Blogging Through the Bible

Fellowship is an essential part of the Christian life. It is a joy to come together with other believers who love Jesus as much as we do. Here, a few different bloggers talk through chapters of the Bible and then members can discuss in the comments, supporting each other in understanding and application. This is where I will place my contributions and links to other bloggers’ pieces

Start at the bottom to read blogs starting with 1 Samuel 1. Feel free to comment here, visit other links, and share as you feel led. Thank you for joining us!

Blogging Through The Bible Proverbs 25

This chapter is titled “Further Wise Sayings of Solomon.” Can you imagine having so much wisdom that people just had to keep writing down the things you say? I imagine a collection of little sticky notes, old envelopes, and the backs of receipts all piled up on a desk somewhere just ready to compile into a collection.

Here are just a few I like.

“Take away the dross from silver, and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.”

Proverbs 25:4

I don’t think this one is talking about necklaces and earrings. It’s about people, and I think it means that when God can refine us and get all the impurities out of our hearts and minds, He can use us in something beautiful.

“Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not disclose the secret to another; Lest he who hears it expose your shame, and your reputation be ruined.”

Proverbs 25:9-10

Okay, now this is just practical advice. Seriously, I wish I had read this a few times over the hears. We can’t go around mouthing and gossiping to people about our private dealings with others. Because once we start that game, two can play at it! Then it just becomes drama, and who needs that?

“Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit.”

Proverbs 25:16

Again, I don’t think this one is about the sticky condiment. I think it’s about living life in moderation and not getting too much of a good thing. The Bible says that if we are serious about our Christian walk, we will be temperate in all things (1 Corinthians 9:25).

“Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he become weary of you and hate you.”

Proverbs 25:17

Here again, we have more good advice. I think this goes along with the whole analogy of fish and guests. You have about three days before they start to stink!

“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”

Proverbs 25:21-22

This one is kind of a neat verse. How can being nice to someone who isn’t nice to us bring “coals of fire” back on his/her head? It isn’t what you think. Or, at least it’s not what I thought. According to commentaries, it’s about melting/softening your enemy’s heart when the person sees kindness returned for his own bad behavior.

“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”

Proverbs 25:28

I guess that means that there is no protection, like it’s opening you up to all kinds of trouble when you can’t get hold of your own behavior. I sure feel like this some days. It’s a good simile and one I will be thinking about this week.

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Dear God, thank you for the wisdom of Your Word. Please help us to live in a way that honors You the most and causes as little trouble to us as possible. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through The Bible Proverbs 23

Proverbs 23 has a ton of advice about food, all if it pointing to moderation and setting a guard around yourself.

Deceptive food: It calls the delicacies of a rich man “deceptive food.” Don’t let the fineries in life take your eyes off what is eternal.

Bread of a miser: It warns us not to eat with those who would have selfish, greedy motives for hospitality. We will just regret it later.

Don’t mix with gluttons or winebibbers: It tells us that those who overindulge in food and drink will not prosper. It causes a “sleep” that will leave us in rags (where clothing is a symbol of being covered by God).

Watch out for wine: It says those who linger long at the wine may see a sparkle at first but end up bitten as if by a serpent. It also hints at its addictive properties and the inability to act sensibly when under its power.

Dear God, help us to seek moderation in all we eat and drink. Keep our eyes fixed on you and help us resist the delicacies that would lead us to ruin. Thank you so much for your providence. In Your name we pray, amen!

Proverbs continues with a mishmash of advice. Here are a few of my favorites from this chapter.

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.”

Proverbs 22:1

Money isn’t everything. Having integrity and doing what you say you will do is better than making a quick buck.

“A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.” 

Proverbs 22:3

This is the preppers’ verse. This means that when we see that trouble is about to come to our land, we have to prepare for it the best we can. We can’t just keep living any old way and expect God to take care of us in a pinch.

“The lazy man says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!’”

Proverbs 22:13

I think this one is about making excuses. Whether it is a lion or a pandemic, we have to do what we have to do to support our families.

“Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.”

Proverbs 22:24-25

I think this goes for just about any bad qualities. Hang around people who are godly and have good qualities; otherwise, you might learn some bad habits you can’t get rid of so easily.

“Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set.”

Proverbs 22:28

I really like this verse. I heard a sermon about it one time and would love to do a blog about it someday. In ancient times, it was about the boundary lines in between prosperities, but as with most things in the Bible, it has a spiritual meaning too. We can’t just go moving he things that are fixed and expect not to have troubles. Marriage is between one man and one woman, life is precious and should be preserved, and there is but one way to heaven – through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We can’t compromise on Truth for the sake of society and expect the world to look the same.

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Dear God, thank you for the wisdom found in your Word. Please help us to be prepared for the judgements that will come to our land. Please help us stand up for the Truth of God’s Word so that no more landmarks are moved on our watch. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Proverbs 19

Remember Chex Mix? It’s a delicious snack in which several different ingredients  — 3 kinds of Chex cereal, nuts, and pretzels – are thrown into a bowl with butter and spices and then baked. This chapter remind me of that. We have about seven different categories of things we’re talking about here, all interspersed throughout the chapter like God gave a great stir.

Money

Money makes friends, but poor people who do the right thing are in a way better position with the Lord. Plus, if you are good to the poor, it is like lending money to God Himself. 

Laziness

Laziness makes you less spiritually aware and seems to beget more laziness at that. People who are idle won’t always eat. 

Wisdom

Wisdom is necessary and good for the soul. Listening to instructions makes you wise in your old age and keeps you in your knowledge. Foolish people, on the other hand, have  trouble and get upset with God. Correcting someone who understands will gain them more wisdom. Obeying God will allow you to keep your soul.

Wicked Mouths 

People who testify without integrity don’t care about justice, and the people who are wicked with words will consume themselves with iniquity. Liars will not escape punishment. They will perish.

Wrath

People who are smart take a while to get angry, and it’s to their credit when they overlook other people’s transgressions altogether. Then there’s this little gem that makes me smile. Proverb 19:19 “A man of great wrath will suffer punishment; for if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.”

Parenting

Discipline your kids while you can still affect their lives. Treat your parents right, or that’s a shame on you.

Fear of the Lord

Fear of the Lord leads TO life and AWAY from evil. They who have it will be satisfied and kept from trouble.

Dear God, thank you for Your wisdom on so many topics. Please help us to remember the important things in life. (It’s not money but integrity and right living.) Thank you for your patience for us! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Proverbs 16           

The title on this chapter is “Wisdom Is Better Than Gold.” It reads like someone’s fridge list. Or, maybe like a string of things a man said after he left the room and came back with the words, “And, another thing…” Other than a general topic, the verses don’t really have much else in common. The interesting thing, though, is that there are some of the most well-known and commonly spoken Proverbs on the list.

“In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.”

Proverbs 16:6

Why do people choose to do the right thing when they want to do the wrong thing? There are a variety of reasons, but the Bible tells us that when we respect God and fear displeasing Him, that’s the best insurance against allowing our flesh to take us into sin. It’s the beginning of wisdom, after all.

“When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

Proverbs 16:7

Do you know people who are always in drama? Someone is always on the outs with him/her, or he/she always has a story about a fuss? It makes you think when you read this verse. If we will just do the things that please God, we don’t be so annoying to other people, and we, ourselves, can live in peace.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9

I say this one a lot to myself. It gives me comfort when I’m trying to do what pleases God that I can make a decision and trust that He will be leading me along the way.

“How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”

Proverbs 16:16 

Gold and silver (and cold, hard, cash) are nice, but there is so much more to life than that. People matter above material goods, and God matters above all. And, He is so gracious to give us wisdom when we ask Him.

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 16:18

People misquote this one all the time. They scrunch it together and say, “Pride goes before a fall.” Either way you say it, it’s not good. It was the sin that brought down Lucifer, and it is still bringing people down, hard, today. Personally, it’s one that I have to guard against specifically. Pride and his buddy haughtiness try to sneak in when you aren’t paying attention, and before you know it, you’re looking back at something you say or do going, “Oh, man! Them again?” Thank God in Heaven that He is merciful to us and will forgive when repent with a sincere heart.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Proverbs 16:25

Personally, I have always disliked this verse. It seems very unfair that someone would THINK he was doing the right thing when he was really doing the wrong thing. He had good motives, right? But when you think about this verse a little deeper, you realize that the Bible is pretty clear about what the right things are and the wrong things too. With just a little prayerful study, true right and wrong CAN be known. It’s up to us to stick close to God and ask Him for help seeing truth so we can always walk in His ways.

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Dear God, thank you for giving us wisdom. By reading the Bible and listening to Your Holy Spirit, we can know the right from the wrong and flee from sin and iniquity. Please help us to recognize when pride creeps in so that we can repent to You. Thank you so much! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through The Bible Proverbs 13

When you were little, did you like to swing? I did! I could swing for hours and hours, whether it was on the homemade swing my step-dad made for me on the tree in our yard or at the playground at school. My favorite thing to do was to swing as high as I possibly could – and then jump off. I would sail through the air, almost flying until I would thump onto the grass and then run to do it again.

Proverbs 13 is like a swing. When the path is straight, going in the way of righteousness, we go forward, high into the air toward the things of God. When the legs curl under in the way of wickedness, we go back, further away from God and His righteousness. Every other line is one or the other. For some reason, though, sometimes the chapter switches so the evil way is mentioned first and the righteous way follows. I imagine those lines like the times on a swing when I would climb into the swing going the other direction. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it kind of works. Just like in life, the only still swing is one that is not in use. But unlike a swing, you and I can choose our direction to only point to the Lord.

Here are a few of my favorites.

 “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”

Proverbs 13:3

I think this one was written for social media. It’s definitely one I need to remember more often. Just because we CAN say things doesn’t mean we should. God give us the wisdom to know the difference.

“Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”

Proverbs 13:6

Doing the right thing keeps us from getting hurt. I think it’s meant two ways. On one level, it keeps us from the trouble that happens from wicked deeds. On another, we also open doors to the enemy to attack us when sin takes us out of fellowship with God.

“The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”

Proverbs 13:9

Every person we meet either has the light of God or does not. Those who have Him rejoice, both now on earth and forevermore. The wicked have a life now, but one day that will be no more. It’s a sobering thought. 

“He who despises the Word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.”

Proverbs 13:13

This is one of the “backwards” lines. People who refuse to follow God and His Word will not be with Him in eternity. When we not only hear His Word but do it, we will be rewarded with a home with God someday.

“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

Proverbs 13:20

When your mom told you not to hang out with the bad crowd, she was right. Our companions can cause us to move further down the path. Whether that path is toward or away from God depends on the friends.

“Evil pursues sinners, but to the righteous, good shall be repaid.”

Proverbs 13:21

This one is kind of interesting. Here we have more personification with evil actively following sinners where they go to lead them into more evil. This reminds me of the verse that says, “Resist the devil and he will flee” (James 4:7). I guess if you don’t resist, he keeps on coming.

“The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.”

Proverbs 13:25

This one reminds us that God takes care of His own. I think it is meant to be both physical and spiritual. Jesus is the bread of life who satisfies our spiritual hunger. Those who do not partake are left empty and grumbling, still searching this life for something to fill themselves. I praise God that He provides for all our needs!

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Dear God, thank you for giving us choices in this life. Please help us to always choose to do what is right in Your eyes. Thank you for keeping us in Your mighty hand. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through The Bible Proverbs 9

Wisdom & Folly

I love personification, and this chapter is a perfect example of it. There are two very different women described here: Wisdom and Folly. Both of them are inviting others to come in to their houses, but they are offering very different kinds of parties.

Wisdom Is Having a Feast

Wisdom has a large, established home she has built. Her tables are laden with meat and wine, and she has sent out her maidens to invite everyone to her dinner party. She goes to the most public places and cries:

“’Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’”

Proverbs 9:4 

She invites everyone to come to eat her bread and wine, to forsake foolishness and live. This sounds a lot like the Lord’s Supper. It also reminds me of Jesus telling His disciples to go and preach the gospel. Romans 10:13 says, “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved,’” and John 3:15 says, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

But wisdom is a very personal thing.  We must want it for ourselves, and we can’t force it on anybody else. In fact, we shouldn’t try to correct those who love error; otherwise, they will just hate us. We can only correct those who love wisdom but have somehow fallen into error. Then they will love us for it. Making the distinction between the two takes discernment. It actually takes wisdom to impart wisdom.

Then, lest we have forgotten the main theme from this book, here we have it again.

 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 9:10

Understanding who God is enough to fear Him puts us on the right track. Attending Wisdom’s party will lead to a long life.

Folly Is a Loud-Mouth Street Hawker

Folly, on the other hand is “clamorous,” so she doesn’t invite but demands. Unlike Wisdom who sent out maidens and went herself to the high places to call others in, the foolish woman sits by the door of her house or on a seat by the high places. Note the sneaky element here of going “by” the high places instead of directly to them. Then she calls to those who are already on their “straight way.” As the enemy often does, she mimics the cry of the just.

 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”

Proverbs 9:16

But her call doesn’t involve long life. Instead, she tempts those to come to her because of the delicious pleasure of sin (for a season) She tells people that “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Proverbs 9:17).

But anyone who heeds her call is indeed foolish. For there are dead in her house, and “her guests are in the depths of hell” (Proverbs 9:18).

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Dear God, thank you for giving us eyes to see and ears to hear the difference between wisdom and folly. Please keep us on Your straight path and let us remember to always reverence You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Proverbs 6

Proverbs 6 highlight behavior that goes from bad to worse. There are four main sections in the chapter, and each one leads right into the next. I believe it represents the very slippery slope of sin. One little move off the line of righteousness might look harmless in isolation, but it’s like a train going off a track. As soon as it leaves, there is no telling where it might go, and it just might crash.

Dangerous Promises

The first section is basically about co-signing on a loan. Provers 6:1 calls it becoming “surety for your friend.” The problem is that once you guarantee that if your friend doesn’t pay that you will, this lessens the pressure on your friend. He/she then becomes less apt to pay since you are the “security net.” The Bible’s solution to those of us who have already gotten ourselves “ensnared” by our promise is to humble ourselves and beg to be released from it. The interesting thing is the imagery used to express the idea that we should do whatever it takes to be loosed from the obligation of our words:

“Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.”

Proverbs 6:5

Psalm 91:3 talks about God delivering us from the “snare of the fowler.” A fowler is a person who hunts wild birds by setting traps and waiting for the prey to be caught. I always think of “the fowler” as the devil because he is the one who wants to hurt God’s children. Here, though, we are told to deliver ourselves by getting out of our promise by whatever means necessary.

The Folly of Indolence

Indolence is a big word for laziness. Do you see how that rolls right from the other one? If we promise to pay someone’s debt, the person might not take care of his/her own business. This could lead to indolence.

“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise.”

Proverbs 6:6

We all know the story of the ant, how she works hard to harvest and save for later. It’s a good principle that I think a lot of people have forgotten in our paycheck-to-paycheck world. We must work hard while we can to prepare for times when we can’t. If not, Proverbs 6:11 gives a pretty dire picture. “So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.”

A Wicked Man

Laziness leads to wickedness, apparently. In this section, we learn that a wicked man does these things.

• Walks with a perverse mouth,
• Winks with his eyes,
• Shuffles his feet,
• Points with his fingers;
• Has perversity is in his heart,
• Devises evil continually,
• Sows discord.

So, basically, a wicked person is one who runs his mouth, isn’t super honest, doesn’t live with purpose, blames others, thinks up perverse, evil things, and causes problems. But the wicked will have their day when they will reap what they sow. It will come “suddenly,” and they will be “broken without remedy.”

In this same section about wickedness, this very famous passage is included.

These 6 Things the Lord Hates, Yes 7 Are an Abomination to Him: Proverbs 6:17-19

• A proud look,
• A lying tongue,
• Hands that shed innocent blood,
• A heart that devises wicked plans,
• Feet that are swift in running to evil,
• A false witness who speaks lies,
• And one who sows discord among brethren.

These sins aren’t accidental, well-meaning, or out of a temporary loss of self-control or judgement. They sins of the heart, and they are bad news to our good God. 

Beware of Adultery

The last section flows from the idea of wickedness and is framed, like Proverbs 3, as a piece of advice from a father to son. Again, the father tells the son to bind the law continually on his heart and tie it around his neck. That way, when he is out in the world, the laws will lead him, when he is asleep, they will keep him, and when he is awake, they will speak to him. It’s a great image.

For years, I wore a cross necklace. It was a gift from my father from his time in Greece, and an heirloom of sorts. The main reason I put it on every day, though, was not so much so that others would see it. It was more so I would always remember whose I am and whom I serve (Acts 27:23). Keeping a remembrance, whether physical or mental, is important because the Word shows us where we should be walking on the path.

“For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life.”

Proverbs 6:23

Recently, I did a blog about the symbolism of the great, 3-foot lampstand in the Old Testament temples and how it represents the Bible. It really is fascinating to take into account the ornate structure of the lamp and how it corresponds to the Word of God. Check it out if you get a minute: The Bible Is a Lamp Unto Our Feet.

Anyway, the father tells the son to keep his heart right with the law of God so that he isn’t tempted by an evil woman who will try to seduce him into adultery. The imagery here is so clear and persuasive.

“Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared?”

Proverbs 6:27-28

Our modern term is “Duh!” Sin looks and sounds so good sometimes, but the truth of sin is is that there really is no way to get any from its consequences.The devil might try to tell us that playing with fire is harmless, but we know the truth. A man who commits adultery with another man’s wife is asking for trouble. Once it is done, there is just no way to undo the damage.

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Dear God, thank you for making us aware of the deceitfulness of sin. Even when it looks harmless or comes in a package that looks pleasing, it is a slippery slope that leads to destruction. Please keep us on your narrow path! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through The Bible Proverbs 3

Guidance for the Young

Parents teach their children many things over the first 18 years of their lives. After that, we move into more of an “independent advisory” role. We hope that when our children are on their own, they will remember all our lessons and live happy, healthy, productive lives. But parents teach their children something else besides how to work hard and be kind. They teach their children about God. Whether that lesson is to love and obey Him or to ignore His very existence is up to the individuals involved. 

Proverbs 3 starts with advice from King Solomon to his son, but it is applicable to us today. He tells him to remember to keep God’s law his whole life and not to let mercy and truth get away from him. Instead, he tells him to “write them on the tablet of your heart” in order that he may find favor in the eyes of God and man.

My Personal All-Time Favorite From Proverbs

Then, he gives him one of my personal, all-time favorite scriptures from the whole Bible, and one that I recite on a weekly, if not daily basis to myself.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

I love this one because it says that if we are living lives endeavoring to serve God and do His will, He will lead us and guide us in everything. It doesn’t say “He might.” It doesn’t say “there’s a pretty good chance He will.” It says, “He SHALL” direct our paths. There is such a comfort in that. My pastor says, “Do what you know God wants you to do. If you’re not sure, do what you think He wants you to do.” If our hearts are in the right place to do what pleases God, His Word says He will be there to guide us along the way.

A Lovely Checklist

Now, Solomon gives his son a lovely checklist to make sure that there is no confusion as to exactly what he means here.

• Proverbs 3:7 “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Humility and fear of God are essential in our walk, and it’s the only way to be spiritually healthy.

• Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase;” A lot of people gleefully proclaim that tithing isn’t required in the New Testament, but giving to God is still important. 2 Corinthians 9:6 tells us that we will still reap what we sow. Personally, I’m a tither, and I believe that God led me to do it. Before I did that, I scraped each month to make my paycheck cover everything. After I began tithing, I have much more left over than before. I don’t know how God works that particular math, but He does, and I’m living proof.

• Proverbs 3:11 “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction;” This one is tough. Getting a rebuke from God is never fun, but He doesn’t do that for everybody. Only the people whom God loves as His children does He take time to chastise. And even when it stings a little, Psalm 23:4 sums up the way we should look at it: “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” 

• Proverbs 3:21 “My son, let them not depart from your eyes— keep sound wisdom and discretion;” According to the Proverbs 3, Wisdom is more valuable than treasure. It leads to long life and material gain. It leads to safety and causes us to sleep well instead of fearing. Now, here, I’m thinking King Solomon is hearkening back to Proverbs 1:7 and the fear of the Lord being the beginning of knowledge. It’s wise to fear the Lord and live our lives doing His will. When we do that, all will be well with us.

• Proverbs 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so.” If you have the ability and power to do something good for someone, you should do it. Even if it costs us, we need to keep our priorities in order between following God and pleasing self.

• Proverbs 3:30 “Do not strive with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm.” King Solomon obviously has never been on Facebook. This one can be tough right now as the definition of “harm” seems to have expanded to “offense.” The Holy Spirit has kept me from several conversations lately, so I think He is working on me personally in this area.

• Proverbs 3:31 “Do not envy the oppressor, and choose none of his ways;” Sometimes it can be easy to slip into a little envy when we see people with so much more than we have materially. We often don’t stop to think that the money came with a price that we probably aren’t willing to pay. 

God is with those who are with Him, and He blesses them. One day, we will be in His presence (in glory). For those who choose evil, on the other hand, they will have their day of reckoning. Only shame and scorn will greet them in the eyes of our great God.

Dear God, thank you for being such a great and loving Father. You give us wisdom and advice to live our lives in a way that pleases you. Thank you for Your Word that we can hold close to our hearts. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 147-148

Psalm 147

God is great and greatly to be praised! This Psalm praises God’s powerful Word and providence over our lives.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Psalm 147:3

God is known as the Great Physician, and this verse is one of the reasons. Broken hearts can’t be helped by a pill. Only a great and loving God can heal the deep and powerful wounds that life inflicts.

“ He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.”

Psalm 147:4

This reminds me of one of my favorite songs from the 1980’s. It’s called “Who Am I” by Margaret Becker.  It makes tears come to my eyes when I really take time to FEEL the words.

“I am counting the stars on Your blackened sky
You call them all by name, You know them all by sight
In this sea of lights, I sense Your majesty
And I break at the thought that One so great could care for me

Who am I, Jesus that You could call me by name
What could I ever do to be loved this way…”

From “Who Am I” by Margaret Becker

When we take the time to think of the awesome power of our Lord and God, it is a humbling experience. He is mighty in power and infinite in understanding. He controls the earth, and He takes care those who need Him. Justice is in His hand, and yet, He takes time to know our names.

So, how could we ever repay a God who has given us the ultimate honor of knowing Him? What is it that could give Him to please a God who already seems to have everything?

“He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.”

Psalm 147:10-11

God wants our respect and faith. And for those who are His children, he provides His providence,  His “divine, sovereign, and benevolent control of all things by God.” He gives us protection, peace, provision, and His Word that He will do what He says He will do. Recently, I wrote a blog called Easing Anxiety With the Providence of God. In it, I break down Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 and reveal three things we can do right now to ease our anxiety about a world that seems to be out of control.

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord! People say it all the time, but Psalm 148 takes PTL to a whole new level. Sometimes I think people might forget that we’re not alone in praising God. Angels praise God. Luke 2:13-14 says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” Also, the sun, moon, and stars and the waters above heaven praise Him. He created them, and they shall not pass away.

Not only heaven, but all creatures on earth praise Him. Revelation 5:13 says, “ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” Sea creatures, the weather, mountains and hills, trees, and all the beasts of the earth praise Him.

And, of course, people.

“Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth; both young men and maidens; old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.”

Psalm 148:11-13

That reminds me of another song. It’s called “Everything That Has Breath” by Matt Redman. One of the lines goes “If we could see how much You’re worth, Your power, Your might, Your endless love, then surely we would never cease to praise.” Indeed.

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Dear God, thank you so much for knowing my name! Thank you for a personal relationship in which I can both hear You and speak to You. Please let me never forget Your magnificence amidst the mundanity of life. Please, let me never cease to praise You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 141-142

Psalm 141

The Psalmist begins by asking the Lord to hear his cry and to see his prayer like the incense coming from a sacrifice. Jeremiah 17:26 mentions the “sacrifice of praise.” I did a blog one time about all the different sacrifices from ancient Israel and what they mean as symbols for today. It was called Are You Offering Your Sacrifice of Praise? Check it out if you have a few moments.

A Timely Psalm

Psalm 141 was subtitled “A Prayer For Safekeeping From Wickedness,” and Wow! It could not be more timely. There is so much contention on social media right now with all the different COVID 19 rules and laws. Wear a mask/don’t wear a mask. Close everything/open everything. Stay home/I need to make a living. Everyone has an opinion and isn’t afraid to share. If that wasn’t enough to get everyone on edge, all the racial tension (even among believers) is even tougher to navigate They should protest/aren’t they done protesting? Looting is wrong/we should understand looting as a symptom of a broken society. Police should be dismantled/what? Are you crazy to think of dismantling the police? Everyone is mad and speaking out, and some are even mad at people because they AREN’T speaking out.

Through all this contention, one thing remains: we are all responsible for our own actions, so it is up to us to stay right with God. This Psalmist had the perfect plan for doing just that. He asked God to help him change his own heart. My pastor says it this way, “Lord, change my want-to’s.”

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.  Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.”

Psalm 141:3-4

The word “delicacies” here is referring to the “sweetness” of sin for a season. It might feel good for a second to get everything off your chest, but the long term harm of hurting others, harming your Christian witness, or simply disobeying what God told you to do isn’t worth that fleshy moment.

Let Me Hear Correction

And when we do get into trouble with our words, the Psalmist continues, let us be willing to hear that we are wrong and to change our ways. Plus, let us never despise the Lord’s chastening if and when it comes. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and take shelter in Him. We must ask Him to help us navigate waters fraught with sin and offense on all sides.

“Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the traps of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I escape safely.”

Psalm 141 9-10

Amen.

Psalm 142

When I was little, I used to get upset sometimes and feel sorry for myself. My mom taught me an ironic little song that was meant to make fun of my ridiculous attitude in the face of how much love and how very many blessings I was surrounded with. It went, “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms. Big ones, fat ones, little tiny scrawny ones. Guess I’ll go eat worms.” It was nonsense, but it usually did the trick at getting me to smile and realize that it was about as far from the truth as you could possibly get.

David has a similar thought in Psalm 142. This was a prayer from the time when he was in the cave, hiding from King Saul and his men. Except, his solution wasn’t a silly children’s song from 1893. Instead, his solution was to remember that he was never alone because God was with him even when nobody else was. It’s a great lesson for you and me today. Even when it seems like we are all alone, God is on our side. I love this verse in particular:

“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me.”

Psalm 142:3

God sees us. He knows exactly what’s happening in our lives, and He is with us to help us. We can cry to Him, and He will answer us. He isn’t some pie-in-the-sky God of the future. He’s the God of today, right now, this minute. We’re not alone, flipping in the wind of chance. God has a purpose and a plan, and nothing happens to us without His say so.

“I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.”

Psalm 142:5

God is way stronger than anything that will come against us. He will deliver us, and when He does, we will praise Him. God is so good to His children!

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Dear God, please set a guard on MY mouth. Please keep me from getting into fights but never let me shy away from speaking truth in love. Thank you for being with me even when I feel alone. I trust in You as my Savior and refuge. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 135-136

Psalm 135

Psalm 135 is about praising God in both creation and redemption. Who should praise Him? His servants (that’s you and me!). Why should we praise Him? Because He is good/great and has chosen us. God is sovereign and has tremendous power in heaven and on earth. 

“He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain…”

Psalm 135:7-8

He has shown signs and wonders and defeated many nations, slaying the giants in Canaan so the children of Israel could receive His heritage. One day He will come to judge, but He will have compassion on His servants. His name endures forever.

God’s great name, power, and compassion are compared to the idols of the land, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths but don’t speak, eyes but don’t see, and ears but don’t hear. Neither is their breath in their mouths. Now, here comes the profound part that really makes you appreciate how absolutely amazing God is in His use of language.

“Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.”

Psalm 135:18

Did you catch that? People who follow idols — and we’re not just talking about the golden calves of ancient Israel. We’re talking about people who put money, people, or anything else above God. People who follow idols have mouths but don’t speak the things of God. They have eyes but don’t see and ears but don’t hear the important truth of God. Neither is their breath, or LIFE, in them at all.

Bu you and I can see, hear, and breath. Let us use our mouths to speak: “Bless the Lord!”

Psalm 136

I can’t read Psalm 136 without hearing Michael W. Smith’s song “His Love Endures Forever” in my head. The structure is a big reminder that Psalms were meant to be sung. 

God is all powerful. This Psalm, like many others, is a list of the amazing, awesome powerful things God has done. He has power to give good things to His people, power to control the earth, and power to vanquish His enemies. But as much as His power is awesome and sovereign, He uses that power for good. In the 36 lines of this Psalm, 18 of them read: “For His mercy endures forever.” Every other line we are reminded of His power, and every other line of His great mercy. 

Mercy is choosing to do good (with compassion and/or forgiveness) when you have the power to harm (or punish). British historian Lord Acton once noted, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.” Sadly, that is true of a lot of people who find themselves in a mighty position. They use that influence to take for themselves and/or put others down. Not so of God! He truly has ABSOLUTE power. But He uses His power for good.

This reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

“For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’”

Romans 9:15

God is all powerful, and God is sovereign. He can choose to behave any way He wants, and there is no one to stop Him. But He chooses to be good and merciful. How much more should we follow His example to be merciful to others when we are in such desperate need of mercy ourselves?

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Dear God, thank you that you are all powerful and yet so merciful to your people. Let us remember to keep our eyes stayed on you and to put our trust in no one and nothing else. You alone are our God. Let us remember to praise you and your mercy more often and extend it to others the way we would like to be treated ourselves. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 129-130

Psalm 129

Egypt Shall Not Prosper

Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us. It can be a little jarring to see those Old Testament passages that talk about wishing enemies ill. The difference, though, is that these passages aren’t talking about individuals who hurt us (like the girl at the office who talks about us behind our backs). These are referring to national enemies of the people of Israel. 

“Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth…The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long”

Psalm 129:1a, 3

The Egyptians could be cruel, and the imagery here is vivid as the Psalmist mentions the physical beatings they endured at the hands of their masters. (Or, some commentaries think this refers to being physically strapped to an apparatus for plowing.) 

“The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.”

Psalm 129:4

But God freed the Israelites from the grip of the Egyptians, much like Jesus set us free from the bonds of sin. Victory always belong to God whether it is over a physical nation or the spiritual forces of darkness. And, either way, anyone who sets himself against God’s people will not prosper.

“Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back.”

Psalm 129:5

Like withering grass, no use for gathering, are the enemies of God. They are not fit for blessings.

Psalm 130

The Lord Has Mercy on His Own

Psalm 130 is another one of my favorites. It’s about a familiar scenario for believers: crying out to God for mercy. The first line speaks of crying “out of the depths.” I know I have been there before. In fact, I was there just this week. I did something wrong, and I was sorry for it. But worse than that, on hindsight, I knew that the Holy Spirit warned me ahead of time not to do it, but I rationalized it and did it anyway. After I did it, of course, I had to go to God and confess and repent. Worst of all, my reasons for doing it were pride and fear. Now that’s about as sorry a combination as I can think of. What kind of Christian was I, anyway? But I love the next lines.

“If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.”

Psalm 130:3-4

If God was counting all my sins, I would be in big trouble. But He doesn’t do that. He accepts my apology and removes my sin as far as east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). I love what Bible teacher James Montgomery Boice says about this verse. “Those who have been forgiven are softened and humbled and overwhelmed by God’s mercy, and they determine never [again] to sin against such a great and fearful goodness. They do sin, but in their deepest hearts they do not want to, and when they do they hurry back to God for deliverance.”

The next few lines about waiting for the Lord hit home for me too. I just wrote a blog a couple of weeks ago about it: The Secret to Waiting on God. It is an expectant, active waiting, like waiting on the morning to come when you know it will.

“My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning— yes, more than those who watch for the morning.”

Psalm 130:6

Israel hopes in the Lord just like that. Because He has such great mercy, there is redemption in abundance for physical Israel just like there is for us (spiritual Israel).

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Dear God, thank you for justice. We know that You are coming to judge the nations, and those who fight against you will not stand. Thank you, too, for your great mercy. You hear us when we cry, and you forgive us our sins. You are mighty in justice and mercy! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 121-122

Psalm 121

Do you ever memorize scripture? I have memorized a few passages, and this was one that I had memorized at one time using a song. I didn’t practice enough, so a lot of it is gone now, but it was fun and a worthwhile use of my time on one boring summer day.

This Psalm is one of my absolute favorites. It is jam-packed with promises to make you really feel secure in the knowledge that God takes care of His own. It begins with a rhetorical question that it answers right off the bat: where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Yes, we get our help straight from the greatest power source ever.

4 Promises of Psalm 121

1. Our feet will not be moved.

“He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.”

Psalm 121-3

God never sleeps. He will give us a firm foundation on the rock of Christ Jesus, and He won’t allow the devil to trip us up. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” God will make sure of it.

2. He will keep us and protect us day and night.

“The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.”

Psalm 121:5-6

Whether it is the elements of weather or the fear of the unknown that seem to come out at night, God is our keeper. God has put Himself in charge of our care.

3. He will keep our souls.

“The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.”

Psalm 121:7

There are many places in scripture that give assurances that God is the one who is in charge of getting us from the moment of salvation to an eternity with Him. Hebrews 12:2 says He is the author and finisher of our faith. Philippians 1:6 says that He who has begun a good work in us will be faithful to complete it, and Jude 24 says that He is able to keep our feet from stumbling and present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. God will keep us. We just have to keep our faith in Him.

4. God is in control of our lives.

“The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.”

Psalm 121-8

Going out and coming in – and everything in between. God has us in the palm of His hand. My blog last week was about exactly that: the providence of God. Check it out if you have a minute: Easing Anxiety With the Providence of God.

Psalm 122

The Joy of Going to the House of the Lord

Does it make you happy to go to church each week? Do you look forward to it and smile when you step your feet inside the building once again? 

King David wrote this Psalm from the perspective of a traveler who just entered the city to partake of the feasts and was so very glad to be there to give thanks to the Lord. There wasn’t a temple just yet; his son Solomon had yet to build it. But, maybe he was thinking of a yet-future time. As it was, the city had been taken from the original Jebusite owners and rebuilt. It was newly dedicated to the service of the One True God and belonged to all the tribes since it wasn’t a part of a certain tribe’s allotted land. It was a seat of government and a place of judgement, and David’s line would always rule there (including Jesus who will rule His earthly kingdom there one day). 

In it, David not only exhorts the reader to pray for the city but gives a blessing for all who will love it:

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces.’”

Psalm 122:6

The city belonged to all of Israel. All who went there came to worship God. The Psalm ends with a blessing to all his Israelite brothers of different tribes.

“For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, ‘Peace be within you.’ Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.”

Psalm 122:8-9

As church members today, we should also remember that whatever denomination we choose on Sunday morning, we are all a part of the larger body of Christ. We should keep God and His purposes in the center and wish our fellow brethren (of other churches) peace. 

Dear God, thank you so much for keeping good care of us. Please help us to remember that You are our help in our times of trouble. Thank you for the blessing that is God’s house. Let us never take for granted the blessing of gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ to worship you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 113-114

Psalm 113

“Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord!”

Psalm 113:1

God is worthy of all praises, but especially that of His servants – and that’s us. How much time do you spend praising God? Do you do it “from the rising of the sun to its going down”? I try to begin each prayer with a praise, and sometimes I just stop and marvel at how amazing God really is. But I think some days I could do better at vocalizing my praise for the God who is my everything. 

He is above everyone, but he condescends to come to us. He is so great, and yet He does not forget the poor and barren. God lifts them out of their conditions to something better. 

Psalm 114

The Psalm begins by remembering the greatest act of God in the Old Testament: when God delivered Israel from the captivity of Egypt. This is a symbol of what Christ’s crucifixion would later do for us: when he set sinners free from the bondage of sin. The Israelites were strangers in a strange land just like Christians today are not at home here in the world. We are just passing through to our own Promised Land with Jesus in eternity.

Judah and Israel are mentioned here as God’s sanctuary and dominion. These were the two physical locations of God’s chosen people during that time, but then, as now, He resides in the hearts of His servants.

Then the Psalmist makes allusions to God’s magnificent, supernatural works. This whole section personifies things in nature so that we can picture them reacting to the majesty of God.

“The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back.”

Psalm 114:3

This is speaking of the Red Sea parting at the beginning of the Exodus from Egypt and the Jordan River parting to allow them crossing to the Promised Land at the end of their journey.

“The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.”

Psalm 114:4

This was probably talking about the mountains when God spoke to Moses on Mt. Saini

“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters.”

Psalm 114:7-8

This is, of course, talking about when Moses struck the rock and God made water come from it. God can make a way when there seems to be no way. If he can make water flow from a rock in the desert, how much more can He fix our troubled lives?

All these supernatural acts highlight how the whole earth responds to God. If all of creation knows to bow to God’s will, how much more should people do the same?

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Dear God, please help us to remember to praise You more even when life gets busy with all the little details. You are worthy of all praise! As your servants, just as the earth, we bow to you and submit ourselves to your will. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 107-108

Psalm 107

Did you know that the book of Psalms is actually 5 books? I found that out recently when I did a blog called The Bible is a Lamp Unto Our Feet. In it, I show how the description of the lampstand from Exodus is really a symbol of the Bible. Whether you count the Bible as 66 books or 70, there are all kinds of similarities with the decorations on the lampstand that are too much for coincidence. Check it out if you get a minute.

Psalm 107 starts the beginning of Book Five of five. Interestingly enough, five different times, David exhorts people to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. Verse two includes the words to one of my favorite songs.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

Psalm 107:2

God has been so good to us! We should let everyone know what He has done for us. In fact, this Psalm is very much encouraging people to speak their testimonies.

Five Reasons We Should Give Thanks to the Lord

1. He gathers those who are lost and finds them a city. Wilderness and desolation is a symbol of being lost. The people are hungry and thirsty, and their soul faints because nothing else on earth satisfies our longings for God. When we cry out to Him, he finds us and makes us a part of His family. He gives us an eternal place to call our Home.
   
2. He pulls us from darkness and breaks our chains. When we were in darkness on our way to death, we were bound “in affliction and irons.” Our sins made us slaves because we rebelled against God and His ways. Sometimes, in His mercy, God worsens our situations so that we will cry out to Him for help. (Many people can’t/won’t come to God until they hit rock bottom.) But when we do, he breaks our chains and gives us freedom in Christ.
   
3. He delivers us from destruction. In life, many times, it is our sins that have caused our afflictions. Sometimes it takes a brush with physical death to figure out we need God. When that happens, He saves us, heals us, and delivers us from destruction in both this world and the next.
   
4. He calms our storms and guides us safely. Here, the metaphor of a ship on a sea is used. God has power over the waves. Even when people’s lives seem to be crashing out of control, we can cry out to God, and He will calm the storm and tell the waves to be still. When He is in charge of our vessels, He will guide us safely to our destination.
   
5. He brings the righteous blessings and punishes the wicked. Like many Psalms, this one ends with again affirming that the wicked will be punished. For the righteous, however, He will feed the hungry, give great bounty with crops, protect their cattle, and multiply their families. These are all symbols for prosperity in any age.

“Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”

Psalm 107:43

God is so good and kind to us! All we have to do is look around to see.

Psalm 108

Supposedly, this Psalm was sung on the eve of battle. It has kind of a pep-rally ring to it as David gets everybody pumped by praising God with lots of exclamation marks and then appealing to Him to help them win the battle. Notice how he reminds God that He loves him. 

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth; That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me.”

Psalm 108:5

That is actually something I do sometimes when I pray. I tell God that I love Him, and that the Bible says that I love Him because He first loved me. It’s important to remember this in our relationship with God. He LOVES us. He wants what is best for us. And even when we are hurting in life, it isn’t because He doesn’t care. He is with us no matter what we face, and we have the assurance that everything in our life will work toward our good and/or God’s glory.

Then David bursts out in prophecy. I  don’t usually think of David as a prophet, but he was. Here, he speaks of God’s victories over all nations, mentioning several by name which were conquered.

Finally, David makes a final plea for God to be with him in this battle with Edom.

“Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.”

Psalm 108:12-13

This is so true, right? God goes before us. He fights for us. The real and only power we have in this life comes from God. Praise God that He is merciful and gracious and gives help readily when we ask Him.

Dear God, thank for these and the millions of other reasons why we should praise You! You are so very good to us! Please help us to remember that you love us and will fight for us in whatever battle we face if we will but allow you to be the captains of our vessels. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 101-102

Psalm 101

The first thing I noticed about the beginning of Psalm 101 are the “I will” statements. That reminds me of how teachers are taught to frame our objectives for the day: “By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to…” do this or that. I see this Psalm kind of like that. Life IS our classroom. Are we learning the lessons we are given? Are we able to do what we need to do the way we are supposed to do it? If so, here is what we will do.I will sing praises to the Lord

I will

• behave wisely
• walk within my house with a perfect heart
• set nothing wicket before my eyes
• not know wickedness
• destroy whoever secretly slanders his neighbor

But just as important as regulating our own behaviors is how we manage those who have an influence on us. The old saying that if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas applies. We should only spend our time with those who are also faithful to God. We should stay away from liars and evil doers. Good advice, David!

Psalm 102

Job 14 says that man is few of days and full of trouble. Psalm 102 picks up with David on another one of his troubled days. 

“Hear my prayer, O Lord. And let my cry come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; incline your ear to me; in the day that I call, answer me speedily.”

Psalm 102:1-2

We have all been there. We’re so upset we can hardly eat or sleep. It seems like everyone is against us and even God isn’t hearing our cries for relief. But the remedy for David in this Psalm is the same one we need in this situation: we have to walk by faith and not by sight. Even when everything seems lost, it’s just not. God has promised favor and mercy to His children. One day He will come again, and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He DOES see what is happening. He WILL avenge His people. 

The last paragraph of the Psalm is amazing because it goes right along with the words that I heard in my spirit when I woke up this morning. It may be the title of my blog this week; I will have to wait and see. The words were “A permanent God in a temporary world.”

“They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years have no end.”

Psalm 102:26

The last line is about how the children of God’s servants will continue as well, and their descendants established before Him. We have to remember to keep our focus on the One who is permanent. We can’t keep looking at the world because it is passing away. Instead, we must keep our eyes on God. He will keep us and sustain us by faith to be with Him in eternity.

Dear God, thank for teaching me the lessons I need to learn in life. Help me to always walk by faith and not by sight, trusting in You to lead me home. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 95-96

Psalm 95

A Call to Worship and Obedience

God. Is. Awesome. I think sometimes in the mundanity of life, we tend to forget just how special and amazing He really is. But this Psalm doesn’t forget. It reminds us to worship God with joyful voices. He has saved us, and He is worthy. He holds the deep places and high hills in His hands. He owns the sea and the dry land. So we should worship and bow down. We should kneel before our Maker “for He is our God” and we are His people.

“Today, if you will hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness…”

Psalm 95:7b-8

The Bible says God’s sheep hear His voice. Now, whether or not we LISTEN to Him, that’s another question. In fact, that was the problem with the Israelites in the wilderness. They rebelled against their God. Now, that’s a nice little Bible story and all, but what does that have to do with us? Well, everything. Because it’s actually an allegory, a symbolic story of salvation. 

See, you and I were in Egypt once too (the world). But Jesus came for us and brought us out of the world and told us that we will receive the Promised Land (eternity with Him) if we will just keep our faith in God. We are actually in the wilderness right now. We have problems come up, but God gives us provision for them when we humbly ask and wait on Him. When He speaks, we must listen, obey, and trust. That’s how we will enter into His rest. I actually did a blog about that once from Hebrews 3-4 which basically retells the story: “Three Simple Instructions From God to Us.”

Psalm 96

A Song of Praise to God Coming in Judgment

This Psalm could be a message on Facebook right now. It encourages worship, proclaims the Good News, and declares God’s glory. It warns against having people or other gods as idols, and it exhorts people to give God His due. We should bring an offering, come into His courts, and worship Him in His beauty and holiness. In fact, let the whole world should tremble, the heavens rejoice, the earth be glad, the sea roar, the field be joyful, the trees rejoice. Why?

“For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.”

Psalm 96:13

Amen.

Dear God, thank you so much for taking me out of the sin of Egypt and being with me on my wilderness journey. Help me always remember to look to You for provision and care and to always have faith. Help me listen, obey, and trust so that one day I may enter into Your rest. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 87-88

Psalm 87

This Psalm is about Jerusalem, God’s chosen City. Even if He is God of the whole world, He has a special place in His heart for this area and these people. But it’s not just about the landscape or even the genetic Israelites. Because even among the gentile nations, there were those whom God knew. Rahab the harlot is mentioned here along with other gentile nations. But here’s the thing. No matter where someone is born, it is God who does the registering of that holy city.

“The Lord will record, when He registers the peoples: ‘This one was born there.’ Selah”

Psalm 87:6

This reminds me of the verse that says God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy (Romans 9:15). Because we believe in Jesus as the Son of God, we are grafted into Spiritual Israel. We are registered by God into the Book of Life. And all our worship comes from the “springs” of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 88 

A Prayer for Help in Despondency

Every one of us has been there. We just need God NOW. Something has happened in our lives, and we turn to the only one who can make things right. But what happens when He doesn’t seem to respond right away? We cry our eyes out, but the situation doesn’t change or maybe even gets worse. We can’t feel God near to us, so we start to wonder if He has gotten tired of our messy lives and just moved on to someone else who does more or at least does better.

This Psalm has that sentiment, but it takes it a step further, attributing hardship not just to God’s neglect, but to His personal affliction and even wrath.

“You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the depths. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah”

Psalm 88: 6-7

At first this looks outrageous. How could this Psalmist actually blame God? Then I start to really see my own behavior in the past. Times when I have wondered why God didn’t protect me from something that came my way. Was it His will that I suffer? And where was He when I needed Him?

“Lord, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught.”

Psalm 88:14-15

The Psalm doesn’t have a happy ending. The last lines say that God has taken loved ones and acquaintances far from him. He feels alone and rejected by everyone even including God.

I think it’s important to remember here that no matter what we might FEEL about things, we always must continue to have faith in what the Bible says is true. God will never leave us nor forsake us. He loves us and has made a covenant with us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. If something happens in our lives that hurts us, it is for our good or His glory.  Psalm 56:8-9 says, “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me.”

Dear God, thank for grafting us in to your olive tree. Thank you for always being with us and for us even when we can’t quite see how things will work out. Please help us to always remember to remain faithful in every situation. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 81-82

Psalm 81

God really doesn’t ask for much. He just wants to be our only God. Psalm 81 is an “Appeal for Israel’s Repentance.” It was most likely sung during the Feast of Tabernacles. It reminds us that God is worthy to be worshipped, and He will take care of His own.

It begins with rejoicing:

“Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.”

Psalm 81:1

Joseph was a testimony to the people of God. Even though he went to Egypt as a slave, God used him to take care of the people of Israel during the times of famine. Later when the people ended up as slaves, God used Moses to deliver them. But, the people quickly forgot their allegiance to God. He was willing to fulfill their every need, but the people complained and turned away from worshiping Him. He tried to warn them not to turn away from Him, but they wouldn’t listen.

“But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.”

Psalm 81:11-12

Doesn’t that last line just send chills down your spine? God is merciful and long-suffering, but He does have a point in which people can go too far. At that time, he “turns them over” to what they THINK they want. But what God wants is ALWAYS best for us, even if we might not realize it at the time.

Then God lays it out there. Here’s a paraphrase: “If my people would just listen to me and do things my way, I would take out their adversaries, and I would feed them with good things.” That’s quite the promise. All we have to do is do things God’s way – which is the BEST way anyway – and He will take care of us.

Psalm 82

Psalm 82 paints a picture of the Old Testament judges standing in front of God. And they’re in trouble.

“God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.”

Psalm 82: 1

They are called “mighty” and “gods” because of the power they wielded on earth. God had appointed them, but they were still accountable to Him for their actions. 

“How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked? Selah”

Psalm 81:2

As God’s representatives on earth, they were tasked with doing God’s will. It was His will that they take care of those who needed help (such as the poor, the fatherless, the afflicted, the needy), and to free them from those who would seek to oppress them.

When even the judges of God are unjust, the world is a very unstable place. Those judges shouldn’t get so caught up in their power. Instead, they should judge righteously and remember that one day they would die and stand before God, the ultimate judge, to give account. 

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Dear God, thank you for taking care of us. Please help us to do things Your way. Let us remember that no matter our position on this earth, we are representatives of You and should act accordingly. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 73-74

Psalm 73

Psalm 73 was either written or transcribed by someone called Asaph. The name means “one who gathers together.” The first line is profound when you understand that all of those who name the name of Jesus Christ have been grafted into Spiritual Israel. This applies to US.

“Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.”

Psalm 73:1 

Here, a pure heart just means one who is wholly given over to the Lord. The heart isn’t divided between God and the world. It’s something to ponder when we’re examining ourselves, for sure.

Asaph’s Testimony

The Psalmist then gives a testimony. He tells of a time when he ALMOST stumbled and lost his way on the path. See, he started to look around at those who were in the world, and their lives were looking pretty good. Without the “rules” of doing things the right way, wicked people have no problem making money and living seemingly fabulous lives. Even when faced with death, they often find themselves blissfully unaware of the judgement waiting just on the other side of that last breath. They have all the monetary goods their hearts could want and wear their pride like a necklace.

The wicked even set themselves against God and say in their hearts: “How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?” (Psalm 73:11). Now, I don’t know about you, but virtually every time I read or hear comments like this, I physically cringe. I can’t help it. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). The idea that some people think this way, even unconsciously, gives me that uncomfortable feeling that leads to self-examination. God forbid anything I am thinking or doing would fall into that category!

The next part is interesting. It’s another thing that we have to watch out for in our walk because it is sneaky, insidious. It can pop into our minds, and before we are realizing it, we’re entertaining it. Psalm 73:13-14, “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.  For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.” The narrow road can be tough sometimes as we seek to live a life pleasing to God. We work so hard to do the right things, but troubles still seem to come our way anyway, and God keeps finding things about us we need to fix. (And praise God that He does! The Lord chastens His own. This is how we know we are His children.)

Lesson Learned

But remember at the beginning, I said this was a testimony of a time when the Psalmist ALMOST fell. Here we hit the climax of the Psalm when he realizes his wrong thinking.

“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.”

Psalm 73:17

As soon as our Psalmist gets near to God, he gets it. The Lord despises the wicked. The good things that the wicked experience in this life are all a mirage, a deception of the enemy to cheat them out of the real treasure of a relationship with God. That first moment in eternity when they realize what has happened — that they traded their eternity for a few temporary earthly baubles — is a horror and a desolation beyond what the Psalmist can even bear.

Immediately, he repents for his thoughts and is grateful for the truth. God is with His children. He guides us and will receive us into His glory. Nothing on this earth is worth the exchange.

“My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Psalm 73:26

The only end for the wicked is destruction. We must draw near to God and trust Him, for He is worthy.

Psalm 74

Psalm 74 is again ascribed to “Asaph,” but the topic of the Psalm indicates this could possibly be a later writer than the first. Commentators speculate that this was written after the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians. If not, this would have to have been a prophecy from the time of David.

The Lament

The interesting thing in this Psalm, to me, is the attitude of the Psalmist. He says God has forsaken them, but obviously he doesn’t believe that for a moment; otherwise, he would not be pleading so earnestly for help.

“O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?”

Psalm 74:1

He is lamenting, wailing to God that God has abandoned them in their time of need. Israel was supposed to be God’s people, but the enemy was attacking them viciously, destroying even the sanctuary dedicated to God Himself. They attacked it with axes hammers, and even fire. They were gleeful in their hearts that they destroyed the things of God, but God seemed to be ignoring the whole thing. Even God’s prophets had gone silent.

Then, like people are apt to do, the Psalmist gives God a little advice about just what He should do with this situation. Psalm 74:11 “Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.” He reminds God of all the times he had destroyed evil in the past and the times when He had come to the supernatural aid of His people. He also reminds God of His great power from the very beginning:

“The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter.”

Psalm 74:16-17

He then makes a final plea for God to come to their rescue and avenge His mighty name. He asks God to remember His covenant with His people and stand up for Himself in the face of their enemies.

This Psalm gives us a good lesson and reminder that even when it LOOKS like God is nowhere to be found in the midst of our troubles, this is absolutely not the case. We can always come to him to ask for help and mercy in our time of need. He is there for us. He hears us, and whatever the outcome, He is for us. All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and who are the called, according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

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Dear God, thank you for showing us the truth. You are the true treasure, and nothing in this life is worth trading for our souls. Thank you for being with us always, even when it feels like You are far away. You never forget the covenant You made with Your people through belief in the shed blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ. We praise You now and look forward to forever praising Your name. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 67-68

Psalm 67

Psalm 67 is called “An Invocation and a Doxology.” That just means that it is a prayer asking for God’s help or blessing and giving a formal praise from the Bible. Many churches say this first verse at the end of a service:

“God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah.”

Psalm 67:1

The basic gist of the Psalm is: Let’s all rejoice and praise our just God. Then God will bless His people, and everybody else will fear Him as God.

Speaking of praise, it just occurred to me this morning that because I haven’t been driving to and from work, I am missing about 20-40 minutes of praise with music every single day. That is something that I will definitely need to make an effort to work on.

Psalm 68

Psalm 68 is fairly long. A lot of the same ideas from other Psalms are repeated here as the Psalmist reminds us again that there IS a difference in those who belong to God and those who rebel. The former will have blessings heaped upon them. The latter will live barren lives and then be crushed. Here are a couple notable verses:

Psalm 68:2d-3a: “The wicked will perish at the presence of God, but let the righteous be glad…”

Psalm 68:5-6: “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”

Furthermore, those blessings not only seek to separate the just from the unjust, but they also encourage the righteous that their labors and sacrifices are not in vain. We DO belong to God, and He will take care of us always.

Psalm 68:9: “ You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, when it was weary.”

Then a reminder of God’s power in terms that the people of that day could understand:

Psalm 68:17: “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands; the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.”

Then right smack in the middle, there is an allusion to Jesus, and we are reminded again that the entire Bible is all Him whether overtly as here or just in symbolism.

Psalm 68:18: “You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even from the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell there.”

That sure looks a lot like this verse about Jesus in Ephesians:

“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”

Ephesians 4:8

Why the difference between “you have received gifts” and “gave gifts”?  Commenters believe that Paul was taking a bit of liberty here. Jesus took captivity captive by cheating death in the resurrection. He TOOK the pleasure of defeat away from the enemies of God, and later received adoration from some of the same ones who crucified Him after they realized what had happened and believed on His name. BUT, Paul is making the point that Christ’s gifts to men – salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit – was part of this process.

Those gifts would be enough, but God is so good to His children that the goodness just keeps on being poured on us. This next verse has me saying, “Amen!”

Psalm 68:19: “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah”

The next part is kind of interesting. It’s almost like a modern “shout out.”

Psalm 68:24-27: “They have seen Your procession, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary… Bless God in the congregations…There is little Benjamin, their leader, The princes of Judah and their company, the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.”

Everybody who was anybody was getting together to worship God. The temple at Jerusalem is then prophesied to be great.

Psalm 68:29: “Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring presents to You.”

Even if Egypt might wish to retake them, but God will prevail against them. God will scatter them who might want to fight, and the rest will submit and bring offerings to God.

The last verses make me think when I remember that WE, the church, have been grafted into Spiritual Israel.

Psalm 68:34-35: “Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, and His strength is in the clouds.  O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!”

The Lord Jesus Christ will return in the clouds one day. He will gather His people together to worship and adore Him, but even those who would rebel will not be able to do anything else other than bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. God is awesome whether He is in the ark in Jerusalem or in our very own hearts. He will give His people strength and power, and we will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Amen!

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Dear God, thank you for the blessings that you have heaped upon us! Thank you for allowing us to be Your children. Help us be ready for the day when You will return in the clouds to gather us together with You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 61-62

Psalm 61

God never fails His children. Psalm 61 is yet another Psalm in which David is feeling low until He thinks about the comfort of being God’s child. It’s a lesson for all of us, really. We must never forget that we belong to God – and He takes that very seriously.

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Psalm 61:2

There are 59 different Bible verses about God as the Rock. It is an image that lets us know that He is firm, unmovable, unshakeable, sure. He is our shelter and a strong tower from the enemy. We can abide in Him and trust in His shelter. The next part really makes me think:

“For you, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.”

Psalm 61:5

This says to me that there is a category of people who have an inheritance, an allotted portion, a part in God’s kingdom. Those are the people who fear the Lord and take Him at His Word that He is who He says He is. When we vow, promise, make the statement, that we believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins and we give our lives to Him, He hears us.

Then David switches to third person to let us know that he speaks, not just of himself, but his line of decedents:

“You will prolong the king’s life, his years as many generations.  He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!”

Psalm 61:6-7

God’s mercy and truth are able to preserve us all when we worship Him and do His will in our lives.

Psalm 62

• PSALM 62:1-2, “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”

• PSALM 62:6, “He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.”

• PSALM 62:7, “In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”

Here, David seems to reminding himself that when he is attached to the rock that is immoveable, that makes him immovable as well. This reminds me of Matthew 24 when Jesus tells of the man who builds his house on the sand versus the man who builds it on a rock. When God is our foundation, we aren’t going to slide around or be swept away even when the storms and rains come into our lives. 

Then David laments those who were coming against him. He said they delighted in lies and had a hypocrisy about them. They blessed him with their mouths but cursed him inside. Then a verse that brings it all into perspective:

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

Psalm 62:5

We just can’t count on people every time. People are fallible. God is not. We can trust Him and must look to Him alone for guidance, comfort, and salvation. People are but vapors in the wind, but God is a Rock that stands forever. We also can’t count on circumstances. If we become rich, we shouldn’t put our trust or hope in them.

Then the money shot:

“God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work.”

Psalm 62:11-12

God confirms His Words. He is true. He is TRUTH. He is also merciful and sees into our hearts to evaluate each one of us personally.

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Dear God, thank you for being our Rock. We can build our lives on You and know that our foundations are sure. Thank you for hearing us when we cry out to You. Help us to always remember that our inheritance is found solely in You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 53-54

Psalm 53

The first part of Psalm 53:1 is actually the very bumper sticker I have on my truck!

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.”

Psalm 53:1

So many people today have decided that there is no God. Even this week when the world got flipped on its head from the coronavirus, people insist on believing it’s all chance.  I saw a post on a local Facebook group by a lady who was 75 and overweight. She was afraid that if she did get sick, the doctors wouldn’t see her because of her age and condition. There were lots of comforting words, but no one had mentioned the gospel yet, so I wrote a short response detailing repentance and trust in Jesus as Savior. I did get some “love” and “like” responses, but I also got the little “laugh” response(s) as well. 

The next line of the Psalm is one of those that makes me respond every single time I read it. Do you also find yourself talking back to Bible verses? 

“God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”

Psalm 53:2

“Oh! Me! Do you see me? God, please see me!” I pray that my behavior is such that it can be counted as “seeking,” and that God sees me and knows that I am His. 

The next verses get dark, though. “Every one of them has turned aside.” Not good. These are the verses that have me physically cringing as I think of those who would turn away from God. The Psalm says the people who don’t believe are not good. They don’t do good, and they have no knowledge. They are in fear because God is against those who are against His people.

The final lines are prophetic. 

“Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.”

Psalm 53:6

They speak about the coming Messiah and the time when the Jews will come back into right relationship with Jesus.

Psalm 54

This Psalm is called “Answered Prayer for Deliverance from Adversaries.” It was apparently written by David during a time when Saul was on the hunt for him. He asks God to save him, vindicate him, and hear him. People are after him, but God is his helper. The next line is definitely something to consider.

“Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with those who uphold my life.”

Psalm 54:4 

God isn’t just with us, but He is with those who help us. That’s a pretty amazing thought. God is so involved with us and our lives that He is willing to give favor to those who help us and are for us.

“I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.”

Psalm 54:6

God is so good and worthy of all our praise. Any sacrifice we have to make for the good of others and for His glory is worth it to please Him.

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Dear God, thank you for seeing us, hearing us, saving us, and keeping us. Please help us to remember that no matter what happens, we are Yours. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 47-48

Psalm 47

The word “awesome” has been in my vocabulary since the 80’s. Lunch was “awesome,” the movie was “awesome,” and so was the newest song on the radio. Recently, however, my pastor has challenged our congretation with the idea that the word “awesome” (as well as the word “wonderful”) really should be reserved for God alone.

Psalm 47 begins with rejoicing. The Psalmist encourages people to sing, clap, and shout to the Lord because…you guessed it: “the Lord Most High is awesome”! He is worthy. He is a great King and protector of His people, and He will defeat His enemies. Then an interesting line:

^“For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.”

 Psalm 47:7 

It’s not about memorizing and repeating words, phrases, and songs. It’s about truly comprehending how very awesome our God is. There really is a throne in heaven, and He really does reign forever as our King. I just recently found a song that really makes me THINK about who God is in relation to who I am. It’s a humbling song, for sure. It’s by Addison Road called What Do I Know of Holy. I praise God often for allowing me to be a part of His life.

Psalm 48

The first few lines of this Psalm remind me of another song by Michael W. Smith. It’s called Great is the Lord, and it came out in 1982. Still, almost 30 years later, it is a wonderful worship song. God is so worthy to be praised!

The bulk of this Psalm seems to be about Jerusalem, the earthly habitation of our omnipresent God. The world at that time understood that the city belonged to God. Other kings were afraid when they considered trying to take the city. They “marveled and were troubled,” and they were in pain (like a woman giving birth) and scattered (like ships).

“So we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah”

Psalm 48:8

God’s temple was in Jerusalem, and everyone knew that He took care of His city and His people. While the outsiders were in pain and afraid, those on the inside had positive, worshipful thoughts toward God. They were grateful for His lovingkindness, His justice, and His majesty, and they taught their descendants to think the same way.

“For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.”

Psalm 47:14

Isn’t that just the way it is now? People who don’t know God don’t reverence Him. There are those on the outside and those on the inside; there are those who are a part of His family and those who are not. What a sad and terrifying thought to think of all those people on the outside on That Day. Life is short and death is sure, and one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. As God’s children, we must be about the business of talking to others about His love – and His justice – every day we have left on earth.

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Dear God, thank you for being awesome! Thank you for letting me be a part of your life. Please help me to really think and consider the words I use to praise you instead of just repeating phrases without understanding. Please help me to have boldness to tell others about you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 41-42

Psalm 41

The Bible is filled with the theme of good versus evil. God listens and takes care of those who follow God and do good things. He turns His face away from those who do evil, and He punishes them both on earth and in eternity.

Psalm 41 continues in the same vein. Those who will consider the poor will be delivered in their time of trouble. God will keep them, and they will be blessed. Their enemies will not triumph against them, and they will be healed. Last week I did a blog about God’s promises. It was about how we can choose to trust in His Word even when everything in the world tells us we need to fear. You can read that here: Instead of Fear, Choose Faith in God’s Promises. 

But even though God hears us, and He promises to take care of us when we need Him, that doesn’t mean that Christians won’t go through trials while on earth. We have an enemy who seeks to hurt God by hurting us. He sends flesh and blood, circumstances, and even our own thoughts against us. The devil will even use people we know and love to cause us pain. Sometimes they know they are doing it; other times, they aren’t even aware.

But, the Psalmist says we can know that God is pleased with us because the enemy doesn’t triumph over us. Instead, we will be with God forever.

Psalm 42

These first few verses HIT me. So many times, I will just get this giant longing like no other to be in the presence of God. To worship at His feet. To look upon His face. Sometimes, it feels almost physical, like a knot in the center of myself that aches for that day. Sometimes it is because things on earth aren’t going that great. Sometimes, though, it’s just because I love Him so desperately I just need MORE of Him.

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”

Psalm 42:1-2

This Psalm is about a time of trial. It was thought to be written by King David when he was prevented from going to Jerusalem to worship (either by Saul or Absalom’s forces). In it, he laments that things on earth are tough. Even worse,  others mock and scoff at him. “…Where is your God?” 

When David remembers happier times of worship at God’s house, it just makes him sadder because those times were past. But, then he reminds himself that his hope is in the Lord. God isn’t just in one place, but He is everywhere all at once. Even when life seems to be one trouble after another, God is always good. Even when it seems like God isn’t listening, He is there both day and night. Our hope remains in Him.

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Dear God, thank you for being just. You reward the faithful and will one day punish those who do your children harm. Thank you for the hope we have to one day be in your presence forever. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 33-34

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Psalm 33

God is SO amazing! So many times in a day, I find myself praising the Lord. Maybe it’s not always eloquent, but it just rushes out in a flow I can’t even stop. Today was the perfect example. I had a super productive day and buzzed through most of the tasks that were starting to weigh on me, making me feel even a little overwhelmed at the amount of stuff I had to do in the amount of time I had to do it. But God. (I LOVE that phrase!) He met me at my desk this morning and put my head in the game. I give all my praise and glory to Him!

And so does David in Psalm 33.

“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.”

Psalm 33:1

Whether with our voices or with instruments, praising God is the right thing to do. God loves truth, righteousness, and justice. He made the heavens and the earth and filled them with His goodness. His power is beyond imagination. He spoke everything into existence and controls it all. Even when people think they are in control, God can change things in a minute. But, His words and plans stand forever.

Then Psalm 33:12 says something interesting:

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”

Psalm 33:12

Now, I know this is talking about Israel, but for a minute, it seemed to describe the United States as well. We were “one nation under God,” and we called Him our God. It was then that we were blessed. 

“The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.”

Psalm 33:13

But now what does He see? Does He see our great armies and the technology men tell themselves will keep us safe in times of trouble? Or, does He see a nation that has all but forgotten Him and His ways? The watchmen have been warning of God’s judgement on America. Our cup of indignation is full. But God still knows who His people are, and He will deliver them on that day.

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”

Psalm 33:18-19

Those of us who still put our trust in the Lord and wait for Him to help us can rejoice now and in that day. We trust Him, and His mercy will be upon us.

Psalm 34

Psalm 34 is PACKED with nuggets of goodness. There are some popular verses, and there are some bits and pieces that smack of the choruses of tons of our favorite songs. It starts with what I think of as one of the goals of my life:

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Psalm 34:1

That’s exactly how I want to live. It reminds me of another go-to verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

We magnify Him and exalt Him, and He hears us when we pray. He delivers us from our fears because we know He has us covered in our time of trouble.

Next comes the verse I say virtually every night as I lay down to sleep:

“The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them”

Psalm 34:7

And then the verse that I took for my new ministry! I have started taking a snack and a Bible verse or two to the men who wait for day work on Sundays as a “taste of church.”

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

Psalm 34:8

And then a little bit of assurance. God knows our needs even before we ask. We never need to fear lack even in terrible times if we will just fear God and not man or situations. We shall never lack any good thing.

Then some excellent advice:

“Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

PSALM 34:13-14

Why? 

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”

Psalm 34:15

God turns His face away from evil-doers, but He hears those who do His will. When they cry to Him, He will deliver them.

So many great nuggets! Here is another very popular verse:

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

Psalm 34:18

Yes, the righteous will go through trials and tribulations, but the Lord will deliver us out of them all! What a great promise!

Now, the final mic drop moment. I don’t know about you, but this one REALLY hits home for me on a lot of levels:

“The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.”

Psalm 34:22

Let’s break it down. The Lord is our “redeemer.” He paid the price for us to go free from the penalty of sin. We are His servants when we set up our lives to live for Him. We can trust Him and put our faith in Him because He promises in His word that He will never leave nor forsake us. Praise God!

Dear God, You are so amazing! Thank you so much for always hearing our cries for help! Thank you for your protection and provision in our time of trouble. Please help us always to trust in You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 27-28

Psalm 27

Psalm 27 is my third favorite Psalm of five. I love Psalm 91 best, then Psalm 23, then Psalm 27, then Psalm 121, then Psalm 1. These are all go-to Psalms for me when I’m feeling some kind of way. They, like the rest of the Bible, contain God’s words of truth and love for His people.

If God is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?

We are in a spiritual battle. The opening lines of this Psalm are words of encouragement in our fight. If God is our God, we have nothing to be afraid of. No matter how big the situation, our God is bigger. Then my favorite part:

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.”

Psalm 27:4  

Amazingly enough, it is Psalm 37:4 that tells us that those who delight in the Lord will receive the desires of their hearts. THIS is my desire. I just want to be His child on earth for all my days, see Him and know Him for the amazing God He is, and be able to come to Him with prayers that He hears and answers – not just on earth, but forever and ever. Here is a blog I wrote recently around this theme: The Desires of the Heart: What’s Your One Thing?

Then the next part tells us God WILL be with us, He will hear us and answer us, and we will find Him when we seek Him with all of our hearts. And, the alternative is unthinkable.

One aspect of this Psalm that I love so much deals with my all-time greatest fear: that God will turn Himself away from me. Right after I was saved, this was the fear that brings torment that the devil brought to me again and again: “Okay, you are saved now, but surely you will screw this up eventually.”

“Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.”

Psalm 27:9

But God already knew that this would be an attack of the enemy. He spends verse after verse reassuring us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even when everyone we know and love turns against us, God never will.

The next verse is really profound. It is in with so many other amazing verses, I think sometimes it might get overlooked, but really, it says so much about our lives on earth.

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

Psalm 27:13

Think about it. So much of how people see salvation is in terms of eternity. Life can bring sorrow and pain, but there is coming a day when God will dry our tears. This verse, however, speaks of the goodness of the Lord NOW. Today. While we are still on earth, He gives us glimpses of His goodness that keep us moving forward toward our prize and allow us not to get weary in well doing.

Finally, the greatest bit of encouragement.

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Psalm 27:14

If we will just keep our hope stayed on Him, He WILL strengthen us. That’s a promise, and God doesn’t take those lightly.

Psalm 28

Please Answer My Prayer

This Psalm is about prayer, about crying out to the Lord. The Bible says we are to pray “unceasingly,” and a lot of days I feel like I come pretty close. This week, I noticed something about myself. Over and over, I caught myself thinking or saying out loud, “Lord, please help.” I didn’t mean to do it, but it became sort of a mantra, a phrase repeated again and again about varying things: how I felt, what I saw, what would happen, etc.

Last night at church, a lady came to the front when we had prayer time. She was crying, and as I reached to hold her arm and pray with her, she was saying the same thing again and again: “Lord, please help.” We ALL need God’s help whether in little situations or in big ones. I realized that there are low-hum times of prayer, and there are also times when our frequency moves the needle a little higher. I prayed with her over whatever what happening in her life, and it made me more aware of prayer itself as communication with God and even, amazingly enough, other believers.

Fervency In Prayer

In Psalm 28, David’s needle is at the top. He is crying to God, begging God to hear him. He also begs God not to give him what the wicked deserve because they do not fear the Lord and give Him His due worship. Instead, he blesses the Lord because He has, in fact, heard him. God strengthened him and helped him, and it made David happy and caused him to praise God.

God is the strength of His people, and He is our refuge. Then he ends with a prayer

“Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever.”

Psalm 27:9

Amen.

Dear God, I praise you and thank you that you are always available and willing to hear our prayers. Whether they are daily prayers of just walking beside you and “doing life” with you or big prayers when we cry out in the night, You hear us and strengthen us. Thank you for being our God both here on earth and in eternity. .In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 21-22

Psalm 21

My pastor’s favorite Bible verse is Romans 5:8, and he talked about it again on Sunday. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What an amazing God we serve that He would die for us and call us to Himself when we were but wretched and lost. Psalm 21 is titled “Joy in the Salvation of the Lord.”

Salvation Isn’t Just Not Going to Hell

In Christendom today, we often focus our talk about salvation to mean that we will be saved from hell. While this is absolutely true, David’s Psalm 21 explores the many and varied benefits of our salvation while we are still alive.

• Joy in God’s strength
• Filling our God-shaped holes (our heart’s desire)
• Answered prayers
• Blessings of goodness
• Position and authority as a child of God
• Life – just because we ASKED
• The ability to trust Him
• Mercy to stay the course because He will not allow us to be moved

God glories in our salvation because He has taken what is vile and is turning it – ever so slowly in some cases – into something worthwhile and precious. He is sanctifying us to be less like us and more like Him.

Like many Psalms, David then contrasts believers, those in whom God is working, and unbelievers, those who find themselves an enemy to the cross.

God’s enemies will be:

• Destroyed by fire in God’s anger
• Swallowed up in His wrath
• Devoured by fire
• Destroyed from the earth with their offspring
• Foiled in their plans
• Hardened to God and others
• Shot by His arrows in their faces

In all of these, God will be exalted for His strength, and we will sing praise for His power.

Psalm 22

A Messianic Psalm

Whether it is the Word in the beginning to the Alpha and the Omega at the end, the entire Bible is talking about our Lord Jesus Christ. While the New Testament speaks of Him in His time on earth, much of the Old Testament references Him in ways that must be discerned.

Some 490 years and 14 generations before Jesus was born, David wrote Psalm 22. The first line of that Psalm almost exactly echo Jesus’ words on the cross, and the rest is an expression of that day. Whether David understood what he was doing at the time or not, we don’t know. What we do know is that the words in the Psalm are capitalized appropriately to mean Jesus here.

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?”

Psalm 22:1

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, “’My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’”

Matthew 27:46

Then, He says He is a worm. On one hand, this is in reference to being treated like the lowest of lows. The people despised Him. They rejected Him, beat Him, and spit on Him. On another level, the worm here could be in reference to the crimson (or scarlet) worm. Without plagiarizing another’s work, I will just refer you to the article: How Was Jesus Like a Worm? The upshot is that there is a significant comparison between the life cycle of this worm and the sacrifice of Jesus for us. Not only that, but the crimson blood of that worm was used to dye the high priests’ robes back in Old Testament times.

Jesus took the penalty of our sins. But wasn’t the whipping, the spitting, or the insults he endured that crushed Him on that day. It was God who poured His wrath upon Him. It is in this way that He was the propitiation, or atonement, for our sins.

On another level, though, David was probably feeling a little like God had abandoned him here. I know I have felt something similar when it seemed that the world was against me and God was so very far away. But God never leaves His people or forsakes them. Jesus’ work on the cross was the plan from the foundation of the earth. God never left the plan for an instant.

Then the next part:

“I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.”

Psalm 22:14

Again, this is speaking of Jesus on the cross, but it is also easy to identify with here. Sometimes we “pour” ourselves into work, into ministry, into helping others and worshipping our Lord. Sometimes it may feel like there is nothing else in us.

The next lines are absolutely prophetic. You can just see Jesus there on the cross.

• My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws;
• You have brought Me to the dust of death.
• For dogs have surrounded Me;
• The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
• They pierced My hands and My feet;
• I can count all My bones.
• They look and stare at Me.
• They divide My garments among them,
• And for My clothing they cast lots.

But even while He was paying for the sins of the world, God never turned away from Jesus, and He doesn’t hide His face from us either. We can praise Him always, and He will hear us when we cry. He will take care of us.

And one day, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You…all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive.”

Psalm 22:27 and 29

And now and from that day, we will declare Him God and king forever.

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Dear God, thank you so much for my salvation! Thank you for your help on my earthly journey and the promise that I will be with you forever someday. Please never, ever let us forget what you have done for us. Let us always be reminded that Your grace mercy is a gift. Let us never withhold that from your children.In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 15-16

Psalm 15

Who May Abide In Your Tabernacle?

Psalm 15 is short and sweet but powerful. It reminds me of parts of my two favorite Psalms: Psalm 91 and Psalm 23, both of which talk about dwelling with God. 

• PSALM 91 “He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” 

• PSALM 23 “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

But what is the character of those who are allowed to do so? They are those who:

• Do the right thing and speak truth in their hearts. 
• Hate the vile but honor those who fear the Lord.
• Don’t gossip, spread gossip, or do evil. 
• Those who their promises his/her even when it hurts them to do it. 
• Those who don’t take monetary advantage of the vulnerable or innocent.

They shall never be moved.

Psalm 16

A Psalm of Hope For Now and Evermore

“…You are my Lord; my goodness is nothing apart from You.”

Psalm 16:2

I can relate. Can’t you? This Psalm is about David’s pure joy at being counted as one of God’s children both on earth and forever. He loves God’s people and feels sorry for anybody who has chosen a little “g” god instead of God Himself. Because God takes care of His own.

God is there to give advice and be with us in trouble. As long as we set our eyes on Him and keep Him first, we don’t have to worry. We can be joyful now on earth and look forward to the resurrection when we can be with Him face to face. Praise God!

“For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”

Psalm 16:10

This has a double meaning. David, himself, is a “holy one” because he is God’s child and keeps His commandments, so he would be kept pure until the time he passed away. But, it is also a reference to his descendent, Jesus Christ who is THE Holy One who never saw physical corruption even after His death.

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Psalm 16:11

Another double meaning. David stayed on the path leading to eternal life and experienced joy both on earth and in heaven after he passed away. But, Jesus IS the way and sits at the right hand of the Father.

Dear God, you are my only goodness. Thank you for allowing me to dwell with you and be your child both now on earth and forevermore. I place my hope in You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 9-10

Psalm 9

Praise to the Lord for His Righteous Judgments

I love the way this Psalm begins. It’s a good reminder that the Lord deserves our praise, and not only that, it’s a nifty model for doing it. The words are reminiscent of various praise songs that have come and gone over the years. I can catch little strains and melodies as I read.

“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”

Psalm 9:1

Like many of the Psalms and Proverbs, this chapter talks a lot about justice. But this one seems to be more about God judging nations than individuals. The chapter swings back and forth like a pendulum. On the one hand, God’s people get goodness, mercy, and protection. On the other, the wicked get what’s coming to them. His enemies will be destroyed, and even their memories will perish. Then back again to the other side, praising God that His people will be sheltered. God is a refuge for the oppressed, especially in their times of trouble. God avenges blood and doesn’t forget the cry of the humble. While the nations get caught in their own wickedness and turned into hell, the needy shall not always be forgotten.

Then comes one of my favorite lines and one I would like to put on my list to memorize:

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

Psalm 9:10

David ends once again asking God to “Arise, O Lord.” He asks God to judge the nations righteously in His sight. He isn’t happy about the destruction of the wicked but asks God to teach men to fear Him through His mighty acts.

Some people just don’t listen to God in good times. Times of hardship and judgement can bring people to their knees (in prayer) like nothing else. This is one of my most fervent prayers for my loved ones: that when the judgement hits America, my wayward family will turn to God for comfort. I wrote a blog about a prayer I learned to pray by reading the story of Manasseh, King of Judah: Hope For Lost Loved Ones: God’s Mercy in Trials. Check it out if you have a minute.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 starts with two rhetorical questions. David asks God, “Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?” Now, this might seem like a pretty bold prayer and one that is a bit contradictory to his earlier Psalm of praise and confidence in God’s justice, both to the wicked and those who need His protection. But when you think about it, if we were honest with ourselves, many of us would admit to feeling a similar sentiment at times when we see the bad people seemingly rewarded while the weak and the good seem to be trampled again and again.

Like Psalm 9, this one also talks about the wicked and the just, but it mostly focuses on the wicked.

The wicked are proud, they persecute the poor and boast in their hearts’ desires. They bless the greedy and reject the Lord, refusing to seek Him. Then comes a pair of verses that really make me think:

• PSALM 10:4 “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.”

• PSALM 10:5 “His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; as for all his enemies, he sneers at them.”

Wait, what? The wicked are proud, never thinking of God, but they are always prospering? I think this one really speaks to the utter cluelessness of unbelievers. People who reject God and live for themselves have so many fewer things to worry about. Not because they don’t have the same responsibilities to love God and love men like the believers do, but because they choose to ignore those responsibilities. They collect material goods instead of giving. They get ahead at the expense of others. To the outside world, they “prosper,” but the dramatic irony here is that their lives are anything but prosperous because they are missing the most valuable thing possible: a relationship with our Savior.

The wicked have mouths full of cursing and deceit and iniquity. They “lurk” and murder the innocent. They take advantage of the vulnerable like a lion, crouching and lying low. They take the helpless by their strength and say in their hearts that “God has forgotten,” “hides His face,” and “will never see.” Then the real crux of the matter comes out. The wicked say to God in their hearts, “You will not require an account” (Psalm 10:13). But just because God doesn’t use lightning bolts to smite people much these days, it doesn’t mean that they will get away with even one single bit of it.

Because God Has not forgotten. He sees everything and will repay. He is a helper to the fatherless and has heard the desire of the humble. He will give them ears to hear and a heart of flesh. He will listen to them when they call for Him. Justice will be done.

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Dear God, thank you that you are just. No matter what it looks like in the natural, you give your people favor and will set right all that has been wrong in the world. In your wrath, please remember mercy for our lost loved ones. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Psalm 3-4

Psalm 3

The Lord Helps His Troubled People

Psalm 3 is a prayer from David during the time his son Absalom had taken control of his kingdom. It was a long story you can read about in 2 Samuel 15-18. But let’s just say that David was distressed. His son betrayed him by getting the support of the people behind his back and then attacking him in Jerusalem. David fled to avoid bloodshed and preserve his own life.

While on the run, he cries out to God because of his many enemies and those who said, “There is no help for him in God” (Psalm 3:2) Now, I’m not sure if that means “Even God can’t help you now” or worse, “God won’t even help you now.” But either way, the next word is “Selah.” Now, some say this is a musical direction, but another opinion is the word “pause.” As in, “Now PAUSE to think about that.

But David doesn’t listen to the naysayers. He know God is his shield and the One who comforts him. Then David starts listing all the evidences that God hears him and has not forsaken him. He hasn’t let him down before, and He never will. I don’t know about you, but I find myself doing the same exact thing when I start to get down. I start remembering situation after situation when I thought things were hopeless or I felt miserable but God was there for me every single time.

David says that God gave him sleep, He protected him to live another day, and had destroyed his enemies in the past. David trusts God to be there for him in this situation as well. He cries out:

“Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!”

Psalm 3:7

David ends with a declaration of faith: Salvation belongs to the Lord, and His blessing is upon His people.

Psalm 4

The Safety of the Faithful

This Psalm most likely was not during the same time period as Psalm 3. Here, David isn’t concerned so much with his physical safety as that of his reputation. But again, he cries out to his God and reminds Him that He has always been there for him in the past. He begs for God to hear him and have mercy on him.

Then David wonders at the people around him who are tearing his reputation to shreds. How long will they turn his glory to shame? How long will they “love worthlessness and seek falsehood?” (Psalm 4:2). Has David been on Facebook recently? Seriously, we can all relate to his questions about the people of the world. People who chase after things that don’t matter and lie and listen to lies about things that are good.

But we get a great lesson in the next few verses. David gives himself a pep talk that worked for him and can work for us too. He basically says, “But God has different standards than the world, and I belong to Him. He hears me when I call, so I just have to chill. The Bible says ‘Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still.’ I just have to do what I know is right and trust God. He’s got this.”

He ends with a reminder that it is God who brings his heart gladness. It’s not his circumstances, and it’s not the material things that make the world happy. It is God alone who brings him joy and gives him peace, even in distress.

Dear God, please help us always to trust in You for our protection and well being. Even when we don’t understand people, we can always rely on the truths that You gave us in Your word. You aren’t fickle, and You are not a man that You would lie. We can trust you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Job 37-38

Job 37

Job 37 starts in the middle of Elihu’s monologue about the works and wisdom of God. These passages are good for us to read because so many times in the hum drum of life, we can forget how very amazing our God really is. Elihu’s heart trembles when he thinks about God, and ours should too.

Among the things He does, God

• Sends forth the thunder of His mouth and lightning to the ends of the earth.
• Does great things we can’t comprehend.
• Tells the snow and the rain to to fall.
• Seals the hand of every man.
• Gives ice with His breath.
• Scatters the clouds at His command.

Elihu Questions Job

Then the whole conversation turns from a list of amazing things God does to an interrogation. I can just see Elihu sort of swing around, pointing a finger as he asks him a couple of questions about those very clouds:

“Do you know when God dispatches them, and causes the light of His cloud to shine? Do you know how the clouds are balanced, those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?”

Job 37:15-16

But then he gets nervous. How could he speak for God? As arrogant as he has been in his earlier diatribes, he does, at least, have the sense to realize that he might not exactly be doing God justice with his weak words. He reasons that people can’t even look at the sun. How could they possibly stand in the presence of our great God?

Job 38

God Finally Has Enough

So far God has been silent as the men go back and forth, but He decides at this moment to interject. He’s going to clear a few things up just now, but none of the things he will say immediately answers anybody’s questions or proves any man was right in the argument. He starts with a little comment, possibly directed to the previous speaker Elihu:

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ‘Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?’”

Job 38:1-2

Then He tells Job to buckle his seat belt because He has a few questions of His own.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?”

Job 38:4-5

The questions involve all kinds of topics, but they are basically all the same. They are asking Job where he was when things were created and if he had the same power as God. They were meant to remind Job that He was God, and Job was  NOT. This is a good passage for us to read too. The questions remind us the amazing majesty and power of God and the great breadth and depth of His power. There is no one like our God. And even when we might feel for just a moment that we understand and are in control of our tiny little lives, we really haven’t even glimpsed understanding and are but specks of dust swirling in a wind of His breath.

Dear God, as we go about our ordinary lives, please help never to fall into the trap of thinking that You are are also ordinary. Let us be humbled to remember your great power and majesty and that You are always in control. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Job 31-32

Job 31

I’m. Not. Guilty.

Charged with hypocrisy, Job defends himself again. He knows it’s not all lip service. God looks at the condition of the heart, and Job knows that he has done his best to live with integrity.

“Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?”

Job 31:4

He then starts listing the sins that he HASN’T committed. But, he doesn’t just include the sin. He includes even the mere THOUGHT or desire to sin. 

• Dishonesty: he hasn’t used dishonest scales.
• Adultery: he hasn’t even looked at a woman.
• Poor treatment of his servants: he hasn’t mistreated them because he knows they are God’s children too.
• Selfish with the poor: he hasn’t turned away the poor and fatherless.
• Covetousness/Idolatry: he doesn’t love his money more than God.
• Hatred of enemies: he hasn’t cursed his enemy or rejoiced at his destruction.
• Lack of hospitality: he hasn’t turned away travelers from staying at his home.

His reasoning for WHY he doesn’t do these things or even think about them is worthy of note here. It’s the same reason you and I live our lives to the best of our ability in obedience: we fear God.

“For destruction from God is a terror to me, and because of His magnificence I cannot endure.”

Job 31:23

Job 32

After Job’s words, the three friends are silent for a minute. Job just wasn’t getting what they were saying. What point was there in continuing to argue?  Then a fourth “friend” shows up to fuss at them all. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting Facebook flashbacks here. How many times have people been having a discussion that was about all wrapped up, and here comes someone else to get everyone riled up again? The man’s name is Elihu, and he’s on nobody’s side.

Elihu Is Really Mad at Everybody

 ^“Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.”

Job 32:2-3

Elijhu explains why he was just now joining the conversation. He’s younger than the rest, so he was giving them a chance to speak first. He took their little pause as permission to enter the conversation, so here we go.

He basically says. “Look. You guys are older, so I didn’t want to jump in before you had a chance to use those grey hears for what they are good for: wisdom. But none of you has convinced Job of anything. So, before I absolutely BURST, I’m going to give you the what’s what from the Holy Spirit.”

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Dear God, please help us to always discuss matters with others in a civilized way. When we are wrong, let us repent and ask others for forgiveness. When we are injured, let us be quick to forgive. Please let us to remember that in all things we must have order, for you are not the author of confusion. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Job 25-26

So if you have been following the Saga, the argument from Job’s “friends” seems to be that for Job to be experiencing this much trouble, he must be a wicked, sinful man. If he would just repent already, Job could be done with this whole ordeal. This is (again) dramatic irony because we, as readers, know what Job knows: he is innocent before God. Repenting for imaginary sins won’t help. He must simply endure. 

In Job 24, Job reminds them that there are plenty of wicked people doing just fine out there. Sometimes God doesn’t smite the wicked. He allows them to prosper (thereby nullifying their argument completely). He makes his point apparently, because Bildad changes tracks.

Job 25

He decides to remind Job the vast expanse of difference between the power and majesty of God and the lowliness of man.

This passage teaches us two things. First, when arguing with brothers and sisters in Christ, there are times when it is best to let a matter drop instead of continuing to argue. Second, no matter what is happening in our lives, we must always remember that God does all things well. There will never be a time when God is wrong and man is right. Our righteousness is but filthy rags.

One more interesting thing from this passage is that it contains yet another clue pointing to Jesus Christ as the Messiah. I super love how you can find little nuggets like little rabbit trails that you can follow to treasure. Here’s a passage in Job 25 that corresponds to Psalm 22:6.

“How much less man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm?”

Job 25:6

This is what Bildad says when referring to the insignificance of man vs an all-powerful God. He makes a distinction here between man and the son of man.

“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.”

Psalm 22:6

This is what David says when he is recounting what we know to be the plight of Jesus Himself as He was mocked and ridiculed on the cross to save us from our own sins. The Son of Man is not JUST a man. It is a term synonymous with Jesus, the Christ of God.

Neat, huh?

Job 26

Job feels kicked while he’s down. “Why can’t you just give me a little comfort?” he seems to say. Then he echoes the idea of the very power of God and again. In the face of the very arrogance and assurance of his friends that believe they KNOW God, Job again reminds us that we really can’t understand everything about Him, because He is, in fact, God.

“Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him but the thunder of His power who can understand?”

Job 26:14

Dear God, thank you for your mercy in that even when we don’t understand everything, You never change in Your goodness and mercy. And, thank You for the Bible in which we can see time and again that your Word is truth. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Job 15-16

Job 15

Eliphaz Thinks He Knows

Eliphaz is unimpressed with Job and his speeches. He thinks he knows exactly what’s going on here, and he doesn’t hesitate to inform his good buddy. He accuses him of not fearing God and not praying enough.

“Yes, you cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God.”

Job 15:4

He still thinks Job is in sin, and every word out of his mouth that isn’t humble repentance to God is just digging Job a deeper hole with God.

“Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you.”

Job 15:6

He also thinks that the very advice he, himself, was giving was sent from God to set Job straight and that Job wasn’t being very smart by rejecting what he had to say. 

“I will tell you, hear me; what I have seen I will declare, what wise men have told, not hiding anything received from their fathers…”

Job 15:17-18

And he reminds Job that the wicked are the ones with all the problems. (So if Job has problems, he must be wicked.) And God will ultimately judge the wicked.

“The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.

Job 15:20

Again, I’m reminded of the times when people THINK they know exactly what is happening in a given situation. We assume that someone is going through a trial to deal with sin, to chasten one into obedience, or to learn a lesson, but when all is said and done, we don’t really know anything. We certainly don’t know how much someone is or is not praying. We shouldn’t assume.

Job 16

Job Answers Eliphaz

“Some comfort you are,” Job seems to say to his accusers. You have only told me the things I already knew. If I was in your position, I could say the same thing, but I wouldn’t. I would at least try to help you feel a little better!

And now, he’s kind of sick of talking about it.

“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; and if I remain silent, how am I eased?”

Job 16: 6

He’s been through a lot, and it has all been so very PUBLIC. His friends have seen him brought to the lowest of lows, and he has no idea why except maybe that God hates him and wants him to be humiliated.

“He tears me in His wrath, and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; my adversary sharpens His gaze on me. They gape at me with their mouth, they strike me reproachfully on the cheek, they gather together against me. God has delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over to the hands of the wicked.I was at ease, but He has shattered me; He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces; He has set me up for His target.”

Job 16:9-12

He doesn’t know what he has possibly done wrong, and he again asserts his innocence. He simply can’t fathom how his current predicament is the result of the righteous life he had previously lived. 

“My face isflushed from weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death; although no violence is in my hands, and my prayer is pure.”

Job 16: 16-17

Job’s friends didn’t know the extent of his innocence, but Job did – and so did heaven. He was starting to see death as a comfort. On the one hand, it would be the end to his suffering. On the other, he might finally get some answers.

It is definitely something to remember that we are the only ones who actually know our own guilt or innocence with God, but even then we might not have the complete picture about a given situation. Job’s friends judged him unrighteously, but even Job’s righteous judgement of himself was missing vital pieces of information. Right now, we see through a glass darkly. That is why it is so vitally important to know the character of God and trust Him in every situation.

Dear God, thank you for helping us to remember that we don’t know everything in every situation. We shouldn’t judge others when we don’t know all the facts, and we must even be careful in judging ourselves when we THINK we know all the facts. You are the only one who sees and knows everything. Please help us to always trust in You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Job 7-8

Job 7

Job’s Pity Party

To this point, Job has really been handling the whole situation well. Even when his “friends” come to accuse him and his wife tells him to curse God and die, Job really has kept a stiff upper lip about the whole thing. But he’s getting tired. He is hurting, and his patience is wearing thin.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been there. When something happens, I always start with the best intentions about dealing with things in a godly way. I try my best to continue to love, continue to hope, and continue in my faith. But the longer a trial drags on and the more extreme the test, the more those imperfections that we have been hiding deep down inside me come to the surface. It’s almost like those fish you feed at the park. The pond looks calm and empty until you start to throw some breadcrumbs. Then one or two, and finally a frenzy of fish are roiling and splashing where the once-calm water was.

Job Lets Go

The dam breaks. Job reminds God that his life is short and gives him an earful about what God has been doing to him lately. Of course, we know that it isn’t God at all but Satan who is doing the tormenting. God is just allowing it for His purposes (something we all need to remember, for sure!).

“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, that You set a guard over me? When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,’  Then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body. I loathe my life;
I would not live forever. Let me alone,for my days are but a breath.”

Job 7:11-16

He feels (rightly) targeted and asks God what he has done to deserve what he is going through. He also asks why God doesn’t forgive him and take away the things that are offensive to Him. Finally, he says he will die and then God will look for him, but he will be gone. Of course, this is ridiculous given that God knows everything, but we say things we don’t mean when we’re upset. 

Job 8

Bildad Gets In On the Action

But his friends still aren’t getting it. It’s dramatic irony in its finest. The reader knows why everything is happening because we were privy to the details in heaven, but Bildad is just a character playing a role. He sees some things, but some things are hidden to him – just like you and I experience every day. The Bible says it this way in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

So he chastises Job for his words to God and accuses him (and his sons) of sins that MUST be the cause of his current predicament. Okay, can we be honest here for a minute? How many times do people do that today? Don’t you know people who really can’t seem to catch a break in life? Sometimes it might be sins catching up with them, but sometimes it might be generational curses, and sometimes it might be God just getting their attention. The point is, we don’t know, so we shouldn’t assume. 

But Nobody ever mentioned that to Bildad. He still thinks he has an iron-clad case.

“Behold, God will not cast away the blameless,nor will He uphold the evildoers…And the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.”

Luke 8:20 & 22

Again with the dramatic irony. We know that while this is TRUE, this is not true in THIS situation. Here is where discernment, humility, and keeping close to God comes in. It’s a good lesson for us all.

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Dear God, thank you for your grace for us when we are hurting and upset. Please help us to always remember that we probably don’t know everything. Help us to be humble and always pray in faith to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Esther 9-10

Esther 9

Some things in the Old Testament are hard to understand. As Christians, we are taught to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who spitefully use us. But these Old Testament Jews were hard core eye for an eye sometimes.

Chapter 9 opens with the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them. Because of Mordecai and Esther herself, the decree had gone out from King Ahasuerus that, instead, the Jews had free reign to take out anyone who opposed them. Fear of Mordecai fell on the people because he had become pretty powerful by this time, and everybody knew it.

The carnage was intense.

“Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.”

Esther 9:5

On the first day, in Shushan the citadel, the Jews killed 500 men plus the ten sons of Hamon. They didn’t take any goods or money. It wasn’t about that, apparently. That day, the report came to the king about what the Jews had done. The king asked Esther if she had any other requests. She asked that the decree remain in effect one more day and that Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows. So the next day, the Jews killed three hundred more men and hanged the sons.

The rest of the Jews in all the king’s provinces got together and had their days as well. Seventy five thousand enemies were killed, but no plunder was taken. This was the 13^thof the month. 

The Feast of Purim

On the 14^thof Adar, they rested and made a feast. Mordecai decided that this should be a yearly thing to commemorate the occasion, and Queen Esther confirmed it with full authority by sending letters to all 127 provinces. They called it the Feast of Purim because Haman had cast Pur (that is, the lot) to destroy them, but when Esther came before the king, the decree was made to return the evil intent on his own head. It is a day in which the Jews rest from their enemies and spend the day feasting in joy, sending presents to each other and gifts to the poor. From generation to generation, it has been observed among Jews so that the memory of what happened here will never be forgotten.

Esther 10

King Ahasuerus was a powerful king, imposing tributes on the lands and islands of the sea. Mordecai was his second in command, and all of their exploits are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. Mordecai was popular with the Jews and always looked out for his people and tried to keep peace with his countrymen.

Dear God, please help us to always remember to forgive our enemies. We know that vengeance is Yours and you will repay. Also, please let us always remember to give thanks to you when you fight our battles for us and give us the victory. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Esther 1-2

Esther 1

A Big Party

When we open in Esther 1, we find King Ahasuerus in charge of 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. He was rich. So rich, in fact, that when he had a party to show off for all his officials, servants, and princes of all the provinces, it took 180 days to show the splendor of it all. Showing off works up on appetite, apparently, so at the end, the king made a feast lasting for seven days. The décor was marvelous, the goblets unique, and the wine was flowing. But drinking wasn’t mandatory. Each person could choose to eat or drink what he liked.

Meanwhile in another part of the palace, Queen Vashti was having a similar soiree for the ladies.

On the seventh day of the feast when the king had plenty to drink, he gathered his Eunuchs and told them to bring Queen Vashti before the king. Now, eunuchs were men who had specific jobs that required to work with women. They were castrated, one would suppose, so there would be no danger of temptation for any funny business with the ladies. Anyway, the king commanded the eunuchs to bring the queen and to make sure she was wearing her royal crown. She was very beautiful, and he wanted to show her off to his friends.

She. Said. No.

A Big Insult

Now, in today’s modern world this might not mean the end of a marriage, but for this king at that time, this was a deal breaker. The king was so mad that he checked with all his top guys about what he should do. He was drunk, he was mad, and this chick was going to pay. And, just like often happens when guys get together (or girls for that matter), they started to get even more worked up the more they thought about it. Pretty soon, they had a national incident on their hands.

“And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: ‘Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.’”

Esther 1:16

His reasoning went that as soon as the other women heard that Queen Vashti got away with this kind of thing with the king, pretty soon every wife in the kingdom would quit coming when their husbands called. So he advised King Ahasuerus to make a decree proclaiming that all wives must honor their husbands. Oh, and he should give Queen Vashti’s position to somebody else who deserved it more than she did.

“Good idea,” said the king. He sent letters to all the provinces to each man in his own language that every man would be the master in his own house, and Vashti was out.

A Big Lesson

Poor Queen Vashti had let the sumptuous surroundings, her position as queen, and the freedom within the kingdom go to her head. She realized, too late, that her privileges could be taken as quickly as they were given. This story makes me think of the times in my life when I have gotten a little too big for my britches, times when pride crept in and I thought things revolved around me. As children of God, pride is definitely a big one to watch out for. We must always remember that everything we have has been given to us by God. He gives, and He can take away. It’s all for His good pleasure. But unlike the king in this story, our King loves us and wants what is best for us.

Esther 2

Out With the Old: In With the New

The king’s servants had a new project: Operation Find a New Queen. Beautiful virgins were rounded up from all over the provinces and brought to the women’s quarters at Shushan the citadel. Beauty preparations were given to them, and they awaited their time to meet the king.

Now, in this city was a certain Jew named Mordecai from the tribe of Benjamin. His family had been carried away captive from Jerusalem, and he was the adopted father of his uncle’s daughter who had no parents. Esther was beautiful, so of course, she was rounded up too. She caught the eye of the head eunuch, so she was put into the queue to meet the king. She got an allowance, beauty preparations, and seven maidservants to attend to her. She and her maids were moved to the best place in the house of women.

Mordecai had told Esther not to reveal that she was from a Jewish family, so she didn’t. Each day, he would check on her, and this lasted for a year. She had gone through six months of oil of myrrh, six months with perfumes and other beautification procedures. When it was her turn to see the king, she got to pick whatever she wanted to go in with her. She chose to take the advice of the chief eunuch and take in only what he told her to take. Good move. The king loved her and made her queen instead of Vashti.

Another Feast

To celebrate, the king made a great feast called “the Feast of Esther” and invited all his officials and servants. He proclaimed the day a holiday and gave generous gifts.

One day while the virgins were gathered together, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate. While there, he happened to overhear two of the king’s eunuchs plotting against the king. Mordecai told Esther, and she told the king in his name. After an investigation, the two men were hung on the gallows, and the incident was recorded in the chronicles in the presence of the king. Meanwhile, Esther still kept her mouth shut about her family heritage. 

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Dear God, please help us to always remember that everything we have has been given to us by you. The world does not revolve around us. It does, however, revolve around YOU. Please also help us to honor our family commitments and stand fast in the position that God places us for His glory. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Nehemiah 7-8

Nehemiah 7

With Nehemiah’s building project complete, he begins the real work of getting the city back up and running the way it should. He starts with a grand opening and appointing watchmen for the walls.

“And I said to them, ‘Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house.’”

Nehemiah 7:3

The Concept of the Watchmen

The concept of the watchmen is all through scripture. It’s mentioned in Isaiah 62:6-7 in the same way as here: men who physically watched for invaders trying to breach the walls of Jerusalem. But it’s also mentioned in Ezekiel 3 and Isaiah 56:10 in a more spiritual sense. Men (and women) are appointed by God to watch for spiritual danger for God’s people. When they sense it or hear it from the Lord, they are to sound the alarm, letting people know the danger. If the people turn from their wicked ways and repent, good. If not, the blood is on their own heads. But, if the watchmen get slack and do not warn the people and they do not turn away from their ways, the blood will be on the heads of the watchmen. It’s a pretty sobering concept, and it is one that is very much alive and active today. Just tapping into social media for a minute, you will find several people letting us know that the hour is late, the time to prepare and get right with God is at hand, and Jesus is coming very soon.

The People Return By Houses

Now, the city was all ready to go, the watchmen were on the wall, and the doors were about to be opened, but the houses had still not been rebuilt. It was going to take some administration to get everybody in and working on the NEW projects at hand. Nehemiah says, “Then my God put it into my heart…” I LOVE that! It shows that God was interacting with His people then just like He interacts with us today. Anyway, God tells him to gather up all the nobles, rulers, and people and register them by family.

See, Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had carried away those people, but they were coming back, everyone to his/her own city. A big list follows with lots of numbers, but the list had some interesting characteristics that are worth mentioning.

First, some people were listed by name. How important those men must have been to be listed by name when the rest of the list are in thousands. Those men were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamia, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The Big List

Next there is a big list of the people who are returning, but the list is really strange. First, it starts off with a list of men and their sons – 18 to be exact. The format is “the sons of ____” where the blank is the name of a man, and then it gives the number. Now, “sons” here is obviously not in the literal sense. Nobody can have 2,172 sons, for example. But it does show that family lines were extremely important. A person’s family line could tell someone a lot in those days, and the honor in a family was not to be underestimated (as we will see when we get to the list of people who could not tell their lineage).

But here’s the weird thing. Right in the middle of this list, we switch from “the sons of ____” in which the blank is the name of a man to “the men of ____” where the blank here is the name of a city. There are eight of those, and then we go back to “the sons of ___” for five, and then we switch to priests.  There are four “the sons of ____” listed under the heading of priests. 

Then there is a paragraph break, and we sense that we have entered another type of list. These are people who are involved in the temple system. It starts with the Levites and lists two “sons of ___” with numbers. Then the singers with one “sons of ___” and a number, and then the gatekeepers. After the gatekeeper, there are 6 “sons of ___” with only one number at the end of that list. Then the Nethinim, or temple assistants, are listed with thirty-two “sons of ___” but no number after it. Then the sons of Solomon’s servants were listed with ten “the sons of ___” listed of those. The number for all of the Nethinim and the sons of Solomon’s servants comes at the end (392).

Then we switch to people who came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherob, Addon, and Immer. They didn’t know their lineage. There were three “sons of ____” and then priests with 3 “sons of ___” 

Interestingly enough, it was so important that the people know from which house they came that the priests who could not identify their lineage were excluded from being priests in Jerusalem. They counted them as “defiled,” and they were excluded from the most holy things until a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummin, objects worn by the high priest that could somehow tell God’s will in a situation.

The Summary

“Altogether the whole assembly was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,  besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers. Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five, their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.”

Nehemiah 7:66-69

There has to be a reason why this list seems so ADHD. It must have to do with the familial importance of the people listed. Somebody, somewhere, might get the significance. As for us, it is enough to understand that we may not always understand. The Bible is a big, beautiful project. We can learn and learn until our time to go Home, but we will likely never unlock all the mysteries inside.

Donations To the Treasury

The end of this chapter talks about the cash flow. Treasury donations came from some of the heads of houses, the governor (that was Nehemiah himself), and the people. They donated gold drachmas, basins, priestly garments, and silver minas. 

Then everyone dwelt in their cities and Ezra (who must be at least 90 years old by this time) reads the law.

Nehemiah 8

Day 1: They Gather At the Water Gate

When Ezra the priest and scribe reads the law, it is the seventh month. Everyone gathers in front of the water gate, and there is a feast for seven days. This is significant. Many archeologists put the water gate near the Gihon Spring, a distribution point for fresh water. Think about it. In Jesus’ time, He attended the feast and gave a Word about the Holy Spirit who would make His home with all who believe on Him. John 7:37-38 says, “ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Ezra reads from morning to midday. He’s standing on a platform of wood made just for this purpose, and a list of people are given to his right and left. The people stood to listen, “And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.” And the people answered “Amen, Amen!” while lifting their hands, bowing their heads, and worshiping the Lord with their faces to the ground. Then others stood to help the people understand the Law, and the people stuck around to listen. Then the people wept. What a picture of revival!

Then Nehemiah said:

 “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10

The Levites comforted the people and sent them away to eat and drink and rejoice. That was day one.

Day 2: Feast of Tabernacles/Feast of Booths/Sukkoth

On the second day, the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were still at it with Ezra, searching the scriptures to understand the Law. Then they found the place in which God had commanded Moses to tell the children of Israel to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month. They should announce and proclaim that in all cities of Jerusalem. They said:

 “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

Nehemiah 8:15

Then the people made booths on the roofs of their houses, in their own courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, in the open square of the Water Gate, and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. All those who came back from captivity made booths and sat in them. This was the first time that this had occurred since Joshua’s time, and there was great rejoicing. Ezra read every day for seven days, and they kept the feast for all seven. On the eighth day, there was a sacred assembly. 

What’s the Deal With the Booths?

Like little huts, people made these temporary shelters that probably reminded them of the Israelites’ temporary life in Egypt and their journey through the wilderness, moving from place to place. Even more, it gave them a picture of our temporary pilgrimage on earth and the permanence of an eternity in heaven. They would spend hours and days relaxing, meditating on God, and considering their past, present, and future. Their prophets had given them so many revelations about the truth of the importance of waiting on God. They might have even thought about Jonah who made a booth while waiting on God to decide about Ninevah. 

Here are a couple more pictures from my friend’s celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles:

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Dear God, please help us to always listen when your watchmen speak. Even more so, let us always be attentive when You, Yourself, lay something on our hearts for us to do for you. We praise you and thank you for the rivers of living water You have given us through Your precious Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

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Blogging Through the Bible Ezra 9 and 10

Ezra 9

Temple rebuilt? Check. Levites and priests installed? Done. Families returned to Jerusalem. Yes! Wait. About those families…

Not Good News

Ezra was trying to get things running the way they were supposed to be. He worked so hard in seeking the Lord, doing God’s will, and teaching others what to do. So, when Ezra heard from the leaders that there was something amiss with the people, he took immediate steps to correct it. It seems that the people of Israel (even the priests and the Levites) had intermarried with the heathens while in captivity “so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands.” Not good.

When Ezra gets the report, he tears his garment and his robe, plucks out some of the hair on his head and beard, and sits down, astonished. Have you ever been so frustrated that you pulled your own hair? I have. It’s an intense reaction here, but Ezra worked so hard to make things right, and they just…weren’t. These guys had just spent a long captivity because they hadn’t done things Lord’s way, and already the people were blowing it again. Those who fear the Lord gather around him, and they just sort of sit there, stunned, until evening.

Ezra Spills It All To God

At the evening sacrifice, Ezra falls down on his knees and spills everything to God. He basically says, “Wow, God. I can’t even look at your right now. I’m so ashamed. We have been so guilty of so many things, and for those crimes we were delivered to the kings of other lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to humiliation. And right when you show us a little grace, get us a rebuilt temple and even a wall in Judah, this is how we repay you? You TOLD us that we weren’t to mingle with the heathen or to want the things they want, and it would be well with us. After all this, you punish us less than we deserved, and we break your commandments by committing these abominations? You are righteous and we are guilty. ‘Nobody can stand before you because of this!’”

Ezra 10

When You’re Wrong, You’re Wrong

Meanwhile, while Ezra is weeping and praying, a large assembly of people start to gather to do some weeping of their own. It’s starting to sink in that God wasn’t playing before. He gave them another chance, and they were already starting off on the wrong foot. There is a reason why it says in in Proverbs 9:10 that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Smart people fear God.

Then somebody comes up with an idea. Let’s just follow the law.

“And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, ‘We have trespassedagainst our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.’”

Ezra 10:2-3

Here, I’m kind of torn. On the one hand, I totally get that God rules, and when we screw up, sometimes we just have to abandon everything and just sort of shake the Etch a Sketch and start over from zero. Nothing we ever lose on earth can compare to what we can lose by not being obedient to God.

On the other hand, I can’t help thinking about those poor little babies losing their mommies and daddies. It wasn’t their faults that one of their parents was a pagan, and now they won’t even get the benefit of being raised by someone who followed the one true God. This reminds me of the story of Naomi. Her sons die, and she says to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your pagan gods.” Ruth doesn’t go, but Orpah is like…”Do-tee-do, going back to paganism now.” Hello? Pagans don’t go to heaven. They go to be with their gods in hell. But God knows people’s hearts. He knows who will repent and who won’t no matter what. Maybe that’s what this is here.

In any case, everybody swears that they will put away their pagan families. Ezra is fasting because he still feels bad about it, and a proclamation is issued that everybody gather at Jerusalem within three days. People who choose to stay with their heathen familes will get their property confiscated and be cut off from the remnant of God’s people.

After three days, everybody gathers, and Ezra addresses them, instructing them to repent and separate. The people agree to do both, but at this point, it’s pouring down rain, and they beg for a little time and order for the process, which they receive. Ezra and some elders start interviewing people, a man at a time, until they get through everybody.

The rest of the chapter is a list of people who had taken pagan wives, even those who were associated with the temple. Sons of priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and more promised to put away wives and even children to follow the Lord His way.

Dear God, please help us to always admit when we are wrong. You are God, and we are not. We may not understand everything, but we know that you have our best interest in mind. Thank you for helping us to be obedient. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

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Ezra 1 and 2

Ezra 1

People make their own choices for good or evil, but God can stir a heart like no other. Babylon had taken the Jewish people captive seventy years before, and as prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah, that time period was ending. King Cyrus of Persia was in charge then, and God stirred up his spirit to make a proclamation to free the people and get them back on the road to worshiping the one true God.

King Cyrus Makes a Proclamation

He basically acknowledges that all of his kingdoms have been given to him by God, and that God has commanded him to build a temple in Jerusalem. He tells anybody who names God as his own to go to Jerusalem and build the house of the Lord God (for He is God). Everybody should help by donating silver, goods, and livestock besides the freewill offerings for the house of God.

Then God moves some other spirits too. He touches the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites, and they all head over to Jerusalem to start building. Everybody else gets all their goods and “precious things” together and makes a big offering.

Finally, King Cyrus digs out the articles which Nebuchadnezzer had taken from Jerusalem to put into the temples of his idols and gets the treasurer to hand them over to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. Items listed include: 39 gold platters, 1,000 silver platters, 20 knives, 30 gold basins, 410 silver basins, and 1,000 other articles. There were 5, 400 articles of silver and gold.

Then Sheshbazzar took all the loot plus the captives who were still in Babylon and delivers everything and everybody to Jersusalem.

This whole situation reminds me to keep hoping for salvation for my lost loved ones. God can and does stir hearts to do His will. He can change a situation in a heartbeat.

Ezra 2

The Captives Return

Ezra 2 starts with the people’s return from captivity. Nebuchadnezzer had taken them away so many years before, but now they were returning, each to his/her own land. The Bible lists the people by the land and the number returned. Then it lists the number of priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple assistants, and sons of the priests as well as Solomon’s servants. In total, there were 42,360 besides the 7,337 male and female servants plus lots of horses, mules, camels, and donkeys.

When they got to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem everybody gives generously to support the work on the temple. The people gave 161,000 gold drachmas, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments. Then the people dwelt in their cities.

Dear God, thank you for being a God who still stirs hearts. Help us to know what to pray in accordance with Your will to accomplish Your purposes. Let us always remember that wherever we might wander, You are our true home. Help us to always give from our hearts to your house. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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Visit earlier posts for Blogging Through the Bible starting at 1 Samuel.