep and make one flock out of all of them. The second message is more subtle. Jesus tells us that He is the gate, any teacher or religious leader who does not come through Him is a thief and a robber, looking to use the sheep for his own benefit, no matter what the cost to the sheep. This gives us a guide to judge those who are proclaimed religious leaders. Do they come through Jesus? Do they suffer so that their sheep may live in comfort? Or do their sheep suffer so that they can live in comfort?

     This psalm is a reminder of what we should desire when we cry out to God for Him to rescue us and/or bless us. We do not call out to God for rescue so that we might live a life of ease, but rather so that God may be glorified. Let us seek blessings from God, not for ourselves, but so that we may use them to benefit others to the glory of God.

     There are two ways to look at today’s proverbs. The first is to consider them as advice, and they are good advice. If we allow our temper to get the better of us, we will start fights and stir up conflict. On the other hand, if we are patient and calm we will be able to soothe conflict and bring peace to those around us. If we are lazy, we will constantly find obstacles blocking our path to doing what is right. On the other hand, if we are upright and righteous, our path will be clear.
     The second way to look at this proverb is as a way to judge our own behaviors. Are we always surrounded by conflicts and getting into fights? Then we are hot-tempered. On the other hand, do we find ourselves soothing and calming those who are angry and bringing peace to those around us? Then we are cool-tempered and patient. Do we see obstacles in our path whenever we try to do the right thing? Perhaps the problem is not the obstacles, but our own laziness. On the other hand, if doing the right thing always seems obvious and almost easy, perhaps it reflects that we are truly dedicated to following God. This really challenges me, because I have been seeing obstacles whenever I try to do what I think that God is leading me to do.

     I want to say up front that today was a challenging day for me to complete this blog. I had a lot of things that I needed to get done and was not able to dedicate the amount of time to this as I believe today’s passages deserve. I am going to need to work on how I prioritize my day so as to give my writing on here the effort it deserves.
     I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     Samuel delivered a message to Saul in which he told Saul that God wanted him to destroy the Amalekites. Samuel told Saul that he was to destroy all of the Amalekites and all of their livestock. In response to this command from God through Samuel Saul mustered the armies of Israel. Before beginning his attack on the Amalekites, Saul sent word to the Kenites living among them warning them to move away from the Amalekites. The passage tells us that the Kenites packed up and left. Saul then attacked the Amalekites and killed all of them, except that he took their king captive. In addition, rather than destroying all of their livestock, the Israelite army spared the best of the Amalekites livestock. They only destroyed those animals which were undesirable.
     After Saul’s victory, Samuel received word from God that Saul had not obeyed the command that he had been given. Samuel went looking for Saul. When Samuel found Saul the first thing Saul said to Samuel was to claim to have followed the command from God that Samuel had given him. When Saul said that, Samuel said, “If that’s true, why do I hear the sounds of livestock?” Saul responded, “Oh, we only kept the best of the livestock in order to offer them as a sacrifice to God, but we destroyed all the rest.”
     Samuel pointed out to Saul that at one time Saul was humble but God made him leader and king over Israel. Now Samuel asked Saul why he had failed to obey God’s command to completely destroy the Amalekites and their livestock. Rather than at that moment confessing his sin and begging for forgiveness, Saul claimed that he had followed God’s commands and his troops had only kept the best of the livestock in order to offer them as a sacrifice to God at Gilgal. Notice the deflection of blame; Saul said that he hadn’t done anything wrong and if it was wrong not to destroy the livestock it was his men who did it, not him. And they only did it in order to offer sacrifices to God.
     Samuel rejected Saul’s defense of his actions and told Saul that God had rejected him as king. And at this point we begin to see Saul’s error more clearly. Only now when Samuel refused to accept Saul’s attempts to justify his actions does Saul admit that he had done wrong. But even now, he attempted to blame others for his own shortcomings, Saul claimed that he only did it because he was afraid of the men and gave in to them. Saul asked Samuel to forgive him and come back with him to the victory celebration. Samuel initially refused and began to leave. Saul grabbed Samuel and begged him to come back. Saul asked Samuel to honor him before the elders and people of Israel. In this passage we see summed up the error that Saul made throughout his reign. Throughout his reign, Saul first consideration was the politically expedient. Saul’s remorse was not because he had sinned, but because Samuel would no longer lend him his support. Saul judged actions on the basis of what would increase his hold on power, rather than on the basis of what was the right thing to do.

     Today’s passage begins with the story of the woman caught in adultery. This story is not in the oldest manuscript copies of John that we have, which suggests that it was a later addition (although not necessarily). Nevertheless the story is to my eyes consistent with the rest of the book of John. In this story, when the religious leaders brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus for Him to pass judgment, Jesus does not ask, if they caught her in adultery, where is the man she was having adultery with? No, he points out their hypocrisy in an even more personal way. When they first ask Him whether He agrees with the Mosaic Law command that she be stoned, He does not answer. Jesus merely stooped down and wrote something in the dust. They kept demanding an answer, so finally Jesus told them, “Sure, go ahead, but the one of you who has not broken the Mosaic Law goes first.” Then He stooped down and wrote something else in the dust. We don’t know what Jesus wrote in the dust, but I imagine He was writing references to the Laws of Moses. One by one those who had come to accuse the woman (and to trap Jesus) slipped away. Jesus then turned to the woman, asked her where her accusers were and then told her that He would not accuse her either. But He did not give her a free pass, He told her to go and sin no more. This very definitely applies to each of us. Jesus tells us that He does not accuse us, but He also tells us to go and sin no more. Jesus calls us to repent of our sins and turn from them.
     I was not going to touch on the next section. However, I felt the need to touch on Jesus’ statement, “I am the light of the world.” He tells us that if we follow Him, we will not be walking in the darkness, rather we will be working in the light. If you want to have a clear light on how to know right from wrong, follow Jesus.

     This psalm is a clear Messianic prophecy. Everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Those who refuse to accept His Lordship willingly will be subdued by the force of God’s glory.

     Today’s proverbs warn us that God despises those who think they can do wrong and then later make restitution. If we wish to be righteous, we must seek after righteousness. We cannot excuse our bad behavior by saying, “Well, yes, I know that is wrong, but I give to the Church (or whatever other ‘good’ thing we think offsets our sin).”

     I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     While Saul was camped with his vastly outnumbered force not far from the Philistine army, Jonathan secretly slipped out of the camp with his armor bearer. Jonathan suggested to his armor bearer that the Lord was with them, they could defeat the Philistines. The Lord could defeat the Philistines, whether He had a large force or a small one to work with. Jonathan and his armor bearer approached the Philistine camp. When they got close, Jonathan suggested they show themselves. He asked God for a sign as to whether he and his armor bearer should attack. If the Philistines called out to them to keep their distance, or they would kill them, Jonathan would know that God did not want them to attack. If, on the other hand, the Philistines called out for them to come up to them to fight, he would know that God was with them and would give them victory.
     When Jonathan showed himself, the Philistines called out for him to come up to them. So Jonathan climbed up the cliff face to them and attacked the small outpost of the Philistines that was at the top of the cliff. Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men. As the sound of battle and word of what was happening (apparently a confused version) spread throughout the Philistine army, panic set in. As the confusion set in an earthquake struck, terrifying the entire Philistine army. When Saul first heard the confusion in the Philistine camp, he called for the priest to bring the ephod in order to consult what action he should take. However, by the time the priest got to him, the confusion in the Philistine camp had become so pronounced that Saul ordered the attack without a divination of God’s will. The Hebrews who had previously joined the Philistine army revolted and fought with Saul and the rest of the Israelites. In addition, those Israelites who had been hiding in the hill country came down and joined the pursuit of the Philistine army.
     This passage shows Jonathan’s faith and gives an example how a single individual who is willing to step out in faith can make a large difference. Jonathan did not worry that it was only himself and his armor bearer against the entire Philistine army. He knew that God could bring victory, even from so small of a force. Do I have similar faith to act when God calls me forth? When God gives me the sign I have asked for, do I step forth in faith, despite the risks?

     Many among the crowds listening to Jesus in the Temple began to believe that He was the Messiah, telling each other, “What more would the Messiah do than this man has done?” When the Pharisees heard that the people were saying such things, they sent the Temple guards to arrest Jesus. When the Temple guards came to arrest Him Jesus told the crowds that He would only be with them a little longer and then He would return to Him who sent Him. They would search for Him, but be unable to find Him. He told them that they would be unable to go where He was going. The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement and wondered if He was going to go teach among the Gentiles.
     On the last day of the Festival, Jesus stood in the Temple and cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” (This is another time where I prefer the NIV for this passage.) He continued by saying that whoever believes in Him would have rivers of living water flowing from their heart. After He said this the crowd was divided. Some thought He was the Prophet who Moses said God would send, others thought He was the Messiah. Both of these groups felt that Jesus was a messenger from God, announcing His coming kingdom. However, others felt that Jesus could not be either of those because they knew where He came from and that place was Galilee. They did not believe that God would call a Redeemer for Israel from Galilee.
     When the Temple guards failed to arrest Jesus as they had been instructed, the Jewish religious leaders demanded an explanation. The Temple guards responded that they had never heard anyone preach like Jesus did. The religious leaders mocked the guards, asking them if any of the religious leaders believed in Him? Telling them that only fools would believe in Him, only those who were ignorant of the law. At this point Nicodemus spoke up, pointing out that it was against the Law to convict a man without giving him a hearing. At which point the rest of the religious leaders turned on Nicodemus and belittled him. Notice how the religious leaders did not argue against the substance of Jesus’ teachings. They merely called those who believed in Him fools and declared that He could not be sent from God because He was from Galilee. As Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians, the message from God is considered foolishness by those this world considers wise. But always remember, for all of their supposed wisdom, they have no answer to the teachings of Jesus.

     The psalmist calls on God to bring misfortune to those who repay good with evil and friendship with hatred. The psalmist tells us that there are people who never think of doing kindness for others, who hound the poor to death. The psalmist says that those who love to curse others will have those curses visited upon themselves. Let us rather be the opposite of that, repaying evil with good and looking all of time to how we can do kindness for others. Rather than cursing those around us, let us strive to bless them. IF we stand beside the poor and needy, we will be standing beside God. If on the other hand, we stand against the poor and needy, we will be standing against God, and that is a losing proposition.

     It is foolish to despise discipline. We gain wisdom by learning from correction. The wise give good advice, while a fool has no advice to give.