Those who ignore discipline and refuse correction are not only going astray themselves, they lead others down the path to destruction with them. On the other hand, those who exercise discipline provide an example that others will follow to life as well.
This psalm is a deep heartfelt cry to God. The psalmist is suffering great discouragement.People around him are challenging his faith in God. Yet despite this he continues to put his trust in God. He recognizes that part of the source of his discouragement and depression is that he allowed his faith in God to lapse.
When we begin to wander why God has forgotten us, we need to realize, as the psalmist did, that God did not forget us, we forgot God. The first step to escaping depression is to return to praising God. We may remember the joy we took in joining others in praising God, but do we consider that perhaps the reason we feel depressed is because we no longer do so? We say that we believe in God. Let us demonstrate the truth of that by joining with others in praising Him.
I had never noticed before that in this passage Jesus had gotten into an argument with the local Pharisees. It was in the context of that argument that they asked Him for a miraculous sign. They did not ask for the miracle to meet a particular need. They wanted Him to perform a miracle in order to convince them to have faith. Jesus did not perform miracles in order to convince people to have faith. Rather He performed miracles in response to people’s faith.
The first thing that struck me when I read this passage was verse five where it talked about giving a peace offering. As I read it I read it as, “When you make a sacrifice to show your love of God, do it right and don’t dilly-dally about it.” Decide what you are going to do, plan it out, and get it done.
The other thing I noticed is that there is a common theme that runs through most of these commands. I will list a few, then I will tell you what I see as the theme:
Do not steal.
Do not deceive.
Do not defraud.
Do not twist justice by favoring the poor..or the rich and powerful
There are a few more in there that are pretty important, but that list gives you a taste for the theme. The theme to me seems to be what Jesus called the second most important command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There are a few commands in this passage about practical agriculture, but the bulk either fall into clarifications of that one command or of the one which Jesus said was the most important, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind.”
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, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
If we accept discipline we benefit not only ourselves but those who follow our example. On the other hand when we do not listen to constructive criticism we encourage others to continue destructive behaviors which may lead to their own death. So, we should accept correction because it will make our own lives better and because it will encourage others to follow wise advice.
The beginning of this psalm is a wonderful statement:
As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
Sunday morning we sang a song by Martin J. Nystrom which was based on this psalm titled “As the Deer Panteth for the Water.” If you are not familiar with this song, look it up. The psalmist remembers how it used to be, but is discouraged because it is no longer like that. Then he remembers that he used to put his hope and trust in God and determines to return to doing so. He finishes the psalm with a great statement of faith and a reminder to all of us:
Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!
When I am discouraged and my heart feels sad, I will put my hope in God and I will praise Him again. It is amazing how praising God will lift one’s spirits and bring joy to one’s heart.
Today’s passage contains a story of Jesus healing a blind man. Jesus took the man out of the village, spit on his eyes and laid His hands on them. Then He asked him if he could see anything. The man replied that he could see, but not very clearly. This is often the way it is with us when we first hear God’s message for us. We get a sense of what He wants, but it is not clear. In this account, Jesus laid His hands on the man’s eyes and his sight became clear. God will do the same for us. If we wait for Him, He will once more place His Spirit upon us so that we can see His plans clearly.
The last part of today’s passage is a perfect example of how we can sometimes both get it so right, while getting it so wrong. When Jesus asked the disciples who they said He was, Peter spoke right up and said that He was the Messiah, God’s Anointed One. Then just a short time later when Jesus was telling them that He was going to be crucified, Peter took Him aside and reprimanded Him for being negative. Jesus castigated Peter as not seeing things from God’s perspective. I recognize myself in Peter here. So many times I get a wonderful insight from God, then turn around and apply it from a human perspective rather than from God’s.
There are many instructions in today’s passage which will make our lives better. However the one which I want to comment on has to do with harvesting the fields and gathering the grapes. God instructs the people of Israel to not gather their harvests with the maximum efficiency. They are told to allow some of their crops to slip through their procedures for gathering them in so that the poor may come and gather those up and eat them. Notice that they are not told to gather their crops as efficiently as they can and then give some of their surplus to the poor. Rather they are told to allow the grain which cannot be easily gathered to remain and to do the same with the grapes which cannot be easily gathered. They are to allow the poor to come and gather those items. This serves two purposes. It allows the poor to be fed, but it also requires the poor to make an effort to acquire their food. Those who are economically successful are to leave spaces for those who are poor to thrive and possibly rise out of poverty.
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 hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Some Pharisees came and questioned Jesus’ teachings. They asked Him for a sign from Heaven to prove His authority. Jesus responded that He would not give them a sign (yet He continued to perform miracles until the end of His ministry). This passage reminds me of when atheists today ask for proof that God exists. They will rarely if ever tell you what constitutes “proof” and then reject any proof you present. I believe that was the sort of situation Jesus was presented with here. He had been performing miraculous healing and feeding large numbers of people with small amounts of food, but these Pharisees wanted some other sign. They wanted some sign that they could not reject, yet had rejected the miracles He had already performed.
Jesus left that area with His disciples in a boat. The disciples forgot to bring food with them. While they were in the boat, Jesus warned them to beware the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. They thought He said this because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus then reminded them of the feeding of the five thousand and of the four thousand to show them that He was not talking about food. His comment about the yeast of the Pharisees is the other side of his parable about the Kingdom of God being like yeast. Someone can teach things that seem good but contain just a small bit of false teaching which will corrupt their entire message.
Mark recounts a story about a blind man that Jesus healed. Jesus touched the man once and he was able to see, but not clearly. Jesus touched him again and his sight was fully restored. Sometimes that is how it is with us. We are touched by God and start to see how He works in us and the world, but our vision of His will is cloudy. If we seek to follow His vision, He will touch us again so that our understanding of His will becomes clear.
Jesus asked His disciples who people thought He was and then who they thought He was. Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah. After this declaration, Jesus began to teach the disciples that He would die and be raised after three days. Peter, thinking Jesus was getting depressed, rebuked Him for thinking that way. Jesus told Peter that he was not seeing things from a godly perspective but rather from his own interests.
Jesus tells His disciples that they must take up their cross and follow Him. This would have been a very serious statement to His disciples. One took up one’s cross when the Romans were taking one out to be crucified. Considering that it was not long after this that Jesus was crucified, the author would certainly have included the suffering Jesus was about to undergo in what he understood this to mean when he wrote “take up their cross and follow me.” Jesus went on that if we attempt to save our lives we will lose our souls, but if we are willing to lose our lives in His service, we will save our souls. He completes this teaching by saying that if we are ashamed of Him and His teaching in front of men, He will be ashamed of us before the Father on judgement day.
Do I truly long for God? Do I seek with all that is in me to stand in His presence? When I seek God with all of my being, I overcome depression and am no longer downcast. When depression and fear rise within me, then I will put my trust in God. I will praise His name, the One who is my savior. God directs His love towards me and His song is within me. When I place Him at the center of my thoughts, depression flees from me and I experience joy. Others may look at my trials and ask “Where is your God?”, but I know that in His time He will make Himself known. I will put aside depression, seek God and praise Him.
Those who accept discipline and correction will improve their behavior and make their lives better. Those who refuse to listen to what others think they did wrong will constantly repeat the same mistakes.
