For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Beauty in someone who is thoughtless and heedless of others is not attractive. Those who think their beauty gives them license to treat others poorly will learn otherwise to their sorrow.

    Those who are evil think they are clever. They believe that their plans are so cunning that no one will catch them out. They may be able to come up with a plan which will hide their evil from their fellow man, but God will see and strike them down.

    I note that in this passage the man possessed by the demon began demanding to know why Jesus was interfering with him before Jesus had made notice of him. I find it interesting how often people today do the same thing with people of faith. I have often seen people promoting sinful behavior. Then, when someone mildly comments that they think such behavior is wrong, accuse the person of interfering with their freedom. Yet if they had not made a point of publicizing their behavior, the person who does not approve would never have known about it.
    To repeat: in this passage, Jesus did not seek out the demon possessed man in order to drive out the demon. Rather, the demon-possessed man made a scene in front of the crowd and accused Jesus of interfering with him. In the same way today, if you take a stand and say that, because you believe a certain behavior is wrong, you will not do it, some people will accuse you of interfering with their freedom to undertake that behavior. I believe that when people draw attention to their sin that it is our responsibility to tell them that it is sin and to call on the Holy Spirit to convict them of its sinfulness.

    I have read over the account of the tribes of Reuben and Gad requesting that they receive their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River several times today. I feel like there is a lesson there for us, but I just can’t put my finger on what it is. At first I thought about the fact that Moses misunderstood their intentions because of how their parents had responded to the reports of the spies, but I could not actually figure out what the lesson was there. Then I thought about how the two tribes committed to accompanying the rest of Israel across the Jordan to fight, but could not figure out what that lesson was either. So, I guess I will just leave it at that.

    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 message in this proverb is for us both in considering ourselves and in considering our companions. Someone who possess beauty, but lacks discretion is of no value to anyone. When reading this proverb I often overlook the fact that to the writer of this proverb, pigs were not even a food source. Putting a gold ring in its nose would not change that. In the same way, beauty does not make a person who fails to be discrete someone with whom it is beneficial to spend time.

    The evil plot and plan in secret. They are careful to make sure that no one can discover what they are up to. However, no matter how careful they are, no matter how well they hide their plans, God will hold them accountable. He will strike them down and use their own words against them. It may look like the wicked will get away with their wicked deeds, but God will strike them down. He will not do it in secret, but in plain view for all to see. We will see God bring justice to the wicked and all will realize His great power.

    Luke tells us that Jesus was preaching in Capernaum and that the people there begged Him not to leave. However, He told them that He needed to preach the Gospel in other towns. Luke then tells us that He traveled around preaching in synagogues throughout Judea. This seems strange since, the very next story takes place in Galilee. However, it strikes me that Luke’s readers were probably familiar with Judea, but not with Galilee. I think Luke saying “Judea” is sort of like someone using “Washington” to refer to someone spending time in Bladensburg, MD, Hyattsville, MD, and other towns in Maryland inside the Beltway. In the same way, I think that many people living distant from the land of Jesus’ birth would view Galilee and Judea as “Judea”, the territory where Jews lived.
    Luke then gives his account of how Simon Peter, James and John came to be Jesus’ disciples. It is clear that this was not the first time Jesus had met Simon because a few verses earlier Luke told the story of Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law. On this occasion Jesus asked Simon to allow Him to preach from the boat a few feet away from the shore. When Jesus was done speaking, He asked Simon to put out into deeper water and catch some fish. From the context it appears that Simon was merely humoring Jesus when he put back out to fish. Simon did not expect to catch anything, they had been fishing all night and caught nothing. Since they had caught nothing during the best time for fishing, Simon was sure they would not catch anything now, and said so. However, not only did they catch fish, they caught so many that the nets began to tear and, when James and John joined them with their boat, both boats were at risk of sinking.
    Simon’s response to this was to ask Jesus to leave him, because he, Simon, was too sinful to be around Jesus. I am trying to put into words what I see in this story. First, Peter did not believe that anything would come of what Jesus asked him to do, but he did it anyway. Sometimes what God asks us to do seems pointless, but we need to be like Peter and do it anyway. Second, when Peter saw the results of doing what Jesus asked, he did not take credit for them. Peter realized that he had just been going through the motions, yet God had rewarded him far beyond his desserts. Am I willing to give God credit for the results He produces in my life? The final thing in this story is that Jesus called Simon, James and John to a new career. Am I willing to change the path of my life at God’s call?

    When Moses was preparing to divide up the land that they were about to invade among the tribes of Israel, the tribes of Reuben and Gad requested that instead of land west of the Jordan, they be allowed to claim the land which Israel had just conquered east of the Jordan River. Moses was concerned that they were afraid to join the rest of the tribes in invading the land. Moses was afraid that if he allowed them to stay east of the Jordan, it would discourage the rest of the people from invading. However, the tribes of Reuben and Gad assured Moses that they would join the rest of the people of Israel in conquering the land west of the Jordan, even though they already had the land they wanted. I see in this passage the importance of working with others to fulfill God’s will, even after our “part” of the task is “finished”.