The content of our character is tested by how we react to being flattered. All too often we become inclined to agree with someone who tells us how much they respect our judgment because of how smart we are. Be careful to be swayed by the argument, not by the flattery.
Let us not do things to gain glory for ourselves, let us give glory to God for the results which He brings about. We can praise the Lord both now and forever, let us take advantage of the opportunity.
There are a lot of good points made by the writer here.
Show hospitality to strangers, because you will be blessed for doing so.
This is especially relevant for us in light of what is going on in the world.
Remember those suffering as if you yourself were suffering. Give them the aid you would want if you were in their circumstances.
This is also relevant considering what has recently happened in Paris, and Beirut, and elsewhere, in recent days.
Honor marriage, even if you are not married…and if you are married remain faithful to your spouse.
Do not love money. Instead be satisfied with what you have, because God has promised to provide for us.
The writer wraps up this section of things by reminding us that Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday, and tomorrow He will still be the same. Do not get caught up with new ideas and teachings. Our strength comes from God’s grace not from rules about food or behavior, but that does not mean that anything goes either.
This passage reminds us that some of us are called to be watchmen and some are called to be shepherds. It is the watchman’s job to sound the alarm. Those of us who are called to be watchmen are called to warn people that they will suffer as a consequence of their sins. If the people do not listen to the warning and die in their sins, the watchman will be innocent of their death. If, on the other hand, the watchman fails to give the warning, the people will still die in their sins, but God will hold the watchman responsible for their death.
Some of us have been called to be shepherds of the flock, to lead God’s people. Such people are called to feed the sheep, tend the sick, bind up the wounded. They are called to go looking for those who have wandered away and those who have become lost. They are called to handle the flock with tenderness and care, not with harshness and cruelty. A;; too many of those who are called to shepherd God’s flock use that opportunity for their own benefit. They do not care for God’s flock and allow it to be scattered.
When we read these proverbs we should use them to look at ourselves. Do we find ourselves in fights and conflicts? Perhaps the problem is that we too easily lose our temper. If we control our anger we will find that we will not end up in as many fights, and we will be able to defuse the conflicts around us.
Do we find every task we begin obstructed by obstacles? Perhaps the problem is that we are too lazy and do not approach our life with enough industry. When we honour God with all of our being and look at all of the tasks before us as service to God, there do not seem to be any obstacles of consequence to accomplishing those tasks.
There are other messages in this psalm, but it starts with the one I want to focus on:
Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory…
This should be the focus of all of our actions. I struggle with making that my focus as I write this blog. From time to time I need to remind myself that I am not writing this blog to attract attention. I am writing this blog so that I will study God’s word each day. Yes, I hope there are other people reading it (and I know that there are). And I hope that those who read this get some blessing from God by doing so. However, if that is the case, it is not because I am such a masterful writer. No, it is because the Holy Spirit has used the words I have written. That does not mean that I think I am not a masterful writer. It just means that I know that no matter how cleverly I write this the only way it will bring about positive change is if the Holy Spirit moves in the heart of the one who reads it.
So, the point I want to make is the title of today’s blog: Not to me, but to God be the glory!
As I read Jesus’ teaching about the Good Shepherd and the sheep fold I see Jesus communicating two messages at the same time. One message is that we must go through Jesus to get to the sheepfold where we will be safe. Jesus expands on a message He has taught elsewhere. Those who are called by God, who are truly seeking God, will recognize the “sound” of Jesus’ message and will listen to Him. The other message is that all spiritual teachers who do not lead people to and through Jesus are thieves and robbers. They seek to advance their own interests through their teaching and do not truly care for their followers.
Jesus goes on to compare the good shepherd to the hired hand. While in part Jesus is comparing Himself to religious teachers who do not direct people to Him, there is more to this. I see a couple of things I will draw out of this. The first is to be skeptical of pastors, preachers, or other religious teachers who live a lavish lifestyle. I question the faithfulness of any of the above who lives a millionaire lifestyle. I will not categorically state that no faithful teacher of the Gospel lives a millionaire lifestyle. I can imagine justifications for such, but I will remain skeptical until I personally see evidence of their faithfulness (I have known individuals living a millionaire lifestyle who were at least as faithful — and probably more so — in following Christ as myself). The key element to test religious teachers is their willingness to sacrifice their lives for the benefit of those they are leading.
Writing this it fully struck home for the first time that, because I write this blog, I need to start holding myself to the standard I believe the Bible presents for those who teach the Gospel. I have always felt that all Christians should strive to hold themselves to that standard, but that God does not necessarily hold us all to that standard. I do not believe that I can soothe myself for my failures by thinking God does not hold me to that higher standard.
We have in this story a contrast between the way David and Saul managed their affairs. Saul had the priests of Nob killed because Ahimelech gave aid to David. This despite the fact that when Ahimelech aided David, no one knew that Saul no longer considered David his chief subordinate. David, on the other hand, risked himself and his men to protect the town of Keilah. Further, David sought God’s guidance for all of his actions.
Fire is used to test the purity of gold and silver, but you can measure a person by how they react to praise. No matter what you do, or how hard you try, a fool will not give up his foolish ideas. If by some chance you do convince a fool that one of his ideas is foolish, he will replace it with another just as foolish.
The psalmist reminds us that the glory for our successes should go to God. Any success which I have in this life is because of God’s mercy and grace. It was His gifts to me which made me able to accomplish anything of worth. It is not I who deserves the credit, but rather God.
Today’s passage starts out with four instructions that all fit together. We are to continue loving each other, show hospitality to strangers, and remember those suffering (being imprisoned and mistreated are both forms of suffering) as if we were experiencing that suffering ourselves.
The next couple of things fit together with these as well. Everyone should honour marriage, even those who are not married. Those of us who are married must remain faithful to our spouse. Those who are not married should encourage those who are married to remain faithful to each other. Remaining faithful to your husband or wife involves more than just sex.
The final point that stands out to me today is “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This does not mean that we should resist change. However, as the writer points out, it does mean that we should reject new teachings, that is, teachings which do not have their basis in the Bible. It is sometimes argued that the anti-slavery movement represented a new teaching because slavery is mentioned in the Bible, even in the New Testament, and not condemned (it can be argued that it was even indirectly supported). However, the anti-slavery movement was against a culture which viewed certain people as less than human. The anti-slavery movement arose when all slaves in Western Civilization were derived from the same racial background and enslaving them was justified on the basis of claiming that they were not truly human. Such a claim is counter to the teachings of the Bible, even those places where it discusses slavery. As a result, the anti-slavery movement relied on Christian teachings of long standing. Some more recent teachings rely on the claim that loving my neighbor means not confronting him or her about behaviors which cause them to be distanced from God. I cannot accept that approach.
Ezekiel returns once more to the theme of the watchman. There are two points to this metaphor. The first is that God does not take pleasure from the death and destruction of the wicked. He would rather that they turn from their wicked behavior and live. The death and destruction of the wicked is only inevitable if they keep on sinning. The second point of this metaphor is that it is our duty as servants of God to warn people of the death and destruction which is coming for them. Do we love those around us enough to warn them of the dangers inherent in their sinful behavior? Have we spoken out as loudly against greed as we have against sexual sins? Have we warned those who oppress the poor that their actions will lead to their destruction as surely as sexual sins will lead to the destruction of those who partake in them?
Ezekiel than goes on to speak about those spiritual leaders who use their position to enrich themselves rather than to care for the flock. Spiritual leaders who are more interested in what is in it for themselves than in the needs of the people they lead. They do not assist the weak, nor care for the sick. They do bind the wounds of the injured, nor go searching for the lost. While he is discussing his condemnation of spiritual leaders, Ezekiel makes his first comment directed at all of us. Not only did the spiritual leaders not go looking for the lost, no one else did either. Ezekiel continues by warning us that God will judge even the common person for their actions. God will judge between the “fat” sheep and the “skinny” sheep. What role have we played in driving others away from God? Have we kept the best “grazing” for ourselves and trampled the rest? Have we bullied the weak and driven them from God?
If you lose your temper easily, you will start many fights you did not need to have. If you can keep your temper, even when provoked, you will bring calm and end fights, even some you were not involved in. Those who are lazy see insurmountable obstacles to every endeavor. Those who truly wish to do what is right see a clear path to that goal. Where other people might see obstacles to doing right, the righteous either see a path around or consider the “obstacle” an acceptable consequence of doing the right thing.
I will seek to live according to what the psalmist writes. I will not seek glory for myself, but I will act so that God may be glorified. If and when I have success I want it to cause people to glorify and praise God. God is my helper and my shield. Any thing I have done that is praiseworthy is because of God, not because of some credit that I am due. God has blessed me and I will praise Him.
Jesus tells us that He is the good shepherd. His sheep know His voice and follow Him. They will not follow the voice of a stranger because they do not know it. Rather they will run from the voice of a stranger. This reminds me of those churches which constantly tell us that we need to change the message of Christ to be relevant. As a general rule, those churches seem to always get smaller. I will not say that we should measure the success or failure of a congregation by how big or small it is. However, I will also say that we should not measure our message by how “relevant” society finds them. We should measure our message by whether or not we are speaking with the voice of Jesus.
Saul once again demonstrated the insecurity which eventually brought him down. When he discovered that Ahimelech, the priest, had aided David, he had him, his family, and the entire town where he had lived killed. Saul did this despite the fact that when Ahimelech aided David most of the people of Israel knew David as Saul’s faithful, and most successful, servant. Saul’s actions are contrasted with David’s. Saul ordered an entire town of Israelites killed and plundered. David, on the other hand, went to rescue a town in Judah from the depredations by Philistine raiders. Doing so put David at some risk because it allowed Saul the chance to attempt trap him there. Are we willing to put ourselves at some risk to aid others? Or do we hold a grudge against those who we perceive as having wronged us?
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 in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
God calls on Ezekiel to be a watchman for the people of Israel. A watchman is tasked with watching for danger. If he sees danger and warns the people, yet they do not act, the watchman is not held accountable for their suffering. On the other hand, if the watchman sees danger and fails to warn the people, the watchman will be held accountable for the losses the people suffer. In the same way, if Ezekiel failed to speak out in an attempt to dissuade the wicked from their wicked ways, God would hold him accountable for their suffering.
I believe that this passage is a calling to us today to warn people around us of the dangers of sin. We are not called to judge people. We are called to tell people that actions have consequences. When those actions are sinful, those consequences will be undesirable. On the other hand, righteous actions will have positive consequences. If someone is sinning, is doing things which are destructive to themselves and to others, if they turn from that sin and start to behave in a righteous manner, they will receive the consequences of those righteous acts. On the other hand if someone has been behaving righteously and begins to sin, their previous righteousness will not spare them from the consequences of their sinful behavior.
The next part of the passage addresses us today as well. The people were going to consult with Ezekiel not in order to hear the word of God and change their lives but rather to be entertained. How many of us today go to Church services expecting to be entertained? How often are our Church services designed to entertain those who come, rather than to deliver the life-changing word of God?
The writer concludes his letter with some basic exhortations. He tells us to empathize with those who are imprisoned and those who are being mistreated. We are to honor marriage and those of us who are married are to remain faithful to our spouse. He reminds us not to love money, but rather to be content with what we have, because God will provide for our needs. If we remain content with what God has given us and rely on his providence, we can face all of life with confidence.
He reminds us that God does not change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This means that the Gospel message and God’s instructions are not going to change either. We should not get caught up with novel, new ideas. While this does not mean that we do not change what we believe, it does act as a corrective against ideas that are sold as brand new. I cannot count the number of times that I have heard people argue that some Scripture no longer applies because, “things were different when that was written.” Times do indeed change, but God does not.
There is one final point which the writer touches on that I want to highlight. He writes that under the old covenant, the bodies of the sacrifices were burned outside of the camp. In the same manner, Jesus offered Himself up as a sacrifice outside of the city gates. We are to go outside of the camp to Him, separating ourselves from this world just as He did. This world is not our home, we are still looking forward to that day when we will go to our home in heaven with God. We are not citizens of an earthly kingdom, rather we are citizens of God’s kingdom.
The psalmist reminds us that we are not to do things in order to gain glory for ourselves, nor should we accept glory for our actions. The credit for anything praiseworthy which I may have done goes to God. If not for Him, and what His Spirit has done within me, I would never have done anything worthy of praise. I will praise the Lord and will act so as to bring glory to His name.
Gold and silver are tested for purity by putting them through fire, but we are tested by how we react when others praise us. When people praise us for things we have done, it is all too easy to forget the One who is truly responsible for our successes. A fool will not give up his foolishness no matter how much trouble it brings him.
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 started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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.
David fled from Saul into the wilderness. His relatives joined him there, since they knew that Saul would come after them when he could not get David directly. In addition, David was joined by other men, mostly troublemakers and other discontents, for a total of 400 men. After securing the protection of the king of Moab for his parents, David returned to Judah. When Saul heard that David had returned to Judah, he threw a fit in front of his men, accusing them of being disloyal and Jonathan of plotting with David to have Saul killed. When Doeg, the Edomite, heard Saul’s rant, he came forward and offered that he had seen David consult with the priest, Ahimelech, who gave David supplies.
Saul sent for Ahimelech and his entire family of priests. When Ahimelech appeared before Saul, Saul accused him of plotting with David against him. Ahimelech replied that he had no reason to suspect that Saul’s son-in-law, the captain of Saul’s bodyguard was plotting against Saul. Saul would hear nothing of Ahimelech’s defense and ordered his bodyguards to kill him and his family. His bodyguards refused to kill priests of God. Saul then turned to Doeg and asked him to kill them. Doeg did so and then went to their home town and killed all of their relatives and livestock. Only Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, escaped. He fled to David in the wilderness.
When Abiathar joined David, David expressed deep regret that he had been the cause of he murder of Abiather’s family and promised to protect him with his life. Shortly after this the Philistines began raiding an Israelite town. David consulted the Lord and felt led to go defend the town. His men were afraid to go up against the Philistines, so David asked God for more direction. Once more David received guidance from God to defend that town. This time his men were convinced. David and his men slaughtered the Philistines raiding the town and rescued the people of the town. When Saul learned that David had gone there he mustered his army and headed out to trap David in the town. David learned of Saul’s plan and once more consulted God. He asked if Saul would indeed come after him there and if the people would betray him. God answered both questions in the affirmative. So David and his men, now up to about 600, left the town and returned to the wilderness.
Jonathan came out to visit David in the wilderness and express his continued friendship. Shortly after Jonathan’s visit, some of the men of the region where David was hiding out went to Saul and told him where David was. Saul sent them back to track David more closely, then followed with his army. When David heard that Saul was bringing his army after him, he withdrew even further into the wilderness. Finally, as Saul was about to overtake David and bring him to battle, he received word that the Philistines were attacking. Saul withdrew his army to defend against the Philistines.
Perhaps I am making too much of it, but throughout this passage I see a difference in how the two men chose their actions. Saul chose his actions, always looking for how it benefited himself and enhanced his power, factoring in worshiping the Lord as just one more political calculation. David on the other hand, sought the Lord’s guidance every step of the way. Which is the way that I approach life?
Today’s passage is Jesus’ illustration of Himself as the good shepherd, who cares for the sheep. In it He contrasted Himself to those who taught contrary to what He taught. He compared those other teachers to thieves and robbers, who are out to slaughter the sheep. As opposed to a good shepherd who is willing to die to protect his sheep. In addition to referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus also compared Himself to the gate through which good shepherds come. Thieves and robbers come over the wall, but good shepherds come through the gate.
So, we have two messages for us in one illustration. The first is the most obvious. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and laid down His life for us His sheep. He even tells us how we can tell if we, or someone else, is part of His flock. Those who are part of Jesus’ flock will listen to His voice and follow Him. Not all of those who were part of Jesus’ flock were Jews. But Jesus said that He would go, gather those other sheep and make one flock out of all of them. The second message is more subtle. Jesus tells us that He is the gate, any teacher or religious leader who does not come through Him is a thief and a robber, looking to use the sheep for his own benefit, no matter what the cost to the sheep. This gives us a guide to judge those who are proclaimed religious leaders. Do they come through Jesus? Do they suffer so that their sheep may live in comfort? Or do their sheep suffer so that they can live in comfort?
This psalm is a reminder of what we should desire when we cry out to God for Him to rescue us and/or bless us. We do not call out to God for rescue so that we might live a life of ease, but rather so that God may be glorified. Let us seek blessings from God, not for ourselves, but so that we may use them to benefit others to the glory of God.
Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name goes all the glory
Let us fear to go against what the Lord desires for us, because we know that He desires what is good for us and desires that we avoid that which will lead to our suffering.
All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord!
He is your helper and your shield.
…
He will bless those who fear the Lord,
both great and lowly.
Let me fear the Lord and learn to turn all of His blessings into help for those who are suffering.
More of Elizabeth’s Garden
There are two ways to look at today’s proverbs. The first is to consider them as advice, and they are good advice. If we allow our temper to get the better of us, we will start fights and stir up conflict. On the other hand, if we are patient and calm we will be able to soothe conflict and bring peace to those around us. If we are lazy, we will constantly find obstacles blocking our path to doing what is right. On the other hand, if we are upright and righteous, our path will be clear.
The second way to look at this proverb is as a way to judge our own behaviors. Are we always surrounded by conflicts and getting into fights? Then we are hot-tempered. On the other hand, do we find ourselves soothing and calming those who are angry and bringing peace to those around us? Then we are cool-tempered and patient. Do we see obstacles in our path whenever we try to do the right thing? Perhaps the problem is not the obstacles, but our own laziness. On the other hand, if doing the right thing always seems obvious and almost easy, perhaps it reflects that we are truly dedicated to following God. This really challenges me, because I have been seeing obstacles whenever I try to do what I think that God is leading me to do.
