Judges 2 - Day 294 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Judges 2:1-15 Observation: The Israelites that witnessed God's miraculous provisions begin to die off and their children stray from their relationship with God and prostitute themselves by worshipping foreign gods. Application: We have a responsibility to teach our children and grandchildren who God is. Our failure to do so will result in their separation from God. Prayer: Lord, please help me teach my children who You really are... Judges 1 - Day 293 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Judges 1:19-21... Summary: The Book of Judges is a tragic account of how Yahweh [God] was taken for granted by His children year after year, century after century. Judges is a sad contrast to the book of Joshua which chronicles the blessings God bestowed on the Israelites for their obedience in conquering the land. In Judges, they were disobedient and idolatrous, leading to their many defeats. Yet God has never failed to open His arms in love to His people whenever they repent from their wicked ways and call upon His name. (Judges 2:18) Through the 15 judges of Israel, God honored His promise to Abraham to protect and bless his offspring (Genesis 12:2-3). After the death of Joshua and his contemporaries, the Israelites returned to serving Baal and Ashtaroth. God allowed the Israelites to suffer the consequences of worshiping false gods. It was then that the people of God would cry out to Yahweh for help. God sent His children judges to lead them in righteous living. But time after time they would turn their backs on God and return to their lives of wickedness. However, keeping His part of the covenant with Abraham, God would save His people from their oppressors throughout the 480-year span of the Book of Judges. Probably the most notable judge was the 12th judge, Samson, who came to lead the Israelites after a 40-year captivity under the rule of the ruthless Philistines. Samson led God’s people to victory over the Philistines where he lost his own life after 20 years as judge of Israel. Application: So it begins... God gave the Israelites specific instructions to destroy the inhabitants so that they could take possession of the promised land. However, we see various tribes "failed to drive out" the people and instead forced them into slave labor. Their compromise will have dire consequences for their entire nation. Prayer: Lord, help me to be faithful... Proverbs 12 & 13 - Day 292 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Proverbs 13:12 Commentary: It is good for a person to have hope, but if it is not fulfilled for a long time (deferred means “put off or long drawn out”) then he experiences disappointment (his heart becomes sick). But when a hope is fulfilled (cf. vv. 4, 19), a person is refreshed. The gratification of hope gives encouragement like a tree that gives life (cf. tree of life in 3:18; 11:30; 15:4). Buzzell, S. S. (1985). Proverbs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 933). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. Application: I started bumping into an old acquaintance, as I pulled weeds in my yard because her parents lived in our neighborhood. On one occasion, she excitedly shared her new radical prophetic views of Jesus' 2nd coming with me. She explained that we are in the "end times" and that it's important to live righteously, repent of our sins, and proclaim that Jesus is coming soon. I agreed with her, but rather than applaud my biblical views, she questioned my faith and teachings. Almost as if she doubted my sincerity. Then surprisingly, she gave me a specific timeframe of when Jesus would return. I gently reminded her of what Jesus himself said about the "times" and that only God the Father knew when everything would unfold. She deflected my response and reiterated that Jesus was coming back on such and such a date to fully restore all of creation back to Father God and to establish the new Jerusalem here on earth. I genuinely replied that I'm looking forward to that happening, but reminded her of what the bible says about false prophets. She didn't take my response too kindly and quickly made her exit. Well, the date she projected has come and gone but Jesus didn't establish the new Jerusalem. However, to her credit, the world did shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic and it felt like the end was near. I haven't seen her since our last talk. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Our hope is (or should be) in Christ now. He has given us the Holy Spirit so we can experience God's kingdom now, as we expectantly wait for his second Advent. Prayer: Lord, Your will be done... Proverbs 11 - Day 291 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Proverbs 11:2 Observation: The teacher continues his discourse of life lessons that everyone can and should, take advantage of. Application: When I succumb to pride, I am not very likable. However, the problem is that I can't recognize pride within myself. Luckily, I have a loving wife who helps me to "see" what I cannot. Since she wants the best for me, I know that she would not lead me the wrong way toward self destruction. Everyone needs someone to help them see what they cannot. Prayer: Lord, thank You for... Psalm 19 - Day 290 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Psalm 19 Commentary: C. S. Lewis wrote of Ps 19: “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world” (Reflections on the Psalms, p. 56). Indeed, it is hard to disagree with such a judgment, for the psalm combines the most beautiful poetry with some of the most profound of biblical theology. And for those who think too easily of the Psalms merely as literature, it is wise to recall that they were also sung (as Ps 19 may have been sung, following the implications of the title verse) and that the music added still further to the beauty and profundity of the poetry. Though we do not know the forms and sounds of ancient Hebrew music, we may nevertheless grasp something of the power that music may add to words though listening to Ps 19 in the setting of Haydn’s Creation; the music is relatively modern, but the understanding expressed in that music is surely original and genuine. The psalmist moves in a climactic fashion from macrocosm to microcosm, from the universe and its glory to the individual in humility before God. But the climax lies in the microcosm, not in the heavenly roar of praise. For the heavens declare the glory of God, but the law declares the will of God for mankind, the creature. And though the vast firmament so high above us declares God’s praise, it is the Torah of God alone that reveals to mankind that he has a place in the universal scheme of things. It is not a place which gives ground for human boasting or declaration of human might over the cosmos: when the psalmist’s praise of God’s revelation in the Torah dawns upon him personally, it issues immediately in a prayer for forgiveness and acceptance. The key clause, as Lewis has pointed out, is in v 7: “there is none hidden from its (the sun’s) heat.” The clause marks the transition between the two parts of the psalm and at the same time links them intimately together. Just as the sun dominates the daytime sky, so too does Torah dominate human life. And as the sun can be both welcome, in giving warmth, and terrifying in its unrelenting heat, so too the Torah can be both life-imparting, but also scorching, testing, and purifying. But neither are dispensable. There could be no life on this planet without the sun; there can be no true human life without the revealed word of God in the Torah. Craigie, P. C. (1983). Psalms 1–50 (Vol. 19, pp. 183–184). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. Prayer: Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord! |
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