This psalm points out the feedback loop which exists in serving God. If we follow God’s commands joyfully, we will gain great joy. Another way to look at the point the psalmist makes here, and elsewhere, is that once we recognize the results of following God’s commands we will not only be happy to do so, but eager to do so. Do you have the faith to eagerly do what God commands?
The writer continues to write about how our predecessors in faith acted because of their faith. They knew the joy to which the psalmist referred in today’s psalm. The writer here writes about those who were strong and victorious in ways we readily recognize because of their faith, but he, also, speaks of those who demonstrated they were strong and victorious by suffering for their faith.
I have mentioned this before, when I was growing up my family had a copy of the book titled “Martyr’s Mirror”. In it there were stories of people who suffered many terrible tortures and were killed because they would not give up their faith. The bulk of the stories in the book took place during the Reformation. Time after time there are accounts of how the first step the authorities took when torturing these Christians to death was to make sure they could not talk. Why was that? Because if they could talk, they would sing. And not just sing, they would sing so joyfully that those listening wanted to know what they knew that would give them such joy while they were clearly suffering. The faith of those martyrs was so great that those watching them burn to death wanted to emulate them. Do we have faith that inspires others?
Ezekiel prophesies against Egypt. He says that Egypt will be conquered and rendered desolate because it failed to offer the support to Judah which it had promised. The government of Egypt accepted the things which the Kingdom of Judah offered it for protection against Babylon, but when Babylon attacked Judah, Egypt did not send any aid. This is a warning to those who promise to be Israel’s allies today.
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have been away on business the last few days. I hope that my writing has not suffered from this. I am writing today’s before I catch my flight home. Thank you for all of your prayers during this time.
Just as one iron tool can be used to sharpen another one, so too can our friends help us become better at serving God. We are God’s tools to accomplish His purposes. Let us spend out time with others who are also serving God so that we can make each other better tools for God’s use.
Yesterday, the psalmist told us that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Today, he tells us that it is a source of joy. It seems counter intuitive to us to think that fear can be a source of joy. Most of the time, fear is the opposite of joy. However, fear of the Lord will inspire us to obey God’s commands and following God’s commands will bring us joy. If we fear the Lord we need fear nothing else. Not only need we fear nothing else, if our fear of the Lord is as great as it ought to be, we will fear nothing else.
As our fear of the Lord leads us to obey Him, good things will come to us and evil will find no foothold to bring us down. Let us infuriate the wicked by doing what is right, no matter what they may do to discourage us.
The writer goes on to point out that many people did great things as a result of their faith, but not all of those whom we should admire for their faith did things which the people of this world would desire to emulate. Some people suffered mocking, torture, and some even painful death. They were destitute, mistreated, and persecuted because of their faith. Yet despite this they maintained their faith in Christ.
Here the writer puts in something which has always touched me deeply, the KJV translates it as “Of whom the world was not worthy.” I can barely begin to communicate what that phrase means to me. Growing up there was a book in our house called the “Martyrs Mirror” which contained accounts of those who suffered death for their faith in Christ. It contained stories of how the authorities committed ever greater atrocities against such people because they would not stop joyously praising God in the face of horrible suffering. The world was not worthy to have such people in it. Yet they counted it as joy to suffer for the name of Christ. My greatest fear is that I would not be able to emulate those people if faced with even a fraction of what they suffered.
Ezekiel prophesied against Egypt.Egypt’s fall came about for two reasons. The first was that the Pharaoh and the people of Egypt believed that the blessings they gained from the Nile were the result of their own actions. The second was that they had made promises to the nation of Judah to defend it against Babylon, but when the time came to do so, Egypt offered no support at all.
Let us never forget to give thanks to God for the blessings He has given us. And let us remember the dangers of making promises that we will be unable, or unwilling, to fulfill, even if we think we will never be called upon to do so.
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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Ezekiel prophesies that Egypt will fall. He gives two reasons for its fall. The first reason is Egypt offered itself as a supporter of Israel, but when Israel needed Egypt’s help, Egypt failed her. The second reason is that the rulers of Egypt became proud and believed that they were responsible for their own greatness. Both of these warnings strike me as applicable to political leaders today. There are many political leaders today who are showing signs of reneging on promises to stand at Israel’s back should they be attacked and there are many political leaders today who believe that their success and power are because of their own personal greatness. The hubris, and the danger it entails, of the latter applies to those who are not political leaders as well.
The writer continues speaking about those who went before us and the faith which many of them displayed. Some of them are people we take note of because of the great and wonderful things which they accomplished through their faith. Others are noteworthy because of their refusal to give up their faith in the face of great suffering. The writer tells us that the world was not worthy of such people.
Since we have such a group of examples on living out the faith who are witnessing our acts today, the writer tells us that we should be encouraged to resist temptation and demonstrate faith just as they did. There is a path laid out for us to follow, it is not easy and will require that we show endurance. However, as long as we keep our focus on Jesus, He will provide us with the strength to continue. If at any point we begin to feel that we have already endured more than should be expected of us for our faith, let us remember that there are many, including Jesus Himself, who gave their very lives. As we become weary of the battle to serve God, let us remember those who have gone before us and redouble our effort, strengthen our grip, and map out a path forward which avoids obstacles.
Yes, I will praise the Lord. The writer of Hebrews tells us to mark out a path around the obstacles so that those whose legs are tired and those who are lame may make their way to our mutual goal without stumbling. This psalm tells us that we will be able to do this because light shines into the darkness for those who are righteous. If we are generous and compassionate we will see the obstacles that may cause us to stumble in plenty of time to plot a course around them. We will not need to fear bad news because God will care for us. I will serve the Lord and not fear what is coming because I know that He will care for me.
Just as we use iron to sharpen our iron knives, so our friends can can help us serve God better. Owning a knife sharpener will not keep your knives sharp unless you make use of it. In the same way, having godly friends will not help you be a better Christian if you do not spend time with them.
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. I am back to a routine. It is not the same as my old routine, but I think it will work out well. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Ezekiel follows up his prophecy against Tyre with a prophecy against Egypt. He prophesies that Nebuchadnezzar will destroy Egypt’s armies and those of its allies. Nebuchadnezzar will plunder the land of Egypt and leave the land desolate. This prophecy aligns with a similar one from Jeremiah. Ezekiel tells Egypt that this destruction will happen partly because of Egypt’s pride, the belief of the Egyptians that they had manufactured the wealth they obtained from the Nile River. Ezekiel also says that the destruction of Egypt would happen because they promised support to Jerusalem that they did not deliver. For these two sins, God was bringing destruction on Egypt. Is this prophecy something the United States should take a warning from? Do we believe that we are the source of our wealth? Do we believe that our government is the source of our wealth? Or, do we recognize that God is the source of our wealth?
The writer continues his litany of Old Testament saints who lived by faith, recounting how they performed many powerful deeds through the power of the Spirit and by holding fast to faith in the promises of God. Yet, he also recounts how some suffered for their faith, unwilling to turn from serving God even though their fellow-man tortured and killed them. He concludes that since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses to our actions, we should exercise a similar faith. We should seek to serve God in the same manner that a marathon runner runs a race, casting aside anything that might slow us down or impede our service to God. We must continue in our faith, remembering that there will come a time in our life when we will hit something similar to what many marathon runners call “the wall,” a place where everything seems to conspire against us, where we want to just give up. Marathoners have all sorts of methods to overcome “the wall,” but the writer tells us the sure way to overcome the spiritual “wall”, keep our eyes focused on Christ. He is our champion and demonstrates the joy and rewards for persevering in our faith. He also shows us the challenges and obstacles that will be in front of us as we run this race. No matter how difficult we see our lives of faith, we must remember that He suffered even more.
Further the writer tells us that we will experience God’s discipline as He strives to teach us to live more faithful lives. We should expect discipline from God, because every loving father disciplines his children. If we did not receive discipline from God it would indicate that we were illegitimate children rather than true members of His family. We respect earthly fathers who discipline their children, so we should even more submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father, who disciplines us in order that we might live forever. We must remember that discipline is never pleasant while we are experiencing it, but after the lesson of the discipline has been learned the one who was disciplined will experience greater peace and joy. In light of all of this, we should take a new grip on our faith with our tired hands and strive to make a straight path for our feet, not only for ourselves but for those whose faith is weak and lame so that they may be strengthened.
Let us praise the Lord. Those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands do not fear bad news because they know that the Lord will care for them. Their light will shine in the darkness and they will not be overcome with evil. They are confident and fearless. They face their foes in confidence of victory. They share freely and give generously to those in need. The confidence and generosity with which the righteous lead their lives causes the plans of the wicked to be thwarted and infuriates the wicked. In these troubled economic times we must remember that good comes to those who conduct their business fairly and lend money generously.
Today’s proverb reminds us that a true friend helps one to improve oneself, even though that sometimes requires a bit of abrasion. Let us sharpen our brothers and sisters in the Lord as they sharpen us in our service to the Lord.
