For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    It is wrong to show partiality, even though there are people who will do wrong for even the most minimal of reasons. This is an interesting statement of how we should behave. Even though we know some people will do wrong for very poor reasons, we should still treat them the same as everyone else.

    The psalmist continues with his praise of God’s instructions and commands. God’s laws are wonderful, those who understand them are happy to obey them. However, perhaps the most important point made by the psalmist is this

The teaching of your word gives light,
so even the simple can understand.

It does not require a genius, or great training, to understand God’s word. As we study God’s word, the combination of studying it and the Holy Spirit will provide all of the insight we need to understand what we are reading. All too many times people use their learning to find ways to claim that God did not command what His word says that He did command. We may be despised and insignificant but if we ask God, He will give us the understanding and strength to obey His law.
    Sometimes when we are under pressure and stress we are tempted to forgo studying God’s word. This is a terrible mistake, because studying God’s word is one of the best antidotes for stress.

    Peter reminds us that Jesus will return. It may seem like it has been a long time since He promised to return, but God does not view time the same way we do. From God’s point of view there is no significant difference between a day and a thousand years. The reason for the delay between the promise and the return is because God is patient. He desires that everyone repent, so is willing to give people time to do so. Nevertheless, the end will come suddenly and without warning.
    In due time, everything we can see or touch is going to be destroyed. Which means that we should live godly and holy lives. One result of living godly lives will be that we eagerly look forward to the coming end and seek to hurry it along. The question is, how do we hurry that day along? Looking at what Peter said just a few sentences earlier there are two things we can do to speed Christ’s return. The first is repent of our sins and turn to God. Hopefully, we have already done this. The second follows from the first.
    The other thing we can do to speed Christ’s return is convince others to repent of their sins and accept Christ’s salvation. Since repentance is fully volitional, that is it must be something that one does entirely by one’s own free will, this involves demonstrating to others that this is a desirable thing to do. Repentance involves regretting our actions, not just getting caught. This is why it must be entirely volitional. I can use force to regret getting caught, but I cannot use force to make you regret the action itself (except insomuch as you believe that you could not take the action without getting caught).

    When his daily devotions became illegal, Daniel refused to change his habit of praying before God each day. Those officials who had written the law, and flattered the king into enacting it, knew that Daniel would remain faithful to God. That was why they proposed the law in the first place. Daniel is an example for us. Even though his enemies enacted a law to directly target his faithful service to God, he refused to change his behavior. He did not let the threatened dire consequences deter him from being faithful to God. Let us do likewise.
    There is another lesson to be learned here. When the king realized that Daniel was to be condemned as a result of the law he passed, he regretted his actions. It is important that we think through all of the consequences of our actions. The king only saw how this law would increase his stature and never thought to ask himself why these officials wanted him to enact such a law. What did they have to gain from it? We need to be careful not to make the same mistake.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Those who work hard will have enough to eat. Those who are trustworthy will be rewarded. However, those who are constantly seeking to get rich quick, especially by taking advantage of others, or who think there are ways to wealth that do not involve hard work will end up in poverty.

    God has promised that He will sustain those who love and follow His decrees. Our only hope is in God’s regulations and promises. It is only by studying His instructions and following them that we will gain wisdom. Let us study the word of God because that is the source of wisdom and discernment. It is by studying God’s will that we learn to do what is right. When we do what is right we find joy.

    Just as there were false prophets in Israel in the days of Jeremiah and Isaiah there will be false teachers among the believers today. They will make up stories and false teachings in order to get money from people. These teachers, who preach a false gospel, will cause unbelievers to slander Christ’s teachings and those of His Church. The righteous will be rescued out from among them, but those who see through their lies will be few in number, as were Job, Noah and their families in their day.
    This passage gives a good starting point for recognizing false teachers. They exhibit greed and are constantly seeking money. All the time dressing in fancy clothes and driving expensive cars that those they are asking money from could not themselves afford. They are arrogant, scoffing at supernatural beings and claiming power over them that not even angels would claim. Rather than seeking greater knowledge and understanding, they scoff at and belittle those who believe things they do not understand. They brag about themselves and lure others into sins, using warped sexual desires and greed to do so. They claim that sexual “liberation” is the path to freedom, when in fact it is just a path to being enslaved by sin. If we allow our sexual desires to control us and define who we are, we are not free. Anyone who claims that indulging our sexual desires is freedom is a false teacher.

    Today’s passage describes the fall of Babylon. We know from other historical sources that Babylon was already under siege by the Medes and Persians when this takes place. With their city under siege, the rich and politically connected chose to feast and drink. At a time when they should have been preparing to do whatever they could to defend their city and been rationing their food and drink in order to withstand a siege, instead they indulged in drunken debauchery. The decision to use the goblets from the Jerusalem Temple as common drinking vessels is not so much an additional affront as it is illustrative of their disregard of propriety and responsibility.
    It is from this passage that we derive the phrases, “I can see the writing on the wall” and “I can read the writing on the wall.” We use these phrases interchangeably, but in actuality they express two different thoughts. Everybody at this party could SEE the writing on the wall. They all knew instinctively that it was a frightening portent. But only Daniel could READ it. Even those who know the difference often use these two phrases in ways that do not fit the story. By the time the writing on the wall appears, it is too late to do anything but flee, and it may already be too late for that.
    When Daniel interprets the writing on the wall he tells the people present that they knew what had happened in the past. They knew how Nebuchadnezzar had been humbled because he had become too arrogant and proud. Even with the example of Nebuchadnezzar, they set themselves up as above the gods and above God. They arrogantly assumed that they were too mighty and powerful to ever suffer. Even though they knew that Nebuchadnezzar, who had been a greater and more powerful man than they could ever hope to be, had been brought low and forced to recognize a power greater than himself, they refused to do the same. Whenever anyone makes that mistake, it is only a matter of time until they are brought low. Usually that time will not be very long, just as it was not in this passage.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I want to wish everyone reading this today a Happy Thanksgiving.

    Some of those who have committed murder will seek to escape their conscience in death. Those who attempt to convince them that their guilt is not great enough to deserve death are doing neither them or society any favors.
    Those who lead a blameless life will find that others will seek to protect them from harm. On the other hand, people will be hesitant to warn the wicked about a coming trap. The former is because people do not want to see such a person come to harm. The latter is because people are afraid to come to the attention of those who are wicked.

    Studying God’s word and following His instructions will make one knowledgeable and wise. Thinking about how we can please God and then following through by doing so will make us wiser than any of our enemies. The reason for this is that if we have enemies, either they or we (or both) are not being faithful to God. If we meditate on God’s word we will not live our life as if we are walking in darkness. Each step of our life will be clearly marked out for us.
    I would like to add here that this year I believe I have found the theme which runs through this psalm. I would like to add that my failure to identify this theme is due to my own obtuseness (and failure to have read through this psalm with any frequency before starting this blog). The theme is the benefits, wonders, and joys of studying and following God’s instructions.

    Peter begins his second letter by telling us that God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. This does not mean that it is easy to do so. And since God has given this to us, He will give it to others. Furthermore since our ability to live a godly life is a gift from God, our doing so does not indicate that we are better than others.
    Peter does more than tell us that God has given us what we need to live a godly life. He tells us the template we need to follow in order to do so. The very first step is faith. We must then add moral excellence, or goodness, to our faith. Once we have started practicing goodness, we need to seek knowledge. As we gain knowledge we must exert self-control. Once we start to have some self-control, we must learn to patiently endure, to persevere. As we learn to persevere we must become godly, because otherwise we will become bitter. As we persevere with godliness we must learn to have mutual affection for our fellow believers. Finally, as our mutual affection for other believers matures, we are to exhibit love for everyone.
    As we develop in this way we will become ever more productive in our service to God. If we fail to develop in this manner, we are shortsighted, or perhaps even blind. There are no shortcuts to being faithful. We can not skip over goodness and knowledge to love of everyone. If we attempt to do so, we will fail to act in ways that are loving because we do not have the knowledge to do otherwise. For that matter, we cannot truly exhibit love for everyone until we have learned self-control. Yet what good is self-control if we do not know in what ways we should control ourselves? For that matter, what good does it do us to know what is right, if we do not actually act in that manner? Applying just a little bit of logic shows us that we must follow the path Peter laid out here.

    Nebuchadnezzar experienced something that happens to every person who becomes powerful and believes that their power and wealth are purely a result of their own skills and effort. When someone is filled with such hubris and pride that they fail to recognize the role which God played in their rise (even if they attribute it to chance), they will experience a great fall. If they are lucky, God will give them a second chance to honour Him for their success. However, if they fail even then to acknowledge God they will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Wicked rulers are as dangerous to the poor as a wild predator. They are unpredictable and difficult to defend against. Rulers who oppress the people lack understanding and wisdom. Those rulers who hate corruption will have long and prosperous lives.
    A government which treats its people well will be strong and last for many years. A government which treats its people as sheep to be fleeced will soon fall.

    We may be worn out from waiting for God to relieve us from our misery, yet if we continue to keep His commands He will rescue us. No matter how dire our situation may appear, let us remain faithful to God for He will remain faithful to us. His regulations are as true today as when He first spoke them. Things may seem bad today, but we can rest assured that everything serves God’s plans and He will reward our faithfulness in ways we cannot imagine.

    Peter gives us a series of instructions that are related. However, before he does that, he reminds us that this world will be coming to an end in the near future. Therefore we should be planning for what comes after this world, by being earnest and disciplined in our prayers (there’s that emphasis on prayer again). The most important thing that we can do is show love for one another. We have each been given gifts from God, let us use them with all of our strength to serve one another. In this way we will bring glory to God.
    We should not only be prepared to face suffering, but rejoice when we do. Because when we have such experiences we become partners with Christ in His suffering. Let us just make sure that what suffering we experience is not a result of our own wrongdoing. There is no shame in suffering for following Christ, but we should not do things which will make us deserve suffering. We will find that we can continue to do what is right in the face of suffering if we put our complete trust in God.
    Peter concludes his teaching in this letter by telling the elders in the Church (in this case, I think he is referring both to those who are in official positions of authority AND those who are more mature Christians) to lead by example. They should not lord it over the rest of the Church, seeking what they can get out of it for themselves. They should care for the other members of the Church because they are eager to serve God. Those who are younger should accept the authority of their elders. Sometimes those who are older than ourselves know that something is a mistake, even if they cannot explain to us why that is the case. And all of us, older or younger, should deal with each other from a position of humility.
    There are two personality traits which Peter tells us to value highly: love and humility. If we can master these two things, we will never go far wrong.

    The dream which Daniel interprets for Nebuchadnezzar resembles the Greek “Ages of Man”. It starts with the Golden Age, followed by the silver, bronze, and, finally, the iron age. Each of these ages (or, in this dream and interpretation, kingdoms) is inferior to the one which preceded it. However, unlike the Greek “Ages of Man”, it is the current age, or kingdom, which is the golden age. While it is likely that this dream and its interpretation were influenced by the Greek stories and myths of the Ages of Man, it is clearly using those concepts to tell a different story. The Greek stories and myths about the Ages of Man show man’s influence over the universe increasing and that of the divine decreasing. However, this dream shows the divine completely overwhelming the power and influence of man over the universe.
    We transition from Nebuchadnezzar praising God for giving Daniel the interpretation of his dream to Nebuchadnezzar setting up a golden statue which he required everyone to worship. However, Daniel’s friends, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, refuse to do so. Some of the courtiers reported them to Nebuchadnezzar for this. We do not know why Daniel is not part of this story, perhaps he was elsewhere at the time.
    When the three young men are brought before Nebuchadnezzar they give a testimony that should be something we take to close heart. They tell Nebuchadnezzar that God is perfectly capable of saving them from whatever danger they may be put into, including any which the king might choose to inflict upon them. However, their affirmation of faith does not stop there. They testify that even if God does not save them, they will not be unfaithful to Him and go against His will. Are we willing to make a similar stand? When we call upon God’s miraculous power are we willing to state that even if God chooses not to give us our request we will remain faithful to Him?