Tag Archives: Psalm 73

Daily Bible Study

October 1, 2015 Bible Study — Are We Putting God’s Interests Ahead Of Our Own?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 24:13-14

    Just as honey is sweet on the tongue and has other benefits, so wisdom is sweet to our souls and brings benefits beyond the obvious. Seek wisdom because it will make your life better in more ways than you can imagine.

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Psalm 73

    When we allow ourselves to envy the proud and wicked we risk losing our faith. It may seem that the wicked prosper without a care. It may seem that their wealth just continues to increase while they sin against God and man. However, God’s day of judgment against them is coming. We must not let ourselves become bitter because others, no matter how wicked those others may be, prosper. Let us, instead, focus on the good which comes from obeying God. Instead of envying the “good things” which the wicked possess let us pity them because they do not know God’s love.

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Philippians 2:19-3:3

    Paul commends Timothy and Epaphroditus in this passage, holding them both up as models for us to follow. We do not know very much about Epaphroditus, but we do know tha Timothy went on to become one of the leaders of the Church, post the Apostles. Timothy genuinely cared about the welfare of his fellow believers. He did not look out only for his own interests, rather he strove to accomplish those things which furthered the interests of Jesus Christ and His Body. As I said, we do not know much about Epaphroditus. However, Paul tells us that he served as a messenger from the Philippian believers to Paul and that he served as an assistant and co-worker with Paul. The key thing we are told is that he risked his health in order to provide aid to Paul in preaching the Gospel. The context implies to me that Epaphroditus knowingly risked his health in order to be of service to Paul and the Gospel. In both cases the men put serving God’s interest ahead of their personal interest. I will strive to do the same.

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Isaiah 62:6-65:25

    There are several different messages which struck me as I read this. I do not see them as linked together, although I am sure with a little thought I could create a link between them. The first is in the very first verse where God declares that He has appointed watchmen on the walls to pray to the Lord. I believe that we are those watchmen who are to pray to the Lord. We are to take no rest in our prayers until God establishes the New Jerusalem. Oh how I struggle with this. I do not pray as I should. I should pray more and harder for the Church, for the Assembly of God’s people. I should pray more and harder for the souls of my friends. I should pray more and harder for the oppressed and downtrodden in this world. I should pray more and harder.
    Then in chapter 63:5 God declares that He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. That reads to me like a calling for us to look around us for those who are oppressed and to lend our support. We should be asking ourselves each day, “What can I do to help the oppressed?” When we see someone oppressing others, the very least we can do is raise our voices and cry, “Stop! What you are doing is wrong!” We may not be able to stop the oppression, but we can make sure that those who can are unable to claim, “I did not know.”
    Then in the beginning of chapter 65, God tells us that He is ready to respond, if we but ask for His help. He is waiting to be found, if only we will look for Him. When we look at what is wrong in the world around us, are we asking for God’s help in fixing it? Or are we trying to do it ourselves? As we look at the world around us, are we looking for God and His actions? Or are we too busy looking for Satan and his actions?

Daily Bible Study

April 1, 2015 Bible Study — Who Matters To Us?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 12:10

    The righteous look out for the needs of animals, not because they are commanded to do so, merely because it is a side effect of doing God’s will. On the other hand, even when they try to be kind to animals the wicked are cruel.

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Psalm 73:1-28

    I read this psalm and it reminds me of when I have looked at people who I thought had the perfect life and I envied them. How come they had everything they wanted in life when I was struggling? This psalm so perfectly reflects what I learned. The wicked always seemed to have everything they could possibly want. I remained faithful, but I began to doubt.
    Then God showed me how things were not the perfect picture which those people painted: the great music or movie star who had everything money could buy committed suicide. Why? Then the stories came out about their struggles with substance abuse and/or with people they loved who did not love them back. Or the man with the great job, the beautiful wife, the talented kids, the beautiful house…he’s getting a divorce. It turns out that he and his wife have been fighting for years and perhaps those talented kids have turned to drugs or some other form of rebellion. His whole life is coming tumbling down around his ears.
    I am not saying that there are not people with great lives, but it is not the wicked who have great lives. I really do have the great life. I know others who have things I wish I had, but I made my choices. I chose the things I wanted more, and God gave them to me. Because I have remained faithful to Him, my wife and I have a wonderful marriage. My beautiful wife is not looking elsewhere for satisfaction in her life. We work together to serve God and find the things which make life worth living…which is redundant right there. Serving God is the thing which makes life worth living.
    Well, that is not where I was going when I started writing about this psalm, but it is where I went and it works for me. I hope it works for you.

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Luke 9:28-50

    There is one thing in every one of the accounts of the healing of the demon possessed boy that I do not understand. It is when Jesus says the following, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you and put up with you?” What does He mean by that? Who is He addressing? Is He addressing the boy’s father? Is He addressing His disciples? Is He addressing the crown? I do not know. I struggle with it because it looks like a statement which should tell me something important about following Jesus, but I don’t know what that something is.
    Fortunately, there is something Jesus says in this passage which I do understand. “Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.” There are different ways to look at this, but they all come out around the same place. There are two different takes I want to look at. The first is that if we want to be among the greatest in the sight of God, we cannot puff ourselves up and seek recognition from others. If we spend our time trying to show others how special we are, we are failing.
    The second take is that the people we view as being the greatest, almost certainly aren’t. It is the people we view as lowly and unimportant whom God tells us are the ones who really matter to Him. They should be the ones who matter to us as well.

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Deuteronomy 18-20:20

    This passage begins by talking about the share of the Levites and how they get a share of the offerings which people make to the Lord. There is a lesson there on how we should treat those called by God and the Church into ministry. I want to give some thought to that lesson and touch on it more later.
    Next Moses warns them against sacrificing their children. Every time I read passages in the Old Testament condemning sacrificing children I cannot help but think about our society’s attitude towards abortion. Our society tells women to sacrifice their children for the sake of “convenience”. He goes on from there to condemn all sorts of “magic”. There is no better way to sum it up than to quote the passage:

And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.

Those who do these things are detestable to God. He drove the people in the land out to make room for the Israelites because they did those things. God will do the same to our people if we do these things. And I know many people who do some or all of those.
    I was going to stop there, but then I saw the command to not convict anyone on the basis of just one witness. The emphasis in this passage is on making sure that justice is served, but there is a lesson there for us in our personal lives. We should not judge a situation on the bases of hearsay. We should be careful to carefully establish the facts before we reach a conclusion about a situation.

Daily Bible Study

October 1, 2014 Bible Study — We Are the Clay, God Is the Potter

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 24:13-14

    Honey is good for us to eat, not least because we find its flavour pleasant. In the same way, wisdom gives us pleasure, but is good for us in ways we do not normally perceive.

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Psalm 73:1-28

    It is a mistake to envy the proud and wicked. If we focus our attention on them we will wonder whether it is worth our effort to do God’s will and remain pure. Focusing on the wicked will leave us bitter and tear us up emotionally. However, if instead of focusing on the wicked and their lives we focus on God and His will for us He will give us life and joy. When we focus on God we realize how empty and meaningless the life of the wicked is. With our attention on God, we will be unwilling to trade what He gives us for what the wicked have.

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Philippians 2:19-3:3

    Paul commends two men to the believers in Philippi, Timothy and Epaphroditus. We should strive to emulate these two men and to not be like those Paul contrasts them with. Timothy genuinely cared about the Christians in Philippi. Paul contrasts that with others who only cared for themselves. All too many people put their own interests ahead of those of Christ. Epaphroditus was more concerned that those who cared about were distressed to hear that he was ill than by the fact that he was ill. Epaphroditus was willing to risk his life in order to the Lord’s will. In this case by apparently risking his health to do what needed to be done. He is an important reminder that the suffering we experience as a result of serving the Lord will not necessarily be the result of persecution.

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Isaiah 62:6-65:25

    Despite all of our sins, God is still our Father and loves us. Let us pray and throw ourselves before Him, begging His forgiveness. We are as clay formed into the shape which God determined for us. Our separation from God is not because God turned away from us. God has always been ready to be found. He is there to be found by any who will look for Him. Not only is He there to be found, He is crying out to us, “Here I am. Look and see.” But so few of us are willing to turn from our sins and look.
    Isaiah reminds us that the righteous deeds we hold out to demonstrate our wonderfulness are mere filthy rags. All of us are infected with sin. Yet all too many hold themselves up as paragons of virtue. I cannot tell others to stay away from me because their sin might contaminate my perfection because the truth of the matter is that my sin is more likely to contaminate them than theirs me. Let us turn to God with humility, recognizing our sin. We have no place to hold ourselves up as better than others.

Daily Bible Study

April 1, 2014 Bible Study — Least Or Greatest, It Depends On Who Is Counting

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 12:10

    Today’s proverb strikes me as relevant to discussions about “animal rights”. The righteous care for their animals’ needs, while the wicked are cruel. I do not believe that animals have rights, but I do believe that, as Christians, we should care for animals and make sure that we do not cause unnecessary pain or suffering to animals which are in our power. We can be sure that those who are cruel to animals will perform other wicked acts as well.

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Psalm 73:1-28

    The psalmist offers us a warning. He tells us that he slipped and almost lost his connection with God. He envied the wicked and proud because they seemed to do well. He started to wonder if he would not be better off to give up serving God and live as the wicked do. They seemed to him to live lives of ease, while he struggled and suffered misfortune. He tried to understand why the wicked seemed thrive. Then he went before God and met with others who serve God and realized that the wicked are on a path that leads to destruction. He realized that he had allowed bitterness and resentment tear him apart. He realized once more the joy of serving God. Let us remember this lesson so that we do not allow bitterness and resentment separate us from God. I will remember the wonderful things which God has done. I will testify to His greatness and love. I know the emptiness and pain which awaits those who turn from God and live in wickedness. No matter how pleasant their lives may appear, I do not wish to join them.

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Luke 9:28-50

    I never noticed this before, but the story of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration is a bit of foreshadowing of what will happen in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on the mountain to pray. While Jesus was praying, Peter, James, and John fell asleep. While they slept, Jesus met with Moses and Elijah. They missed it! They woke up on the tail-end of the conversation. When Peter saw what was going on, he wanted to stay there, but the moment was over. How often does this happen to us? We “sleep” through a moment of great blessing, then when it is all but over, we try to freeze it and artificially extend the moment. Let us remember that God has a task for us in this world and times like the Mount of Transfiguration are to strengthen us to continue that task.
    All too often we strive to be the greatest, and seek to be honored as such. Jesus tells us that we should strive to be the servant of others, that we should not strive for authority. In God’s books it is those whom Man counts as the least who is counted as the greatest. I would rather be counted as great by God than by Man.

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Deuteronomy 18-20:20

    We are warned against being seduced by the practices of those around us who do not worship God. This is a difficult challenge for us. It is difficult to resist the blandishments. It is too easy to forget the reasons behind how God calls us to behave and instead act like those around us do. Let us keep our focus on God and avoid turning to omens and signs to determine our behavior. Even those who claim to be prophesying on God’s behalf may be leading us astray. When someone claims to speak on God’s behalf, let us listen to what they say will happen. If it does not come to pass, we will know that they do not speak for God.

Daily Bible Study

October 1, 2013 Bible Study — Put No Confidence In Human Effort

     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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Isaiah 62:6-65:25

     Today’s passage starts with Isaiah saying that God has placed watchman on Jerusalem’s walls who will pray day and night for the city and its people (this could also be read as saying that Isaiah has placed them there). He says that those who pray to the Lord should take no rest. Are we praying for our country day and night? Are we praying for the Spirit to move and bring revival? Let us prepare a highway for people to return to God, making it as easy as possible for people to come to Him. I will tell of God’s unfailing love and praise Him for all He has done. Then perhaps people will cry out to God for deliverance and turn to following His ways.
     The prophet begs for God to once more burst forth upon the earth so that people may see His Spirit at work. Am I crying out for God to do that? Or am I afraid that He will do so? God is ready to respond when we ask for His help. He is ready to be found, if we but look for Him. Let us not be like those who the prophet wrote about in this passage who were defiled with their own sin, yet kept their distance so as not to be defiled by others sins. Let us turn to the Lord and call our neighbors to do the same. Let us give up our sins and spend our energies to serve the Lord.

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     Yet another passage that challenges me on my prayer life. I do not pray enough, and when I do pray, I do not pray intensely enough. God, fill me with your Spirit so that it is my desire to pray to you continually. This is the path that will keep me from sinning.

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Philippians 2:19-3:3

     Paul wrote that he would soon send Timothy to see the church at Philippi because he knew that Timothy genuinely cared about them. Others only cared about their own interests. Timothy had proved himself willing to look out for the interests of Christ ahead of his own interests. In the same way, I need to strive to put the interests of the Church and Christ ahead of my personal interests. I wish to be one who is known for putting the God’s desires ahead of my desires. No, that is stated wrong. I wish to be one who puts God’s desires ahead of my own desires, whether others know me for that or not.
     While Paul is delaying in sending Timothy until he knows how his own situation will be resolved, he is now sending back to them Epaphroditus, who had been sent by the Philippian Church to Paul. Epaphroditus had gotten very sick while with Paul and almost died, risking his life to help Paul. He was willing to risk his life to serve Christ. The final point Paul makes in this passage is that we should not get caught up in specific rituals. We cannot rely on what can be accomplished by human effort. We do not gain salvation by following rituals, but rather through our faith in Christ.

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Psalm 73:1-28

     The psalmist tells us how easy it is to envy the wicked. They seem to have it all, health, wealth, everything their hearts desire. However, the psalmist reminds us that they are on a slippery path to destruction. Their lives are empty. If we let ourselves be envious of them our hearts will be bitter and we will suffer. It is better to remember the good things God has given us and focus on serving Him. God will hold us by the hand and guide us into His glory. I make this my vow:

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.

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Proverbs 24:13-14

     The proverb writer tells us that in the same way that honey is sweet to the tongue wisdom is sweet to the soul. If we find wisdom it will give us hope for our future.