The point of this proverb is very similar to Jesus’ parable about the farmer who wanted to build a bigger barn. Riches do not last, so make sure to maintain the ability to produce enough to meet your needs.
Once again the psalmist gets it right. I will love the Lord for all that He has done for me. He is good and kind. There is nothing I can possibly do to pay Him back for all He has done for me, so I will praise His name. God cares deeply for each and every one of His creatures.
If you need wisdom ask God, and He will give it to you. James tells us that when we ask God for wisdom we should not doubt that He will give it to us. I think that what James is saying here is that when God answers our prayer for wisdom we need to accept the answer He gives us. I know that sometimes it can be a real challenge to accept the answer we get. How can we be sure that we are interpreting God’s response correctly? Nevertheless, God makes His answer to us clear, if we are willing to listen.
Temptation is a product of our own evil desires. When we fail to recognize the evil inherent in those desires they will give birth to sinful actions. If we do not at some point check those sinful actions they will grow until the bring forth death. Every time we yield to sin a little bit we move closer to accepting that which we initially would have found beyond the pale. So, evil is a product of our giving in to our own nature. On the other hand, everything that is good and perfect is a gift from God. It is easy to miss this contrast. When we do evil, it has grown from within us. When we do good it is because God has granted us a gift and worked through us.
Considering the news of the last few days I was struck by a phrase from Ezekiel’s prophecy against Edom. “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come!” I am convinced that if we do not listen to it, and let it temper our thoughts and desires, it will be directed at us. I am certain that it is directed at those who rejoiced to hear of the events in Paris, Beirut, and Kenya (and elsewhere) over the last few days. But I suspect that it is also directed at those who desire a bloodbath in response (that does not necessarily mean all of those planning, or executing, military responses to these events).
God speaks of gathering His people once more, but not because they deserve it. It is not because of anything we have done that God has called us to His side. No, He has done so in order to bring glory to His name. He has cleansed us, given us a new heart, and a new spirit so that the nations of this world will know that He is Lord. None of this is because we deserve it. Let us be thoroughly embarrassed about what we have done. I have applied this passage to the Christian Church, but let us remember that it also applies to the descendants of Jacob. When we look at the modern nation of Israel, let us remember that the fact that it exists is an example of God’s power.
Some people take pleasure in behaving foolishly…they have no sense. This is not just about behavior which is foolishly dangerous, it includes behavior which is just silly when there is serious tasks at hand. The person with sense takes a straight course to getting their work done.
I love reading this psalm in both the NLT and the NIV translations because today they give it much more meaning. The NLT presents the first two verses in the present tense: “He hears my voice and my prayer.”…”He bends down to listen.” While the NIV presents them in the past tense: “He heard my voice and my cry…” “He turned His ear to me.” I love this vision of the fact that our love for God is a response to what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do.
The people asked Jesus to tell them if He was the Messiah. The way they worded their question implied that he had avoided answering that very question in the past. Jesus replied that He had already told them, but they did not believe Him. The proof of who He was rested on the work He had done in His Father’s name. Now, we can easily take this to refer just to Jesus. However, it applies to everyone. If you claim to be a follower of Christ, does your work prove it to be true?
Jesus goes on to say something that was initially going to be my focus today. He says that those who do not believe Him do not do so because they are not His sheep. His sheep listen to His voice and follow Him. They shall never perish and no one can snatch them out of His hand. This is for me a very heartening thought. If we believe Jesus and follow Him, no one, and nothing, can separate us from Him.
This passage begins with an account which shows us that Saul’s attempts to kill David grew out of his own insecurity and were not based on any legitimate gripe with David. When presented with the opportunity to kill Saul, while Saul was seeking to kill him, David chose not to do so. I think that this passage presents us with part of the basis for how we should interact with government authorities who are acting inappropriately.
There is also the story of Nabal and Abigail. This story gives us an idea about how David increased both his wealth and his power. David supported himself and his men while he was fleeing from Saul by protecting the property of wealthy men and merchants from bandits. We, also, get a hint about the way economic life was organized at the time. When Nabal’s servants observed how he had insulted David they went to Nabal’s wife Abigail to request that she intervene.
Make sure to continue to manage the work and resources which provide your income, no matter how wealthy you become. Continue to be productive as long as you are able because accumulated wealth is fleeting.
This psalm starts with a line that we should all remember. “I love the Lord because he hears my voice…” Yes, the Lord hears our voice and answers our prayers. The translation I am using (New Living Translation) says that God protects those with childlike faith. Other translations say that God protects the simple. It reminds us that many people will look at our faith in God and think we are foolish, naive, or just plain childlike for having such a faith. I will not let such opinions shake me because God will protect me. I will not fear death. I will not fear anything because I will walk in God’s presence as long as I draw breath.
The psalmist asks,
What can I offer the Lord
for all he has done for me?
He then answers that question. We have nothing to offer the Lord that He does not already have. We have a limited number of things we can do to show our gratitude. We can lift up the salvation God has given us and show it to those around us, making them aware that it is there for them as well. We can praise God for all of the wondrous things He has done for us. We can publicly keep our promises to God, so that others will see how His faithfulness causes us to be faithful.
I love the book of James. He starts off by stating that he is a slave/servant of God and Jesus Christ. He is owned by God and does what God commands/orders him to do. We should seek to live in the same manner. Then comes something that is hard to actually do. We should not just be willing to endure troubles and trials. We should take joy in experiencing troubles and trials. They will test our faith and increase our endurance/perseverance. As our endurance increases we will come ever more mature in our faith. When our endurance becomes complete we will find ourselves perfected (a situation I do not anticipate attaining until I enter into God’s presence in heaven).
James tells us that the poor should consider themselves honoured by God, while the rich should be humbled by the fact that they are rich. This runs exactly counter to the way we normally look at such things. We have a tendency to honour the wealthy and look askance at the poor, usually thinking that the latter is something to be embarrassed about. This passage is one of the most direct contradictions of “prosperity gospel” (which is exactly the opposite of good news). I think that James is saying that if you are rich, God is telling you that you do not have the faith and gumption to serve Him well without that wealth. While, the poor are being honoured by God because He is telling them, and the world, that they are able to do His will with few resources. Contrary to the way the world views things, wealth is not a sign of God’s favor. Rather, it is a sign that we need to work harder to accomplish His will.
I want to make two final points. Wealth is not a sign that someone is an inferior Christian any more than it is a sign that someone is a superior Christian. I am not wealthy by American standards, but I am when compared to most of the world. I am not sure how my faith would survive if I was at the average level of wealth for people around the world, or below. As I have gotten older I have become ever more humble. I have come to fear that if God had chosen to give me a life of hardship that my faith would not endure. However, I am sure of one thing, God’s grace will be sufficient for whatever situation He puts me in. He will not test me beyond what I am able to endure.
Ezekiel tells Edom that they will suffer because they took pleasure in the suffering of the people of Israel. This is a warning for us. I will never take pleasure in the suffering of others, no matter how deserving I believe they are of that suffering. The wicked may deserve to suffer for their wickedness, but rather than take pleasure in their suffering we should feel sorrow that they had not turned from their sins before it came to pass.
Ezekiel prophesies that God will restore the people of Israel to their land. However, He will not do it because they deserve it. He will do it in order to bring honour to His name. In the same way, He has offered us salvation, not because we deserve it but so that His name may be honoured. Let us remember that we did not receive good things from God because we deserve them. God has done good things for us in order that we will honour His name. Let us never forget to honour God’s name and praise Him for His generous mercy.
People who lack judgement get a thrill out of doing foolish things, but those who understand the connections between actions and consequences choose a path of wisdom and follow it through.
God will bend down to hear our prayer. I have heard people say that sometimes it seems like their prayers are bouncing off of the ceiling. That is OK, God will stoop down in order to hear even those prayers which do not make it out of the room. It may seem that our cries for His help cannot even get out of our own heads, let alone up to heaven. Yet, even so, when we cry to the Lord for help, He will answer. I cannot pay the Lord back for all that He has done for me. Everything that I possess is already His. So, I will praise His name and serve Him in whatever ways that I can.
The crowd asked Jesus to tell them plainly if He was the Messiah. Jesus answered them by telling them that He had already told them, but they did not believe Him. The proof was in what He did. In the same way today, the proof of the Gospel we preach is in the works we do. If we listen to Jesus’ voice, speak what He has told us to say, and do what He has told us to do, we will provide proof of God’s existence and greatness. Jesus and the Father are one. Saying so, made the crowd want to kill Jesus. In the same way, we will face opposition when we show that we have become one with Jesus. When we preach the Gospel, let our message be the same as Jesus’ here, “Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work.” As we preach the Gospel we must also do God’s work in helping those in need.
Continuing in the theme of Saul’s insecurity vs David’s faithfulness we have today’s story. Saul gathered a strong force of elite fighting men significantly larger than the group following David and went hunting for David in order to kill him. At one point Saul goes into a cave by himself to relieve himself. David and his men were hiding deep in this cave when Saul went into it. Despite having been told by Samuel that he had been chosen by God as the next king of Israel David refused to kill Saul when the opportunity presented itself. David demonstrates once more his confidence in God’s plan for himself. He was confident that God would protect him from Saul and would, in His own time, clear the path to fulfill His promise to David. Do we have a similar trust in God’s provision for our lives?
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.
Ezekiel speaks a prophecy against Edom. He condemns the people of Edom for their hatred of the people of Israel and for the actions that hatred motivated them to take. I see two messages, or perhaps a specific message with a general application. The specific message is that those who hate the people of Israel, the Jews, and take action against them that is motivated by that hatred will face catastrophe. God will bring judgment on those who persecute His chosen people. While I believe that God has a special place in His heart for the Jewish people, I also believe that the message of this prophecy applies to all groups of people. Those who hate people because they belong to some group and take action against members of that group, despite the fact that the individual has done them no harm, will suffer God’s judgment. Such actions will come back to cause harm on the perpetrator.
I have exactly the opposite opinion of the book of James to that held by Martin Luther. The book of James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. James starts by telling us to consider the troubles we face in this life as a source of joy. The troubles we face test us and teach us to persevere in our faith. Such perseverance causes us to rely more and more on God, and as we rely more and more on God, we realize that we can rely on Him for all things. If we lack the wisdom necessary to accomplish the tasks which God as set before us, we need only ask God and He will give us the needed wisdom and knowledge. When we ask God, we need to truly believe that He will answer our prayers. We should not be hedging our bets by seeking wisdom from sources other than God. I do not believe that this means that we do not accept the wisdom God sends us, no matter what route it comes to us by. Rather, this means that we reject “wisdom” that does not follow God’s principles, we do not choose answers to our problems that involve sinning. If we wish to operate with God’s wisdom we will reject all courses of action which derive from the philosophy that says, “You have to do what you have to do.”
James also tells us that temptation does not come from God. We are tempted to sin by our own desires. It is by following our own will and desires that we fall into sin. This is why we must avoid placing ourselves in positions where our sinful desires will be aroused. On the other hand, that which is good and perfect in our lives comes from God. If we fill our time doing the things which God has called us to do, we will not have time to spend being enticed by our evil desires.
James reminds us that God does not change. All too many times I hear it argued that the Church must change with the times. This passage I think is a direct answer to that argument. James says that God is the Father of heavenly lights and does not change like shifting shadows. This does not mean that the Church should never change, because nothing on this earth is perfect and we should constantly be seeking to transform ourselves into the perfect image of God. However, the Church should change from the prodding of the Holy Spirit, not from that of the spirit of this world.
The Lord does indeed hear my voice. When my life troubled me and I was overwhelmed by my circumstances I cried out to the Lord and He provided me with relief. I have nothing which I can offer the Lord which He does not already have. All that He has done for me is of greater value than all that I possess and what I do possess is a gift from Him. I will praise His name because that is all that I have to offer Him for all the wondrous things He has done for me.
Manage your resources because accumulated wealth does not last forever. Carefully tend to those things which bring in what you need to survive so that if your wealth dries up, you will still be able to obtain food and shelter.
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.
After returning from fighting the Philistines, Saul resumed his pursuit of David. He brought 3,000 men into the wilderness where David was hiding. At one point, Saul left his men and went into a cave to relieve himself. Unbeknownst to Saul, David and his men were hiding deeper in the cave. David’s men encouraged David to kill Saul at this moment of opportunity. David crept up on Saul intending to do just that, but he could not bring himself to do so. Instead, he cut a piece off of Saul’s robe. David neither killed Saul, nor would he allow his men to do so. We see here the first sign of an important element of David’s character which will come out even stronger later when he has more power. Not only does David not do something which he saw as wrong, but which would have advanced his interests, he prevents his supporters from doing so on his behalf (if the Lord wills, I will come back to this in later passages).
Once Saul had left the cave, David came out after him. David called after Saul, referring to him as his lord and king. When Saul turned around, David showed him the piece he had cut off of his robe. David then pointed out that if those claiming that David wished to kill Saul were correct, Saul would now be dead. David explained to Saul that despite the urging of his men, he would not harm Saul because Saul was God’s anointed king of Israel. When Saul realized what had happened, he acknowledged that he would not have done what David had done. Saul recognized that God had put him in David’s power and it was only by David’s dedication to doing the right thing that he still lived. Saul responded to his good fortune by asking David to promise not to kill his family and destroy his descendants when David became king. David happily made this promise. Saul then withdrew with his army. I believe that Saul withdrew in part because after this exchange, he would have lost status in the eyes of his men had he continued to pursue David (and perhaps their support). It would have been too obvious that Saul’s pursuit of David was in response to David’s popularity rather than because of any threat which David posed to Saul.
After this we have the story involving Nabal and his wife Abigail. Nabal was a wealthy man in the region where David was operating at this time. This story gives us insight into what David did during the time he was in exile from Saul’s court and how he rose to become king after Saul’s death and even into how he gained the power we are told he acquired while king (and how such a powerful king left so little archeological evidence). David and his men had protected Nabal’s men and flocks from bandits while they were in the wilderness. When shearing time came, which was a time of festival and traditionally a time to be generous, David sent some men to Nabal requesting that Nabal give them some supplies in reward for having protected his interests throughout the previous year. Nabal not only refused David’s request but insulted him and called him (and his men) an outlaw. When David received word, he was furious and determined to pay Nabal back for the insult.
Meanwhile Nabal’s servants knew what a deadly insult Nabal’s response was and were in fear for their lives. One of them went to Nabal’s wife, Abigail, who already had a reputation as a sensible woman, and told her the reply which Nabal had given to David’s messengers. In addition, they told her how well David’s men had protected them while they were in the wilderness. Abigail immediately, and quickly, gathered a goodly amount of food and had her servants take it to David. She followed behind them. When she saw David, she greeted him and begged his forgiveness for her ill-tempered and foolish husband. She predicts that great things will happen for David in the future and requests that he remember her when that happens. David expresses his gratitude both for her gift of supplies and for her intervention to keep him from committing needless bloodshed. He promises that neither he nor his men will kill her husband.
When Abigail returned home Nabal was in the middle of a great feast and completely drunk, so she told him nothing until morning. When he was sober in the morning, Abigail told him what she had done. When he heard her news, he had a stroke (or at least the described symptoms sound like a stroke) and after ten days he died. When David heard that Nabal was dead, he praised God for giving him revenge for the insult which Nabal had given him and for preventing him from extracting that revenge himself. David then sent word asking Abigail to become his wife. She gladly accepted and became his wife.
David’s offer to marry Abigail and her quick response gives us an additional insight into David, his ruling strategy and the society of the day. However, I will write about that another day. I just realized that I never fleshed out my earlier point about how the story of Nabal gives us insight into David’s rise to power. David rose to power and built his kingdom by protecting merchants and others from bandits. He made it safe to do business in the areas that he controlled. Merchants and others did not need to hire as many armed guards to travel through areas controlled by David because he hunted down and either killed or drove the bandits out of it. The thing is, he did this not only to those bandits who preyed on the wealthy, but also those who preyed and the “little guy”. He made life better for everyone.
After Jesus gave the illustration of the Good Shepherd, the people listening asked Him to tell them outright if He was the Messiah. He tells them that He has already answered their question, but that they have refused to believe His answer. Continuing His Shepherd illustration, Jesus tells them that they do not believe Him because they are not His sheep. His sheep listen to His voice, are known by Him and follow Him. And no one can take them away from Him because they were given to Him by His Father, who is more powerful than any other. He concludes this by saying that He and His Father are one.
At this, those listening to Him take up stones to stone Him. He asks them for which of His good works they are going to stone Him? They reply they are not going to stone Him for anything He did, but because He claimed to be God. Jesus then quoted Psalms to them where it says “I say, you are gods!”. Jesus then asks them if the Scripture says that some are gods, why are they stoning Him for saying that He is the Son of God? They should judge Him by His works. If what He does is the work of God, they should believe Him because of His actions, even if they have trouble believing His words. The heat of the moment in the crowd being broken, the religious leaders tried to arrest Him, but He evaded them and left the area. Many started to follow Jesus after this, commenting that John had not performed miraculous signs, but what he had said about Jesus was true.
This passage has some elements that are very heartening. If we listen to Jesus voice and follow His instructions, we can know that we are known by Him and are held in His hand. No one can snatch us away from Him because the Father is holding us in Jesus’ hand and none has the power to take that which belongs to Him. Are we willing to be Jesus’ sheep? Sheep are dumb and stupid animals which need to be carefully guided by their shepherd. Am I willing to acknowledge that I am a dumb and stupid person who needs God’s careful guidance?
I never saw this psalm the way I read it today. Today I see it as being my testimony (or at least part of it being part of my testimony).
I saw only trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
That comes so close to the experience that led me to fully commit myself to God. I was struggling with knowing whether or not God existed. I could find nothing which would convince me that God actually existed, but when I considered living in a world that was nothing more than the material, I found life not worth living. After months of struggling with bouts of what I now realize were a manifestation of depression, I finally had an epiphany, I could not accept that the world was nothing more than the material, so I would live as if the Bible was true. I called out to God and said that I would act as if I knew that He was real and see what happened. The results were amazing, within days there no longer existed any doubt in my mind that God was real. I received incontrovertible proof that He was real (understand that this was proof to me, I will not expect another to accept it as proof. They will need to receive such proof direct from God). My soul is at rest again because the Lord has been good to me.
What can I offer the Lord
for all he has done for me?
I am your servant, oh Lord, and I will strive to serve You as my parents did.
Variegated hostas
The first of these two proverbs is interesting. Fathers are given joy at the thought that they raised a child who shows wisdom. Those who are foolish disregard and despise their mother. Usually these couplets in Proverbs compare and/or contrast how opposite behaviors effect things. In this case, it tells us that a father is happy to have wise children, but that we can recognize that someone is a fool if they despise their mother.
The second proverb today tells us that taking pleasure in foolish behavior is the signpost of being a fool. If you recognize that something is a foolish thing to do, but do it anyway, you can know that you are well on your way to being a fool.
