For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Those who plot evil have already made a mistake and it will only get worse from there. Those who plan to do good receive love and kindness (this is not just a matter of having good intentions, but making actual thought-out plans). It is hard work that leads to success and profit, talking about what you are going to do accomplishes nothing.

    The psalmist continues today on expounding on how we can see God’s glory and power in the world around us. What more is there to say than this:

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,

John 3:22-4:3

    For a period of time, John the Baptist and Jesus were both preaching and baptizing in the Judean countryside. Apparently a Jew used the example of what Jesus was doing to make a point in an argument with some of John’s disciples. They went to John to complain that Jesus was taking followers away from John and his teaching. John told them that this was the way it should be. John says something here that each of us should echo when it comes to Jesus. We must become less and less so that He can become greater and greater. Let us strive so that everything we do turns attention not to ourselves, but to Jesus.

Judges 19-20:48

    This is a fairly horrific story. There is an interesting point that comes up in several different ways in this story. The Levite passed by and traveled later into the day to avoid staying among strangers. He chose instead to stay among those who he thought were more like himself and thus safer to stay with. The people of that town betrayed that common bond and committed a heinous crime. When the rest of the people of Israel heard of this atrocity, they sent word to the tribe of Benjamin requesting that they surrender the men of this town for justice. Rather than bringing their close kinsmen to justice for their crime against more distant kinsmen, they came to their defense. The end result of their decision to fight against their kinsmen being brought to justice was tragedy for the entire tribe of Benjamin. Similar things happen in the world today when people come to the defense of those undeserving of such defense because of some tenuous claim of kinship. When a group of people stands up to prevent justice being served on those who have acted wickedly, things will not end well.

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For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    I always read this proverb as saying that no one wants to be friends with the poor, but everyone wants to be friends with the wealthy. The second verse today is an important follow up. It tells us that it is a sin to despise our neighbors, even if they are poor. Blessings come to those who are kind to the poor and help the needy.

    If we look at the world around us, we will discover that God is truly great. I cannot hope to improve on the psalmist’s words here. I read this psalm and it reminds me both of the beauty and power of nature, which God created. I will praise the Lord.

    When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he had trouble understanding what Jesus was saying to him. We received physical life from our mothers, but the only way to receive spiritual life is for the Holy Spirit to enter into us. We cannot explain how it works, that is why we see some sinners struck down like Saul on the road to Damascus, while others continue without such intervention. Jesus goes on to discuss how those who do right do not attempt to hide what they are doing from others, instead they choose to do their work in the open and full light of day where anyone can see that they are doing what is right. On the other hand, those who do evil seek to hide in the shadows and avoid the light so that others cannot see what they are doing. Do I seek light to do my work, or do I try to hide my actions from others? Am I afraid to let others see what I am doing?

    This story takes place a long time after Joshua, yet the tribe of Dan had not yet settled into the area allotted to them. It starts out by telling us about a man named Micah who lived in the hill country of Ephraim, although the passage does not tell us whether or not he belonged to the tribe of Ephraim. Micah stole a large number of coins from his mother. When she cursed the person who had stolen the money he returned it to her. She took the money and had an idol made for her son (I truly do not understand her motivation here). Micah set the idol up in his own house and began to worship it, going so far as to recruit a member of the tribe of Levi to be his priest. Micah was sure that now that he had his own god with a Levite priest that he would be blessed. After a short time, a group of men from Dan came and took the idol from him, convincing the Levite to go with them and be their priest. Micah was devastated by his loss.
    Micah experienced what everyone who gives their allegiance to something other than the true God. That something will be taken from them and they will be left with nothing. Is there something I am setting up in place of God?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    If you are easily angered, you will do foolish things. If you spend your time scheming, people will hate you. If you insist on taking a simplistic view of the world, your opinion on everything will be foolish. If you want to make prudent decisions you will take the time to gather knowledge before you form an opinion.
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    This psalm fills me with joy and challenges me to put more focus on praising the Lord. Let all that I am praise the Lord! The Lord is compassionate and merciful. I cannot improve on the words of the psalmist. The love of the Lord remains forever. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

    I love the story of Jesus turning water into wine for the wedding in Cana. It completely subverts the idea that Christians are all supposed to be teetotalers. Another interesting thing about the first miracle which Jesus performed is that only the servants, his disciples, and his mother knew what He had done. None of the “important” people at the wedding were aware of what Jesus did. Something else that I wonder about is, how did Mary know that Jesus could do something about the wine running our?
    Unlike the other Gospels, John tells the story about clearing the Temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (the others tell such a story in the week before His crucifixion). Some have suggested that Jesus performed this act twice. That is certainly possible, but I do not hold an opinion one way or the other. The element of this passage which sticks with me today is Jesus’ emphatic statement that we should not turn our places of worship into marketplaces. When we come together for worship we should focus on worship. We need to be very careful about any economic exchanges we conduct there.

    Samson continued to show poor judgement in the women he chose to associate with. He continued to spend time with Delilah, even after she had twice attempted to take advantage of what he told her was the secret of his strength. However, the story of Samson’s death is a reminder of what happens to those who believe that they have achieved success through a god other than the true God. The Philistines brought Samson out as part of their celebration of the greatness of their god Dagon. They praised Dagon for giving them victory over Samson. So, when Samson called on God, God answered. God demonstrated that He has the final say.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The simple believe what they are told, but the wise investigate its truth before acting upon it. It is foolish to react angrily to rumour without confirming its truth. It is important to confirm the facts of a case before deciding what one believes about it and taking action.

    I try to avoid applying the Bible to modern politics because I believe God calls us to dedicate our allegiance to the Kingdom of God, not to earthly nations. However, today as I read this psalm I was struck that it was a plea for God come to the defense of Jerusalem. As I read it, I feel led to pray that God come to the defense of the land of Israel. I pray that He send His Holy Spirit upon the people living there and call them to follow Him faithfully. I further pray that He demonstrate His power upon this earth by coming to the defense of that land so that the peoples of this world will go to Jerusalem to worship Him. Let all of this happen so as to bring glory to the name of God.

    When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to two of his disciples as the Lamb of God, they went to Jesus and asked where He was staying. Jesus replied, “Come and see.” Later, Philip went to Nathaniel and told him about Jesus. Nathaniel was skeptical. Philip did not attempt to convince him, he just said, “Come and see.” Following Jesus is not an intellectual exercise. It is something that you need to experience to understand. When we attempt to reach others for Christ, let us remember this. Rather than try to convince their intellect, hoping their heart will follow, let us invite them to experience what it means to follow Christ. Let us call out to those around us, “Come and see.” Do not take my word for what it is like to follow Jesus, come and see for yourself.

    I was struck by the similarity between the instructions given to Samson’s mother when she was told that she would give birth and the advice given today to pregnant women (especially those who have had trouble carrying a child to term). She was told to avoid alcohol and watch her diet carefully (avoid foods forbidden under Jewish law).
    Something that strikes me every time I read this passage is that Samson never learned use good judgement in his relationships with women. I fault Samson’s parents for this, for not directing his interests towards women who would be good for him. I will use an example of someone I know. When he got out of high school, he got involved with people who were a bad influence on him (the bad influence went both ways in his case). When his father realized what types of women he was getting involved with, he found a way to direct his interest elsewhere. The father did not do it by telling him he needed to stay away from his friends. Rather his father convinced him to pursue an interest in a different area, where he would just so happen to meet women more likely to be a good influence on him. The funny thing is that while she influenced him to turn away from moving in a bad direction, he did the same for her.
    The passage tells us that God used Samson’s poor judgement when it came to women, but how much better would things have been if Samson’s father had turned his interest towards a woman who would have been good for him? God will use our flaws for his glory, but that does not mean he could not use us even better if we avoided those mistakes.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    This proverb reminds us to remember that just because someone is laughing and appears to be enjoying themselves, it does not mean that their grief is gone. It takes time to work through grief, there are no shortcuts. Continue to offer support to those who have experienced grief, even if they seem to be handling it well.
    Those who fail to be faithful will receive their just reward, as will those who are good. Choose your actions accordingly.

    I love this psalm because it both lifts me up with joy when I read it and it gives great advice for living a godly life.

• Live a blameless life–something I can only do if God helps me
• Live a life of integrity–even when in the privacy of my own home
• Refuse to look at anything vile or vulgar
• Have nothing to do with those who deal crookedly, who do not keep faith
• Reject perverse ideas and stay away from all evil
• Refuse to tolerate those who slander others
• Spend time with faithful people, hire only those who are above reproach
• Do not hire those who deceive or spend time with liars

Yes, I will sing of God’s love and justice as I beg Him to help me live according to this list.

    The comparison John makes here to God as a source of light reminds me of the comparison of good and evil to light and dark. Neither dark nor evil are things in and of themselves. They are the absence of something else. Dark is the absence of light and evil is the absence of good. As I think about it in this context, I like the alternate translation of verse five, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it.” As the author goes further with this metaphor, I love how he points out that John was not the source of light. Rather John pointed people towards the light. In the same way, we need to point people towards the source of light. Let us reflect the light of God in our lives so that others will wish to experience it first hand. Whatever about me is good is but a poor reflection of the goodness which is God. Let us polish, and clean, our mirrors so that they become ever better reflections of God’s goodness. But let us not be afraid to risk getting dirty, if that is what it takes to reflect God’s light into nooks and crannies.

    Jepthah’s half-brothers drove him out, apparently with the approval of the community leaders. Yet when trouble arose and they needed his skills, those same community leaders begged him to come back and rescue them. Despite what they had done to him, Jepthah returned and led the people in defeating their attacker. This story does not tell us about a great man of God who led God’s people to victory. Rather it tells us about a flawed man who was used by God to protect a people who were themselves flawed. Let us recognize that God will make use of us despite our flaws.