Tag Archives: Psalm 2:1-12

Daily Bible Study

July 4, 2015 Bible Study — You Must Not Speak Evil Of Your Rulers

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 18:13

    If you form and express your opinion before you have listened to the facts on the issue you are a fool, and should be embarrassed.

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Psalm 2:1-12

    How appropriate this psalm is right now as so many people celebrate the Supreme Court ruling “freeing” them from God. Those who govern this country have conspired together to set aside God’s laws. It is not just the ruling enforcing the recognition of same sex “marriage”. It is not even primarily that. It is the fact that our government has officially acknowledged that the rules which govern behavior are determined by the power of the individuals involved. God clearly lays out that He has one set of rule which apply to each and every person. He has granted governments the authority to enforce laws which protect the innocent and punish the evil-doer. Our government has declared that no one is innocent and it will punish whom it will. God scoffs at such a plan and will replace such a government with one which honors Him. In the process, He will smash those who rebel against Him like an iron rod smashes a clay pot.

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Acts 22:17-23:10

    The crowd listened closely to Paul speak as he talked about his life up until his conversion. They were willing to continue listening as he told them that God had told him to flee Jerusalem. However, when he said that God had commanded him to go and minister to the Gentiles, they, once more, became enraged. We need to be sure that we do not fall into the mistake made by the crowd. We should never be angered by someone declaring that they were called by God to minister to some group, no matter how far from God we believe that group to be. Someone has been called to minister to every single person on this earth. There is room to argue over the message someone declares that God has called them to deliver, and possibly over whether they specifically have been called to deliver it, but not over whether the group they feel called to minister to is deserving of hearing God’s message. None of us were deserving to hear God’s message/
    I was going to write about Paul’s speech before the Sanhedrin. However, as I re-read the passage to begin writing I was convicted by something Paul said. When he was confronted for insulting the high priest, Paul apologized and said, “You must not speak evil of any of your rulers.” I struggle with this. There are government officials (our rulers) who do things which lead me to believe that their motives and intentions are evil. There are times when I allow myself to succumb to my passions and express such thoughts. I believe that this passage tells us that we should never do so. We should pray for our rulers and seek God’s guidance for them. We should obey their orders, as long as those orders do not instruct us to violate God’s commands.

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2 Kings 23:31-25:30

    The first thing I have to say today about this passage is that every time I read about Pharaoh Neco I cannot help but think about Necco Wafers. I know it is silly, but nevertheless that is what goes through my mind.
    After the death of King Josiah, it was only a short time until Pharaoh Neco led his armies against Jerusalem, captured Josiah’ son (who had been king for only a few months), installed another of Josiah’s sons on the throne, and demanded tribute. Despite the example of their father, Josiah’s sons did what was evil on God’s sight. Perhaps if Josiah’s sons had followed their father’s example things would have turned out different, although the passage tells us that God had determined to banish the people of Judah from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh.
    Four kings reigned in Jerusalem between the death of King Josiah and the fall of Jerusalem. Each of them did evil in the sight of God. None of them learning from the good example of Josiah, nor the bad examples of their predecessors. In the end, the bulk of the leaders of Jerusalem and of the Kingdom of Judah were taken into exile to Babylon. I believe that this exile, much like the time spent in captivity in Egypt was designed by God to shape the people of Israel into a more faithful people, distinct from the peoples around them.

Daily Bible Study

January 2, 2015 Bible Study — The Original Sin

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Well, it is the second day of the new year. I am sure that one of these days I am going to publish this blog before I catch the fact that I typed 2014 as part of the date.

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Proverbs 1:7-9

    Fear of the Lord is the starting place of knowledge and understanding. When we fear God’s discipline we begin the process of acquiring wisdom. Those who despise discipline also despise wisdom. They are immoral fools.

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Psalm 2:1-12

    The rulers of the nations of this world do not want to be limited by rules laid down by God. They wish to be free to do as they please without fear of any consequences. They refuse to recognize that God laid down those rules because that is how He designed the world to work. Those who fight against God are destined for defeat because not only is He infinitely more powerful than anyone else, but He created the rules which govern how everything works.

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Matthew 2:13-3:6

    When the wise men left, once more God sent a messenger to Joseph. Joseph took his family to Egypt to escape Herod. Herod then demonstrates both the reaction of the powers of this world to God’s actions and the futility of that reaction. Jesus is a threat to the powers of this world because He demonstrates that our first loyalty must be to God. The powers of this world demand that we give them our first loyalty and attempt to make our religion subservient to them. God will never accept that position and as a result there is inevitable conflict between those who serve Him and those who have power in this world. And as we see in this passage, every attempt by the powers of this world to stop God’s plans results in actually fulfilling them.

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Genesis 3-4:26

    We often blame women in the form of Eve for original sin. However, Adam was standing right there when Eve had her conversation with the serpent. He could have, and should have, argued for obeying God. Instead, he merely stood there and allowed Eve to be convinced to eat the fruit and then, once she had done so, did so himself. One could argue that the original sin was a sin of omission. The original sin was Adam’s failure to stand up for what was right.
    Ultimately, the serpent’s argument was , “What harm can there be in that?” All too often our response to such arguments is, “Yeah, that rule is just there to keep me from enjoying myself.” We learn to late that the rule was there to keep us from pain, even when we were told that was the case when the rule was given. I have learned that, even when I cannot understand how it can work that way, when God tells us that something is a bad idea, it is a bad idea.

Daily Bible Study

July 4, 2014 Bible Study — Do We Turn To God In Times of Trouble?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 18:13

    This proverb is one to which people should pay more attention. All too many people are willing to spout off about something before they know what the facts are. Those who do so will usually discover that they have made a serious error.

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Psalm 2:1-12

    When people and nations rebel against God it is futile. God has made us and the commands He gives are based on how He designed us. We can serve the Lord with reverent fear and rejoice. Or we can rebel against Him and be destroyed. Rebelling against God results in destruction, but taking refuge in Him will bring us joy.

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Acts 22:17-23:10

    Yesterday I pointed out that Paul realized that many of those rioting against him did not even know what he believed or preached. So he made an opportunity to inform them about what his positions on various issues actually were. However, in that explanation of his beliefs and positions he did not shy away from telling people things that they would not like to hear. At the beginning of his speech many of the people were angry with Paul for things he did not teach or believe. At the end of his speech they were angry with him for something he did believe and teach. This may not seem like an improvement, but it was because the difference revealed that the problem was not with Paul but with those in the crowd who were angry with him.
    Paul’s appearance before the Jewish Council gives us an example for dealing with those who put aside their differences to attack our position. We should be ready and willing to point out how some of those attacking us are doing so because of beliefs we share with those who are siding against us. Some of those attacking Paul disbelieved and opposed his teachings because he taught that there was resurrection from the dead. Others among those attacking him also believed in the resurrection of the dead. Paul used this divide to show them that they disagreed with each other as much as they disagreed with him. Let us follow Paul’s example by showing those who oppose the Christian message that they disagree with each other as much as they disagree with Christianity.

Day lily (34)

2 Kings 23:31-25:30

    One king after another ruled in Jerusalem as things went from bad to worse. The kings, and the people, did what was evil in the sight of God. Difficulty and invasions threatened from every side, yet neither the kings nor the people turned back to God. Despite things getting progressively worse neither the general populace nor the leaders turned back to serving God. As I read this passage I think of the world today. I see the people around me turning from God to sinful behaviors. I hear people condemned for attempting to live a righteous life. At the same time, I see economic hardship spreading and the world becoming a more dangerous place. Yet no one seems to see the connection between the two.

Daily Bible Study

January 2, 2014 Bible Study — So You Believe, What Will You Do Now?

     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.

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Genesis 3-4:26

     This passage contains the account of original sin. A casual reading of the passage makes it easy to blame the woman, Eve, for this sin and give Adam a pass because “he only ate it because she gave it to him.” However, if we read the passage closely we discover that Adam was at her side while the serpent made the case for eating fruit from the tree which God had told him he must not eat. In the part of this account which we covered yesterday, we learned that Eve was not yet present when God told Adam that he must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So, it was Adam who should have told the serpent that they must not eat that fruit. Instead, Adam allowed the woman to be convinced and then followed her into committing the sin. Rather than help his wife resist temptation, by not contradicting the serpent’s arguments Adam subtly encouraged her to accept them.
     This passage also includes the story of Cain and Abel. In this story, we are told that God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s (or looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but did not look with favor on Cain and his offering). The passage does not make clear why God looked differently on their two offerings. One possibility is that while Cain offered “some” of his crops as a gift, Abel offered from the firstborn lambs of his flock. Nevertheless, we do not know what Cain did wrong, but the passages says that God told him that if he did what was right, he would be accepted. God warned Cain that he must not let sin control him. However, Cain did not listen. In his anger and jealousy, he asked his brother to join him out in the fields where he killed him. Rather than mend his ways and do what was right, Cain instead chose to murder his brother for “making him look bad.” How often do we blame others for our own shortcomings? I will take responsibility for my own actions and seek to change my ways when I discover that I have done wrong.

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Matthew 2:13-3:6

     After the wise men left, an angel appeared to Joseph warning him to take Mary and the baby and flee to Egypt. Joseph left Bethlehem with Mary and the baby at once. Herod on the other hand proved that his words about worshiping the baby was a lie by ordering his troops to kill all of the baby boys in Bethlehem who were two years old or younger. I just realized that these two men, Joseph and Herod, demonstrate that believing is not enough. What is important is what actions our belief inspires us to take. Both Herod and Joseph believed that a new king of the Jews had been born in Bethlehem. Herod did everything in his power to make sure that king did not grow up to take His throne. Joseph did everything in his power, what little power he had, to give the baby a chance to grow up. It also tells us about doing as God instructs us, even when our chances seem to be nonexistent. Herod had a lot of power, and the ability to call on the Roman Empire for support. Joseph had only one thing going for him, he was doing God’s will. Yet in the end, it was Joseph who was successful and Herod who failed.

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Psalm 2:1-12

     The psalmist asks why the people of the world rage against God and plot together against Him. The kings and rulers of this world join together in an attempt to overthrow God’s rules for living. Yet they rage in vain, the Lord will rebuke them and place His Chosen One on the throne over the earth. Those rulers who are wise will serve God and fear Him. They will see that freedom comes from listening to God, not from rebelling against Him.

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Proverbs 1:7-9

     The starting place to obtain knowledge and wisdom is fear of the Lord. Sinful fools reject wisdom and discipline. They believe that they can go against God’s instructions with no unpleasant consequences. Those who fear the Lord obey His instructions and learn how doing so makes things better than they could have imagined. If you want to do well in life, listen to your parent’s instructions. No matter how foolish they are, they have much more experience than you do.

Daily Bible Study

July 4, 2013 Bible Study — Do Not Speak Evil of Your Rulers

     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. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Ditch lily in bloom
Ditch lily in bloom

2 Kings 23:31-25:30

     When Josiah died he was succeeded by his son, Jehoahaz. Pharaoh Neco replaced Jehoahaz with his brother Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was succeeded by his son, Jehoiachin. King Nebuchadnezzar replaced Jehoiachin with his uncle, Zedekiah. All of these kings failed to follow the example of Josiah. Instead, they did evil in the sight of God. When Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. At that time, Nebuchadnezzar transported a large number of the people of Judah to Babylon as prisoners. He appointed Gedaliah as governor over those he left.
     The remaining army officers approached Gedaliah and he swore an oath that the king of Babylon meant them no harm as long as they served him. However, one of the officers returned a few months later and killed Gedaliah and all of those with him. The remaining people of Judah fled to Egypt out of fear of how the king of Babylon would respond to this attack.

Ditch lily close up
Ditch lily close up

Acts 22:17-23:10

     Paul continued his testimony about how God convicted him to become a follower of Christ, continuing to talk about how God led him to preach to the Gentiles. When Paul mentioned the Gentiles the crowd erupted in anger to the point that the commander ordered Paul taken into the barracks and flogged. As they were about to flog him, Paul asked the officer overseeing his flogging if it was lawful to flog a Roman citizen without a trial. The officer told the commander, who then questioned Paul as to his citizenship.
     The commander was frightened because he had ordered a Roman citizen flogged without a trial. He ordered the Sanhedrin to convene the next day and brought Paul before them. Paul opened by telling the Sanhedrin that he had fulfilled his duty to God in all good conscience up to that day. The high priest ordered someone standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Paul responded by calling the high priest a hypocrite for ordering him struck in violation of the law. When those standing near him reprimanded him for insulting God’s high priest Paul apologized, saying that he had not realized he was the high priest. Paul continued by saying that it was wrong to speak evil of one’s rulers.
     Paul says something similar in his letters and such passages are a struggle for me. I find it difficult to not speak badly of those who do things which I think are dishonest or otherwise wrong. I have attempted to limit my comments on political issues to pointing out logic flaws in the reasoning of individuals discussing those topics while avoiding comments on actual political issues, but I find that a difficult discipline to maintain. All too often, as time goes on I find myself openly calling into question the character of political figures who repeatedly take positions on issues that I find offensive. It is passages like this one that form the basis of my understanding that Christians are called to stay out of politics (although there are many other passages that go into that understanding).
     After this incident, Paul realized that the Sanhedrin was composed of a mixed group of Sadducees, who held in contempt those who believed in the resurrection of the dead, and Pharisees, who vehemently believed that God would resurrect the righteous. Therefore, Paul loudly proclaimed that he was on trial for holding on to the hope of the resurrection of the dead. This led to violent argument among the members of the Sanhedrin. The argument became so heated and violent that the Roman commander was afraid that the two parties would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his men to go in and take Paul out by force back to the fortress.

Still getting strawberries
Still getting strawberries

Psalm 2:1-12

     Today’s psalm tells us of the futility of governments which attempt to free themselves from following God’s commands. It reminds me of what I have seen in the news over the last week or so. In so many places I have seen governments declare that they are not bound to follow God’s law. It can be frightening when one sees how the government is rebelling against God and then read what this psalm says about such governments. However, this psalm ends with a statement of hope, even in that situation: “But what joy for all who take refuge in him!”
     While God will bring judgment on all who rebel against Him, He will provide protection and blessing for those who take refuge in Him!

Strawberries about to ripen
Strawberries about to ripen

Proverbs 18:13

     Speaking about an issue before you know the facts is foolish and will often lead to shame.

Daily Bible Study

January 2, 2013 Bible Study — Joseph Or Herod, Which Will I Be?

     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. 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.
     

Light Against the Night

Genesis 3-4:26

     The serpent approached Eve in the Garden and convinced her to eat from the tree that God has forbidden them to eat. The serpent did not come right out and suggest that she eat from it. He first made it seem that he thought the command was applied in areas and ways that it did not. Then he told her that God’s reason for telling them not to eat was petty. An important point is that while Eve, the woman, took and ate the fruit first, Adam was standing there the whole time listening to the exchange between Eve and the serpent. Adam failed to counter the serpent’s arguments or to tell Eve that she should not eat of the fruit. He made no attempt to convince her to not violate God’s command, suggesting that he wanted to eat but wanted her to go first so that he could blame her.
     After Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden, they have two sons, Cain and Abel. The two brothers gave a gift of the produce of their labor to the Lord. Abel brought the best of the firstborn lambs of his flock. Cain brought some of his crops. God preferred Abel’s offering and Cain became jealous. Abel put thought and effort into giving God a gift from the best of what he had gained. Cain just took some of what he had and made that the gift. God wants our best, not just our leftovers. But Cain, rather than accepting this and resolving to do better in the future, killed his brother. This points up a human tendency to blame those who do better for our own shortcomings. Just like yesterday there is a lot more in this passage that I could talk about, but I need to move on.

Presents Awaiting Delivery
Presents Awaiting Delivery

Matthew 2:13-3:6

     After the wise men leave, Joseph has a dream warning him to flee with his wife and child to Egypt. Joseph heeds the warning and goes to Egypt. When Herod realizes that the wise men are not going to return and tell him where to find the child that they were seeking, he decides to have every boy in Bethlehem who was the right age to be the child killed. Herod takes this action even though he knew the child was the prophesied Messiah. That is not quite true. He knew that either the child was the prophesied Messiah, or the child was no one of any particular significance. If the former, than his attempt to prevent his rise was pointless and he was doing battle with God. On the other hand, if the latter, Herod’s actions were pointless cruelty.
     When Herod died, Joseph had another dream instructing him to return to Israel. While they were preparing to travel, they discovered which of Herod’s sons was ruling in Judea. Joseph has yet another dream warning him away from Judea. As a result, he takes his family and settles in Galilee, in Nazareth. A lesson I need to take from this is that Joseph was very receptive to God’s leading. He followed God’s lead to marry Mary. He listened to God’s warning and fled to Egypt. He listened again to God and when he returned he went to Nazareth.

"Sometimes I Can't Believe My Daughter"
“Sometimes I Can’t Believe My Daughter”

Psalm 2:1-12

     This psalm is appropriate to follow today’s reading from Matthew. I commented how Herod’s action in killing the baby’s in Bethlehem was fruitless and this psalm points up how often the rulers of this earth take similar fruitless undertakings. The psalmist points out that attempting to resist God’s will is a losing enterprise. Rulers time and again attempt to overthrow God’s control over the world. The psalmist tells us that rebelling against God’s rule is destined to end in sadness for those who rebel. On the other hand those who submit to God will experience joy. I will strive to emulate Joseph who listened carefully in order to follow God’s will and not Herod who chose to rebel against what he believed to be God’s will.

1913 Santa Claus
1913 Santa Claus

Proverbs 1:7-9

     Today’s proverb completes the theme. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge and wisdom. If our starting point is a fear of going against God’s will, we will seek to know and follow His will. On the other hand, fools often act according to their desires without thinking through the implications of their decisions. When you are young, listen to the instructions of your parents allow them to correct your actions and learn from their greater wisdom. Always be prepared to learn from those with more experience.

Daily Bible Study

July 4, 2012 Bible Study

     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. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

2 Kings 23:31-25:30

     After the death of Josiah, his son Jehoahaz took the throne, but he only ruled for three months before Pharaoh Neco took him captive and put his brother on the throne. Pharaoh Neco put Eliakim on the throne and changed his name to Jehoiakim. When the Babylonians first attacked Judah, Jehoiakim surrendered and agreed to pay tribute. After three years Jehoiakim rebelled, shortly after this he died and was succeeded by his son, Jehoiachin. King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and Jehoiachin surrendered to him. King Nebuchadnezzar took 10,000 of the people of Jerusalem captive back to Babylon along with Jehoiachin. Nebuchadnezzar put Jehoichin’s uncle on the throne and changed his name to Zedekiah. In the ninth year of his reign, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon. The Babylonians returned and laid siege to Jerusalem for a little over two years. King Zedekiah then attempts to escape the siege, but is captured. The Babylonians kill his sons and gouge out his eyes before taking him away to Babylon in chains. The Babylonians then destroyed the Temple and most of Jerusalem, including tearing down its walls.
     After destroying Jerusalem, King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah governor of Judah. Gedaliah assured the remaining people that if they served the king of Babylon all would be well for them. A few months later a member of the royal house of Judah killed Gedaliah and those with him. The rest of the people of Judah fled to Egypt to escape the expected retaliation of the Babylonians.

Acts 22:17-23:10

     Paul continued his speech to the crowd. He told them that God told him that the people of Jerusalem would not accept his testimony concerning Jesus. Paul further said that he argued with God by saying that the people of Jerusalem knew of how he persecuted the Church before his conversion. Paul then told them that God said He was sending him to the Gentiles. When the crowd heard this they began shouting again and demanding his death.
     The Roman commander took Paul into the garrison and ordered him lashed to make him confess his crimes. As they tied him down to lash him, Paul asked if it was legal to whip a Roman citizen without a trial. When the commander was told of this, he asked Paul if it was true that he was a Roman citizen. When Paul replied that he was, the Roman commander said that he had paid a lot to become a Roman citizen. Paul answered that he was one by birth. Paul did not seek Roman citizenship, but he took advantage of the fact that he had it in order to further his ministry.
     The following day, the commander called the Sanhedrin into session and had Paul stand before them. Paul began his defense by saying that he had a clear conscience before God. The high priest ordered those near to Paul to slap him or saying that. Paul responded by calling him a white-washed wall, which is a reference to the Jewish practice of white-washing the outside walls of tombs and is a vary offensive way of calling him a hypocrite. When those near him questioned him insulting the high priest, Paul apologized and said that he had not realized that he was the high priest. Paul further says that one should not speak badly of one’s rulers. This is something that Paul also says in his letters. This is really a challenge for me. I need to remember that those in positions of authority are there because God has chosen to put them there. They will remain in those positions of authority only so long as they serve God’s purpose by being there. We are called to offer them respect and honor, if only because of the authority that God has delegated to them.
     When Paul realized that the council before him was divided between Pharisees, who believed in resurrection, and Sadducees, who did not, he declared that he was on trial because his hope in the resurrection of the dead. This started an argument between the two factions, which got so heated that the Roman commander feared that Paul would be injured. He then ordered his men to remove Paul from the chamber and take him back to the fortress.

Psalm 2:1-12

     The psalmist tells us that the rulers of the nations of the earth go to war against God and attempt to free themselves from His will. The psalmist further tells us that they will fail. They have no choice but to serve God’s will and God will smash them for their rebellion. This is an interesting passage in light of Paul’s comments about respecting rulers in the passage in Acts. Paul tells us that we should respect our rulers. The psalmist tells us that those rulers will rebel against God. The psalmist further tells us that despite their rebellion, the rulers will serve God. Those who rule this earth may rebel against God, but they will serve His will nevertheless.

Proverbs 18:13

     Today’s proverb is one that I try very hard to remember. I am very opinionated on many subjects. This means that I must struggle to hold my tongue until I am sure I know the facts of a case. I work very hard to see where a story I am told conceals facts that might change my perception of what happened. I then try to point out to others that perhaps judgement should be reserved until those facts are known. I often fail and, much to my chagrin, discover that I have come out in favor of a position which is contrary to the facts.