For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The proverb writer tells us that committing adultery is like scooping flame into your lap…you are going to get burned. Just like it is possible to walk on hot coals with bare feet and not get burned, you may think that you got away with it. However, unlike walking on hot coals, you will suffer negative consequences from adultery, whether or not anybody else ever knows about it.

    My heart has heard God say, “Come and talk with me.” All to often, my reply is, “Not now, I’m busy. I’ll get back with you in as soon as I finish this.” I will strive once more to change that and put talking to God at the top of my priority list. If we talk to God every day, He will teach us how to live and show us the path to follow. Our enemies may be waiting for us, but if we follow the path down which God would lead us, we will avoid the traps they have laid for us.

    The question which the Pharisee asked Jesus in an attempt to trap Him tells us a lot about how the Pharisees thought, not the question itself, but the fact that they thought it was a trap. Once you have heard Jesus’ answer, it is perfectly obvious. The two basic laws are, “Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All of the other laws, rules, and instructions from God are merely expressions of how one follows these two laws. If your understanding of any of those other laws allows (or requires) you to violate either of these two, your understanding is wrong.

    Having disposed of their arguments, Jesus condemns the religious leaders of His day (and many since). He tells us not to act so as to “look” righteous. We should do the things we do because they are the right thing to do, not because they cause others to think we are righteous. We are not to call anyone “Master”, or “Father”, or “Teacher”, or any other title which implies that they are somehow closer to God than we are. Just as importantly, we should not let anyone call us by such titles. People read this and think that because they are not using one of the titles Jesus explicitly mentioned that it is OK to call someone “Reverend Jack”, or “Pastor Jack”. Doing the latter is the same as calling someone “Father Jack”. Using such honorifics is an attempt to make someone an intermediary between ourselves and God. We already have such an intermediary in Jesus.

    This passage reminds us of how important it is for a leader to delegate tasks to others. One person cannot do it all. First we have the story of the battle against the Amalekites. Moses sent Joshua out to lead the troops, while he went up to the top of a nearby hill to direct troop movements. While Moses was able to keep his arms up, he was able to direct the troops to greatest advantage. When his arms got tired they lost the advantage which Moses’ direction gave them. When Aaron and Hur noticed this, they helped Moses by holding his arms in the air. The Israelites won the battle because Moses was assisted by three able assistants.
    Later, when Moses’ father-in-law came to visit he saw that Moses was spending all of his time making decisions about every minor dispute among the Israelites. Jethro observed that this served neither Moses nor the Israelites. Moses was ill-served because he had to spend an inordinate amount of time listening to each case. The Israelites were ill-served because they needed to wait for Moses to go through each of the cases that had been brought up before theirs. Jethro told Moses to appoint some honest, God fearing men to hear the majority of the cases, especially the cases which merely needed an impartial witness to judge the facts.
    This is how all leaders need to work. They need to delegate decisions about how to implement policy to others, reserving for themselves only the decisions which determine the overall direction the group will take.

     I am trying something different. Previously, I have always placed my comments on the passage in the order Old Testament passage, New Testament passage, Psalm, Proverb. For the near future I am going to post them in the order in which I prepare the comments. This is likely to be the reverse of how I was doing it, but I foresee changing it up depending on what strikes me first. Please let me know what you think of this change.
     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.

     The proverb writer tells us that justification may be found for other sins, such as theft, but there is no possible justification for adultery. People sympathize with someone who steals because he, or his family, is hungry, but someone who commits adultery destroys himself. There is nothing which can be done to make it right to those who have been sinned against.

     I find today’s psalm very comforting. I love verse 8:

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

The Lord is saying that to each of us. Have you heard Him? Have you answered as the psalmist did? Are you willing to go to God and talk with Him, both speaking and listening. Even if you are not yet willing to listen to what God has to say to you, He wants to hear what you have to say to Him. Go and talk to Him now.
     Please go and talk to God, because He will hold you close, even if your parents abandon you. When you have told God everything you have to say, listen to Him. He will teach you how to live so as to avoid the traps and pitfalls your enemies are laying out for you. If you listen to God’s instruction you will see His goodness while you yet live and spend eternity in heaven.

     I am not sure why the Pharisees thought that their question of Jesus was a trap, but then I have known His answer for as long as I have known the Bible. All of what God commands of us descends from the commandment which Jesus says is the most important: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” Jesus adds a second that follows from the first, but is not necessarily obvious to everyone: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” I read this and it is so hard to do. Sometimes I manage to love God with all of my heart, sometimes with all of my soul, and sometimes with all of my mind. But doing all three at the same time often seems beyond me. I pray to God that His Spirit will inhabit me so that I can do so.
     Jesus criticizes the religious leaders of His day (and many of today) for teaching that people should do one thing, but doing something else themselves. He points out that what they do is for the purpose of being honored by others. Then He warns us against letting others hold us up as better than themselves and against holding others up as better than ourselves. If we take on airs, God will humble us. If you feel that you are a leader, do what you can to serve those around you. I will not let others call me “Teacher”, or “Father”. I am not the one for others to hold up. If you want an example of how to live, do not look to me. I fail all too often and am much too proud. If you start to hold me up as special, I am likely to start to believe you and stop relying on God in order to do what is right.

     Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, came to spend time with Moses and the children of Israel. While there he offered a sacrifice and shared a sacrificial meal with the leaders of the children of Israel. The following day, he witnessed Moses spend the entire day judging the disputes which the people of Israel had with each other. That evening Jethro asked Moses what he thought he was accomplishing. When Moses explained, Jethro told him that he could not go on this way. He gave him advice to which every leader of every group needs to listen. Jethro told Moses that he needed to delegate some of his tasks to others. As soon as a group is larger than three people, the tasks necessary to lead the group should be divided up among more than one person.