The writer here asks two things of God. The first thing is something that we ordinarily think is within our own power. He asks that God keep him from ever telling a lie. Let us remember that we will only succeed in being totally honest, and that is what the writer is asking for, if we have God’s help in doing so. The second thing is two part. Most of us would certainly ask the latter portion of it, because no one wants to be poor. However, few people would think that there was such a thing as too rich. The writer points out that those who have great wealth often times think that they do not need God in their lives.
Yes, I will agree with the writer and ask God to help me to be always honest. Further, I will ask God that I be neither too rich to remember Him, nor so poor that I am tempted to sin to obtain my needs.
The psalmist tells us to give thanks to the Lord. He then proceeds to list some of the things which God has done for which we should be thankful. The most important one of which he repeats over and over: “His faithful love endures forever.”
When the seventh seal is broken, the prayers of God’s people will rise up to God as a fragrant offering. This analogy once more makes me think that perhaps the vision of the Lamb breaking the seals on the scroll represents something which has already happened/is happening. Elsewhere in the Bible our prayers are compared to a fragrant offering or an incense offering to God. So, how can it be that only at some time in the future will the prayers of God’s people be offered up as a fragrant offering to God?
Having said that about the seals and the scroll, I do believe that the seven trumpets represent something at the end of days. The idea of living through those days frightens me, even though I know that God cares for those who love and fear Him. I trust in God to care for me, and my loved ones, even if we go through the times mentioned here. However, there are people I care about who have yet to turn to God. I desperately want them to learn to know and serve God before those times begin, because without God those times will be unbearable.
The prophet Nahum reminds us that no matter how powerful a person, no matter how powerful a nation, if they turn against God, He will bring them down. The Assyrians were a mighty people. The kings of Nineveh led mighty armies. Wherever they turned their attention, nations fell. They accumulated wealth beyond count. However, when God had finally had enough of their wickedness they were destroyed to the point that archaeologists and students of history believed that they had never been. Those who did not accept the Bible as truth were convinced that the writers of the Bible who spoke of Assyria had made them up because there was no record of them in the histories kept by other nations. Such is the fate of those whom God destroys.
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I am starting to feel better and, God willing, should experience steady improvement to full recovery in a little over a week. I thank those of you have been praying for me.
Once you start a quarrel you will not be able control its path or direction any more than you will be able to control a flood when a dam gives way. So, stop egging people on before the quarrel breaks out.
When I was younger, I always thought the proverb writer was talking about two separate evils in the second of today’s proverbs. I have realized in recent years that they go hand in hand. A society that acquits the guilty will also condemn the innocent. When society does that it will see evil run rampant.
This psalm would make a wonderful responsive reading, especially for two groups going back and forth. The whole psalm makes a wonderful point about giving thanks to the Lord, constantly coming back with “His love endures forever.” It does indeed.
I certainly understand Peter’s reaction in this story. James, the brother of John, has just been executed, Peter is being held in prison awaiting his own execution. He is being held by four squads of four soldiers each. Peter was sleeping bound with chains between two guards with more at the entrance. Someone wakes him up in the middle of the night and tells him to put on his clothes and follow them. Peter followed the angel past the guards and out of the prison. It certainly must have seemed like a dream.
The interesting thing for me is that, while the believers were gathered, praying desperately for Peter’s release, when he arrived at the door they thought it must be his ghost/angel. How often are we like this? When God answers our prayers, we have trouble that it has actually happened. Do we have the faith to expect God to answer our prayers?
After his impressive victory over the prophets of Baal, Jezebel promised to kill Elijah. Elijah fled for his life and sank into depression. He traveled as if he was in a trance, eating the food put before him and moving on. Then Elijah came to Mt Sinai, where he spent the night in a cave. Elijah was convinced that he was the last man of God alive. Then God reminded Elijah who was really in charge and that power is not what humans think it is. This story always strikes me.
God tells Elijah to stand before Him on the mountain. Elijah stands forth on the mountain. A windstorm hit the mountain, tearing rocks loose from the side of the mountain and tossing them around. But God was not in the wind, mighty as it was. Next an earthquake struck, but God was not in the earthquake. The earthquake was followed by fire, but God was not in the earthquake. Finally, when all of the sound and fury was over, there was a gentle whisper. Elijah knew that the gentle whisper was God. One more time God asked Elijah why he was there and once more Elijah proclaimed that all of the other men of God had been killed and that now they are trying to kill him. God’s reply is, “I’m not done with you yet…oh by the way, I have preserved for myself 7.000 other men who have refused to bow to Baal. Now, stop hiding.” There are times when God acts with sound and fury, but I firmly believe that when He is about to truly change history it begins with a quiet whisper.
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Christmas is coming soon. Let us remember what it is truly about, the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us strive to not be caught up in the commercialism which is what this season is about for many in our society today.
I have always connected with this proverb. I ask God that He give me just enough to meet my needs and perhaps a bit more to help those less fortunate than I. But never so much that I forget that it all comes from Him. I also ask that He not leave me with so little that I am tempted to do wrong to meet my needs.
What a wonderful psalm to follow up that proverb. Give thanks to the Lord. He remembers us. He saves us. He gives us food to eat. His faithful love endures forever.
You do not realize it until now, but up until this passage John’s vision of heaven had a lot of sound (mostly various praises being sung and shouted). When the seventh seal was broken there was silence throughout heaven for half an hour. I find the scene which ends the silence interesting. An angel combines the prayers of God’s people with the smoke of incense as an offering before God. The interesting thing is that the burning incense was thrown down on to the earth, where it caused great damage, yet the prayers of God’s people continued to rise up before God as an offering to Him.
The next thing that happens is that seven angels prepare to blow seven trumpets. After each of the first four trumpets is blown the passage describes a disaster occurring upon the earth. Then after these events of massive destruction the message goes out that even greater terror is yet to come. While this passage is about how things will get worse and troubles will come upon the earth in greater intensity and frequency as the end of the world approaches, there is an element here as well reminding us that there will be torment and trouble until the day of the Lord’s return.
There were two news stories this week which bring this thought home to me. One was the story about the hostages taken in the coffee shop in Sydney, Australia. The other was a story about a man who shot 6 people throughout the area close to where I live. Both of these stories broke my heart. Yet they are the sort of thing we should expect in this broken world and will only get more common and worse and the day of the Lord’s return approaches.
The prophet Nahum speaks about the fall of Ninevah and Assyria. Ninevah was a city of great wealth and power, but her people did not acknowledge God. They believed that they could do as they pleased with no negative consequences. By acting on that belief they made themselves the enemies of God and God brought about their destruction. The prophet describes the fate of all who choose to be God’s enemies.
Some people start arguments and quarrels for fun. The problem with this is that once a quarrel is started, one can no longer control where it will go. It may descend into violence and/or engulf bystanders into it. It is foolish to start a quarrel. If you find yourself in one, end it as soon as you can.
It is a good thing to do something like what the psalmist has done here. Listing the mighty works which God has done. From time to time we should list the things which God has done for us and give Him thanks. He remembered me in my weakness and delivered me from my enemies. I will trust in the Lord.
The story of Peter’s imprisonment by Herod and release by an angel is an interesting one for us to consider. When the angel began leading Peter out of the prison, he initially thought he was dreaming/having a vision. It was only as he passed through the gates into the city that he realized God was bringing him out of prison. Then when he knocked on the door of Mary’s house (the mother of John Mark), those inside initially thought it must be his ghost. So, we should not be too hard on ourselves when we have trouble believing the actions of the Holy Spirit around us. Of course, this story also means that we should be prepared for the Holy Spirit to act in ways we find unimaginable.
The day after Elijah’s great victory over the prophets of Baal, Jezebel, wife of King Ahab, vows to kill Elijah. Elijah fled for his life. He was so depressed by this outcome that he prayed that God end his life. God led him to travel to Mt Sinai. There Elijah laid before God his complaint. He believed that he was the last of those dedicated to serving God, that all of the rest had been killed. Then we have one of the great accounts about sensing the presence of God.
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
The account makes clear that God was in the gentle whisper. When God moves in the world there are often great and mighty works, but God is not in those things. He is in the gentle whisper that comes after they have passed. Are we listening to God’s gentle whisper?
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.
As I prepared to read this passage I realized that I really have no idea in my head what the book of Nahum says. I know it is one of the Old Testament’s “minor” prophets, but other than that I have little memory of it being used in sermons or Sunday School lessons(and do not remember what I thought of it when I read it last year). Having read the book I see why it is not used much, but think we would probably benefit from reading it more frequently.
Nahum, which means “comforter”, begins by telling us that God is slow to anger, but that He will not let the wicked go unpunished. He is good and refuge against trouble for those who trust Him. However, none can stand against His anger. Those who scheme against God and rouse Him to anger will be swept away with a single blow. Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was filled with many mighty warriors and much great wealth. The people of Nineveh were complacent in their lives because of their power and wealth. Nahum tells them that power and wealth will do them no good because they have made God their enemy by their evil acts. He declares that no one will regret the fall of Nineveh because of all have suffered from its wickedness and cruelty.
The people of Nineveh thought there might would last forever and protect them from those whom they had mistreated. Nahum warns that once God’s anger has been aroused no amount of wealth or power will save a nation from destruction. However, those who trust in the Lord and fear His name shall rejoice because they will receive messengers announcing peace in which they will be able to worship the Lord.
John now records what happened in his vision when the seventh seal was broken. The first thing that happened was that there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. For those who attempt to read this vision to interpret when Jesus’ Second Coming will be, this should present an obstacle. Because there is a period of silence between the events of the breaking of the sixth seal and the events which follow the breaking of the seventh seal. After that half an hour of silence, seven angels are each given a trumpet. Then another angel came forth and mixed the smoke from incense with the prayers of God’s people and offered it up to God. After making the smoke offering to God the angel poured out the burning contents of the incense burner upon the earth. This strikes me as a metaphor of pouring out upon the earth the pain and suffering which the people who worshiped and served God had suffered, the pain and suffering which had led them to cry out to God in prayer, in judgment upon the earth.
Once this had happened the seven angels began to sound their trumpets. When the first angel sounded his trumpet, fire fell on the earth and a third of the vegetation on the earth was burned. When the second angel sounded his trumpet, a large asteroid plunged into the sea and a third of the creatures in the sea were killed. When the third angel sounded his trumpet, a star fell from the sky and turned a third of potable water undrinkable, many people died from drinking this water. When the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, one third of the light sources for the earth went dim, days were not as bright and nights were even darker. Then John saw an eagle soaring through the sky warning against even greater troubles to come when the final three trumpets were sounded.
Those who intentionally inflict pain and suffering on others will have that pain and suffering fall upon themselves. The fires we kindle with which to burn others and cause them pain, will instead burn and destroy ourselves. Let us not kindle fires of evil which God will turn back upon us. Let us take the fires which others kindle in order to burn us and use them to offer a smoke offering to God, rather than attempt to turn that fire back upon those who set them against us. In due time, God will turn those fires back against them, let us not start other fires which may come back to burn us.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. This psalm reminds us that God has done many great things including creating the universe and saving us from our enemies. Over and over through this psalm the psalmist reminds us that God’s faithful love endures forever. I will praise His name for that and thank Him for all that He has done for me.
This proverb represents what I have long desired. I desire that God’s Spirit move within me to keep me from ever telling a lie. Unfortunately, in the past I have resisted the Spirit’s guidance and told lies to protect my selfish interests, but I continue to strive to allow the Spirit to control my tongue so that I do not lie in the future. I, also, request of God the second part of this proverb. I ask that God not allow me to acquire so much wealth that I begin to believe I can take care of myself without His aid, nor allow me to fall into such poverty that I justify theft and deception as necessary to provide for my needs.
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for over 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.
When Ahab got home and told Jezebel what had happened, she sent a message to Elijah promising to kill him. Elijah was frightened and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and left his servant there. Elijah traveled from there into the wilderness. When evening came he sat down under a broom tree and prayed to die. He fell asleep under the tree. An angel woke him and told him to get up and eat. When Elijah woke up he saw some fresh-baked bread and a jar of water, so he ate the bread and drank the water. In the morning the angel once more woke Elijah and provided him with food. Elijah then traveled to Mount Sinai.
When Elijah got to Mount Sinai, he complained to God that while he had zealously served God, but the Israelites had rejected God and killed His prophets, so that Elijah was the only one left. God instructed Elijah to stand before Him on the mountain. While Elijah was standing there a mighty windstorm came through, lifting the rocks with its force, but God was not in the wind. The windstorm was followed by an earthquake and then by fire, but God was not in either the earthquake or the fire. Then Elijah heard a gentle whisper and he knew that this was God. God asked Elijah why he was there and once more Elijah uttered his complaint. God responded by giving Elijah a mission to anoint a king of Aram, then a king of Israel and finally Elisha as his successor. In addition, God told Elijah that he was not alone in serving the Lord. Rather there were 7,000 who God had reserved for Himself who had not bowed to Baal, nor kissed Baal’s idols.
On can understand why Elijah was depressed. He had just completed a mighty demonstration of God’s power, yet the powers that be were out to get him. He felt like all of his work was for naught and the people of Israel had refused to turn from their sin. God answered Elijah’s depression in three ways. First, He showed Elijah that the best place to see God is not in the flashy and showy events. The best place to see, and hear, God is in the quiet moments when we can hear God’s voice whispering to us. Second, God gave Elijah a job to do. He sent him to anoint two men to become king of different countries and to anoint his successor. Finally God told Elijah that he was not alone, that there was a sizable number of people who had remained faithful to God in the land of Israel. These can be lessons for us. We will hear God more clearly when we settle ourselves and seek out the quiet and still than when we immerse ourselves in the loud and busy. But once we have heard God’s word to us it is time to get to work and perform the tasks He has given us. Finally, we need to remember that we are not alone in serving God and spend time with our brothers and sisters who are also striving to do His will.
Herod arrested some of the believers. He had James, the brother of John, put to death. When this was well-received by the Jewish leaders he arrested Peter, planning on doing the same thing to Peter after Passover. Herod had Peter heavily guarded. However, the church was praying hard for Peter. The night before Peter was supposed to be put on trial an angel appeared to him, waking him up and telling him to get dressed and follow the angel. Peter did as he was told, thinking he was having a vision. It was only when Peter was walking down the street and the angel disappeared that Peter realized that what was happening was real. At this point Peter went to a home where he knew some of the believers would be gathered in prayer.
When Peter knocked at the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda went to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so excited that she forgot to let him in before she went back to tell everyone that he was at the gate. They thought she was crazy, but when she insisted they thought it must be Peter’s ghost. However, Peter kept knocking and eventually someone else opened the gate. Those present were astonished and Peter had to make some effort to get them to quiet so that he could tell them what had happened. He told them to tell James and the other believers about what had happened and then went into hiding (or left the city, the passage is not clear). In the morning, Peter’s disappearance from the prison caused quite a commotion. When a search for Peter failed to locate him, Herod had the guards who had been guarding him executed.
Shortly after this a delegation arrived from Tyre and Sidon in an attempt to resolve a dispute that Herod had with those cities. The delegation wanted to mollify Herod because they were dependent upon food from territory controlled by Herod. After Herod addressed them at one point, they declared that he was no mere man, but a god. The passage tells us that Herod was immediately struck down with a sickness which killed him because he accepted their worship and did not give praise to God.
Give thanks to God because His faithful love endures forever. The psalmist tells us that we should give thanks to God because He is good and His faithful love endures forever. The psalmist goes on to recount many of the wonders which God did for Israel. He then wraps up by telling us that we should give thanks to God because He provides food for every living creature.
It is harder to stop a quarrel than it is to start one, so we would be wise to do our best to let the matter drop before it becomes a torrent which we cannot stand against. God detests a society that lets the guilty go free and punishes the innocent. You do no one any favors when you fail to hold wrongdoers responsible for their sins, even when there are extenuating circumstances, while you hold people accountable for overlooking hidden dangers.
