I like reading both the NLT and the NIV for this passage. When I read the translation notes on the NLT it made me realize why there is such a wide difference between the first part of the NLT and the first part of the NIV. My interpretation of this proverb is that the righteous carefully choose friends who will give them good advice because they realize that the wicked will lead their friends astray. Of course, we can look at this from the other side, do we give good advice to our friends? Or does our advice lead them astray? The answer to those two questions tells us a lot about what type of people we are.
This psalm is a reminder that acknowledging God is not, in and of itself enough to guarantee God’s favor. His wrath will fall on those who do not faithfully serve Him, even if they acknowledge Him.
When Jesus is asked if only a few will be saved, He responds by saying that we should work hard to enter through the narrow door. Following the path of least resistance will not get us into heaven. There are many people who claim to know God about whom God will say, “Get away from me, I never knew you.” In some ways this lesson leads right into the account of Jesus healing on the Sabbath. It is never wrong to do good to help another.
God granted Moses a vision of all of the Promised Land just before his death. By doing so, God showed Moses that the effort Moses had put into leading the children of Israel was not in vain. Despite the many struggles Moses had throughout his life, at the end God showed him what he had truly accomplished.
Rahab made a great statement of faith, both by what she said and what she did. It was Rahab’s faith which saved her from the fate which the rest of the people of Jericho suffered. However, Rahab did not stop with just having faith. She acted on that faith. Paul was thinking of faith like Rahab’s when he said that we were saved by grace through faith. We are not saved by our works. However, if we have the sort of faith which goes along with saving grace, that faith will result in us doing good works.
When we cry out to God, He will come to our rescue. When we turn to Him He will forgive our sins. Those who scoff at God will learn of His power one way or another. Those who persecute God’s servants will learn of God’s power.
Today I see this passage as giving us a tutorial on reaching the unsaved with the Gospel. We need to begin by making sure that the message we are conveying is not in error, that we are speaking and living the true Gospel message. In our efforts to convince people to follow Christ we cannot use trickery or deception. You cannot convince someone that you are speaking the truth by using trickery and deception. Further, we must make sure that our motives in preaching the Gospel are neither selfish nor impure. If we attempt to get people to follow Christ by using flattery, even if we initially succeed, we will leave them susceptible to being deceived into false beliefs later. The most important part is that we need to make those we wish to reach for Christ part of our lives. Let them see how we live out our faith day to day. Let them see our struggles and that we do not think of ourselves as perfect. But also let them see how our faith gives us hope in the face of adversity and the joy we get from serving God.
If the people of any nation learn to follow God and cling to His ways, God will establish them safely in the land which they hold. Those who choose to love and honour God will be given a place among His people. On the other hand, if we refuse to obey His will, we will be uprooted and destroyed. We have been made to cling to God so as to bring honour and glory to His name. But if we refuse to listen to Him and follow our own desires, worshiping that which is not God, we are useless, like an article of clothing which was buried in the mud. It is not enough to cry out to God for help as we continue to live our sinful lives. We must allow His Holy Spirit to transform us, to guide us away from the sins which have brought us into this difficult place to begin with.
The godly choose their friends with care because wicked friends will lead them astray. That is not quite what the proverb says, but I think that is part of its message. Another way to look at it is that godly friends will give you advice which will help you lead a godly life, while wicked friends will give you advice that encourages you to act wickedly.
Reading this psalm reminds me of our society today, where those who reject God mock those who try to follow His commands. They do more than that, they subject them to scorn and disparagement. They attempt to force them to give up their faith in God. Let us cry out to God for vindication. As a first step to receiving that vindication from God we must confess our sins and repent of them. If we dedicate ourselves to turning once more to God and serving Him, He will show His power. God will pay back those who have heaped scorn upon His servants. They will see that He is indeed God, the Creator of the universe.
Jesus was asked whether only a few would be saved. He answered by telling us to work hard to enter by the narrow door. Many will attempt to do so, but will fail. Jesus tells us that we have a narrow window of opportunity to accept God’s offer of salvation, once the door is closed it will be too late to change our minds. It is not enough to call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ. If we do not have a personal relationship with Christ, He will tell us that He does not know us. I just realized that Jesus is telling us that many of those who appear to have the inside track will fail to be admitted, but who are seen as unwelcome in the Kingdom of Heaven will be granted entry. Some of those whom we look down upon will be granted great honour by God, and some of those we view as worthy of great honour will receive none from God.
God had told Moses that he would not enter into the land which God had promised to the people of Israel. However, He led Moses up onto a mountaintop overlooking the plains of Jericho and gave Moses a vision of the entire land. After seeing the vision which God gave him, Moses died at the age of 120. At the time which the editor of this compilation wrote, no prophet like Moses had arisen in Israel. The editor tells us that Moses spoke with God face to face. As followers of Christ, we have that opportunity.
After the death of Moses, God spoke to Joshua and promised to be with him for his entire life. We may embrace the promise which God made to Joshua as our own. If we are careful to obey the instructions which God has given us, He will be with us throughout our lives. If we obey His instructions with strength and courage, we will succeed in all that we do and God will be with us wherever we go.
Joshua sent spies into Jericho to scout it out for him. While they were there they entered into the house of Rahab the prostitute, who hid them from the men of the King of Jericho. Rahab made a great statement of faith and asked the spies to promise safety for herself and he family when they conquered Jericho. Rahab demonstrated great faith in her actions to hide and then help the spies. She took great risks. If the King of Jericho had discovered her actions, she would have suffered dire consequences. Do we have the faith to do God’s will, even when those around us will cause us to suffer for doing so? Rahab chose to be on the side of the Israelites, God’s side. Which side will we choose?
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.
God promised Jeremiah that any people who learned to swear by His name will become the people of God. However, He also promised that any people who refused to obey Him will be uprooted and destroyed. We have been made to cling to God and serve Him. If we do this we will be cared for and treasured by Him. If on the other hand we refuse to listen to God and follow our own desires, we will become like a rotting loincloth, good for nothing and of no value to anyone.
It is time to listen and pay attention. We must not let our arrogance blind us to God’s call nor make us deaf to His commands. It is not too late. Let us listen to God’s call and speak out to our neighbors. We are called to a dual ministry. The first part is to act according to God’s will. The second part is to tell our neighbors and fellow countrymen that God’s judgment is nigh. Now is the time to answer God’s call. Time is running short, but it has not yet run out.
Once more one of Paul’s letters starts off with a reminder of the central place prayer played in Paul’s ministry. And once more I am challenged to strengthen my prayer life. Since Paul found time to pray for the various believers in these various cities, what is my excuse? I do not have one and I come before God and ask Him to send His Spirit upon me and give me a heart for prayer.
This passage shows us the importance of living according to the Spirit and living out the Gospel in our lives. First, the believers in Thessalonica saw Paul living out the Gospel message he was preaching. In response to his teaching and the way he lived among them, they chose to imitate his life and that of Christ. They did this in such a way that others imitated them, initially in the local region, but over time throughout the entire Roman Empire. People were impressed with how they turned away from heathen practices to enthusiastically follow God. All of this resulted from Paul coming among them and showing them what it truly means to be a Christian. This is a challenge to me. Do I live my life so that others want to be like me? Do others witness my life and strive to follow Jesus so that they can be like me? That is my goal, to live my life so that others will want to know the Gospel to be like me. I wish to live my life so that it brings glory to Christ, so that others see how I act and want to know how they can be like that. Not because I want them to hold me up as some great person, but because I want them to seek the Lord.
Today this psalm as a whole did not speak to me. However, there is a section in the middle that did.
Let your compassion quickly meet our needs,
for we are on the brink of despair.
Help us, O God of our salvation!
Help us for the glory of your name.
Save us and forgive our sins
for the honor of your name.
Why should pagan nations be allowed to scoff,
asking, “Where is their God?”
I will call out to God for His compassion because I am in desperate need of His care. I have made mistakes and sinned against God, I ask for His forgiveness so that His name may be honored. I ask that God show Himself to those around me who doubt that He is real, that He silence those who say to me, “Where is your God?” I do not ask this for my own glory, but for His.
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.
After giving his final instructions to the people of Israel, Moses went up to the top of Mount Nebo. From there God allowed him to see the entire land that He was giving the people of Israel. Moses died there and was buried. The passage tells us that no one today knows where Moses body was buried. The Hebrew is unclear as to who buried Moses body. Many have interpreted it to mean that God buried Moses’ body, thus explaining why no one knew where he was buried, but the literal translation is “He buried him in Moab” or “He was buried in Moab.” The passage tells us that even though Moses was 120 years old, his eyesight was still good and his body strong at the time if his death.
The Spirit of God rested on Joshua and he took over leading the people of Israel after Moses’ death.
When the time of morning for Moses was complete, God spoke to Joshua. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous and to study the Book of Instruction which Moses had written, which contained God’s commands for the people of Israel. God told Joshua that if he followed those commands he would be prosperous and successful in all that he did. If we follow God’s commands, we will prosper and be successful in all that we do.
Joshua then commanded the leaders of the people of Israel to prepare to begin the invasion of the land which God would give them. He went to the tribes which had been given land to the east of the Jordan River and reminded them of their promise to help the other tribes conquer the lands on the other side of the Jordan River. Those tribes reaffirmed their commitment and promised to obey Joshua’s commands.
Joshua secretly sent two spies to investigate the land around Jericho. They went and stayed at the house of Rahab, a prostitute. The king of Jericho found out about them and sent to Rahab ordering her to bring them forth. Rahab told the king’s men that the spies had left just before the gates closed at dusk. In the meantime, she had hidden the two spies. The king’s men set out in pursuit of the spies. Rahab then went to the spies and requested that they promise to spare her life and that of her family. They made such a promise and instructed her to tie a scarlet cord out the window through which she let them out of the city. In addition, they told her to make sure that all of her family stayed in her house when the Israelites invaded. If she followed these instructions, they promised to preserve the life of her and her family. Rahab let the two spies down outside the walls and tied the scarlet cord to the window. The spies hid out for three days and then returned to Joshua.
While Jesus was teaching someone asked Him if only a few would be saved. He answered that we should make every effort to enter through the narrow door because many would try but few would be able. The time will come when it will be too late to enter. After that many will come and knock on the door crying out for the door to be opened, but will be told that He does not know them. There will be those who took their admittance for granted, who assumed that they would get in because of who they were, or who their parents were. But because they did not take action and enter when the door was open to them, their place in God’s kingdom will be taken by others. Jesus goes on to say that many who seem unimportant now will prove to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and many who seem important now, will prove to be unimportant in the kingdom of heaven. We should act to be acknowledged by God, not by our fellow-man.
Some Pharisees came to Jesus and warned Him that He should go into hiding because Herod wanted to kill Him. Jesus responded that He would continue His ministry until it was complete and that He would be killed in Jerusalem. He continues to say that He longed to gather Jerusalem under His protection, but the people were not willing.
One Sabbath when Jesus was eating in the house of a prominent Pharisee there was a very sick man present. Jesus turned to the Pharisees and teachers of the law that were present and asked them if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. They did not answer His question (probably being aware of His previous teachings on this subject and afraid of looking bad in front of others for being unable to present a good argument against Him, but not being willing to agree either). Jesus then turned to the man and healed him, telling the Pharisees that if a child or a cow fell into a pit on the Sabbath, they would get it out.
The psalmist cries out to God for salvation. He acknowledges that they are suffering as a result of the sins of their ancestors. He acknowledges that he has sinned and asks God for forgiveness. He asks God for help, not because of his own worthiness but in order to bring glory to God’s name. I will call out to God to act in my life so as to bring glory and honor to His name. I will seek to order my life so that those around me will see that the good that comes to me is a credit to the glory and honor of God. When I experience good things I will praise God and honor His name.
I really like the NIV translation of this proverb:
The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
It is important to choose our friends wisely because godly friends will help us to live godly lives, while if all of our friends are wicked they will lead us astray. But more than that, I will strive to be a godly friend who gives my friends advice that leads to righteousness.
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.
The Lord tells Jeremiah that the wicked appear to be prospering because the people have turned against Him. The apparent prosperity of the wicked is only a temporary thing while the Lord brings His full judgement to bear. The Lord is bringing His judgement against the people of Judah and against all of the wicked nations of the earth. But the time is coming when He will restore the people of Judah to His favor. When that happens(and with the death and resurrection of Christ, it has happened), He will give a place among them to the people of every nation who call upon Him. Jeremiah uses a rotting loincloth to illustrate the relationship between the people of Judah and God. Just as a loincloth is designed to cling to our bodies and be a source of pride (it is well made and decorated), so the people of Judah were designed to cling to God and be a source of pride to Him. Instead they sinned and sought after other gods, as a result they became useless like a rotting loincloth. The same is true of us today. We are to cling to God and allow Him to embroider us to be a source of His pride, but if we turn from Him and wallow in sin, we will be as a rotting loincloth.
We must put aside our pride and seek after the Lord before He punishes us for our sins. We must humble ourselves before Him and call on His Spirit to live within us because we are unable, by our own power, to stop sinning and do good.
Once again, Paul opens a letter by telling the recipients that he prays for them constantly. Could we do the same? Do we pray for our fellow believers regularly? Do we pray often enough that we could use the word “constantly” about anything we pray for? Paul praises the Thessalonians by telling them that wherever he goes, there are people telling him about the faith of the Thessalonians. Once again we need to ask ourselves, do people say the same sort of thing about the congregation we worship with? Do we serve the living and true God with such fervor that people distant from us have heard of it? Are we making it clear to those we meet that we are looking forward to Christ’s return?
We should declare the gospel boldly, even in the face of opposition. We should do so without deceit or trickery. We should seek to please God, not our fellow man.
God pours out His anger on His people when they turn from Him. But when they turn back to Him, He will restore them to Himself. When that day comes, He will pour out an even larger dose of His anger on those nations and people who looked at their suffering and used it as an excuse to deny God’s very existence. Let us praise God for the wonders He has performed.
It is easy to think that taking a little more time for myself can do no harm, but such is not always the case. It is all too easy to allow laziness to overcome our better sense and lead us into poverty. I know those who are workaholics, to whom this proverb would never apply, but I am not one of them. This proverb directly addresses my weaknesses. I must strive to always work hard because I, all too easily, can slip into laziness.
