For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    This proverb reminds me of a business man who emphasized to his subordinates the importance of telling the truth. He did not do so on the basis of it “being the right thing to do”, even though that was why he did so. He made the point of telling them that if what they said was the truth, they would not have to worry about what they had told the customers (or others). This proverb reminds us that those who use lies and distortions to stave off trouble will, in due time, find themselves trapped by the lies they have told. The righteous need not fear such a fate because they have been honest in their dealings.

    I thought at first that there was not much to say regarding this psalm when I realized there is an important point here that I can expand on slightly. The psalmist tells us that it is God alone who judges. The follow up being that it is not up to me (or to you) to judge the actions of others. No, our job is to proclaim what God has done. Perhaps if we do our job, rather than trying to do God’s job, the wicked will turn from their ways and and receive God’s forgiveness as we have.

    When the 72 returned to Jesus they were excited because even evil spirits had submitted to them in His name. Jesus told them not to rejoice that evil spirits submitted to them. The important thing to do was to rejoice that our names are registered as citizens of heaven. We are not sent to seek out and confront the demon possessed and the evil in this world. We are sent to heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, most importantly, to preach the Gospel. But the demon possessed and the evil in this world will seek us out and find us, just as they did Jesus. When that happens, He has given us authority to rebuke them in His name. We have no power over demons, spirits, and the powers of evil in this world, but Jesus does. He has given us the authority to speak in His name and, as long as we are serving Him, they have no choice but respond to the power He has delegated to us. However, we must never forget that it is not our power to which they submit.
    I was not planning on writing on the parable of the Good Samaritan, except that I realized that Jesus conclusion to that parable echoes what I wrote (or perhaps the other way around) about yesterday’s passage from Deuteronomy. Having described the actions of the Good Samaritan, Jesus tells us to go and do likewise. Once more we receive the lesson that it is not enough to not do wrong, we must actively do right by caring for those in need, even if they might otherwise be our oppressors.

    This is a difficult passage for me to find a lesson in because the commands seem (to me) to go all over the place. There are several here which fit together for a lesson I understand, but others which I do not understand. The lesson I understand: Treat the poor and the weak with justice, make provisions for them to be able to meet their needs. It is worth noting that the instructions for the latter are not pure charity. Rather, the command is to be less than completely efficient in harvesting your crops so as to give the poor and needy the opportunity to acquire what they need to survive by gathering what you missed. Even the command to pay laborers their wages each day was about not maximizing your wealth at the expense of those who had no other choices.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The wicked desire what others have acquired through wicked, or other means. The godly are satisfied with what they have earned through their own hard work. The wicked say things which trap themselves into situations they wish to avoid. The righteous have integrity and tell the truth, so are spared such problems. Those who combine honest, wise words with hard work receive many good things.

    God will bring justice to the wicked at the time He has planned. The proud, who boast of their greatness, and the wicked, who act in defiance of God, will face His judgment. God will have the final say. He decides who rises to prominence and power, and He decides who will fall to be remembered no more. God will break the strength of the wicked. I will praise His name for all of the wonderful things He has done.

    When the seventy-two disciples Jesus had sent out returned they were excited and happy because demons had submitted to them when they spoke in Jesus’ name. Jesus replied that He had given them (and us) power over the enemy. The only name we need to know in order to command demons is the name of Jesus. He has given us power over demons and all of the servants of Satan. However, let us not rejoice in the power He has given us over demons. Rather, let us rejoice that God has chosen us for admittance to heaven. It is not my place to seek out evil spirits to drive forth, but if I come across them as I serve God’s will, He has given me the authority to send them away.
    I am really struck by the importance of not getting caught up in exercising power over evil spirits. We have the passage where Jesus downplayed that power followed by the account of the Good Samaritan. Jesus had a conversation with an expert on religious law where they agreed on the two most important commands. The first is to love God with everything that is within us, every aspect of our being: our heart (emotions), our soul (who we are and how we act), our strength (physical ability), our mind (our thoughts and our mental ability). That command is linked with the second: to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to explain who is meant by “our neighbor”. The answer is that “our neighbor” is anyone in need whom we might encounter as we go about our business. When we encounter people in need, Jesus tells us that we are to do whatever is within our power to help them.

    We need to give thought to the consequences of our actions. Are we using our position of power, or wealth, to make life more difficult for someone in financial hardship? If someone is counting on the money we owe them to meet their living expenses, let us pay them promptly. We should not accept the tools that a workman needs to do the work which provides his living in order to settle a debt (or anything else that someone might need in order to live and have the possibility of prospering). In all of our business dealings let us take care to provide value in exchange for the value we receive.