Today’s passage starts out with the second half of the prayer that the Levite leaders prayed over the assembled people. In the prayer, they recounted how God had repeatedly blessed the people of Israel and the people of Israel had repeatedly rebelled against God. There is a recurring theme in the prayer. When God blessed His people and times were good they turned away from Him. God would punish the people for their sins and they would once more turn to Him. How little things have changed today. We still cry out to God when we are suffering, but all too often when God answers our prayers and brings us blessings we respond by turning away from Him. I struggle not to fall into the same trap.
The returned exiles vowed to keep the Law and the Lord’s commands. They promised to keep the Sabbath and the Sabbath Year. That every seventh year they would allow the land to lie fallow and would cancel all debts that they were owed. There is something here that we should learn. If we cannot pay off a debt in seven years, we should give serious consideration as to whether we should enter into that loan in the first place. I also see in this passage something that is central to Christian faith. Each generation must decide to follow God for themselves. Parents can do their best to teach their children to follow God, but the children must choose to do so for themselves. The parents cannot choose for them.
Paul continues to talk to us about the meaning of our freedom in Christ here. He tells us that even though he was free, he allowed himself to be bound by the understanding of those he was preaching to. There are different ways to understand what he was saying here, but I believe that he was saying that he lived according to the “rules” that those he was preaching to believed that a “good” person would follow. However, he avoided living according to rules that would cause them to perceive him as self-righteous. He did this insofar as doing so was consistent with following Jesus. and no further. In addition, he tells us that he trained his body like an athlete. I am not sure if by this he means that he exercised regularly or that he trained his body to endure hardship (hunger, cold, etc.). Or perhaps he means both.
Paul then goes on to give us examples from the history of the people of Israel. How, despite all of them going through the same experience of God’s providence, some of them fell away and rebelled against God. He tells us not to become arrogant in our faith and think that we are better than others, neither those who came before, nor our contemporaries. There are two final points he makes in today’s passage. The first is that the temptations we face are no different from those that everyone else has faced both now and in the past. The temptation we face is neither easier to master, nor harder than what anyone else has faced. The second is that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to overcome. He will show us the way to overcome temptation, if we are willing to take it. I struggle with this. All too often, I fail to take the path that will lead me away from temptation even when I know where the other path leads.
The psalmist tells us that he will praise the Lord at all times. He tells us that in time of trouble he prayed to the Lord and God saved him. He tells us that even when we are helpless God will rescue us if we call to Him. Then he uses one of the great lines of the Bible, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Just try a little bite of trusting in the Lord and you will never want anything else to eat. It reminds me of the people dispensing samples of food in the grocery store. I have friends that I wish to reach for the Lord. If only they would try a taste of what it means to trust in Him. That is my prayer, that they see my life and want a taste of what it is I find so appetizing. And if you are reading this and have not given your life to Jesus, just try a taste of what it’s like. Unlike the food they are offering up in the grocery stores, this taste is for everyone.
Today’s proverb tells us that if we ignore the poor when we are in a position to help them, we will be ignored when we need help. This reminds me of what Jesus said about Judgment Day in Matthew 25. God turns to those on either side and says, “I was hungry,…thirsty,…a stranger,…naked,…sick,…in prison,…” And those on either side responded the same way, “When did we see you like that?” The difference between the two was not that one saw God in the people suffering and the other did not. The difference was that one group saw people in need and cared for them. The other group saw people in need and passed them by. I pray to God that I never pass by those in need when I have it within my power to provide them comfort and/or care.
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.