Tag Archives: Psalm 53

Daily Bible Study

September 9, 2015 Bible Study — Sorrow Awaits For Those Who Say That Evil Is Good and That Good Is Evil

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:28-29

    This proverb warns against about the danger of impulsively changing the rules. There is a reason our predecessors put the “boundary markers” where they did. Let us give careful thought before we decide that we can move them.
    The wealthy and powerful will offer artisans of great skill benefits which those of lesser wealth and power cannot match.

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Psalm 53

    Those who truly believe that there is no God are fools. They do not do good, but only serve their own interests. This is not much of a stretch because when God looks on mankind, He sees that all have turned away from Him. All too many people are unwilling to learn that God will indeed bring judgment upon evildoers. Nevertheless, those who do learn and turn to God will rejoice when He restores them to Himself.

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2 Corinthians 11:1-15

    Paul warns against being taken in by teachers who are great orators, but poor theologians. He does not give us a lot to go on in this passage for identifying these false teachers, but he does give us some clues. The first clue he gives us is that these false teachers will teach about a Jesus who is different than the one portrayed in the Gospels and traditional Church teachings. He also gives us a way to identify genuine teachers. Genuine teachers do not seek to get rich from their teaching. Let us be careful of false teachers who attempt to pass themselves off as servants of God

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Isaiah 3-5

    Isaiah warns us that when a people become fully ensnared by sin, they will have no true leaders because they will not tolerate true leaders. They will follow leaders who provide for their wants rather than leaders who teach them how to work to earn their needs. When the young insult their elders and the vulgar sneer at the honorable, God’s judgment will not be long delayed.
    So much of this passage strikes me as applying to the society I live in. I look at our world today and see what God intended to be His pleasant garden, but instead He finds this:

He expected a crop of justice,
but instead he found oppression.
He expected to find righteousness,
but instead he heard cries of violence.

The prophet goes on to warn those who buy up house after house and field after field, those who accumulate more wealth than they can spend in many lifetimes. He warns against those who are too busy partying to notice what God is doing. And here is the key thing I see being fulfilled,
What sorrow for those who say
that evil is good and good is evil,

I see this happen more and more.

Daily Bible Study

March 10, 2015 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 11:4

    Not even Bill Gates will be able to buy his way out of judgment day. Only those who have allowed the Holy Spirit to guide them in right living will escape death on that day. It is not my own actions that will save me, rather it is the transformation which the Holy Spirit makes in my life.

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Psalm 53:1-6

    Those who say that there is no God are fools. They take such a position because they know that their actions are evil. The fact of the matter is that those who acknowledge God are no better. When God looks down on the earth, He sees that all have turned away and no one does good. It is only by the actions of the one who came from Zion that we can be drawn back to God and saved. I am not better than the fool who says there is no God. However, I will pray to God and ask that His Spirit enter into me and transform me.

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Mark 14:53-72

    Elsewhere Jesus says He will deny before the Father those who deny Him here an earth. Here Peter denies Jesus three times. Yet later Jesus forgives him. The fact that Peter could be forgiven for his denial of Christ tells us that we too can be forgiven for our failure to stand firm in the face of opposition. Of course, Peter responded to that forgiveness by becoming an outspoken proponent of faith in Christ. We should respond similarly to God’s forgiveness.

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Numbers 14-15:16

    When the Israelites heard the consensus of the spies they rebelled against Moses’ leadership. When Caleb and Joshua argued against that consensus the people began to talk about stoning them. This passage is a warning that following the expert consensus is not always the wise course. In this case, following the expert consensus led the people to rebel against God. We must be careful not to make the same mistake.

Daily Bible Study

September 09, 2014 Bible Study — Only Fools Say There Is No God

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:28-29

    The proverb writer warns against moving boundary markers set up long ago. While this is partially about not cheating our neighbors, it is also a warning about following the rules to which everyone has agreed. The “boundary markers” are agreed upon markers positioned so that everyone knows where the boundary between one property and the next is. If I move one of them to my advantage, how can I tell when someone moves it to their advantage? And what basis do I have to complain when they do so? This applies as much to things like the definition of marriage as it does to physical markers which mark the boundary of property.

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Psalm 53:1-6

    This psalm starts with a very true, and important, statement which often causes us to miss the rest of what it says. Only those who are truly and completely fools believe in their hearts that there is no God. Such people are corrupt and their actions are evil. However, the psalmist goes on and tells us that God is looking on the world looking to see if any are wise. He finds that none are. All have turned away and done evil. No one truly does good. It is only because God is gracious and chooses to restore us that we are able to do any good whatsoever. Were it not for God’s grace I would still be one of those fools who say that there is no God.

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2 Corinthians 11:1-15

    Paul warns here against listening to those who skillfully and convincingly teach a gospel other than that presented here in the New Testament. This passage, combined with my experience in life, makes me suspicious of those who preach a finely polished message. I have learned that those who preach a carefully honed message which has you nodding along and feeling good about yourself are usually preaching something other than a message given to them by God. One sign that such people are corrupt is that they live the fine life with money gathered from those who listen to their preaching. This contrasts to preachers such as Paul, through whom God works great wonders and who refuse to be a financial burden on anyone.

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Isaiah 3-5:30

    I read this passage and wonder if Isaiah was talking about our society today. All of those who a society depends on for stability and honour seem to be gone. People seek to oppress one another at every opportunity. The young insult their elders. The vulgar hold the honourable in contempt. Those with the potential to be true leaders will decline to step forward because the people would rather be led by those who seek their own self-interest.
    Despite all of this, God will look after the godly and judge the wicked. When things have reached a point where recovery seems impossible God will raise leaders to bring people back to Him. The leaders will finally turn the people back from where they were. But before that happens, the rich will accumulate wealth while driving others away from them so that they will live alone. The rich will gather land to themselves, yet it will be unproductive. Where God calls for justice there will be oppression. The people will spend their time seeking only their own pleasure rather than on working to serve the Lord. I see it today, those who say that evil is good and that good is evil. Such people will face great sorrow.

Daily Bible Study

March 10, 2014 Bible Study — The Fool Says, “There Is No God”

    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 11:4

    The day will come when God will judge us. On that day, our material possessions will be of no value to us. On that day, the only thing that will matter will be whether or not we have turned to God and accepted Jesus as our Savior.

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Psalm 53:1-6

    This psalm starts with a statement that, for me, is the starting point for faith and for logic. Those who say that there is no God are foolish. My experience is that if you look at the lives of the “great” philosophers who believed that there was no God, you discover that the psalmist is correct. They are/were corrupt and their actions are/were evil. The philosophers who argue that there is no God do so because they wish to justify the evil in their own lives. However, before I become to complacent and proud of myself the psalmist says one more thing for me to note. The psalmist tells us that when God looked at the earth to find those who were truly wise, He discovered that all had turned from Him. All have turned away from God and become corrupt. I will acknowledge that I have done this and I will pray to God for His forgiveness and ask Him to remind me that I too was one with those fools who say there is no God. It is only through God’s wondrous grace that I came to accept the truth that yes, He does exist. I thank Him and praise Him for bringing me to this knowledge.

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Mark 14:53-72

    When the Jewish Council brought Jesus to trial they brought before them various witnesses. Yet these witnesses could not get their stories straight, so the Council could not convict Jesus. Finally, the high priest asked Jesus if He was the Messiah. When Jesus replied that He was indeed the Messiah, the high priest declared that He had spoken blasphemy and they needed no further witnesses. I do not know if anyone else has pointed out the logical flaw here. While I am willing to accept that if someone who was not the Messiah answered the way Jesus did, it would indeed be blasphemy (and not just because He was claiming to be the Messiah, but also because of the phrase He chose to make that claim). However, it seems to me that calling Jesus’ answer blasphemy rests on that assumption that He was NOT the Messiah. If He was indeed the Messiah, than I do not see how His answer was blasphemous.
    Mark recounted how Peter denied Christ just as Jesus had predicted. Every time I read the ending of this story, “And he broke down and wept.” I cannot help but think of
Don Francisco’s great song, “He’s Alive”. Every time I hear the line in that song, “When at last it came to choices, I denied I knew His name” I cannot help but think of the times in my life when I have denied my faith in Him. As I read this passage I am reminded that I too have denied Jesus as Peter did. I thank God that I have the example of Peter to know that I too can be forgiven. “He’s alive and I’m forgiven.” What a statement of great joy!

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Numbers 14-15:16

    When the people of Israel heard the scouts’ report they were frightened and plotted to choose a new leader to take them back to Egypt. However, Caleb and Joshua, two of the twelve scouts, tore their clothes and begged the people to not turn aside from God’s plan. They told the people that since God was with them they could take the land, that they had no reason to fear the people of that land. Rather than listen to them, the people began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. It was only because of Divine intervention that they did not follow this plan. At that point God declared that He would not allow them to enter the Promised Land, it would be the next generation who would experience His promise. When they heard this, the people decided to enter the land anyway. This passage is a reminder that when God gives us a mission, there is a time period in which it occurs. If we do not follow God’s instructions when He gives them, it may be too late to do so later. NOW is the time to do as the Lord commands.

Daily Bible Study

September 9, 2013 Bible Study — Only Fools Say In Their Hearts, “There Is No God.”

     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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Isaiah 3-5:30

     Isaiah prophesied a time of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem. A time when all of the things that bind a nation together will be gone, when those who rise to positions of leadership will be those with no experience. The young will rise up against the old and the vulgar will sneer at the honorable. It will be a time of trouble because the people refused to follow God’s instructions and provoked Him to His face. However, Isaiah tells us that all will be well for the godly. It is the wicked who are doomed and will receive the punishment they deserve.

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     I read this and it strikes me that what Isaiah is describing resembles what I see around me in our society today. I see both the open contempt for God’s commands and the following of leaders who have shown no ability to lead. I, also, see the young insulting their elders and the vulgar sneering at those who cling to honor. All in all, when I look at society around me, I find it frightening. However, this passage gives me a window for hope, for it tells us that all will be well for those who genuinely strive to do God’s will. It tells me that all I need to do to avoid the doom I see coming is to more closely follow God, giving His Spirit control over my life.
***

     Isaiah tells us that God is going to bring judgment on those who are unfaithful to Him. He is going to tear down and uproot His vineyard. Yet, He is going to plant a new vine there and tend and care for it. God is going to destroy those who have turned away from His word, but He is going to strengthen and cultivate those who serve Him.

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2 Corinthians 11:1-15

     Paul expresses serious concern for the Church in Corinth. He fears that they will be deceived by those preaching a different Jesus than the one Paul preaches and a different Spirit from the one they already received. Paul tells them that he is in no way inferior to these self-proclaimed “super-apostles”. Paul admits that he is not a terribly dynamic speaker, but he is knows what he is talking about.

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     I have come to believe that Paul was not being humble when he said here that he was not a good speaker. The more I have studied the New Testament (especially Paul’s writing and the Book of Acts) the more I have come to the conclusion that Paul was a passionate, but uninspiring preacher. I believe Paul’s success was not due to his skill as a preacher, rather it was due to his willingness to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and to give credit to the Spirit. As I read today’s passage it appears to me that some very skilled speakers had begun to preach to the Corinthian church and were gaining a following. These preachers were somewhat like certain TV preachers of today. They preached a very attractive message and convinced the Christians in Corinth to donate a large amount of money to their “ministry”, money which was spent more on a lavish lifestyle for the preachers than on doing the work of God. Paul points out that, despite their claims, their ministry was not just like his. Unlike these “super-apostles”, Paul refused to accept any money towards his ministry from the Corinthians. He flat out calls these men false apostles and says that they are servants of Satan.

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Psalm 53:1-6

     This psalm starts with one of my favorite verses:

Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!


The psalmist continues by telling us that God looks for those who have consistently sought Him, but we have all turned away, no one does good.
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     This psalm reminds me of how foolish those who insist that there is no God are, but it also reminds me that I am not really any better than they. I have failed to live as God expected of me. It is only through the grace of God that I have been redeemed and have come to know and believe that He is real. I, too, came close to being one of those fools who say that there is no God.

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Proverbs 22:28-29

     Do not think that you will get away with cheating people by changing standards that people assume are timeless. Those with wealth and power will be able to command the most talented workers for their projects.