This proverb is self-evident, but we rarely apply it to ourselves. If we are constantly seeking immediate gratification without putting out a lot of effort, we never get most of what we desire. On the other hand, if we work diligently for future goals, we end up with much more than we expected.
This psalm reminds me that time and again throughout history, various groups have allied themselves against God’s people. These groups usually have interests that are threatened by the other groups with which they ally, yet they join against the people of God. The reason they do this is because their very self-image is threatened by the existence of people faithful to God. Despite their seeming overwhelming power, they are destroyed before they can bring it to bear against those faithful to God. They will learn that there is only one God and He is supreme over all of the earth.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus was part of the sermon at Church on Sunday. The pastor said that he did not think it was a parable because Lazarus is named and in most parables the characters are not named. On the other hand, I think it is a parable at least partly because it comes at the end of a series of ever more complex parables. I believe that a factor in why the pastor believes it is not a parable is because it provides completion to his understanding of the after-life (while I have a different understanding of the after-life, our differences on that issue are not important because they have no impact on our understanding of how one should live in this life).
I believe that there are two key messages here. The first being that those who live well on this earth and do not faithfully serve God will suffer in the after-life. —Aside:How do we know that the rich man did not faithfully serve God? Because Lazarus laid at his gate and suffered. If the rich man was serving God, he would have cared for Lazarus.— The second message was that if we are not convinced to faithfully serve God by the testimony of Scripture and those living faithfully among us, we will not be convinced by someone returning from the dead nor will we be convinced by any other sort of miracles. If you truly, genuinely want proof that the God of the Bible exists and is the Creator of this world, start living your life as if the Bible is true. Of course, in order to do that, you will need to read it for yourself, not take someone else’s word for what it says. If you do that, I promise you that you will soon have all the proof you need that God is real.
The key element to the story of the Israelites interaction with the Gibeonites is in verse 14: “The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.” In other words, they used their own judgment about the Gibeonites rather than praying about the situation and seeking guidance from God. They were not wrong for sampling the provisions of the Gibeonites and factoring that into their decision. Their mistake was in not seeking God’s guidance. All too often we make similar mistakes in this life. Yes, we are too use the wisdom and intelligence which God has given us, but we should also seek His guidance in making our decisions.
There are two sides to what this proverb tells us. The first part is that the lazy never get all that they desire because they are unwilling to work hard enough to get it, while those who are diligent and work hard get what they desire. The second part is that the desires of the lazy know no limits, so it is not possible for them to ever be satisfied, while those who work hard limit their desires to that which they can obtain through hard work.
There are two ways to read this psalm. The first is relative to modern-day politics. If you look at the world today, many countries and political entities have allied to wipe out the nation of Israel. I do not believe that God will allow them to succeed any more than He allowed the alliance referred to in this psalm to succeed. The other way to read it is to look at the way in which those who oppose Jesus’ message have allied in order to destroy the Church which He created. They, also, will fail. God will allow them to believe that victory is in sight, then He will use their own evil to crush them. In both cases, God will reveal Himself so that everyone will know that He alone is Lord.
Jesus tells the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. At the end of the parable, Jesus has Abraham tell the rich man that if his brothers will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not listen even if someone rises from the dead. This reminds me of those today who demand “proof” that God exists. If you have ever interacted with most such people you will already know that they will explain away any proof which is provided. They have rejected the evidence of God’s existence which He has already provided them. They have chosen to believe in a world which has no room for God. The only answer we can give them is that if they are truly seeking God, He will reveal Himself to them. I can certainly attest to this. I was once one of those who was seeking proof of God’s existence. The key was that I was seeking. Those who seek God shall find Him. Those who have decided that He does not exist should not expect to find anything.
Jesus instructs us that if someone sins against us, we are to confront them. Then, if they repent, we are to forgive them. We are to forgive them each time even if they sin against us seven times in a day (I don’t think that represents an upper limit to how much we are to forgive those who sin against us). What I never noticed before is that He gives this instruction in the context of not causing someone to fall into sin. Or, perhaps I should say that I never noticed before was the connection between not causing others to fall into sin and forgiving them for sinning against us. One of the things which leads people into ever greater sin is the failure of others to forgive them for their previous sins. Time and again you will hear stories of repeat offenders who got out of jail and tried to make an honest living. However, people held their past against them. The only people who would accept them were criminals, so they fell back in among those who were criminals and returned to a life of crime.
The disciples asked Jesus to show them how to increase their faith. Jesus replied by telling them that if they had faith as tiny as a mustard seed they could accomplish great, seemingly impossible, things. This does not seem to be much of an answer to their question. Then Jesus goes on to what seems to be another topic. He tells the story of a servant who works in the field all day, then in the evening prepares his master’s meal and serves it to him. It is only after the servant’s master has finished eating that the servant can eat. In all of this the master does not thank the servant because the servant was only doing what he was told, which was his job. In the same way, when we do what God tells us to do we should merely consider ourselves servants unworthy of praise who have merely done our duty. However, this story is not another topic. Jesus was telling us how we can increase our faith. The way to increase our faith is to be constantly looking for the next task which we can carry out to serve God. When we complete one task, we should look for the next which God has for us to do.
The story of how the Gibeonites tricked the Israelites into making a treaty with them is an example for us all. The Israelite leaders examined the Gibeonite messengers closely. They did everything they could think of to determine if the messengers were telling them the truth. However, there was one thing they did not do. They did not ask God for guidance. They made a treaty with the Gibeonites based on their own wisdom and thoughts. We are often tempted to do the same. However, no matter how obvious a decision seems, we need to ask God for His guidance before we decide. If we turn to God for His wisdom in making a decision, He will show us things we might otherwise overlook. Let us never forget to ask God for guidance before we make a decision, no matter how obvious, no matter how minor.
I am approaching the one year mark of doing this daily Bible study blog. I am getting excited about discovering what God has in store for me as I begin blogging about the passages that I blogged about last year. I am debating if I am going to go back and read what I wrote last year to compare it to what I write this year. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. As I said, I am excited to see what difference going through these passages for the second time makes.
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 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.
After the defeat of Ai, the people of Gibeon resorted to deception to protect themselves. They sent out a delegation with worn out sacks and old wine-skins. The delegation took along food that was stale and moldy. The delegation went to where the Israelites were camped and requested to make a treaty. When Joshua asked where they were from, they claimed to be from a distant country. They told the Israelites that when they set out their bread was fresh from the oven and their wine-skins were new. The Israelites examined their provisions, but did not consult with God. Joshua made a peace treaty with the Gibeonites and the leaders of the people took an oath supporting that treaty. Three days after making the treaty the Israelites discovered that the Gibeonites actually lived nearby. The Israelites marched to where the Gibeonites lived, but did not attack them. The people were angry with the leaders for making a treaty with the Gibeonites.
Joshua asked the Gibeonites why they had lied to the Israelites about where they were from. They replied that they had been clearly told that God had given the land to the Israelites and promised to wipe out all of its inhabitants before them. The Gibeonites said that they were in fear for their lives. The Gibeonites agreed to be servants to the Israelites in return for their lives.
When the other kings in the region learned that the Gibeonites had allied with the Israelites, they mustered their armies and set out to attack the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua asking for assistance against the attack. Joshua mustered the Israelite army and marched all night to the Gibeonites aid. When the Israelites struck the armies attacking the Gibeonites those armies were thrown into confusion and were defeated. The armies of Israel’s enemies fled from the battlefield and the Israelites pursued them. The passage tells us that Joshua requested that the sun stand still while they defeated these armies and that God granted his request.
As the armies fled from the Israelites, the kings that had been leading them hid in a cave. Joshua ordered that stones be rolled in front of the cave, blocking the entrance. This was done and the Israelites pursued the armies until the few survivors reached their fortified cities. Joshua and the Israelites then returned and brought the kings out of the cave in which they had his. Joshua had the people of Israel execute the kings. After this, Joshua began a campaign in which he systematically defeated and subdued the entire southern region of the land.
Jesus followed up on his parables and stories from yesterday’s passage with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In this parable there was a rich man who lived in luxury and wanted for nothing. At his gates lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered in sores. Lazarus longed for the scraps from the rich man’s table while the dogs would come and lick his sores. Jesus was drawing a picture of one man who lived a life of utter ease and luxury and another man who lived a life of complete misery and degradation. Finally the two men died. Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s side by angels, while the rich man entered into torment. The rich man saw Abraham in the distance with Lazarus and asked Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and place it on the rich man’s tongue to ease some of his suffering. Abraham replied that in life, Lazarus had suffered and the rich man been comfortable so now the reverse was happening. Besides even if he wanted to, there was a chasm keeping Lazarus from bringing aid to the rich man. The rich man then asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers so that they would not come to the same fate. Abraham replied that Moses and the prophets had given them sufficient warning. The rich man replied that that was not enough, but if someone came from the dead they would listen to him. Abraham answered that if they would not listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not listen even if someone rose from the dead.
There is so much in this parable that strikes close to home for me considering the life of luxury that I have lived by virtue of being an American. I have always felt somewhat convicted by this parable to attempt to do more to help those who are suffering. However, today I noticed something I do not remember noticing before, the end of the parable. I believe that Jesus was very specifically addressing the way many people would reject His message even after He rose from the dead.
Jesus then teaches the disciples about temptation, forgiveness and building up our faith. First He tells them that temptation will come. We will face things that will cause us to stumble in our walk with God. However, this does not absolve those who cause this stumbling from liability. Jesus tells us that we should watch our actions because it would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around our necks than to cause one of His followers to stumble. Jesus then tells us that when our brother (or sister) sins against us we should point out their sin and if they repent, forgive them. And we are not to forgive them just once, even if they sin against us seven times a day (or more), if they repent we are to forgive them (every day). His disciples responded to this teaching by asking Him to increase their faith. Jesus responded by telling them if they have faith no bigger than a mustard seed, they could tell a tree to be uprooted and cast into the sea and it would obey them. He then tells them that we should not expect to rest from our labors and be rewarded (although elsewhere He tells us that such will happen). Rather when we have completed the tasks set before us by God we should say that we are unworthy servants who have but done our duty. We should serve God, not to receive a reward, but because that is our duty as His servants. When we have finished a ministry which God has given us, we should look for the next task that He has for us rather than saying, “O good, now I can rest.” We can rest when we get to heaven. I have read this passage many times. Today is the first time I noticed that this was Jesus’ answer to the disciples request for more faith. Jesus tells us the way to getting more faith is to realize that serving God is merely our duty and as soon as we finish one task God has given us, look for the next one.
I read this psalm and it reads as if it was written today. It calls on God to be quiet no longer. His enemies are raising an uproar. They are arrogant and plotting to wipe out Israel. The psalmist points out that all the peoples living around Israel are plotting its destruction and the destruction of its people. The psalmist calls on God to rise up and do to those plotting against Israel what He had done to Israel’s enemies in the past. The psalmist calls on God to show His power so that those who were plotting against Israel would learn that He alone was God and supreme over all of the earth.
I am hesitant to apply Old Testament prophecies to today because I just do not know enough to understand what God’s plan for today is in such matters. I am lucky to be able to see how something that has already happened fits into God’s plan let alone see how His plan will shape the future. Nevertheless, I know that God’s plan will shape the future. When I read this psalm I see one of two futures. In the first, Jesus will return in His full glory in my lifetime. In the second, I see God fulfilling the request of the psalmist. I see God humiliating Israel’s neighbors and showing them His power. Either Jesus will return very soon, or the Muslim world (with many other nations as allies) is going to attack Israel and suffer a massive defeat, a defeat that will be hard to explain strictly on the basis of relative military might. One way or another God will show His power for all the world to see (although many will still choose to ignore it).
