No one has an excuse for not knowing about God. The stars and moon at night and the sun during the day declare His glory for all to see. So do the clouds in the sky. They do not make a sound, but they stand as a silent testament to God’s greatness and glory. The psalmist goes on to remind us that we will lie to ourselves about our sins, it is only when we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives that we learn of the sins hiding in our heart.
This psalm ends with what I wish to be my prayer motto:
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you, O Lord,…
I struggle with this passage. Paul tells us that God chooses to show mercy to some and not to others. As I look at this passage longer I think the key take away is that we should not think of ourselves as better than those who do not follow God. We neither chose to receive God’s mercy, nor were/are we able to work so as to obtain it. We have received God’s mercy because He chose to show it to us, not because of any merit which we have.
The first application of this passage is that the fact that we have received God’s mercy through faith in Christ is not an indication that we are somehow superior to those who have not. We need to recognize that we are no better than anyone else. The Holy Spirit chose to work in our lives in such a manner that we would come to have faith in Christ. It is not my place to debate why He has not done so in another’s. However, I am called to pray that the Holy Spirit will do such work in the lives of those He has not yet done so. This passage convicts me to pray harder for my unsaved friends.
When Rehoboam’s grandson, Asa, took the throne he served God faithfully. Early in his reign Judah was attacked by an overwhelming army. Asa recognized that his army was inadequate to meet the threat so he called out to God for aid. God aided him and he was able to defeat the invading army. Upon returning to Jerusalem, Asa instituted religious reforms. He destroyed idols throughout the land and called the people to worship God. However, late in his reign when he was attacked by the king of Israel, he turned to the king of Aram for aid rather than relying on God.
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. It has been uncomfortably warm here the last few days, I hope no one minds that I posted a few pictures to remind us of cooler weather.
If we consume alcoholic beverages in excess we will behave foolishly and we will get into fights we should have avoided. Those who need a drink will find it impossible to act wisely.
This psalm tells us something similar to what Paul says at the beginning of Romans. The universe itself testifies to the glory of God. The skies do not make a sound, yet everyone on the earth has received their message about the glory of God. God’s decrees, laws, and commands are more desirable than anything we can imagine. They are more valuable than gold and sweeter than honey. If we listen to God’s words they will keep us from being controlled by sin. It is only by submission to God’s Spirit that we can be cleansed from all sins. If we do not submit to His control, we will convince ourselves that wrong is right; we will commit sins that we do not even know are sins (or that we convince ourselves are not sins).
This psalm concludes with a prayer I pray regularly:
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Paul tells us that he would be willing to be cut off from God, if that would cause the rest of the Jewish people to embrace the Gospel of Christ. He felt a deep compassion for those who had not yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, in particular for the Jews. He points out that God had made promises to Abraham about his descendants. However, Paul also points out that not all descendants of Abraham are truly Abraham’s children. Only those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior are Abraham’s children.
Paul points out that their are some people throughout history who have been chosen by God in order to display His power. He gives as an example of this the Pharaoh who opposed Moses. Paul tells us that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. One thing I think is worth noting is that according to Exodus, Pharaoh hardened his own heart after the first several plagues. It was only after Pharaoh had repeatedly hardened his own heart that God took away from him the ability to soften his heart. I believe that this is the perfect example of how God works in our lives. He gives us the opportunity to respond to His word, but if we harden our hearts and do not listen the time will come when we will no longer be able to respond to God’s call.
Rehoboam had been defeated by Pharaoh Shishak and humbled himself before God. This seems to have had a salutary effect on his son and his grandson, because the Bible tells us that both of them did what was pleasing in the sight of God. Rehoboam’s grandson, Asa, removed pagan altars and destroyed the high places of worship (where worship of God mixed with worship of pagan idols). He was attacked by an overwhelming army from Ethiopia, but he cried out to God and it was defeated. In response to God’s rescue in that battle, Asa instituted many religious reforms, deposing his own grandmother from the position of queen mother because of he idolatry.
However, there is a warning in this story for all of us. As a young ruler, Asa’s faith in God was strong and he depended on God. However, later in life he came to trust more in his own strength and wisdom. He chose to solve his problems by his own cunning rather than trusting God to resolve his problems. This is a problem that it is easy for any of us to fall into, we begin to think that we have acquired the wisdom to solve our problems on our own and no longer turn to God for an answer. I pray that I not allow this to happen in my life.
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 next king in Jerusalem was Asa, who took the throne when his father, Abijah, died. We are told that Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord. Asa commanded the people of Judah to seek God and obey His commands. Asa removed the pagan shrines from all of the towns of Judah. He had peace for the first ten years of his reign.
Asa had an army of just shy of 600,000 men. At one point, Judah was invaded by an army from Cush (more or less modern Ethiopia) of over 1,000,000 men. Asa deployed his army against them, but realized that he was badly outnumbered and called on the Lord. The passage says the the Lord defeated the Cushites (Ethiopians) and caused them to flee. The wording suggests that the defeat occurred before Asa’s army engaged them in battle, but could just indicate that the Ethiopians were defeated by Asa’s army more readily than one would have expected considering the relative sizes of the armies. Whatever happened, Asa’s success was such that he conquered some of the cities in the area where he met the Cushites while he had his army in the field and returned to Jerusalem with a large amount of plunder.
When Asa returned from battle the prophet Azariah met him, and his army, and shouted out a prophecy from the Lord. He told them that as long as they sought the Lord they would find Him. As long as they stayed faithful to the Lord, He would stay faithful to them. Asa responded to this message by having all of the idols removed from the lands he controlled. He repaired the altar in the Temple of the Lord and called the people to come together for a festival to the Lord. The passage tells us that many people from the Northern Kingdom had moved into the lands controlled by Asa because of his faithfulness to the Lord. The people entered into a covenant to seek the Lord and obey His commands. As a result, there was peace in the land until the 35th year of Asa’s reign.
In the 36th year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) invaded Judah and started to fortify the city of Ramah to control the border. Asa responded by sending a bribe to the king of Aram, asking him to make war against Baasha. The king of Aram did so, forcing Baasha to abandon his efforts on the border with Judah. Asa took the materials that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah and used them to fortify cities which more strategically defended Judah. A prophet came to Asa and told him that God was unhappy that he had put his trust in the king of Aram rather than in God, by doing so he had missed an opportunity to expand his power. The prophet reminded Asa of how God had helped them against the Cushites. Asa responded by having the prophet jailed. The passage continues by telling us that Asa began oppressing some of his people at this time. Further the passage tells us that in the 39th year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease, but rather than seek the help of the Lord he relied solely on his doctors and as a result he died from this problem.
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I want to point out that the passage does not condemn Asa for using his doctors. It condemns him for not, also, turning to God for healing. This is an important lesson for us. When we face illness, we should certainly follow the advice of medical doctors, but we should turn to God and ask for His healing and remember that it is God who can bring us healing no matter what the doctors have to say.
Magrat debates climbing the tree
Paul expresses great grief over the failure of many Jews to accept Jesus as their Savior. He tells us that he would be willing to accept eternal damnation if that was what it took for them to be saved. He then makes an important point for all Christians to take note of: Christ Himself was an Israelite, a Jew. This means that there is no room for Christians to have a hatred or dislike for Jews. Instead, we should have a special place in our hearts for the Jews, since it was through Judaism and the Jewish people that God brought our Salvation into the world.
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Do I have the same passion for bringing salvation to my friends and those around me that Paul has? Would I be willing to accept eternal damnation if that was what it took for those I love to come to know the Lord? I would like to think that the answer is yes. But, is it? When sometimes I am not even willing to risk ridicule in order to share the Gospel? I pray to God that He give me that passion, first for my friends and loved ones, then for all of those I meet and interact with.
Hydrangeas and hostas
I love this psalm. It starts by saying something that was echoed by Paul in his letter to the Romans.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.[a]
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
There is no excuse. God has made Himself known to anyone who chooses to look. All we have to do is look at the sky above us to see His glory and His craftsmanship. Then the psalmist goes on to tell us that once looked and found God He will give us commands and instructions. These commands and instructions are more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey.
They revive the soul.
They make the simple wise.
They bring joy to the heart.
They give insight for living.
The psalmist asks God to cleanse him of sins hidden in his heart and to keep him from deliberate sin. I will echo the psalmist and ask God to keep sin from controlling me. And finally I pray:
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Today’s proverb warns us not to let alcohol lead us astray. That if we consume too much alcohol we may become someone who mocks others to no good effect. Or even worse, we may get into fights for no good reason. We should not allow anything other than the Holy Spirit to control our actions.
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.
Asa succeeded his father Abijah to the throne of Judah. King Asa pagan shrines and altars from much of Judah. We are told that as a result of Asa’s dedication to God, Judah had many years of peace. During this time Asa built up the fortified towns of Judah. At one point a large Cushite (which is either southern Arabia or Ethiopia) army attacked Judah. Asa’s army was vastly outnumbered, but Asa called on the Lord and they were victorious and acquired a vast amount of plunder. After this battle a prophet came to Asa and prophesied to him that if the people of Judah would continue to seek the Lord, they would have peace and prosperity. Asa called the people together to renew their covenant with God. We are told that during Asa’s reign many people migrated from the lands of the Northern Tribes into Judah in order to worship God. Later in his life Asa came to rely too much on human skills. When King Baasha of Israel invaded, Asa sent messengers to the king of Aram requesting his assistance. The king of Aram attacked Israel, forcing King Baasha to withdraw from attacking Judah. A prophet condemned Asa for allying with the king of Aram, telling him that if he had trusted God to rescue him from King Baasha, God would have given victory not only over Baasha, but over the king of Aram as well. In addition, when Asa developed a serious foot disease at the end of his life, we are told that he relied entirely on his physicians and did not turn to God for healing.
Paul tells us that he would be willing to be cut off from Christ if that was what it took to bring salvation to all of the Jews. It was a source of sorrow and grief for Paul that so many Jews rejected the Gospel about Jesus. Paul tells us that not all of Abraham’s descendants are the children of Abraham’s promise (that is God’s promise to Abraham concerning his children). I find the rest of this passage troubling because Paul seems to say that God chooses to cause some people to be receptive to His offer of grace and others to reject it. I am not sure that is what Paul is saying here because there are other places where he talks about people choosing to have faith in God.
One thing Paul does talk about here that is clear is that God has made each of us to fulfill different roles in this world. Some of us were chosen and crafted to be glorious vessels of God’s glory. Others of us were chosen for more mundane and less glorious purposes. We are clay being shaped and fired by the Potter to serve His purposes in this world. We should take pride in that whether we are designed for a use that is glorified (a decorative vase) or one that is mundane (a chamber pot).
The psalmist tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. Even though they do not speak, they proclaim God’s wondrous love to those who are willing to listen. This theme is echoed by Paul in Romans 1 when he says that God’s nature can be seen through that which God created, but some choose not to see. Just as the sun shines down on all of the earth, so does God’s goodness pour forth on all who pursue Him. The psalmist goes on to say that the commands of the Lord are more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. The psalmist tells us that the laws of the Lord are trustworthy and firm. They are clear to all who truly wish to know them. But the psalmist tells us that we have trouble recognizing our own error, the best we can do is to strive to avoid those actions which we know to be sin. If we do this, God will forgive us our less blatant failings.
This proverb is so obvious that it seems redundant to say it. Yet, there are many who think that they find wisdom while under the influence of alcohol. There may be times when the consumption of alcohol will improve your life, but times when you are seeking wisdom are not among them.
