Tag Archives: Psalm 42

Daily Bible Study

August 28, 2015 Bible Study–Let Us Be a Fragrance Before God

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:7

    If you borrow money, you end up enslaved to the lender. Stay out of debt so that you serve only the Lord. If you find yourself in debt, pay it off as fast as you can so that you can free yourself to serve only the Lord.

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Psalm 42

    Do I, do you, long for God in the manner in which deer long for water? Deer desire water in such a way that predators often wait by watering holes for them to come get water. Of course that is because the deer must have water in order to survive. Do we need God in order to survive? Do we understand that we do?
    The psalmist gives us a reference which leads to another question for us to ask ourselves. His heart was breaking as he remembered a time when he gathered with God’s worshipers, singing for joy and giving thanks to God. Do we remember such times? If such times are in our past, but nor our present, why not? If you live in the U.S., there are almost certainly such gatherings going on near you. Join them and gain joy. Finally, the psalmist reminds us that we do not need to be sad and discouraged. Let us put our hope and faith in God. If we do so and praise His name, we will find our joy restored.

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2 Corinthians 2:12-17

    Reading this, I think about Paul’s metaphor of our lives being a fragrance rising up to God. When you smell pleasant odors you, generally, do not initially know where they come from. In the same way, others will not be exactly sure why they like, or dislike, us (more on that in a moment). They will just sense something about us. Paul tells us that, if we are serving God, those who are believers will find that pleasant (even if they are not quite sure what it is at the moment). However, those who are refusing to accept Christ will find that service unpleasant, similar to the smell of something dead. This is an important point to remember. We should strive to befriend the unbelievers in our lives, but despite our best efforts, if we are faithful many of them will find us unpleasant to be around.

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Job 28-30

    Job spends some time discussing how ingenious and industrious mankind is at finding metals and gems which we value. Yet, he tells us that no one knows where to find wisdom. He tells us that only God knows where to find wisdom. Job then tells us how we too can find wisdom. Wisdom is found in fear of the Lord and forsaking evil demonstrates understanding.

Daily Bible Study

February 26, 2015 Bible Study –What Is the Purpose of Miracles?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 10:17

    Those who ignore discipline and refuse correction are not only going astray themselves, they lead others down the path to destruction with them. On the other hand, those who exercise discipline provide an example that others will follow to life as well.

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Psalm 42:1-11

    This psalm is a deep heartfelt cry to God. The psalmist is suffering great discouragement.People around him are challenging his faith in God. Yet despite this he continues to put his trust in God. He recognizes that part of the source of his discouragement and depression is that he allowed his faith in God to lapse.
    When we begin to wander why God has forgotten us, we need to realize, as the psalmist did, that God did not forget us, we forgot God. The first step to escaping depression is to return to praising God. We may remember the joy we took in joining others in praising God, but do we consider that perhaps the reason we feel depressed is because we no longer do so? We say that we believe in God. Let us demonstrate the truth of that by joining with others in praising Him.

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Mark 8:11-38

    I had never noticed before that in this passage Jesus had gotten into an argument with the local Pharisees. It was in the context of that argument that they asked Him for a miraculous sign. They did not ask for the miracle to meet a particular need. They wanted Him to perform a miracle in order to convince them to have faith. Jesus did not perform miracles in order to convince people to have faith. Rather He performed miracles in response to people’s faith.

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Leviticus 19-20:21

    The first thing that struck me when I read this passage was verse five where it talked about giving a peace offering. As I read it I read it as, “When you make a sacrifice to show your love of God, do it right and don’t dilly-dally about it.” Decide what you are going to do, plan it out, and get it done.
    The other thing I noticed is that there is a common theme that runs through most of these commands. I will list a few, then I will tell you what I see as the theme:

  • Do not steal.
  • Do not deceive.
  • Do not defraud.
  • Do not twist justice by favoring the poor..or the rich and powerful

There are a few more in there that are pretty important, but that list gives you a taste for the theme. The theme to me seems to be what Jesus called the second most important command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There are a few commands in this passage about practical agriculture, but the bulk either fall into clarifications of that one command or of the one which Jesus said was the most important, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind.”

Daily Bible Study

August 28, 2014 Bible Study — The Smell of the Gospel

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:7

    Those who borrow become enslaved to those they borrow from. Let us strive to stay out of debt so that we are not controlled by anyone or anything other than God.

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Psalm 42:1-11

    Let us seek out God the way in which a deer, and other animals, will seek water. If we wander from God we will become depressed and downcast. Our enemies will have success against us. However, if we turn back to God and seek Him once more, if we put our trust in Him, He will rescue us and restore our joy. Others may question God’s existence, but if we praise Him, He will make Himself known to us.

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2 Corinthians 2:12-17

    The Gospel message is like an incense or a perfume wafting up to God. Those who have already accepted the Gospel will find it a tantalizing scent making them want to get closer. Those who are still living a sinful life will find it like the smell of rotting flesh, to them it will smell like death. Some of those lost in sin will realize that in truth the terrible odour is not the Gospel message. Rather the Gospel message is like the breath of fresh air that allows you to smell once more the odours to which you have become desensitized.
    The same is true of us if we live our lives faithful to that message. Those who have already been saved will be tantalized by our thoughts and comments, even before they know that we follow the Lord. Those who are immersed in sin will sense condemnation for their sins in our acts, even when we are completely unaware of their sins. Some will seek us out to learn how to escape from their sins, others will be convinced that we are self-righteous hypocrites. Let us speak God’s words with sincerity, allowing His Spirit to work through us. Thus bringing salvation to the former and proving the latter wrong.

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Job 28-30:31

    Wisdom is more valuable than any material thing we can possess, yet where can we find wisdom? We can dig gold, silver, copper and iron out of the earth. Animals can find all sorts of food, birds have great eyesight and can see small things far away, yet you will not find wisdom by tracking them to their goals. Look where you will and you will not find the place that is the source of wisdom. God is the only source of wisdom. Fear of the Lord is wisdom itself. If you want to possess wisdom and understanding fear the Lord and turn from sin.

Daily Bible Study

February 26, 2014 Bible Study — Who Do You Say That I Am?

     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, or more. 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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Proverbs 10:17

     If we accept discipline we benefit not only ourselves but those who follow our example. On the other hand when we do not listen to constructive criticism we encourage others to continue destructive behaviors which may lead to their own death. So, we should accept correction because it will make our own lives better and because it will encourage others to follow wise advice.

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Psalm 42:1-11

     The beginning of this psalm is a wonderful statement:

As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for God, the living God.

Sunday morning we sang a song by Martin J. Nystrom which was based on this psalm titled “As the Deer Panteth for the Water.” If you are not familiar with this song, look it up. The psalmist remembers how it used to be, but is discouraged because it is no longer like that. Then he remembers that he used to put his hope and trust in God and determines to return to doing so. He finishes the psalm with a great statement of faith and a reminder to all of us:

Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!

When I am discouraged and my heart feels sad, I will put my hope in God and I will praise Him again. It is amazing how praising God will lift one’s spirits and bring joy to one’s heart.

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Mark 8:11-38

     Today’s passage contains a story of Jesus healing a blind man. Jesus took the man out of the village, spit on his eyes and laid His hands on them. Then He asked him if he could see anything. The man replied that he could see, but not very clearly. This is often the way it is with us when we first hear God’s message for us. We get a sense of what He wants, but it is not clear. In this account, Jesus laid His hands on the man’s eyes and his sight became clear. God will do the same for us. If we wait for Him, He will once more place His Spirit upon us so that we can see His plans clearly.
     The last part of today’s passage is a perfect example of how we can sometimes both get it so right, while getting it so wrong. When Jesus asked the disciples who they said He was, Peter spoke right up and said that He was the Messiah, God’s Anointed One. Then just a short time later when Jesus was telling them that He was going to be crucified, Peter took Him aside and reprimanded Him for being negative. Jesus castigated Peter as not seeing things from God’s perspective. I recognize myself in Peter here. So many times I get a wonderful insight from God, then turn around and apply it from a human perspective rather than from God’s.

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Leviticus 19-20:21

     There are many instructions in today’s passage which will make our lives better. However the one which I want to comment on has to do with harvesting the fields and gathering the grapes. God instructs the people of Israel to not gather their harvests with the maximum efficiency. They are told to allow some of their crops to slip through their procedures for gathering them in so that the poor may come and gather those up and eat them. Notice that they are not told to gather their crops as efficiently as they can and then give some of their surplus to the poor. Rather they are told to allow the grain which cannot be easily gathered to remain and to do the same with the grapes which cannot be easily gathered. They are to allow the poor to come and gather those items. This serves two purposes. It allows the poor to be fed, but it also requires the poor to make an effort to acquire their food. Those who are economically successful are to leave spaces for those who are poor to thrive and possibly rise out of poverty.

Daily Bible Study

August 28, 2013 Bible Study — The Fear of the Lord Is True Wisdom

     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.

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Job 28-30:31

     Job speaks of how humans have learned to find precious stones and valuable metals by digging mines into the earth. These are treasures that no wild animal would have any idea were there, yet mankind knows to delve into the earth to retrieve them. Despite this skill at finding valuable things, mankind has trouble finding wisdom. Wisdom cannot be bought for any amount of money, yet is more valuable than all other wealth combined. The only place to find wisdom is from God. The fear of the Lord is true wisdom, and those with understanding will shun evil.
     Job recounts how respected he was before tragedy befell him. He tells how he used his wealth to help those less fortunate and advised those planning life changes. Then tragedy struck and now he is mocked by those whose fathers were not worthy to watch his flocks in previous times. Now, in his time of trouble, he receives no aid, despite the fact that when times were good for him he aided those in need.

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2 Corinthians 2:12-17

     Paul tells the Corinthians that when he was in Troas the Lord opened an opportunity for him. However, he did not have peace of mind because he had not yet heard back from Titus with word of how the Corinthian Church received Paul’s first letter. As a result, Paul traveled from Troas to Macedonia in an attempt to track down Titus.
     Paul then thanks God for taking him captive and leading him in a victory procession. The image Paul is using here is of the parades which Roman Emperors had where they led the captives from their victorious military campaigns through the streets of Rome. Paul then changes to yet another metaphor, that of the incense used by priests to worship various gods. He tells the Corinthians that God has been using him to spread the knowledge of God the way that the smell of incense penetrates all of the area around where it is burned. This scent is perceived by everybody, but not everybody perceives it in the same way. To those who are being saved the smell of that which Paul preaches is a wonderful scent to be greatly desired, but to those who reject God’s salvation the smell is that of death and destruction.

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     This is a very short passage here today, but it highlights something we need to keep in mind. The very things about the Gospel that we, as Christians, find sweet and joyful are a source of discomfort and opprobrium to those who reject the Gospel. People who we as Christians find pleasant to be around will be viewed by non-Christians people to be despised and avoided in the same way that the smell of rotting meat is despised and avoided.

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Psalm 42:1-11

     The psalmist is experiencing a time of depression, but he tells us the answer to breaking out of depression. It is to seek after God the way that a deer seeks out water. When times are difficult and our enemies ask us, “Where is your God now?” we need to still put our hopes in God. He will not disappoint us. Even when we are discouraged we should seek after God, doing His will to the best of our ability. The psalmist is feeling discouraged, but nevertheless he acknowledges:

But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life.

This is the way in which we can overcome depression when it comes upon us. Praising God and seeking to follow His commands will lead us out from our depression and into the joy of the Lord.

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Proverbs 22:7

     Borrowing money results in a loss of liberty. The more in debt one is, the less freedom of action one has.

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