For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Those with integrity can rely on God’s directions and instructions to show them how to live safely and security. On the other hand those same directions and instructions are an obstacle and detriment to those who do evil.

    The psalmist says it much better than I ever could. God does not need, nor does He want, our material possessions. He wants us to be thankful for all that He has done for us and for us to obey His decrees as we have promised. The wicked may pretend to care about doing what is good and right, but God knows the truth. They may think that He will not hold them accountable, but God is merely giving them time to repent and turn from their wickedness.

    Jesus continues His prediction about the destruction of the Temple and the end times. This account is in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). When I was growing up in the 1970s people in the Church spent a lot of time reading this passage and other prophecies of the end times trying to figure out when Jesus would return. My father spent a lot of time studying Scriptures about the end times, but he always pointed out to those who thought they had it figured out that all three Synoptic Gospels quote Jesus as saying that no one knows the day or the hour. Over time all of those who made predictions about when Jesus would return were discredited and people in the Church lost interest in studying about the end times (the economic recovery of the 1980s and the end of the Cold War contributed to that loss of interest). Over the last few years I have begun to feel like the Church is not spending enough time studying the end time prophecies in the Bible.
    Today as I read this passage it struck me that the root of that concern is addressed here. Jesus tells us that we should learn a lesson from the fig tree. When it begins to sprout leaves we know that summer is near. In the same way when we see the sorts of things Jesus prophesied about the end times (and that are recorded elsewhere in the Scripture) we know that His return is near. Taken by itself that statement does not sound like an imperative command. However, as soon as He finished that prophecy Jesus told a parable about His return. As part of that parable He tells us that we must keep watch because we do not know when He will return. We have been given tasks to complete before His return, we need to have a sense of urgency about completing those tasks. One way to gain that sense of urgency is to study the prophesies of the End Times and realize how many of them are being fulfilled today. Time is running out, are we going to complete the tasks we have been assigned?

    A year after leaving Egypt the people of Israel celebrated the Passover a second time. Only those who were ceremonial clean were allowed to take part in the celebration. Some of those who were ceremonially unclean came to Moses and asked why they should be prevented from celebrating this feast. Moses’ answer was that if someone was ceremonially unclean, or on a journey to a foreign land, they could celebrate the Passover after their time of purification, or upon their return. This provides us with an example that our focus should not be on the calendar, but rather on the meaning of the celebration.

    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.

    The path which God has laid out for us will provide us with protection and safety if we do what is righteous, but if we do evil that path will lead us to destruction. The godly will rest comfortably in God’s care, but the wicked will have their lives disrupted time and again.

    God praises those who are righteous for the offerings and sacrifices which they give to Him and to His service. However, He reminds them that He does not need their material possessions, all of earth belongs to Him. What God desires from us is our thankfulness and for us to keep the vows which we have made to Him. Then He asks the wicked why they bother to pretend to honour Him. They may offer sacrifices, but the rest of their behavior demonstrates that it is just for show. Offering out of our material possessions to God serves no purpose if we do not live a life of thankfulness to God and walk the path of righteousness.

    Jesus tells His disciples that a time of terrible trials are coming. In those days, many will need to flee without taking time to gather their possessions. During that time false Messiahs and false prophets will arise, but we are to be careful not to be fooled by them. When Jesus returns, everyone will see Him. He will not be hidden away, but will come on the clouds so that everyone will know of His arrival. Let us keep watch because the day of His return is coming. No one knows the day when He will return, so we need to take care that He finds us doing His work when He returns and does not find us sleeping. Jesus’ return will be soon, I pray that He finds me doing His work when He arrives.

    God had Moses set apart the Levites to His service. As part of this process God reminded the people of Israel that He had claimed the first-born sons of all of Israel as His when He struck down the first-born sons of the Egyptians. The Levites would be dedicated to Him in place of the first-born sons of the rest of Israel. The passage describing the dedication of the Levites to God is a description of the second Passover. What I find insightful are the men who came to Moses because they were unable to take part in the Passover at the prescribed time. They wanted to know how they could still celebrate this pivotal and meaningful ceremony. Do we have a similar desire to take part in ceremonies designed to worship and praise God?