Tag Archives: read the Bible in a year Bible study

April 8, 2013 Bible Study — Which Side Are We On?

April 7, 2013 AttilaDimedici

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.

Deuteronomy 32:28-52

In today’s passage, Moses continues the song he taught the people of Israel. He says that despite suffering the results of their sins the people of Israel would continue to sin and to suffer. Yet the time would come when God would stop punishing His people and allowing their enemies to dominate them. God will repay those who hate him. He will punish those who persecute His servants. When Moses completes the song, God instructs him to go the Mount Nebo and look out across the land of Canaan, which God is giving to the people of Israel. There Moses will die and join his ancestors.

Luke 12:35-59

Jesus tells His disciples to be ready and prepared for His return. We must be ready at all times because He will return at a time when He is least expected. Peter then asks Him if this illustration is just for the disciples or is it for everyone? Jesus’ answer is interesting. He tells Peter that a faithful, sensible servant will be given authority over other servants and responsibility for feeding them. He goes on to say that a servant who knows what the master wants and fails to do it will be punished more harshly than a servant who fails to do what the master wants because they did not know. Jesus concludes this teaching by telling His disciples that those to whom much has been given are expected to do more.
Jesus then tells His disciples that He has come to bring a fire onto the earth, a fire that He wished was already burning. He goes on to say that He did not come to bring peace, but rather division. That families would be divided over Him, some would support Him and some oppose Him. I think what He is teaching here fits in with His earlier teachings where at one point He said that whoever is not against us is for us and elsewhere that whoever is not with us is against us. Everyone needs to make a choice as to what side they are on. Are they for Jesus or against Him?

Psalm 78:56-64

The psalmist tells us that despite suffering the results of their sin the children of Israel continued in their rebellion against God. They turned to the worship of other gods, gods that had no power. In His anger God allowed their enemies to overrun them and kill them. Today’s psalm sums a common problem of the human condition, all too often we fail to learn from our mistakes and continue in the sins that got us into trouble in the first place.

Proverbs 12:24

Those who work hard become leaders, those who are lazy are enslaved by others.

Daily Bible Study

April 7, 2013 Bible Study –Seek the Kingdom of God Above All Else

April 6, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Deuteronomy 31-32:27

     When Moses had finished repeating the commands that God had given the people of Israel he told them that he would not be able to lead them into the land. He commissioned Joshua to take his place as their leader. He then gave a written book of all of the instructions God had given him for the people of Israel to the priests. He instructed them that every seven years they were to read this book of instructions to the people of Israel to remind them of God’s commands. God told Moses that in the future the people of Israel would rebel against Him. God gave Moses a song to teach the people of Israel for them to remember when His judgment came against them for their sins.
     Moses sang of the great things that God had done. He praised God and sang of His glory. He sang of how God made the people of Israel rich and happy. Then he sang that when the people of Israel became wealthy, they would turn from God to offer sacrifices to demons and idols. They would neglect God and His commands. In His anger, God would punish them. He would bring disaster and disease upon them. However, God would not destroy them because if He did, Israel’s enemies might think that they had destroyed Israel through their own might and fail to recognize that it was God’s judgment against Israel for their sins.
     This song reminds me of how easily we fall away from God when things go well. We start to believe that our success is a product of our own hard work and ability, rather than praising God for the wonders He has performed for us. I strive to not let such happen to myself. I will strive to glorify God even when things are going well for me. I know that my success is not a product of my virtue, but a gift from God’s wondrous grace.

Luke 12:8-34

     Jesus tells us that if we acknowledge Him before men, He will acknowledge us before God. On the other hand if we deny Him before men, we will be disowned before God’s angels. He goes on to say that those who speak out against Him can be forgiven, but those who credit the good acts of the Holy Spirit to evil can never be forgiven (my interpretation of what He means by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit).
     While Jesus was teaching someone in the crowd asked Jesus to instruct his brother to share his father’s estate with him. Jesus replied that He was not sent to make such judgments. He then goes on to warn us against greed of all kinds. Jesus then gives an example of a farmer who harvests a bountiful crop. The farmer does not have sufficient space to store the entire crop, so he tears down his barns and builds bigger ones. The farmer says to himself that then he will be able to relax and lead a life of ease. Jesus then tells us that that very night the farmer died. He never got to enjoy that life of ease. We should not store up wealth on this earth, rather we should strive to be rich with God.
     Jesus goes on to explain this parable to His disciples. He tells them not to worry about what they will eat or wear. We cannot by worrying extend our lives by even a single hour. Since we cannot even do that, what is the point in worrying about anything? Jesus gives examples of how birds are fed even though they do not farm and flowers are clothed beautifully even though they do not sew. Those who do not worship God spend their time seeking to accumulate food, clothes, shelter and wealth. God knows what our needs are and we are more valuable than the birds and flowers that He provides for so abundantly. We should seek God’s kingdom and He will provide for our needs. We should use our resources to provide for those in greater need than ourselves. By doing that we store up wealth in heaven where it will never be destroyed. We should dedicate our resources to the place where we want our focus to be. If we focus on spending our wealth on material things, we will focus on the material world. On the other hand, if we focus on spending our wealth serving God, our focus will be on God’s kingdom. If we seek first God’s kingdom and His will, He will provide for our needs. I strive very hard to remember this teaching. I will seek God’s kingdom and His will above all else. Am I willing to sacrifice my desires for material goods in order to serve God?

Psalm 78:32-55

The psalmist tells us that despite the wonders that God performed for the people of Israel and despite the suffering they experienced when they rebelled against Him, they nevertheless continued to sin against Him time and again. Yet for all of this God was merciful and forgave them when they turned to Him. This is cause for hope for us, at the same time that it is a condemnation. If we turn from our sins to God and request His forgiveness and aid, He will forgive us and act on our behalf once more. I have repeatedly sinned, yet I continue to strive to give over all of my life to God so that He may change me and make me more like Him.
This is the basic human desire and the root of all sin, to be like God. God does call on us to be like Him. However, the root of all sin is when we attempt to put ourselves in God’s place and become like Him through our own power. My goal is to submit to God and become like Him through His transformation of my being. I do not have the ability to make myself like God. However, God has the power to transform me into His likeness if I am willing to submit to Him and His will.

Proverbs 12:21-23

The godly rarely run into trouble, but the wicked are constantly running from one problem to another. God hates those who repeatedly tell lies, but loves those who are truthful. The wise do not tell everyone everything they know, but fools reveal their folly by attempting to appear knowledgable.

Daily Bible Study

April 6, 2013 Bible Study — God’s Will Is Not Too Difficult For Us To Understand

April 5, 2013 AttilaDimedici

This hyacinth will open its bloom eventually

Deuteronomy 29-30:20

Moses reviewed the covenant between God and the people of Israel once more. He told the people of Israel that this covenant was not just with them but also with their descendants. Moses told them that if they obey the terms of the covenant they would prosper in all that they did. He further warns them to take the curses seriously, if they believe that they are safe even though they do not follow God’s instructions and commands they will experience the curses of the covenant in fullest measure.
Moses goes on to promise them that in the future, after they have been exiled because they broke the covenant, if they turn back to the Lord and once more keep the commands of the covenant and walk in the ways of God, God will restore them. Finally Moses tells them that the message of the covenant is not hard to understand, it is not in some distant place where a Hero will need to be found to go and fetch it. God’s commands are written on our hearts and on our lips so that we can do as God desires if we so choose. We have a choice between life and death. If we choose life, God will set His Spirit upon us and give us the power to follow His ways, the ways of life.

Luke 11:37-12:7

     A Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him. Jesus went and sat at the table. The Pharisee was surprised because Jesus did not follow the hand washing ritual of the Pharisees. Jesus replied to this criticism by telling the people there that the Pharisees make a lot of show of cleaning the outside, but inside they are full of greed and wickedness. If they truly want to be clean, they should be generous to the poor. He tells them that they are scrupulous to tithe from their herb gardens but neglect justice and love of God. Jesus says that they should have focused on the latter without neglecting the former.
     A teacher of religious law responded to what Jesus had just said by saying that His statements might be taken as applying to teachers of religious law as well. Jesus did not pull back, rather He said that “Yes, those comments applied to all teachers of religious law as much as it did to the Pharisees.” Jesus then went on to say that the teachers of religious law took the key to knowledge away from people. They did not enter into fellowship with God and interfered with those who were attempting to do so. All too often throughout history those who have studied God’s word have set themselves up as authorities to interpret it for everyone else, making it seem as if only those with special knowledge can know what God desires. Jesus emphasizes here and elsewhere in His ministry that God’s will is accessible to anyone who desires to look for it. What Jesus is teaching here fits with what Moses said in today’s Old Testament passage. God’s word is not difficult to understand and we do not need someone to go up on the Mountain to commune with God on our behalf. Everyone of us can understand God’s word for ourselves and God will speak with each of us, if we but listen.
     Jesus goes on to warn us to watch out for the hypocrisy of those who claim to be the experts on God’s word, those who claim to be more righteous than others. No one is the arbiter between us and God. Jesus came and died on the cross so that He could present us directly to the Father, so that we could listen directly to the commands that God has for us. We should not fear any human agent, who when they have killed our bodies can do no more. We should fear only God, who can not only kill our bodies but also destroy our souls. However, sparrows are cheap, but God keeps track of every one. God has counted every hair on our heads and we are more valuable to Him than all the sparrows on the earth. We should only fear God and there our fear should be mitigated by the fact that God loves us dearly.

Psalm 78:1-31

The psalmist tells us to learn from our past, to look at the wonders God has performed. He tells us not to repeat the sins of those who came before us, who saw the wonders that God performed, but nevertheless rebelled against God because those wonders were not enough for them. God provided them water, but they believed that He could not provide them food and complained about the lack. God gave them manna from heaven and they complained because He did not give them meat. So, God gave them meat, but while they were still stuffing themselves with the meat, He sent a plague upon them to punish them for their rebellion. Let us learn from their example and honor God for the great things He has done. I will praise God for the great things He has done and petition Him to meet my current needs, then I will patiently wait for Him to meet those needs according to His wisdom and glory.

Proverbs 12:19-20

When we tell the truth our statements will be supported as events unfold. When we tell lies, the falsehoods will soon be revealed. Those who are deceitful are plotting evil, while those who promote peace are filled with joy.

Daily Bible Study

April 5, 2013 Bible Study — Whoever Is Not With Me Is Against Me

April 4, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Deuteronomy 28:1-68

Moses tells the people of Israel that they will be blessed if they keep the commands of the Lord. If they obey the commands of the Lord, they will be solidly established in their land, they will be prosperous and want for nothing. All nations will stand in awe of them. On the other hand, Moses tells them the curses they will experience if they rebel against God’s commands. If they do not keep God’s commands they will experience confusion and frustration in everything they do. They will suffer from diseases and natural disasters. They will work hard and have little to show for it. They will be conquered by foreigners and their children made slaves. They will be terrified by everything around them. I believe that these blessings and curses are there for any society that follows God’s commands or rebels against them.

Luke 11:14-36

     One day Jesus drove a demon that had made a man mute out of the man. The man began to speak and the people were amazed. However, some of them claimed that He drove out demons by the power of the prince of demons. Others demanded that He give them a sign from heaven. Jesus answered by telling them that any organization that is divided against itself is bound to fall. He tells them that if Satan grants someone the power to cast out demons, Satan would be acting against his own interests. He then asks them by what power the other exorcists are casting out demons?
     Jesus concludes that whoever is not for Him is against Him. This is interesting because only a little while earlier He told the disciples that whoever is not against them is for them. I think these two comments by Jesus tell us something about how people must react to Jesus. Ultimately everyone must choose, are they for Jesus or against Him? There is no middle ground. The earlier passage tells us that we should not alienate those who have not outright rejected Jesus and His teaching. Today’s passage tells us that over time people will either start to follow Jesus or to oppose Him.
     Jesus concludes His discussion of casting out evil spirits by telling us that when an evil spirit is cast out, it will wander through desolate areas. It will then return to the person it had left and find them “swept and in order”. It will get seven other spirits even more wicked than itself and together they will reenter the person. The end result will be that the person is worse off than before. My father used to say that the point of this passage was that it was not enough for the person to have evil spirits cast out. If they were not filled with the Holy Spirit in the place of the demons, the demons would return and possess them once more. I believe that my father was correct in his interpretation.
     Jesus then addresses the issue of those demanding a sign from heaven. He tells them that the only sign they will receive will be the sign of Jonah. That just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so Jesus would be a sign to His own generation (and those that followed). There has been a relatively recent archeological discovery which suggests that the idea that the Messiah would die and rise after three days was present in first century Jewish thought. If such is the case, it would mean that Jesus’ audience knew exactly what He was saying here. He went on to tell them that on the day of judgment the men of Nineveh would condemn the current generation because the men of Nineveh listened to Jonah and repented, but the current generation did not listen to the One who was greater than Jonah.

Psalm 77:1-20

The psalmist in today’s psalm is distressed because he has experienced trouble and has not heard an answer from God. When he become convinced that God had turned His back on him, the psalmist remembered all of God’s great deeds in the past. By looking back over all the things which God had done in the past, his hope was restored. He knew that God would act when the time was right. I am glad that I am reading this psalm today after reading Jesus’ teaching on prayer yesterday. The two go together. Jesus told us to be persistent in our prayers. This psalm tells us to remember what God has done in the past when He does not seem to be answering our prayers today. When I look over my life I can remember times when I was desperate for change in my life and cried out to God. He did not answer at once, but when He did answer, His plan proved to be wonderful.
This psalm today, coupled with yesterday;s passage from Luke with its emphasis on persistence in our prayers, reminds me that God is faithful and will answer my prayers in His time according to His plans. Those answers when they come will be better than anything I could have imagined when I was praying. I will not lose faith that God will answer my prayers because I remember the great things He has done in the past.

Proverbs 12:18

Today’s proverb hits home to me. There have been times when I have reveled in my ability to make stinging remarks that generated a laugh. I am not going to say that there is never a place for such exchanges. However, this proverb reminds me of something that I have recently been trying to work on. That is the quick quip which builds up the target rather than tearing them down. I have discovered that if I try I can get just as good of a laugh by cleverly worded quips about the positive aspects of a person as I can from quips which tear them down. It is harder to do, but much more satisfying. All too often I have been lazy and gone for the easy, cheap, negative laugh. I will strive going forward to do the extra work to make the quips which build others up and let them know that I think well of them.

Daily Bible Study

April 4, 2013 Bible Study — The Lord’s Prayer

April 3, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Deuteronomy 26-27:26

Moses instructed the children of Israel that every year they were to bring some of the first produce from each crop and present it to the Lord as a gift offering. As part of the offering ceremony they were to recount what God had done for them as a people. Every third year they were to give a special tithe offering to the Levites, foreigners, widows and orphans among them.
Moses called on them to remember the laws which he told them and to obey all that God had commanded them. When they crossed over into the land, they were to set up an altar on Mount Ebal and offer sacrifices to God there. After they had done that, some of the tribes were to go up on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people of Israel. At the same time, other tribes were to go up on Mount Ebal and declare a curse over the people of Israel. Moses gave them a list of actions to declare would lead to being cursed. The list was such things as:

Cursed be anyone who dishonors father or mother
Cursed is anyone who leads a blind person astray on the road.
Cursed is anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans, or widows.
Cursed is anyone who accepts payment to kill an innocent person.

There were more, but the above list is a good example of the curses which Moses declared should be agreed to by the people of Israel.

Luke 10:38-11:13

When Jesus entered the town that Martha lived in on His way to Jerusalem, she invited Him into her home. Her sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening to what He had to say. Martha however was distracted by the preparations that needed to be made. She came to Jesus and asked Him to tell Mary to help her with the work. Jesus answered her that she was worried about many things, but there is only one thing that needs to be worried about and Mary had chosen that. Jesus finished by telling Martha that what Mary had chosen would not be taken from her. Martha was too busy with the preparations to spend time with her guests, Mary was too busy visiting with their guests to work on the preparations. There are several different ways to interpret this passage, but today I see it as emphasizing that it is more important to spend time with people than it is to make sure that all the details are “right”.
Luke tells us that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus gave them the sample prayer we call the Lord’s Prayer. For this I prefer the NIV:

“Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

Psalm 76:1-12

God is a mighty God, let us honor His name. No one can stand against Him, those who defy Him just bring glory to His name. God will judge those who do evil and rescue the oppressed. He will break the pride of the rulers of this earth. I will sing praises to God and vow to follow His ways.

Proverbs 12:15-17

It is foolish to think that you are the only one who knows the right answer to a problem. Listen to what others think and change your mind when they say things that will help you make better decisions. Those who are foolish rapidly get angry at perceived insults, while the wise stay calm and listen to what is said to see what they can do to make things better. Those who tell the truth almost always tell the truth, once people have caught you in a lie they will not trust anything you say ever again.

Daily Bible Study

April 3, 2013 Bible Study — The Good Samaritan

April 2, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Deuteronomy 23-25:19

Today’s passage is a series of miscellaneous laws for the Israelites to follow as they live in the land that God promised them. Laws against charging interest on loans and regulating what can be taken as security against a loan. Laws against taking advantage of poor and destitute laborers. Laws about marriage and divorce. Laws against prostitution. Laws requiring that justice be given to foreigners living among them and to orphans. Laws requiring honest scales and accurate measures. All in all a list of laws designed to build a just and honest society. Some of them seem a bit strange, but most of them make sense when you understand the nature of the culture among which the Israelites lived.

Luke 10:13-37

     Today Jesus finishes commissioning the seventy-two disciples He sent out to preach. He condemns three cities in which He preached for their lack of receptiveness to His message. Jesus tells the seventy-two (and us, I believe) that anyone who listens to them, listens to Him and anyone who rejects them, rejects Him. And anyone who rejects Him, rejects God. When the seventy-two returned they were excited because even evil spirits submitted to them in Jesus name. Jesus responds that He saw Satan fall from heaven and that He had given them authority over all the power of the enemy. However, they should not rejoice in their power, but in the fact that their names are written in heaven. Jesus then prayed a prayer of thanksgiving. He thanked God for concealing His plans from those the world thinks wise and clever, from those who think they have it all figured out, and instead revealing it to those who had a childlike faith.
     I think there are some important things to pay attention to in this passage. The first is that when it comes to spiritual warfare against the powers of Satan, Jesus has given us authority over Satan and those spirits which serve him. We do not have power over them in our own right, but we have the authority to command them in the name of Jesus. There is nothing complicated about it or requiring special knowledge. All that is required is faith in Jesus and in God. Those spirits will attempt to threaten us and intimidate us, but all we need to do is ignore their threats and call upon the name of Jesus and they have no power over us, nor any ability to enter into our lives. Another important point in this passage is that we should not get caught up in thinking ourselves wise and clever. God works through the simple-minded and those with childlike faith. Whenever I think about this I think about the man born blind whom Jesus healed. When the wise religious leaders belittled him for his faith in Jesus he replied, “I don’t know whether he is a sinner. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” I know this, I was blind and now I can see. That will ever be my response to those who tell me that they are too clever to believe in Jesus. There is one other point I want to make. Whenever I start to think that I am wise or clever, I remember this passage and what Jesus says about God’s plan being concealed from those who think they are wise and clever. Then I begin to wonder if I really want to be wise and clever or if I would rather see what God’s plan for me is?
     Luke then tells us of the religious expert who one day asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied by asking him how he interpreted the law of Moses on this. The man replied that it said he must love the Lord God with all of his being and his neighbor as himself. To which Jesus said, “Exactly, do that and you will live.” The man then asked Jesus, “But who is my neighbor?” The man was looking for the limits on who he had to love as himself. Jesus then told the story of the good Samaritan. In the story a priest and a religious acolyte passed the injured man by without helping, but a Samaritan, a member of a group that was noted by the Jews of the day for failing to live up to the law, went out of his way to help the man. With this story, Jesus told us it was more important to care for those in need then it was to be counted by society as among the righteous.

Psalm 75:1-10

Yesterday’s psalm called on God to rise up against those who have chosen to be His enemies and oppress those who serve Him. Today’s psalm tells us that God will do so at the time that He has planned. It is God who judges. God lifts up one for honor and brings another low in humiliation. He has prepared a cup of judgment which He will force the wicked to drink to its very dregs. I will praise the name of the Lord because He will bring judgment against those who do evil by bringing harm to those over whom they have power.

Proverbs 12:12-14

The proverb tells us that thieves are desirous of obtaining the wealth of other thieves while the godly strive to acquire their own wealth through their own hard work. This tells us a lot about both ourselves and others. Do we expect to meet our needs and desires through our own hard work or do we expect to do so through goods that others have produced?
The wicked are trapped by the lies that they tell while the righteous never need to worry about what they said, since they told the truth. Speaking wisdom brings many benefits and hard work brings about reward.

Daily Bible Study

April 2, 2013 Bible Study — Working In God’s Harvest

April 1, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Deuteronomy 21-22:30

     Moses tells the children of Israel that if someone is discovered murdered and no one knows who committed the murder, the elders of the nearest town must offer a sacrifice and vow that they did not kill the person, nor do they know who did. When a murder happens and the leaders of the nearest town are unable to find the murderer it is not enough for them to just say, “Oh, we do not know who killed him,” and move one. They must take an oath before God that they did not do it and that they do not know who did it.
     Moses instructs the children of Israel to provide assistance to parents in disciplining their children. Admittedly that assistance is harsh, if parents bring their son before the elders and testify that he will not listen to them and is rebellious, the men of the town are to stone the son to death. This seems very harsh, but think about the stories we occasionally hear of parents who were afraid of their teenage son (or daughter). I believe that is the sort of situation we are talking about here, where parents are afraid of violence from their mostly grown son.
     Moses goes on to offer miscellaneous other regulations, including helping your neighbor if his animals get out and taking basic precautions to prevent people from accidentally getting hurt (putting a railing around the edge of a flat roof so people don’t fall off). Finally the passage ends with rules regarding marriage and sexual purity. It provides guidelines for distinguishing between rape and consensual adultery (in either case, the man is to be killed, while the woman is only to be killed in the latter case).

Luke 9:51-10:12

     As Jesus began His final trip to Jerusalem before His crucifixion He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for His arrival. However, the people of the village did not extend a welcome to Jesus because He was on His way to Jerusalem. James and John asked Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven on the village. Jesus rebuked them for proposing that and merely chose to go to a different village.
     As they were walking a man came up to Jesus and said that he would follow Him. Jesus replied that wild animals have specific places where they rest, but that He could offer no such shelter. Jesus asked another man to follow Him. This man replied that he would follow Jesus after his father died. A third man wanted to say goodbye to his family first. Jesus tells the second two that they need to put the kingdom of God first in their lives.
     Jesus then sent out seventy-two of His disciples to preach the kingdom of God. They are to go out and heal the sick and preach His message. They are to rely on God’s provision during this ministry and accept the shelter and food those of good nature offer them. Luke here records an instruction from Jesus that even today we should follow. “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Are we willing to be workers in God’s harvest? There is a mighty harvest ready for faithful workers, where is God sending me for the harvest?

White and purple crocus blooms next to a daffodil

Psalm 74:1-23

Today’s psalm expresses faith that God will act to defeat His enemies and those who oppress His people. Those who are God’s enemies have persecuted His people and God has not acted, but when the time is right, God will burst forth against those who have chosen to attack His name and His people. This is not the first time when God has chosen to withhold miraculous signs from His people and we cannot know how long God will allow His enemies to appear to prosper. Fools have reviled God’s name in the past and mocked those who call on His name. The God who split the sea and owns both day and night will rise up and defend His cause. The day will come when God will exercise His power once more and rescue those who call on His name.

Another shot of white and purple crocus blooms next to a daffodil

Proverbs 12:11

Those who work hard will have plenty of food, but someone who chases after fantasies has no sense.

Daily Bible Study

April 1, 2013 Bible Study — Whoever Is Not Against You Is For You

March 31, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Deuteronomy 18-20:20

     Moses reminds the children of Israel that the tribe of Levi would not receive an allotment of land, that they would live on the offerings given to the Lord. He tells them to consider that fact in their offerings. Moses goes on to tell the children of Israel that they must not imitate the detestable practices of the people living in the land they are about to occupy. He details some of those detestable practices: sacrificing their children, divination, sorcery, casting spells, consulting the dead.
     Moses goes on to tell them that the Lord will raise up prophets to speak to them on His behalf and that the children of Israel should listen to such prophets. However, any prophet who presumes to speak on the Lord’s behalf whom the Lord has not commanded to do so, or who speaks on behalf of some other god, is to be put to death. Moses then tells them how to tell if a prophet is sent by God or not. If what the prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place, God has not sent them.
     Then Moses describes once more the cities of refuge that the children of Israel were to designate. They were to be places where someone could flee for safety if they unintentionally killed someone. However, these cities were not to offer protection to those who purposely killed someone. Moses sets up a standard of justice. No one is to be convicted of any crime on the testimony of a single witness, the matter must be established by the testimony of at least two or three witnesses in order to convict someone of a crime. Further if someone falsely accuses someone of a crime, if the judges prove the accuser to be a liar, the accuser shall be subject to the punishment for the crime of which they falsely accused another.
     Moses told the Israelites not to worry about the strength of their enemies armies when they go to war because God would be with them. When they prepare for battle, a priest is to come and address the army, giving it God’s blessing before the battle. After the priest has addressed the army, the officers are to send home anyone who has just built a new house or planted a new vineyard or become engaged, or for that matter is just afraid. Moses goes on to give further instructions on how they are to conduct wars.

Luke 9:28-50

     About eight days after explaining to the disciples that He had to die and be raised after three days, Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him up a mountain to pray. While Jesus was praying, His face changed and His clothing became brilliant like a lightning bolt. Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus. Peter, James and John were sleeping when this began. They woke up to see Jesus in His full glory. Peter suggested that they build shelters for the three (Jesus, Moses and Elijah). While Peter was making this suggestion, a cloud descended and covered them and a voice came out of the cloud telling them to listen to Jesus. When the cloud lifted Jesus was alone with the three disciples.
     When Jesus came down from the mountain a father greeted Him with a request to heal his son. The father had brought his son to Jesus’ disciples but they had been unable to heal him. Jesus told the father to bring his son to Him. As the father was doing so, the demon threw the boy to the ground in a convulsion. Jesus rebuked the spirit and healed the boy, returning him to his father. The witnesses were amazed and praised God.
     While the crowd was “oohing and ahing” over the boy, Jesus once more told His disciples that He would be killed. The disciples did not understand what He was saying at the time. Meanwhile the disciples began arguing over which of them would be the greatest. Jesus responded to their argument by placing a child before them and telling them that whoever welcomed a child in His name welcomed Him. Jesus went on to tell them that the least among them was the greatest. John then told Jesus that they had seen someone casting out demons in His name and that they tried to stop him because he was not one of them. Jesus replied that they should not attempt to stop such people because whoever is not against them is for them.

Psalm 73:1-28

The psalmist cries out that God is good to those who are pure in heart. Then he confesses that he almost allowed himself to be seduced away from God. He had become envious of the wicked and arrogant. He saw them living what appeared to be lives of ease. It appeared to him that it was a waste of time remaining faithful to God, that those who despised God and His commands lived a better life. He was tempted to proclaim this, but he kept silent and tried to understand. He made no progress until he entered into God’s presence to worship Him. Then he saw how their lives are truly empty and meaningless. The lives of the wicked will end in despair. In time our life on this earth will end, then only those who are sustained by God will find new life and the strength to continue.

Crocus blooms at ground level — Crcous blooms at ground level

Proverbs 12:10

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, even when the wicked attempt to be kind, they are cruel. Those who take pleasure from the discomfort of other beings are inevitably evil. Those who are righteous are made unhappy when any thing suffers, even if it is a mere animal.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2013 Bible Study — With Authority Comes Responsibility

March 30, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Deuteronomy 16-17:20

     Moses repeated here the instructions for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest and the Festival of Shelters. He emphasizes that these must be celebrated at the central location that God shall designate in the new land the people of Israel were about to settle. These were designed to be festivals that would bring the people together and remind them that they were one people, worshiping one God.
     Moses went on to stress the importance of equal and fair justice for all people in the new land. They were to set up judges throughout the land to judge violations of the land and to hand down sentences for those who did wrong. Those cases that were too difficult for the local judges were to be taken to the central place that God had chosen and be decided by the priests or the judge on duty there whom God had designated. The judges were to never accept bribes or twist their judgement to favor one person over another. No one was to be sentenced to death on the testimony of only one witness. When a decision is reached by the judges at the central location it is to be carried out anyone who rebels against such rulings is to be put to death.
     Moses told the Israelites that eventually they would select a king for themselves. He gave them rules that such a king was to follow when that eventuality came to pass. The king was to be a fellow Israelite and not a foreigner. The king was not to build up a large stable of horses for himself, nor to take a large number of wives. nor should he accumulate a large amount of wealth for himself. All of these things were likely to turn the king’s heart away from God. The king was to make a copy of Moses instructions for himself and keep them with him at all times, reading them daily. The king was to keep and follow the instructions of God. If the king follows this instruction to daily read God’s commands, it will keep him from becoming proud and acting as if he was better than his countrymen. It will also act as a preventive to falling away from service to God.
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Luke 9:7-27

     When Herod heard about Jesus’ teaching, he became somewhat confused because he had beheaded John the Baptist. This suggests that the “buzz” about Jesus was a continuation of the “buzz” regarding John the Baptist. This is actually something of fair significance. We know from historical records that there were many messianic figures which arose around this time. However, these various messianic figures were mostly movements around an individual who rose up and gathered a following. When the individual died or was otherwise removed from leading the movement, the movement just sort of fizzled out. Here (and at several other places) we have something that suggests that John the Baptist was part of a larger movement which culminated in Jesus’ ministry.
     About this time, the Twelve returned from the preaching tour that Jesus had sent them on and Jesus attempted to quietly slip away with them in order to “debrief” them. However, the crowds figured out where He was going and followed Him there. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, healing the sick among them. Late in the afternoon, the Twelve came to Jesus and suggested that He send the crowds away to get food and find lodging. Jesus told them to feed the crowd. The Twelve told Him that they had only five loaves of bread and two fish, asking Him if He expected them to go buy food for everybody. Jesus responded by telling them to have the people sit in groups of about fifty each. Once they had done so, Jesus took the bread and the fish, gave thanks over them and broke them into pieces. He gave the pieces to the disciples to distribute to the people. Everyone ate and was satisfied. Afterwards the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of leftovers.
     Shortly after this when Jesus had the disciples gathered somewhere in private, He asked them who the people thought that He was. They answered that some thought He was John the Baptist, while others thought He was some prophet of old. Jesus then asked them who they thought He was? Peter replied that He was the Messiah. Jesus instructed the disciples that they were not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah. Jesus went on to explain to the disciples that He would be killed and rise again on the third day. I recently came across a blog post about an archeological artifact called the “Gabriel Tablet”. Some scholars have interpreted the writing on this tablet from approximately 4 B.C. (the year Jesus was probably born) as saying that the messianic individual referred to on the tablet would die and rise again after three days. The blog writer seemed to think the idea that other Jews in the First Century thought the Messiah would die and rise again after three days was revolutionary. It has been a long time since I believed that Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament were revolutionary. Repeatedly the Gospel writers tell us that people were surprised, not by Jesus’ teachings, but by the fact that He did not rely on some other authority to support what He taught. Jesus’ authority was not some other, previous teacher, but the Scripture, His understanding of it and the Holy Spirit.
     After telling His disciples that He would die and rise again in three days, Jesus told them that they must be willing to suffer in order to follow Him. We must be willing to suffer the same fate that He did. We must not be ashamed of Jesus and His words, but be willing to proclaim them before all, facing whatever consequences come from doing that. If we are willing to do that, Jesus promises that He will stand by us before the Father.

Isn't Spring Grand? — Isn’t Spring Grand?

Psalm 72

Today’s psalm is a prayer for those who are given authority over others. Such a person must have God’s love of justice. They need to judge people according to God’s standard and treat the poor fairly. Those with authority must defend the poor and rescue the children of the needy. If those who are given authority over others fear the Lord both by day and by night, God will grant them prosperity and blessings. They in turn must use the authority they have been given to rescue the poor and defend the oppressed. If they do not do these things, God will do so Himself by raising someone up in their place.

Proverbs 12:8-9

Those who keep their thoughts sensible will be admired by others, those whose thoughts are warped and perverse will be despised. It is better to be nobody in particular and have resources to meet all of your needs, than to present oneself as somebody special and spend oneself into poverty.

Daily Bible Study

March 30, 2013 Bible Study — Jesus Raises Jairus’ Daughter

March 29, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Deuteronomy 13-15:23

Moses gives the children of Israel clear instructions not to tolerate anyone who advocates the worship of other gods. No matter what the person or groups credentials, the children of Israel are to completely eliminate from their midst any individual or group which does so. Moses then goes on to describe what animals are acceptable as food. This is followed by instructions to give a tithe of their harvest to the Lord.
Moses gave them instructions to care for the poor and unfortunate among them. He tells them to cancel all debts every seven years and to release all Hebrew slaves. Not only were they to release their slaves in the seventh year, but they were to give them a generous farewell gift to allow them to start their life of freedom without poverty. As part of these instructions, the children of Israel were instructed to care for the poor. Note that despite all the laws regarding the establishment of government in the new land, the care for the poor was a duty that fell on each individual.

Luke 8:40-9:6

When Jesus returned to the other side of the lake a crowd was waiting for Him. A synagogue leader named Jairus came to Jesus and fell at His feet, begging Him to come to his house because his daughter was dying. As Jesus was on His way the crowd pressed in around Him. A woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and unable to obtain any healing approached Jesus and touched His cloak. She was immediately healed. Jesus stopped and asked who had touched Him. Everyone around Him denied doing so and Peter pointed out that the crowd was pressing in around Him. Jesus told them that He knew that power had gone out from Him. The woman then came forward and confessed what she had done and that she had been healed. Jesus told her that her faith had made her well and to go in peace. Do I have the faith to believe that just touching the hem of His cloak will fix my problems? Do I recognize that the solution to my problems is to get closer to Jesus?
By the time the incident with the woman was over someone came from Jairus house and told him that his daughter had died, he should stop bothering the teacher. Jesus told Jairus to have faith and his daughter would be healed. Jesus continued to Jairus house and when He got there He allowed only the girl’s parents and Peter, James and John to go in with Him. Jesus told the mourners to stop wailing because she was not dead, merely asleep. The mourners laughed at Him because they knew she had died. Jesus took her hand anyway and told her to get up, which she did. He gave her into her parent’s care and told them to give her some food. Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone what happened. Are we willing to do what God asks of us even when “everyone knows” it won’t work? How often have I missed God’s blessing because I “knew” it couldn’t happen? O Lord, give me the same faith as the bleeding woman and Jairus.

Psalm 71:1-24

Another wonderful psalm. I somewhat prefer the NIV translation here because the NIV is clearer that the psalmist has absolute confidence that God will come to his aid and is praising God for that aid. The NLT comes across more as a plea for God’s aid than a song of praise for the aid that will come. I, like the psalmist, learned reliance on God from my youngest days. God blessed me with a Mother and Father who taught me His ways. I know that I have failed to be the sign of His goodness to those around me that I should have been, but I strive before God to continue to my final days proclaiming His works of righteousness.

As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
Let me proclaim God’s miraculous deeds to all who come after me.

Proverbs 12:5-7

Do you wish to determine if you are godly or wicked? The way to know is to look at your plans, if your plans are just and fair than you know that you are living a godly life. On the other hand, if your advice to others is deceitful and misleading, you can know that you are living a wicked life. The point of today’s proverbs are not about looking at others, but at looking at oneself.

Fact and Fantasy

Tag Archives: read the Bible in a year Bible study

April 8, 2013 Bible Study — Which Side Are We On?

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April 7, 2013 Bible Study –Seek the Kingdom of God Above All Else

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April 6, 2013 Bible Study — God’s Will Is Not Too Difficult For Us To Understand

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April 5, 2013 Bible Study — Whoever Is Not With Me Is Against Me

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April 4, 2013 Bible Study — The Lord’s Prayer

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April 3, 2013 Bible Study — The Good Samaritan

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April 2, 2013 Bible Study — Working In God’s Harvest

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April 1, 2013 Bible Study — Whoever Is Not Against You Is For You

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March 31, 2013 Bible Study — With Authority Comes Responsibility

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March 30, 2013 Bible Study — Jesus Raises Jairus’ Daughter

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