Tag Archives: Psalm 82

Daily Bible Study

October 12, 2015 Bible Study — Do Not Repay Evil With Evil

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. This coming weekend I am going to be away Friday night through Sunday (October 16-18). I am going to try very hard to have my studies for the weekend done in advance. My plan is to publish Saturday’s and Sunday’s studies Friday evening before I depart. I hope this does not cause anyone a problem/

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Proverbs 25:9-10

    Don’t betray another person’s secrets in order to win an argument. If you do, you will earn a reputation as a gossip and it will be difficult, if not impossible to get anyone to trust you again.

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Psalm 82

    God declares to the rulers of this earth, who think that they are mini-gods, that they need to stop handing down unjust decisions which favor the wicked. He tells them that they will die like every other mortal. If they do not want to be subject to God’s judgment they must give justice to the weak and the fatherless, and uphold the rights of the poor and oppressed. This is what God demands of those whom He has given power on this earth.

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1 Thessalonians 5:4-28

    Paul tells us to be clear-headed and alert since we live in the light of God where we can see His truth. He then goes on to tell us what that means: don’t be lazy, encourage the timid, take care of the weak, be patient with others. Most importantly, never repay evil with evil, instead we should do good to our fellow believers and to everyone else, even those who do evil to us. This is perhaps one of the hardest things for us to get our heads around. We are never justified in doing something to harm others, no matter what they have done to us. If we are truly followers of Christ, we do not claim to have a right to revenge.

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Jeremiah 19-21

    This passage begins with Jeremiah’s prophecy that the people of Jerusalem and Judah would be shattered like the jar of clay he had just smashed in front of witnesses. And why was this going to happen? Because the people of Jerusalem and Judah were slaughtering their children as sacrifices to their idols. Our nation is doing the same thing. As a nation, we are sacrificing our unborn children through abortions to the god of convenience. If we, as a people, do not turn from our sins, especially this one, God will do to our nation (and not our nation alone, there are many nations on this earth which are following the same behavior) what He did to Judah and Jerusalem in Jeremiah’s day, and worse. Pray for our nation, pray for our neighbors, that they will repent of their sins and turn to God.

Daily Bible Study

April 13, 2015 Bible Study — Who Will You Serve?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:2-3

    This proverb warns us to choose our words with care and to not just blurt out whatever comes to mind. If our words are well chosen and righteous they will bring us good things and a long life. If our words are poorly chosen, or designed to further our own interests at the expense of others, they will bring us violence and trouble.

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Psalm 82:1-8

    I am convinced that this psalm is addressed to those rulers and government officials who believe that they are greater than those over whom they have authority, who believe, in a sense, that they are “gods”. Certainly it is addressed to those who believe that they receive their authority by “divine” right (whatever they consider to “divine”, whether God, themselves, or something else). The psalmist tells us that they are not wrong, but God has given duties and responsibilities to those whom He has given authority to govern others.

Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.
Rescue the poor and helpless;
deliver them from the grasp of evil people.

These rulers and officials may have been given authority by God, but they will die and face God’s judgment, just like all other mortals. If they abuse their God-given authority beyond certain limits, God’s judgment will come to them sooner rather than later.

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Luke 16:1-18

    I don’t believe I have ever heard a sermon or read a commentary on this passage which notes that it immediately follows the parable of the prodigal son, which in turn was in response to those who condemned Jesus for associating with notorious sinners. As such, part of its message is about why we should spend time with sinners. There are things we can learn about how we should act when we associate with such people. In this parable the lesson was to use our worldly goods to benefit others and make friends with them.
    Further, the lesson of this parable is that we should use our material wealth to serve God. We have a choice in this life, either we serve God, and our material wealth is merely another tool in our toolbox to accomplish His purposes, or we serve wealth, and our religion is merely a tool for acquiring wealth. We cannot both seek to serve God and to acquire wealth (that does not mean that no one one who serves God will acquire wealth, merely that it cannot be their goal). One or the other will be our master. We must choose which we will serve.

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Joshua 7:16-9:2

    I struggle with what to think about this passage. The only message I get from is that we need to examine ourselves individually and as a group to make sure that we are faithfully keeping God’s commands. If any one member of a group is hiding rebellion against God’s instructions, it may stymie the group in its efforts to follow God’s will.

Daily Bible Study

October 12, 2014 Bible Study — Be Sober and Clearheaded, But Do Not Stifle the Holy Spirit

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I am well along in reading through the Bible for the third time in as many years. I want to express what a blessing this has been to me. I want to encourage everyone to try to read through the Bible each year.

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Proverbs 25:9-10

    Do not use information given to you in confidence to win an argument, let alone revealing it for some other reason. If you get a reputation for revealing confidential information, no one will ever share such information with you again.

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Psalm 82:1-8

    God presides over all rulers, both secular and spiritual, those in the physical world and those in the spiritual world. He will bring judgement against those ruler who favor the wicked and hand down unjust decisions. Any ruler who wishes God’s favor must give justice to the poor and weak (such as the fatherless). They will uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. They will rescue the poor and the helpless from the hands of the wicked. God will judge the nations whose rulers fail to do these things. If we wish God’s favor, we will do these things to the best of our ability and strength.

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1 Thessalonians 5:4-28

    In yesterday’s passage Paul told us that Jesus’ return would come unexpectedly. Here he continues to tell us that if we stay alert and clearheaded we will not be surprised by that day. Night time, when it is dark, is when people sleep and get drunk. Since we live in the light of Christ, we should remain clearheaded and sober. Paul is using the contrast between drunkenness and sobriety here for the way we should live. He is not speaking just about the effects of too much alcohol, but other things which will distort our judgement if we let them. However, when Paul uses the word that the NIV translates as “sober” and the NLT translates as “clearheaded”, he does not mean serious and stern. Instead he means moderate and controlled.
    Paul’s final advice in this letter is a series of instructions that fit together to help us build Christ’s Body. Let us work to encourage one another and build each other up. This involves warning those who are lazy to work harder for Christ, and encouraging the timid to step out in faith. It involves caring for and supporting the weak. Perhaps most importantly, it involves being patient with everyone. I know that out of this list my two areas I most need work is laziness and patience.
    He goes on to tell us to always be joyful and to never stop praying (there’s that prayer thing again, God is not going to stop pushing me on this). He tells us not to stifle the Holy Spirit. However, let’s remember that just a few verses earlier he told us to be sober and clearheaded. As an example of how we should deal with this we have his instructions on prophecy. We should never scoff, or be contemptuous, when someone presents a prophecy. However, we should carefully test each prophecy, and everything else that is said, before we take it to heart. Does it match up with Scripture? Is it consistent with the will of God so revealed? As we listen to what is said, and in every other part of our lives, let us hold on firmly to anything and everything that is good, but keep our distance from any sort of evil.

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Jeremiah 19-21:14

    When I read this and similar Old Testament passages condemning the people of Israel for sacrificing their children to idols I cannot help but think of abortion in this country. I cannot but help think of those who readily sacrifice their children on the altar of their ideology and encourage others to do so as well. Do they not know how God condemns the murder of innocents? And none are more innocent than a child not yet born. Time is running out for people to turn away from such sins and back to God. Just as Jeremiah smashed the clay jar in this passage, so will God smash this nation if its people do not repent of their sins and turn to following Him. There are those who will persecute us for calling people to obey God, they will suffer greatly when God brings His judgement. Rather than feel anger at them, let us pity them for the suffering they will experience.

Daily Bible Study

April 13, 2014 Bible Study — You Must Choose, God, Or Money?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:2-3

    We need to choose our words with care because they will provide the “food” we will eat. The type of life we will lead going forward will come out of what we say to others now. Those who say treacherous, dishonest things will find their lives filled with violence (probably a result which they desire). So, let us be careful not to say things which will lead to results we do not desire. Carelessly saying whatever comes to mind will lead to our destruction.

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Psalm 82:1-8

    God will pronounce judgement on the rulers of this earth. He will hold them accountable for making unjust decisions. On the other hand, He will honour those rulers who give justice to the poor and the orphan. He will praise those who rescue the weak and the needy. All the nations on this earth belong to God. He has given authority to those who rule over them. He will judge those rulers if they fail to use that authority wisely. Those who use their authority for their own interests, at the expense of justice may seem to prosper for a time, but God is keeping score.

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Luke 16:1-18

    Jesus told the story of the shrewd manager. Upon being told that he was about to be fired summoned all of those who owed his master and cut their debts in half. Jesus holds this up as an example for us. He was not telling us that we should defraud our employer if we are fired. Rather, we should use our material resources in order to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Let us show others that we care about them by the way in which we use the material resources which God puts at our disposal.
    A story I learned in my childhood illustrates this point. During the Revolutionary War a woman who lived near where I grew up refused to take sides. At one point she was arrested for having wounded British soldiers in her house, whose injuries she was treating. George Washington (or one of his commanders, I do not remember this detail) intended to execute her for treason. However, her neighbors came forward and begged him to not do so. They argued that she had always been generous to her neighbors, helping those in need. In fact, they produced evidence that she had provided care equally to injured soldiers from Washington’s army. In the end, she was not executed because the Army was satisfied that she had used her resources to help those in need regardless of which side they were on. Jesus concludes His teaching on this subject by reminding us that if we allow it, money will become our master, demanding loyalty which we should be giving to God.

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Joshua 7:16-9:2

    Yesterday’s passage concluded with the account of how the Israelites were defeated when they attacked Ai. This defeat occurred because one of their number had failed to follow God’s command at Jericho and kept some of Jericho’s wealth for himself. The important lesson from this passage is that an organization can be defeated in its pursuit of God’s goals if even one of its number has allowed his personal desires lead him to disobey God. This passage reminds me of an event from my past.
    When I was in my 20s and attending elsewhere, the congregation my parents attended was struggling. However, it seemed to have found a new mission and new life. It was being led by a team of three interim pastors. Men who were semi-retired from ministry and had other means of support (although they were receiving a stipend for this role). After several years, one of those men left his wife of many years. He went to live with a woman with whom he had been having an affair for many years. Within a matter of months the congregation had disbanded. To this day, I am convinced that the reason the congregation disbanded was because of this man’s sin.

Daily Bible Study

October 12, 2013 Bible Study — Be Thankful In All Circumstances

     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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Jeremiah 19-21:14

     Jeremiah tells the leaders of Jerusalem that they have sinned so much that the time of God’s judgment is at hand. God is going to smash Jerusalem such that no human agency will be able to restore it. When he finishes that prophecy Jeremiah expresses the desire that he be able to keep his mouth shut. However, he writes that he has no choice, the Spirit of God overwhelms him and he has no choice but speak the words which God gives him.
     After Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, the authorities had him whipped and imprisoned. Yet when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah they came to Jeremiah and asked him to beg God to save them as He had done in the past when the Assyrians attacked. Jeremiah replied to them that God would not defend them, that instead God would act to strengthen their enemies. Jeremiah tells them that they have a choice, surrender to the Babylonians and live, or stay in the city, fight the Babylonians, and die.
     Yet even at this point, Jeremiah appears to say that God offers the rulers of Jerusalem a chance to regain His favor. Jeremiah tells them that unless they give justice each morning, help those who have been robbed, and rescue the oppressed, God’s anger will burn against them. This suggests that if they were to do those things, God would have mercy on them and save them from their troubles. As bad as things are, if only the people will turn to God, He will forgive them and bring them under His wings.

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1 Thessalonians 5:4-28

     While Christ’s return will come unexpectedly, if we are living in the light we will not be surprised by it. Let us be clear headed and on guard. Christ died for us so that we can live with Him forever. This provides us with the basis to encourage and build up our fellow believers. Paul then gives a list of things we should do, both to encourage and build up others and for our own well-being:

  • Honor our leaders
  • Warn those who are laxy
  • Encourage the timid
  • Take care of the weak
  • Be patient with everyone
  • Do not pay back evil for evil
  • Always try to do good to all people
  • Always be joyful
  • Pray continually (there’s that stuff about prayer before, I was wondering if I was going to get another reminder today)
  • Be thankful in all circumstances (not just the good times, but all the time)

Then Paul gets to a few things that I think all fit together in a way.

  • Do not stifle the Holy Spirit
  • Do not scoff at prophecies
  • But test everything that is said (so, we should not scoff at those who think they have been given a prophecy, but we should examine what they say with care)
  • Hold on to what is good
  • Stay away from(reject) what is evil

These last two are not limited to how we deal with prophecies, but I think Paul was giving those instructions as to how we are to deal with prophecies.

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     I am going to give an example here from my personal life. A fellow believer approached me the other day and told me that God had given him a word for me. I encouraged him to tell me what he felt God had told him for me. When he was finished telling me what he felt he was to tell me, I had no idea how it applied to my life. What he said contained some good advice, however I was not experiencing the type of situation which that advice would apply to. When he was finished speaking, I thanked him sincerely. I never mentioned that I did not see how what he said applied to me. I made a mental note of what he said, in case it represented something that had yet to happen. I did not, and will not, reject it because there was no evil in it. I have made a mental note of what he said, so that if it proves to be related to something that has not yet happened I can ask him further.
     Based on what others have said and my interactions with him, I believe that the Spirit does at times talk through this man. In this case I do not know if in his eagerness to hear what the Spirit had to say he heard his own thoughts as those of the Spirit, or if, just as likely, he misinterpreted what the Spirit was telling him in light of his previous experiences (that misinterpretation could be a product of not knowing me well). If the latter, in time, the Spirit will make His meaning clear. If the former, I will encourage him to continue coming to me because he is sincere and perhaps the Spirit will help me aid him in coming to a clearer understanding of how to know when the Spirit is speaking to him (and the next time it may be a message from the Spirit. If, indeed, this was not a message from the Spirit, something I am not yet ready to say).

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Psalm 82:1-8

     The psalmist tells us that God calls upon those who govern to stop handing down unjust decisions which favor the wicked. God instructs them to recognize their mortality, even though they are sons of the Most High, and give justice to the weak and fatherless. If they want God’s favor they must rescue the poor and helpless from the power of the wicked. God will pass judgment on all those who rule nations for their failure to be just judges.

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Proverbs 25:9-10

     The proverb writer warns against using secrets learned in confidence to win an argument. You may still lose the argument and your reputation along with it.