Everyone wants to be friends with people who have wealth, while those same people avoid those who are poor. Are we willing to make the effort to break this rule? >br?
When God has delivered us from troubles, or saved us from harm, do we publicly praise Him? Or do we just go about our lives as if His salvation was our just due? Let us never forget that the wicked are trapped by their own actions. It is only by the grace of God that we do not join them. Let us praise Him and rejoice when we see His justice served around us. Even more so let us celebrate when He shows us His mercy.
Paul starts by summarizing the Gospel he preaches:
God promised it through the prophets (we can read what they wrote about it)
Jesus was biologically a descendant of David
The Holy Spirit used its power to declare Jesus the Son of God by raising Him from the dead
From there Paul goes on to describe his calling and the purpose for preaching the Gospel. Paul invited/enjoined/requested those who had no real understanding of God to a faith in Him which led to obedience to Him. I think this is a something we all to often forget. The purpose of preaching the Gospel is to convince people to have faith which leads to obedience. It is not just to get people to affirm that Jesus is the Son of God. We preach the Gospel (or at least, I do) in order to convince people to act upon that belief.
Paul wanted to go to Rome so that he could, in some way, help them become stronger in their faith, so that he could help them become better Christians. However, he recognized that this goes both ways. I cannot help you be a better Christian unless I am open to you helping me become a better Christian. If we think that we are so much better than another that God cannot use them to strengthen us than we badly overestimate our faithfulness to God.
It is interesting that this passage suggests that some men defected from Saul’s army to join with David when they thought David was about to join the Philistines in attacking Saul. The Philistines refused to allow David and his men join them in the battle against Saul. However, after the battle many other warriors from various tribes joined David with the intention of making him king over Israel in place of Saul’s remaining son. I am convinced that the fact that David did not take part in the battle where Saul died contributed mightily to his strength as king.
The description of what happened when David first attempted to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem tells us something about how God works. David had the Ark put on a cart to transport it. When someone reached out to steady the Ark, they were struck dead. Two generations earlier, the Philistines had returned the Ark to Israel in a similar fashion and nothing bad happened. In some ways these two stories show us that God holds those of us who should know better to a higher standard than those who have never heard His commands.
In Exodus, God had given the Israelites instructions on how to transport the Ark. The Philistines had never heard those instructions, but David and his men should have been aware of them.
Those who lie and bear false witness against others will suffer for their actions. They may seem to get away with it for a time, but they will not be able to avoid the consequences forever.
The wicked may plan and plot to trap others into doing their will, but they will fall into traps of their own making. We can be confident of God’s justice. He will ensure that the wicked suffer the fate which they deserve. Let us beg God to have mercy on us, otherwise we will suffer the fates which our sins deserve. When God shows us His mercy, let us shout His praises for all to hear.
Paul wrote the letter to the believers in Rome to introduce himself and what he taught about Jesus to them. He starts out by describing the goal of his teaching. His goal was that those who heard him would believe and obey God. He taught that once one believed the message he taught one would act upon it in order to bring glory to God’s name. As he does elsewhere, Paul begins this letter by telling us that while our actions do not bring us righteousness, the righteousness we receive through our faith will determine our actions. What we believe determines what we do. If we truly believe the Gospel message we will act accordingly.
There is another thing which strikes me every time I read this passage. It is something which every one who attempts to teach others about Christ should bear in mind. Paul says that he desires to visit the believers in Rome to teach them and encourage their faith. But he also wanted to be taught by them. He did not intend to go to Rome solely so that he could impart to them his own wisdom, he recognized that the believers in Rome had things to teach him as well. If and when we find ourselves called to be teachers we need to humbly recognize that those we are teaching know something that we need to learn as well.
This passage tells us something about how David became such a successful leader and king of Israel. First, he did not impose himself upon the people of Israel as their leader. Rather the people of Israel acclaimed David as their king. The warriors and leaders of warriors came to David and offered him their support. But it was not just the military men who supported David. People in other walks of life brought food and supplies to David and his men to acknowledge and celebrate his leadership of the nation. David was acclaimed the leader of the people of Israel by people from all walks of life.
The second thing this passage tells us is that David used his position of leadership to call the people to faithfulness to God. When the people had made him king, one of his first acts was to bring the Ark of the Covenant to his capital in order to make the worship of God a central part of the nation. The people followed David in his worship of God. A good leader needs the people to choose to follow him. Then he needs to lead them to follow God.
The final thing this passage tells us about David’s leadership was that he planned his actions based on guidance from God. He did not insist on repeating the strategies that had worked for him in the past. Rather he listened to God’s guidance and modified his strategies based on circumstances and the direction which God gave him. Let us not get stuck in the rut of doing only that which worked for us in the past. When God calls us to try new things, let us be ready to do so.
I am trying something different today. Sometimes when I read a passage, it speaks to me directly. Other times, it speaks to me in context of summarizing what the passage says. Sometimes it does a little of both. Today, I am going to try separating out my commentary on the passage from my summary of the passage. I will see how this works out and may try variations on it as time goes by.
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 passage starts out by telling us of a group of warriors who defected from the Israelite army to join David as he marched with the Philistines before Saul’s final battle. This is something I had never noticed before. It suggests that Saul may have been alienating the people he ruled over, causing those who had options to go into opposition to him. David and those with him ended up not fighting against Saul because the Philistine commanders were afraid that they would switch sides in the middle of the battle. After Saul’s death more and more warriors joined David increasing his might until all of Israel made him their king.
David decided to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem from where it had been kept since its return after its capture by the Philistines. He had it placed on a cart that was guided by two of the sons of the man whose house the Ark had been kept at up until this point (probably Levites). When the Ark was getting close to Jerusalem, the cart hit a rough spot. Uzzah, one of the two men guiding the cart, reached out to steady the Ark. When he touched the Ark, something happened and he died immediately. This frightened David such that he decided to leave the Ark at the house of a man named Obed-edom. During the time that the Ark was at Obed-edom’s house, God blessed him in ways that were obvious to everyone. After three months, David moved the Ark the rest of the way to Jerusalem.
When the Philistines realized that David had become king of Israel they attacked him. The first time they attacked, David fought them straight on and defeated them. After their defeat, the Philistines returned, prepared for David to attempt what he had done the last time. This time, however, David circled around them and attacked them from the rear, giving them an even more decisive defeat.
Paul starts the letter to the church in Rome by giving them summarizing what he considered important about himself and his message. He starts by saying that he was set apart by God to preach God’s gospel. So, the first thing Paul tells us is that he defines himself according to what God has done, not according to what he, Paul , has done. He then realizes that he needs to say what God’s gospel is. He says that it is concerning Jesus Christ who was shown to be the Son of God through the power of the resurrection of the dead. All of this is a quick summary because he is writing to people who already know the Gospel. Paul finishes by saying that his ministry was to call Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. Paul follows up his introduction of himself by describing who he is writing to, Gentiles in Rome who have been called by Jesus to follow Him.
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Paul points out an important aspect of being a Christian here in what is almost an aside. Obedience to God is a result of faith in God. There are other places in scripture where this point is made, but I wanted to point it out here as well. We behave according to God’s commands, not because doing so brings us salvation, but because we have faith in Him and truly believe that He has saved us already.
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Paul goes on to write that he has been planning to come to Rome for some time, but other things have constantly gotten in the way, now it seems like he will finally be able to get there. He tells them that he hopes to be able to impart some spiritual gift to them, but that he does not expect this to be one-sided. He expects that they will have a gift from God for him as well. Paul tells us that he is obligated, that he owes, both Greeks and Barbarians, both the wise and the foolish. His obligation is to bring them the word of God. It is in the interest of fulfilling this obligation that Paul was eager to preach the Gospel in Rome. Despite the troubles that it had brought him, Paul was still not embarrassed of the Gospel, because it embodied the power of God to bring salvation to everyone who believes, both Jew and Gentile. The Gospel reveals God’s righteousness.
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Paul states here a theme that will be the centerpiece of this letter: “The righteous will live by faith.” That quote is taken from the second chapter in Habakuk. Paul tells us that the only righteousness we can have is that of God, and the only way to get that righteousness is through faith in God. However, as I mentioned previously, as a result of that very same faith we will obey God. Our obedience does not give us righteousness, our righteousness gives us obedience. Righteousness is a gift from God that we can do nothing to earn and it there for anyone who will accept it. No matter how well we obey God, it does not make us any better, any more righteous, than anyone else. Obedience to God can however give us greater happiness and joy. I obey God because I believe Him when He tells me that certain acts will make me happier and more fulfilled than other acts, not because obeying Him will win me brownie points with God. I can never do enough good to earn enough brownie points to overcome my failings, that can only come through God’s free gift.
God will be known by His acts of just judgment, while the wicked will be caught in the snares and traps they set for others. God will never forget the needy and He will provide hope for the afflicted. Those who make wicked plans will be destroyed by their own actions. God will show those that wish to usurp Him that they have neither the wisdom nor the knowledge to do so, let alone the power.
Everybody wants to be friends of the rich and famous, but nobody goes out of their way to be friends with the poor. Those who give false testimony will pay a price and those who tell lies will suffer for it.
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.
Today’s passage begins by listing a group of warriors from the tribe of Manasseh who abandoned the Israelite army and joined David when he fled from King Saul to the Philistines. The passage then continues with the warriors from various tribes who joined David after Saul’s death while he was still basing himself at Hebron and fighting Saul’s son Ish-bosheth. The passage tells us that after this second group arrived there was four days of feasting.
The passage does not tell us how the transition happened from David’s capital being in Hebron to being in Jerusalem, but the next thing we are told is that David called an assembly to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the capital (which is now Jerusalem), something that was not done during Saul’s reign. David has the Ark placed on an oxcart and people from all over Israel escorted it with songs and celebration. When the Ark got close to Jerusalem the oxen stumbled and one of the men guiding the cart reached out to steady the Ark and was struck dead. David was angry, and frightened, by this turn of events, so he left the Ark at that location in the care of a man who lived near there. We are told that for the three months that David left the Ark there the man and his family prospered. The passage does not go into detail as to what went wrong here. However, in Exodus God instructed Moses that when the Ark was moved it should be carried by priests using poles that would extend through the carrying rings mounted on it for that purpose. Here the Ark was being transported by oxcart.
Today’s passage concludes with an account of the Philistines mustering their army to defeat David before he is able to consolidate his power. David mustered his army to oppose them. When the Philistines launched an attack in one area, David consulted God as to what he should do and followed God’s instruction to meet the Philistines in a frontal assault. David defeated them in this battle. After a while the Philistines again attacked that area. On this occasion, David outflanked them and attacked them from behind. After this second battle, David conquered most, if not all, of the Philistine territory.
Paul begins his letter to the believers in Rome with a short summary of who he is and the Gospel that he preaches. He tells them that he was appointed by God as God’s messenger to preach His Good News (or Gospel). This Good News is that Jesus is God’s son who died and was raised from the dead. Paul goes on to tell them that their faith is a subject of talk throughout the Roman Empire and that he prays for them regularly. One of the things that Paul has been praying for is the opportunity to come to Rome to visit them. He tells them that he hopes to bring them some spiritual gift and encouragement, but that he does not expect this to be a one way street. Paul says that he expects to be encouraged by their faith, and I think he is implying that he expects them to help him come to a greater understanding of God’s will for him.
Paul tells them that he has planned to visit them before, but has been prevented from doing so. He tells them that he hopes to come and preach among them because he feels an obligation to preach to the civilized and the uncivilized, to the educated and the uneducated. I think this is an important point. The Gospel is for all people in whatever state they come to it. There is a tendency of Christians to think that somehow the Gospel isn’t really for the educated, or the uneducated. Or it isn’t for those who are cultured, or those who are not cultured. But Paul is telling us here that the Gospel is for all, and that all fall equally short of God’s glory. The educated are no closer to God than the uneducated, and vice versa. The the cultured are no closer to God than the uncultured and vice versa. All are the same distance from God.
Paul tells us that the Good News he preaches tells us how God makes us right in His sight. God accomplishes this through faith. God makes us right with Him through faith. We must have faith in Him and we have no extra inside track by being educated, or by being uneducated. It is the same for all of us. No matter who we are, we must live our life through faith in God.
The psalmist calls out to the Lord for salvation so that he can praise the Lord publicly. Do we praise the Lord publicly for the ways that he has saved us? I know that I do not do so enough. The psalmist goes on to say that the seeds of the destruction of the wicked is sown by the wicked themselves. That they will fall into the traps that they set for others. God will provide for the needy. He will fulfill the hopes of the poor. Those who defy God will discover how inadequate they are to the task they have set themselves. Those who puff themselves up as able to stand on their own and defy God will discover that they are mere mortal humans after all.
The first of today’s proverbs tells us that there are many people who wish to be friends with the wealthy, but those people will go away as soon as the money does. The second tells us that those who lie and falsely accuse others will not escape punishment. That sooner or later those who falsely accuse others will pay a price that they would rather not.
