Today we continue reading Psalm 119. Please follow along in your bible or go online to read at www.biblegateway.com. Yesterday we learned that Psalm 119 is broken down into 22 sections, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each section is 8 verses long. Today we read sections 4-6.
Daleth
Verse 25-32 Verse 25 begins with "I am laid low in the dust" A friend was telling me yesterday about dust storms in Texas. Dust blows everywhere, and it gets inside buildings. You can't escape it. Sin permeates our lives like dust. Sin starts as a fleeting thought but if we don't sweep that sin particle out of our lives before we know it we have a dust storm. But thankfully God has given us the law to help keep the dirt and dust out of our lives. We will always have dust particles (sin/temptation) in our lives but we have a good defense - God is our shield and keeps our hearts and souls clean.
He
Verses 33-40 This section of verses the psalmist asks to be taught God's decrees so that the psalmist will walk in God's way. Verses 36 and 37 asks for help not to put focus on worldly gain and worthless things. Take our eyes off of self and focus on God. Verse 39 "take away the disgrace I dread" - I am so thankful I have a conscience and I can hear that still small voice that warns that this isn't a good idea. About a month ago I had the opportunity to ride in a small speed boat but it required taking a big jump to get into boat - I am short and have short legs for an adult. In the back of my mind - I thought this probably isn't a good idea - but I REALLY wanted to go for the boat ride. Well, I jumped, I missed, and I fell into the lake. Only my right shoe made it into the boat :-). I needed help to get out of the water. And then I developed this nasty bruise on my right arm and I spent a week trying to hide the bruise because I was embarrassed about the incident. Following Gods law helps us to avoid disgrace brought on by our foolish behaviors.
Waw
Verses 41-48 The psalmist writes in verse 43 "do not snatch away the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws." Having laws are freeing. Verse 45 echoes this " I will walk about in freedom". I know that God has placed laws that are intended for me to live a life loving God and my fellow man. Backing up to verse 41 "May your unfailing love come to me O Lord" - this gives me comfort that God who is larger than life has created earth for us to dwell in and gave us laws for order and peace.
Father God - let our prayer for today be as the psalmist wrote - I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. We thank you for loving us providing for us and giving laws to live by. We now sit silently for a few moments to allow you to speak to us. Remind us of any sins we are committing. We ask for forgiveness and the strength to walk away from any sin in our lives. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
8/31/2010
8/30/2010
Aug 30, 2010 Psalm 119:1-24
As I looked at my 3 year bible reading calendar to see what today's verses were, I was surprised to read that we will be in Psalm 119 until Sept 5th! We will be in this Psalm for a week. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of any book in the bible. Psalm 119 is 176 verses long. It is believed that Ezra wrote this psalm, he was a priest.
Since we will be in this Psalm for a week, I thought I'd talk a little about the structure of this Psalm. Psalm 119 an acrostic Psalm which means it is broken into 22 sections, one section for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each section begins with that particular Hebrew letter. Each section is also 8 verses long. This psalm has a lot of repetition in it. At the time the psalmist wrote this, not many people had access to a written copy of the bible. So this type of Psalm was written in an order for people to help remember with an acrostic psalm. Today, I have 3 bibles in 3 different bible versions, and near my desk is a parallel bible with 4 different versions in it, and a book that explains all about the bible. That's a lot of information at my fingertips! And yet I feel like I know so little about the bible. I have studied some chapters in depth but many I have not.
I found a website that explains the Hebrew Alphabet. Its is www.hebrew4christians.com. If you have the time to read it - it is fascinating!
Aleph
Verses 1-8 First you may notice a symbol to the left of the word Aleph in your bible, and that is the "letter" written in Hebrew.
Verses 1-8 Begins with Blessed are they .... if we walk according to the law of the Lord and seek him with all our heart. They do nothing wrong they walk in his ways The New Living Testament says 'they do not compromise with evil' - I like this wording! We are bombarded with all kinds of messages today, both written and over the airwaves. We need to pick up a bible, listen to Christian music and immerse ourselves in Gods word so that we can focus on God, and walk in his ways for God has given us commandments to keep. Verses 5 -8 summarizes this way - if we steadfastly follow God we will not be put to shame. The psalmist asks that while we obey his decrees, and asks that God will not give up on me.
Beth
Verses 9-16 Verse 9 begins with How can a young man keep his heart pure? Verses 9-16 answers this question. We are all tempted - even more so when we are young. It is so important to give our children and grandchildren our Christian heritage. I confess that I struggle sharing my faith with my grown children, its so much easier to share my faith with my friends than my own family. I hope and pray I am being a godly example to my family as I endure trials and temptations. I have verse 11 circled in my bible "I have hidden your word in my heart". This reminds me that I need to memorize Gods word so God's word WILL remain hidden in my heart. When I am tempted I will have the words to remind me to stay true to Gods commands, and there will be times when we can share God's word with others.
Gimmel
Verse 17-24 "Do good to your servant .... I ask that you open my eyes so I can see the goodness of your law." Verse 19, we are a stranger or a foreigner in the land, and we depend on God to provide us with the road map of life. My soul is consumed with knowing more about you God. God rebukes those who turn from him, and the psalmist asks that he will be removed from those who scorn him. The psalmist seeks the counsel of God and focuses on the statutes, or laws of God. Having laws is freeing - the ground rules are set and we know what is expected of us. We do like order and God provides us with order.
Father God, I pray that I will love you and want to follow you more every day. This psalm encourages me to continue following you, it reminds me the blessings that will come to us if we follow you and your commands. I am struggling with the right words to write here, you know what is in my heart Lord. I do not wish to take away from the awesome words you have penned for us to read so many years later. I pray that these 24 verses speak to us and encourage us that you are the way, the truth and the life. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Since we will be in this Psalm for a week, I thought I'd talk a little about the structure of this Psalm. Psalm 119 an acrostic Psalm which means it is broken into 22 sections, one section for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each section begins with that particular Hebrew letter. Each section is also 8 verses long. This psalm has a lot of repetition in it. At the time the psalmist wrote this, not many people had access to a written copy of the bible. So this type of Psalm was written in an order for people to help remember with an acrostic psalm. Today, I have 3 bibles in 3 different bible versions, and near my desk is a parallel bible with 4 different versions in it, and a book that explains all about the bible. That's a lot of information at my fingertips! And yet I feel like I know so little about the bible. I have studied some chapters in depth but many I have not.
I found a website that explains the Hebrew Alphabet. Its is www.hebrew4christians.com. If you have the time to read it - it is fascinating!
Aleph
Verses 1-8 First you may notice a symbol to the left of the word Aleph in your bible, and that is the "letter" written in Hebrew.
Verses 1-8 Begins with Blessed are they .... if we walk according to the law of the Lord and seek him with all our heart. They do nothing wrong they walk in his ways The New Living Testament says 'they do not compromise with evil' - I like this wording! We are bombarded with all kinds of messages today, both written and over the airwaves. We need to pick up a bible, listen to Christian music and immerse ourselves in Gods word so that we can focus on God, and walk in his ways for God has given us commandments to keep. Verses 5 -8 summarizes this way - if we steadfastly follow God we will not be put to shame. The psalmist asks that while we obey his decrees, and asks that God will not give up on me.
Beth
Verses 9-16 Verse 9 begins with How can a young man keep his heart pure? Verses 9-16 answers this question. We are all tempted - even more so when we are young. It is so important to give our children and grandchildren our Christian heritage. I confess that I struggle sharing my faith with my grown children, its so much easier to share my faith with my friends than my own family. I hope and pray I am being a godly example to my family as I endure trials and temptations. I have verse 11 circled in my bible "I have hidden your word in my heart". This reminds me that I need to memorize Gods word so God's word WILL remain hidden in my heart. When I am tempted I will have the words to remind me to stay true to Gods commands, and there will be times when we can share God's word with others.
Gimmel
Verse 17-24 "Do good to your servant .... I ask that you open my eyes so I can see the goodness of your law." Verse 19, we are a stranger or a foreigner in the land, and we depend on God to provide us with the road map of life. My soul is consumed with knowing more about you God. God rebukes those who turn from him, and the psalmist asks that he will be removed from those who scorn him. The psalmist seeks the counsel of God and focuses on the statutes, or laws of God. Having laws is freeing - the ground rules are set and we know what is expected of us. We do like order and God provides us with order.
Father God, I pray that I will love you and want to follow you more every day. This psalm encourages me to continue following you, it reminds me the blessings that will come to us if we follow you and your commands. I am struggling with the right words to write here, you know what is in my heart Lord. I do not wish to take away from the awesome words you have penned for us to read so many years later. I pray that these 24 verses speak to us and encourage us that you are the way, the truth and the life. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Aug 30,2010 Psalm 118 Bible trivia
I remembered this from a bible study class I took once. Thought I would share.
Psalm 118 is in the center of the bible. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 verses after Psalm 118. If you add 594 + 594 it equals 1188. If you break this down to Psalm 118:8 - this is the verse "It is better to take Refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." I don't suppose God specifically thought of this verse when he orchestrated the bible, but I think it is sound advice regardless :-).
Psalm 118 is in the center of the bible. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 verses after Psalm 118. If you add 594 + 594 it equals 1188. If you break this down to Psalm 118:8 - this is the verse "It is better to take Refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." I don't suppose God specifically thought of this verse when he orchestrated the bible, but I think it is sound advice regardless :-).
8/29/2010
Aug 29, 2010 Psalms 117-118
Today we read the shortest chapter in the bible Psalm 117, along with Psalm 118 and these 2 Psalms end several Psalms that are usually sung at the Passover meal.
Psalm 117 New Living Testament bible "1Praise the Lord all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. 2For he loves us with unfailing Love; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!'
Sometimes less is more. Psalm 117 is one of those psalms that eloquently expresses our praise to God. We don't need to come up with long prayers to praise God, just a short heartfelt prayer of praise to God is all that matters. Help us today to remember that we can stop for a quick moment to offer up a quick prayer of praise to you God.
Psalm 118
The theme for this psalm is having confidence in God's unchanging Love.
Verse 1 begins with Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever. This is part of chorus of a favorite praise song today. The tune is full of life and energy - and this is how we should praise God.
Verses 2-4 Israel, the house of Aaron and those of us who fear the Lord can say His Love endures forever. The psalmist starts with a nation, then the priestly line that came through Aaron, and lastly to us to praise and worship God.
Verse 5-7 When I call out to the Lord he will come to me, he will be my helper, and I will not fear for he is on my side.
Verses 8-9 It is better to trust in God than in man. Wise words. And it is better to take refuge with God than to trust in princes.
Verses 10-12 God destroys hostile nations surrounding me. We can apply this to our own personal battles too.
Verses 13-14 God helps me when I am backed up against a wall. He is my strength and my salvation.
Verses 15-16 We can shout victory - the Lord's right hand has done many things.
Verses 17-18 I will not die but live, God punished me severely but did not let me die. When we accept Christ into our heart we have eternal life with God. We will be punished for our wrongs but he will forgive us and we will be with him through out eternity.
Verses 19-21 I will enter into the gates of righteousness and give thanks for God allowing me to come in. God gives us the law and wisdom to help us walk in righteousness.
Verses 22-23 Jesus is the capstone - the cornerstone of the church today. Jesus refers to these verses in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10 and Luke 20:17. Jesus was rejected by his own people even though he is the cornerstone that holds the church as a whole today.
Verse 24 "This is the day that the Lord has made - let us rejoice and be glad in it" Are you singing along with me?
Verse 25-29 - The psalmist continues with praise to God. His light shines in us. If we are excited about anything we just want to bubble over and tell everyone our good news. Let us be bold enough to let God's light shine through me and tell everyone the good news of Jesus Christ.
Father God, I thank you today for including in the bible words to praise you with, through song and the poetry of the psalms. Help me to personalize the words of the psalmist so I can praise you with what you have done in my life. We learn today that we can praise you with two simple verses or long stories of what you have done for us. It doesn't matter the content or eloquent words but what is in our heart. Let us be bold and praise God to everyone around us this day. In your name we pray. Amen.
Psalm 117 New Living Testament bible "1Praise the Lord all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. 2For he loves us with unfailing Love; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!'
Sometimes less is more. Psalm 117 is one of those psalms that eloquently expresses our praise to God. We don't need to come up with long prayers to praise God, just a short heartfelt prayer of praise to God is all that matters. Help us today to remember that we can stop for a quick moment to offer up a quick prayer of praise to you God.
Psalm 118
The theme for this psalm is having confidence in God's unchanging Love.
Verse 1 begins with Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever. This is part of chorus of a favorite praise song today. The tune is full of life and energy - and this is how we should praise God.
Verses 2-4 Israel, the house of Aaron and those of us who fear the Lord can say His Love endures forever. The psalmist starts with a nation, then the priestly line that came through Aaron, and lastly to us to praise and worship God.
Verse 5-7 When I call out to the Lord he will come to me, he will be my helper, and I will not fear for he is on my side.
Verses 8-9 It is better to trust in God than in man. Wise words. And it is better to take refuge with God than to trust in princes.
Verses 10-12 God destroys hostile nations surrounding me. We can apply this to our own personal battles too.
Verses 13-14 God helps me when I am backed up against a wall. He is my strength and my salvation.
Verses 15-16 We can shout victory - the Lord's right hand has done many things.
Verses 17-18 I will not die but live, God punished me severely but did not let me die. When we accept Christ into our heart we have eternal life with God. We will be punished for our wrongs but he will forgive us and we will be with him through out eternity.
Verses 19-21 I will enter into the gates of righteousness and give thanks for God allowing me to come in. God gives us the law and wisdom to help us walk in righteousness.
Verses 22-23 Jesus is the capstone - the cornerstone of the church today. Jesus refers to these verses in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10 and Luke 20:17. Jesus was rejected by his own people even though he is the cornerstone that holds the church as a whole today.
Verse 24 "This is the day that the Lord has made - let us rejoice and be glad in it" Are you singing along with me?
Verse 25-29 - The psalmist continues with praise to God. His light shines in us. If we are excited about anything we just want to bubble over and tell everyone our good news. Let us be bold enough to let God's light shine through me and tell everyone the good news of Jesus Christ.
Father God, I thank you today for including in the bible words to praise you with, through song and the poetry of the psalms. Help me to personalize the words of the psalmist so I can praise you with what you have done in my life. We learn today that we can praise you with two simple verses or long stories of what you have done for us. It doesn't matter the content or eloquent words but what is in our heart. Let us be bold and praise God to everyone around us this day. In your name we pray. Amen.
8/28/2010
Aug 28, 2010 Psalms 116
Today's Psalm is 116 the theme is praise for being saved from certain death. I am fortunate enough that I have never been close to death. My daughter in law is pregnant with twins, and its been a rough pregnancy. The babies are at almost 30 weeks gestation, and we are now hopeful that if the twins arrive now they will have a good chance of survival. Many people are praying for these babies. My daughter in law was in the hospital overnight a week ago, and Praise God the babies are still in the womb and doing well :-).
We can personalize this psalm - replace a near death experience with other life changing events causing much grief. These could be a job loss, divorce, serious illness, for example.
Verses 1 and 2 "I love the Lord for he heard my voice" - There have been times in my life when I have cried out to God and I have heard a still small voice give counsel to something I know I never would have thought of on my own, so I KNOW that the Lord was speaking to me. Verse 2 ends with "I will call on him as long as I live" and that is my prayer that I will always call upon God until my dying breath.
Verses 3-6 "The cords of death entangled me" There are times in all our lives that we are at the depths of dispare with circumstances in life. For me it has been divorce and job loss. I call up on the Lord for help. And when I look back I can see his compassion and verse 6 "when I was in great need, he saved me."
Verse 7 sounds so comforting doesn't it? "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." We can make this verse more personal and say the Lord has been good to me.
Verses 8-11 The psalmist is thankful that the Lord saved him from death.
Verses 12-14 The psalmist asks how he can repay the Lord for all he has done. And he answers in verse 14 stating he will renew his vows to the Lord.
Verses 15 -16 God is with us from conception to death, always by our side, he never abandons us.I truly believe God grieves with us when a loved one dies. He has compassion for us as we go through this difficult time as we mourn loved ones when they die. And as believers we have the hope that we will see them again one day in heaven.
Verses 17-19 The psalmist gives praise to God, and he renews his vows in the presence of others.
Praise the Lord!
Father God, The psalmist today reminds us that God is always with us even when we are near death or other catastrophic circumstance. We can call out to him anytime and he will be by our side. And then we can joyfully praise him and tell others the good things the Lord has done for us! I thank you for the psalmist words today as he recounted a near death experience, all his feelings and emotions, and then praising God for all he has done. This is an easy psalm we can personalize when we don't know what to pray. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
We can personalize this psalm - replace a near death experience with other life changing events causing much grief. These could be a job loss, divorce, serious illness, for example.
Verses 1 and 2 "I love the Lord for he heard my voice" - There have been times in my life when I have cried out to God and I have heard a still small voice give counsel to something I know I never would have thought of on my own, so I KNOW that the Lord was speaking to me. Verse 2 ends with "I will call on him as long as I live" and that is my prayer that I will always call upon God until my dying breath.
Verses 3-6 "The cords of death entangled me" There are times in all our lives that we are at the depths of dispare with circumstances in life. For me it has been divorce and job loss. I call up on the Lord for help. And when I look back I can see his compassion and verse 6 "when I was in great need, he saved me."
Verse 7 sounds so comforting doesn't it? "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." We can make this verse more personal and say the Lord has been good to me.
Verses 8-11 The psalmist is thankful that the Lord saved him from death.
Verses 12-14 The psalmist asks how he can repay the Lord for all he has done. And he answers in verse 14 stating he will renew his vows to the Lord.
Verses 15 -16 God is with us from conception to death, always by our side, he never abandons us.I truly believe God grieves with us when a loved one dies. He has compassion for us as we go through this difficult time as we mourn loved ones when they die. And as believers we have the hope that we will see them again one day in heaven.
Verses 17-19 The psalmist gives praise to God, and he renews his vows in the presence of others.
Praise the Lord!
Father God, The psalmist today reminds us that God is always with us even when we are near death or other catastrophic circumstance. We can call out to him anytime and he will be by our side. And then we can joyfully praise him and tell others the good things the Lord has done for us! I thank you for the psalmist words today as he recounted a near death experience, all his feelings and emotions, and then praising God for all he has done. This is an easy psalm we can personalize when we don't know what to pray. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/27/2010
Aug 27, 2010 Psalm 115
Psalms 115-118 are traditionally sung at the Passover meal. If you would like to read more about the Passover meal, it is in Exodus, chapters 11 and 12. Please follow along in your bible as we read through Psalm 115.
Verses 1-3 We praise God because of his love and faithfulness. Other nations worship other gods but our God is a living God.
Verses 4-8 Is about idols or gods from other nations, and they are made by man. Idols are made with silver and gold. We have idols in the 21st century. We worship fame, power, wealth, etc. These idols or gods have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see, noses but cannot smell, hands but cannot feel, feet but cannot walk. What do idols do for us? Nothing! Now that is thought provoking isn't it? God is living and breathes live into us. He walks along side us, protects and guides us.
Verses 9-11 In Israel God has been their strength and shield, as a nation, and as an indiviual.
Verses 12-13 The Lord remembers us each one of us and blesses us. What a comfort that is. God blesses those who fear (have reverence for) him.
Verses 14-15 May the Lord make you increase both you and your children. May we be blessed by the Lord.
Verses 16-18 The highest heavens belong to God and he has allows us to reside on the planet earth. We, the living worship God and we will praise him forever and ever.
Father God - we thank you for this psalm of praise. This psalm reminds us that you are a living God, not a made up god in our minds or made with our hands. We search our hearts and seek to remove these lifeless idols and fill up our hearts and minds to worship you Lord. We worship you with awe and reverence. We praise you for all that you have done! You are our help in our times of need, you will increase us and our children, and you have given us a good place to live in - here on earth. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Verses 1-3 We praise God because of his love and faithfulness. Other nations worship other gods but our God is a living God.
Verses 4-8 Is about idols or gods from other nations, and they are made by man. Idols are made with silver and gold. We have idols in the 21st century. We worship fame, power, wealth, etc. These idols or gods have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see, noses but cannot smell, hands but cannot feel, feet but cannot walk. What do idols do for us? Nothing! Now that is thought provoking isn't it? God is living and breathes live into us. He walks along side us, protects and guides us.
Verses 9-11 In Israel God has been their strength and shield, as a nation, and as an indiviual.
Verses 12-13 The Lord remembers us each one of us and blesses us. What a comfort that is. God blesses those who fear (have reverence for) him.
Verses 14-15 May the Lord make you increase both you and your children. May we be blessed by the Lord.
Verses 16-18 The highest heavens belong to God and he has allows us to reside on the planet earth. We, the living worship God and we will praise him forever and ever.
Father God - we thank you for this psalm of praise. This psalm reminds us that you are a living God, not a made up god in our minds or made with our hands. We search our hearts and seek to remove these lifeless idols and fill up our hearts and minds to worship you Lord. We worship you with awe and reverence. We praise you for all that you have done! You are our help in our times of need, you will increase us and our children, and you have given us a good place to live in - here on earth. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/26/2010
Aug 26, 2010 Psalms 113-114
We continue studying Psalms today - Psalms of praise. Please follow along in your bible.
This morning is easy to praise God. It is a cool clear crisp morning. Beautiful sunrise AND you can still see the full moon shining this morning. Pretty cool. I am chuckling now - I wrote this sentence before I opened up my bible and what does psalm 113 have right in the middle of the psalm - but a reference to the sun 'from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets the Lord is to be praised.'
Psalm 113 The theme for this psalm is scope of Gods care and that God shows mercy for the poor and oppressed.
Verses 1-4 We praise God now and forevermore from morning to evening. He is to be exalted above all the nations.
Verses 5-9 No one can compare to God yet he comes down to even the poorest of us and ministers to them. We should see people like he does, wealth and power means nothing to God, he cares and loves us where ever we are in life. This is a good reminder that we should care for people as God does.
Psalm 114 The theme for this psalm is praising God for what he has done delivering the Israelites out of Egypt. God has given us a rich heritage. We can also praise God what he has done for us and our families today.
Verses 1-7 This psalm recounts the Israelites fleeing from slavery in Egypt, and the Lord parted the sea so they could cross the sea. The mountains trembled with God gave Moses the 10 commandments. God has dominion over the earth, and even the earth trembles and moves at his command. I am often amazed at nature and awed that God created all of this. Let us think for a moment of all the awesome things God does in our lives.
Father God, we come to you with praise at all the great works you have done. We thank you for our rich heritage and what you do for us today. You even have the power to move mountains and seas for us, and yet you care for what we perceive as the poorest of the poor. We ask today that we care for others as you do.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
This morning is easy to praise God. It is a cool clear crisp morning. Beautiful sunrise AND you can still see the full moon shining this morning. Pretty cool. I am chuckling now - I wrote this sentence before I opened up my bible and what does psalm 113 have right in the middle of the psalm - but a reference to the sun 'from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets the Lord is to be praised.'
Psalm 113 The theme for this psalm is scope of Gods care and that God shows mercy for the poor and oppressed.
Verses 1-4 We praise God now and forevermore from morning to evening. He is to be exalted above all the nations.
Verses 5-9 No one can compare to God yet he comes down to even the poorest of us and ministers to them. We should see people like he does, wealth and power means nothing to God, he cares and loves us where ever we are in life. This is a good reminder that we should care for people as God does.
Psalm 114 The theme for this psalm is praising God for what he has done delivering the Israelites out of Egypt. God has given us a rich heritage. We can also praise God what he has done for us and our families today.
Verses 1-7 This psalm recounts the Israelites fleeing from slavery in Egypt, and the Lord parted the sea so they could cross the sea. The mountains trembled with God gave Moses the 10 commandments. God has dominion over the earth, and even the earth trembles and moves at his command. I am often amazed at nature and awed that God created all of this. Let us think for a moment of all the awesome things God does in our lives.
Father God, we come to you with praise at all the great works you have done. We thank you for our rich heritage and what you do for us today. You even have the power to move mountains and seas for us, and yet you care for what we perceive as the poorest of the poor. We ask today that we care for others as you do.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/25/2010
Aug 25, 2010 Psalms 111-112
Psalms 111-118 are called hallelujah psalms because they praise the Lord. I grew up in a home where praise was rarely given. Giving praise does not come naturally to me. Church growing up was a solemn event, at least that was my perception. We do need to be reverent and we do need to be corrected for when we do wrong, but it is also good and right to be happy and praise for what IS good. I hope for those who think like me, we spend the next few days learning to give more praise to you and about you.
Psalm 111 - the theme is all the good things that God does. All he does is good.
Verse 1 New Living Translation says Praise the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. This takes me out of the church walls doesn't it? We can praise God with fellow believers any time any place.
I am going to list what God has done for us in the rest of psalm 111.
Great are Gods works.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds
His righteousness endures forever
The Lord is gracious and compassionate
He feeds the poor to those who fear him
He remembers his covenant forever
God has shown the power of his works
The works of his hands are faithful and just
Gods commandments are steadfast forever
And we follow Gods commands with faithfulness and uprightness
God has redeemed his people forever
Holy and awesome is his name!
Verse 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Fearing God means to revere God); all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. The fear of the Lord .... This is expanded in Proverbs 1:7-9.
Psalm 112 - is a personal application of all the good things God provides for us when we have faith in God.
Verse 1 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.
I find a sense of peace in following Gods commandments. I can barely watch the reality show about people who hoard. I watched a one hour program the other night, and when I found out second hour was coming on I just couldn't watch another show. Their homes are chaotic out of order. The good news is the hoarder CAN get help. Hoarding is a mental disorder and through counseling they bring can back order in their lives. We all have hoarding issues in our lives.We may not fill our homes with stuff but what if we emptied all the thoughts in our minds and visually laid them out all around us? What would we see? Sin, anger from something that has happened to us in the past, unable to forgive ourselves long after God has forgiven us, maybe we even fear God won't forgive us for what we have done. God willingly allows us to come to him just as we are right now. This instant! With God's help, he is slowly sweeping out the unhealthy hoarding issues in my life. I strive to follow his commands because they are good, right and just.
And here is the list of good things that happen when we delight and follow his commands:
Our children will be mighty in his land
The upright will be blessed
Wealth and riches
Righteousness endures forever
There is light in the darkness
We will be generous, gracious and compassionate
Goodness comes to those who are generous and gives freely
Evil will not overcome us
A righteous man will be remembered forever
We will not fear bad news
Our hearts will be steadfast trusting in the Lord
Our hearts will be secure
We will have no fear
We will triumph over our enemies
We will scatter gifts to the needy
We will be remembered for what we have done
We will have influence and power
Verse 10 - the response to the wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger, and slink away, their hopes and dreams will be ruined.
Father God, we thank you today for the psalmist words showing us that praise is an important part of our relationship with you. We praise you for all that you have done for us, and we praise you for all the good you bestow on us when we are faithful and follow your commandments. As I have been writing this - this morning I have been listening to Christian radio and I thank you for all the wonderful songs of praise I have heard this morning. Through song, reading your word, and prayer I can praise you in many ways for all you have done for me. Let me not forget to praise you. I can even praise you through this blog! In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Psalm 111 - the theme is all the good things that God does. All he does is good.
Verse 1 New Living Translation says Praise the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. This takes me out of the church walls doesn't it? We can praise God with fellow believers any time any place.
I am going to list what God has done for us in the rest of psalm 111.
Great are Gods works.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds
His righteousness endures forever
The Lord is gracious and compassionate
He feeds the poor to those who fear him
He remembers his covenant forever
God has shown the power of his works
The works of his hands are faithful and just
Gods commandments are steadfast forever
And we follow Gods commands with faithfulness and uprightness
God has redeemed his people forever
Holy and awesome is his name!
Verse 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Fearing God means to revere God); all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. The fear of the Lord .... This is expanded in Proverbs 1:7-9.
Psalm 112 - is a personal application of all the good things God provides for us when we have faith in God.
Verse 1 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.
I find a sense of peace in following Gods commandments. I can barely watch the reality show about people who hoard. I watched a one hour program the other night, and when I found out second hour was coming on I just couldn't watch another show. Their homes are chaotic out of order. The good news is the hoarder CAN get help. Hoarding is a mental disorder and through counseling they bring can back order in their lives. We all have hoarding issues in our lives.We may not fill our homes with stuff but what if we emptied all the thoughts in our minds and visually laid them out all around us? What would we see? Sin, anger from something that has happened to us in the past, unable to forgive ourselves long after God has forgiven us, maybe we even fear God won't forgive us for what we have done. God willingly allows us to come to him just as we are right now. This instant! With God's help, he is slowly sweeping out the unhealthy hoarding issues in my life. I strive to follow his commands because they are good, right and just.
And here is the list of good things that happen when we delight and follow his commands:
Our children will be mighty in his land
The upright will be blessed
Wealth and riches
Righteousness endures forever
There is light in the darkness
We will be generous, gracious and compassionate
Goodness comes to those who are generous and gives freely
Evil will not overcome us
A righteous man will be remembered forever
We will not fear bad news
Our hearts will be steadfast trusting in the Lord
Our hearts will be secure
We will have no fear
We will triumph over our enemies
We will scatter gifts to the needy
We will be remembered for what we have done
We will have influence and power
Verse 10 - the response to the wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger, and slink away, their hopes and dreams will be ruined.
Father God, we thank you today for the psalmist words showing us that praise is an important part of our relationship with you. We praise you for all that you have done for us, and we praise you for all the good you bestow on us when we are faithful and follow your commandments. As I have been writing this - this morning I have been listening to Christian radio and I thank you for all the wonderful songs of praise I have heard this morning. Through song, reading your word, and prayer I can praise you in many ways for all you have done for me. Let me not forget to praise you. I can even praise you through this blog! In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
8/24/2010
Aug 24, 2010 Psalm 110
Today's Psalm is written about the credentials of Christ. Jesus is the Messiah. This psalm is quoted many times in the new testament, in Matthew, Hebrews and Revelation. It is short, only 7 verses long. Please follow along in your bible or online.
Today's psalm talks of several attributes of Christ. We all have different attributes. I am a daughter to my Mom, and I will always be her child. I am also a mother, grandmother, friend, business associate, a sister in Christ. Today's psalm portrays Christ as the Messiah, the one who comes to rule, battle evil, and sits at the right hand of God.
Verse 1 Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 22:41-45 when the Pharisees ask who Christ is. They knew Jesus as a man, a descendant of David. This verse explains that Christ is a greater ruler than David, who was considered the greatest ruler in the Old Testament.
Verses 2-3 Christ is portrayed as king.
Verse 4 In this verse, the psalmist shifts gears from king to one of being a high priest, in the order of Melchizedek, who was a high priest. If you wish to study Melchizedek in more depth, I found this article on the www, which was a good read. Who was Melchizedek man or God?
http://bible.org/seriespage/abraham-melchizedek-and-messiah-hebrews-71-10
Verses 5-7 Jesus sits at the right hand of God and rules over all.
Father God, we thank you today for the words of the psalmist who tell us of the Messiah - who hadn't yet appeared on earth. He foretold Christ as ruler and priest over all. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Today's psalm talks of several attributes of Christ. We all have different attributes. I am a daughter to my Mom, and I will always be her child. I am also a mother, grandmother, friend, business associate, a sister in Christ. Today's psalm portrays Christ as the Messiah, the one who comes to rule, battle evil, and sits at the right hand of God.
Verse 1 Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 22:41-45 when the Pharisees ask who Christ is. They knew Jesus as a man, a descendant of David. This verse explains that Christ is a greater ruler than David, who was considered the greatest ruler in the Old Testament.
Verses 2-3 Christ is portrayed as king.
Verse 4 In this verse, the psalmist shifts gears from king to one of being a high priest, in the order of Melchizedek, who was a high priest. If you wish to study Melchizedek in more depth, I found this article on the www, which was a good read. Who was Melchizedek man or God?
http://bible.org/seriespage/abraham-melchizedek-and-messiah-hebrews-71-10
Verses 5-7 Jesus sits at the right hand of God and rules over all.
Father God, we thank you today for the words of the psalmist who tell us of the Messiah - who hadn't yet appeared on earth. He foretold Christ as ruler and priest over all. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
8/23/2010
Aug 23, 2010 Psalm 109
Today's Psalms theme is righteous indignation against liars and slanderers, and we can tell God our true feelings and desires. Please follow along in your bible or go to www.biblegateway.com to follow along online.
Verses 1-5 the psalmist David writes how others, even friends, slander him.
Verse 4 David was angry with those who slandered and lied about him however David is a man of prayer, and he will remain a friend to those who are evil. This is a classic hate the sin, love the sinner example. One could write a book just on this verse alone. How do we respond to someone who intentionally hurts us? This is tough when the person who wronged us is a friend or family member. We need to pray, seek counsel, and possibly even remove ourselves from the situation until the other person changes his/her ways. In Al-anon one of my favorite quotes says to "let go and let God." I think the most difficult challenge is to overcome the hatred towards this person. When we don't let go of the anger not only do we hurt ourselves but we also poison relationships to those around us. Some of us bury the anger internally, others are quite vocal about their anger and sadly many of us engage self destructive behavior. There is a place and time for anger and there is a time to let go. If you are harboring anger today, please go to God and he will take your hand and help you walk through releasing this pain.
Verses 6-20 contains a type of psalm called an imprecatory psalm. Psalm 35 is also an example of an imprecatory psalm. We do not seek revenge but we cry out to God to judge those who have unjustly done evil against us. This type of psalm uses hyperbole wording which means they are overstatements. The purpose of this wording is to motivate us to take a strong stand against sin and evil. Reading through these verses - David certainly expresses his thoughts quite well - this allows me to think it is OK to express any and all thoughts and feelings we have to God. AND we ask GOD to pass judgement on those who have wrongly judged us.
Verses 21 - 26 David asks for help - for his character to be redeemed. Verse 26 David asks God to help him and save him in accordance to God's love.
Father God, We thank you today for the words of the psalmist who wrote about his anguish over those who have wronged him. The psalmist expressed his anger and asked for God to judge those who have wronged him. We can come to you with anything on our heart, and we ask that you help release us from our pain from hurt and anger. We ask that for help so we can come to the place where can love the sinner but hate the sin. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Verses 1-5 the psalmist David writes how others, even friends, slander him.
Verse 4 David was angry with those who slandered and lied about him however David is a man of prayer, and he will remain a friend to those who are evil. This is a classic hate the sin, love the sinner example. One could write a book just on this verse alone. How do we respond to someone who intentionally hurts us? This is tough when the person who wronged us is a friend or family member. We need to pray, seek counsel, and possibly even remove ourselves from the situation until the other person changes his/her ways. In Al-anon one of my favorite quotes says to "let go and let God." I think the most difficult challenge is to overcome the hatred towards this person. When we don't let go of the anger not only do we hurt ourselves but we also poison relationships to those around us. Some of us bury the anger internally, others are quite vocal about their anger and sadly many of us engage self destructive behavior. There is a place and time for anger and there is a time to let go. If you are harboring anger today, please go to God and he will take your hand and help you walk through releasing this pain.
Verses 6-20 contains a type of psalm called an imprecatory psalm. Psalm 35 is also an example of an imprecatory psalm. We do not seek revenge but we cry out to God to judge those who have unjustly done evil against us. This type of psalm uses hyperbole wording which means they are overstatements. The purpose of this wording is to motivate us to take a strong stand against sin and evil. Reading through these verses - David certainly expresses his thoughts quite well - this allows me to think it is OK to express any and all thoughts and feelings we have to God. AND we ask GOD to pass judgement on those who have wrongly judged us.
Verses 21 - 26 David asks for help - for his character to be redeemed. Verse 26 David asks God to help him and save him in accordance to God's love.
Father God, We thank you today for the words of the psalmist who wrote about his anguish over those who have wronged him. The psalmist expressed his anger and asked for God to judge those who have wronged him. We can come to you with anything on our heart, and we ask that you help release us from our pain from hurt and anger. We ask that for help so we can come to the place where can love the sinner but hate the sin. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/22/2010
Aug 21, 2010 Psalms 108
Today's psalm's theme is one of victory and with God's help we can do more than we think.
Verse 1 begins with My heart is steadfast O God. I will sing and make music with all my soul. I love music, it stirs my emotions, words of songs sometimes express much better than I can say myself. On 9/12/2001 Members of congress spontaneously began to sing God Bless America on the capital steps the day after our county was attacked in NYC. In times of trial with God's help he will guide us to victory.
It is good to praise God for all that he has done. Verses 6 - 9 the psalmist tells us of the battles won with the help of God.
Verses 10-13 the psalmist asks who will help us gain victory even after we have turned from God then came back to him. God will help us win victories.
Father God we thank you this day that with a steadfast heart you will help us in times of distress. You will guide us into victory. We have seen the good things you have done for us in the past, and we know you will help us in the present and in the future. Let us be bold and sing of your praises. We thank you for the gift of music to help express our joys and sorrows. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Verse 1 begins with My heart is steadfast O God. I will sing and make music with all my soul. I love music, it stirs my emotions, words of songs sometimes express much better than I can say myself. On 9/12/2001 Members of congress spontaneously began to sing God Bless America on the capital steps the day after our county was attacked in NYC. In times of trial with God's help he will guide us to victory.
It is good to praise God for all that he has done. Verses 6 - 9 the psalmist tells us of the battles won with the help of God.
Verses 10-13 the psalmist asks who will help us gain victory even after we have turned from God then came back to him. God will help us win victories.
Father God we thank you this day that with a steadfast heart you will help us in times of distress. You will guide us into victory. We have seen the good things you have done for us in the past, and we know you will help us in the present and in the future. Let us be bold and sing of your praises. We thank you for the gift of music to help express our joys and sorrows. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/21/2010
Aug 21, 2010 Psalms 107:33-43
Today's reading finishes up Psalm 107, which we discussed yesterday. A little review - the first part of the psalms talked about 4 types of distress - wanderers, prisoners, sick, and storm tossed. God will help us in our times of distress. When we sin, we can turn to God and he will forgive us. So, lets read today's reading.
Verses 33-37 God gives us many blessings, but he will take them away if we sin. He will turn fruitful land into a desert.
Verse 38 -he blessed them and their numbers greatly increased - God blessed Abraham and promised to make him a great nation. Genesis 12:2
Verses 39-40 But their numbers decreased - and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow.
Verse 42 - God cares for the needy. The upright will rejoice but the wicked will shut their mouths.
Verse 43 - Whoever is wise let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.
What do these verses say to me today? The words in verse 43 jumped out at me "whoever is wise". My hope and prayer today is that we will seek God's counsel today. Read the bible, pray, and worship him. When we do this we will experience peace in this often chaotic world.
Father God, we contemplate today all you have done for us, we thank you for how you have blessed us in the past. As I watch the rain gently falling on our parched lawns this morning I ask that you refresh our souls with your living water. If we have become complacent we ask for your forgiveness and turn towards you again and away from our selfish desires and motivations. We ask that you help carry us through the difficult times we are having today. We ask for wisdom to guide us where ever we are at this moment. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Verses 33-37 God gives us many blessings, but he will take them away if we sin. He will turn fruitful land into a desert.
Verse 38 -he blessed them and their numbers greatly increased - God blessed Abraham and promised to make him a great nation. Genesis 12:2
Verses 39-40 But their numbers decreased - and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow.
Verse 42 - God cares for the needy. The upright will rejoice but the wicked will shut their mouths.
Verse 43 - Whoever is wise let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.
What do these verses say to me today? The words in verse 43 jumped out at me "whoever is wise". My hope and prayer today is that we will seek God's counsel today. Read the bible, pray, and worship him. When we do this we will experience peace in this often chaotic world.
Father God, we contemplate today all you have done for us, we thank you for how you have blessed us in the past. As I watch the rain gently falling on our parched lawns this morning I ask that you refresh our souls with your living water. If we have become complacent we ask for your forgiveness and turn towards you again and away from our selfish desires and motivations. We ask that you help carry us through the difficult times we are having today. We ask for wisdom to guide us where ever we are at this moment. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/20/2010
Aug 20,2010 Psalms 107:1-32
Today we begin about a month long bible reading in the book of Psalms. Psalm 107 is the first Psalm in the 5th Book of Psalms. These Psalms are psalms of thankfulness. My NIV study notes say these psalms coincide with the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy's theme is God and his word. The 5th book of Psalms is praise and thanksgiving for God and his word. Many of the Psalms were set to music when these were written. I love music, would have loved to hear how David set these words to music.
Verse 1 Give thanks to the Lord for he is Good; his love endures for ever. This has been put to music, and when I read this I instantly started humming it. I searched for the song "Give thanks to the Lord" on the Internet and you can even download this song as a ring tone for your cell phone. Reading through the Psalms through the years I often see where songs and hymns were taken from the Psalms. This affirms to me that God's word is alive and well in the 21st century. Verse 2 - I Let the redeemed of the Lord say so - these words have been set to music today too.
Verses 4-9 begins with 4 types of people in distress. These verses talk about wandering in the desert. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. We may personally have deserts of wandering in our own lives. They cried out to the Lord and he led them down a straight path. Today the straight path leads us to Jesus.
Verses 10-16 is the distress of being prisoners. The Israelites were prisoners in Egypt because they sinned against God. Again they cried out in their distress and God redeemed them. Broke loose the chains. Set them free. Are we in our own prison today? We can ask God to help set us free from whatever our situation is.
Verses 17-22 the distress of being sick. Through foolish ways we may become afflicted with disease. I am one who is suffering health issues for being overweight, and I am having to change old bad habits. Obesity is a huge problem in today's society. We can call out to God in our distress of making foolish choices and he will save us.
Verses 23-30 the distress of storms. We may not be literally tossed about at sea but we may toss and turn all night because of our distress. We can cry out to God in our trouble and he will calm the seas. When we were on the high seas all looked well - until circumstances out of our control came upon us. Currently the storm of recession is affecting most people. Mark 4:39 The disciples were at sea and a storm blew up, and they were afraid - in distress. In verse 39 Jesus awoke, rebuked the storm and said "Peace be Still." I pray that we will all turn to God first in our storms of distress. He will guide us through the storm.
Verses 31-32 talk about giving thanks. When we look back at our hardships in life we can see what God has done for us. We appreciate the good times even more. And we can help other people when they are in distress.
Father God we thank you for the Psalmist words today.We thank you for the songs of praise written from your hand. We are thankful that you help us in our distresses in life, you redeemed us, bought us for a price through Christ dying on the cross, and you forgive us for our sins. You help us pick up the pieces and follow you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Verse 1 Give thanks to the Lord for he is Good; his love endures for ever. This has been put to music, and when I read this I instantly started humming it. I searched for the song "Give thanks to the Lord" on the Internet and you can even download this song as a ring tone for your cell phone. Reading through the Psalms through the years I often see where songs and hymns were taken from the Psalms. This affirms to me that God's word is alive and well in the 21st century. Verse 2 - I Let the redeemed of the Lord say so - these words have been set to music today too.
Verses 4-9 begins with 4 types of people in distress. These verses talk about wandering in the desert. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. We may personally have deserts of wandering in our own lives. They cried out to the Lord and he led them down a straight path. Today the straight path leads us to Jesus.
Verses 10-16 is the distress of being prisoners. The Israelites were prisoners in Egypt because they sinned against God. Again they cried out in their distress and God redeemed them. Broke loose the chains. Set them free. Are we in our own prison today? We can ask God to help set us free from whatever our situation is.
Verses 17-22 the distress of being sick. Through foolish ways we may become afflicted with disease. I am one who is suffering health issues for being overweight, and I am having to change old bad habits. Obesity is a huge problem in today's society. We can call out to God in our distress of making foolish choices and he will save us.
Verses 23-30 the distress of storms. We may not be literally tossed about at sea but we may toss and turn all night because of our distress. We can cry out to God in our trouble and he will calm the seas. When we were on the high seas all looked well - until circumstances out of our control came upon us. Currently the storm of recession is affecting most people. Mark 4:39 The disciples were at sea and a storm blew up, and they were afraid - in distress. In verse 39 Jesus awoke, rebuked the storm and said "Peace be Still." I pray that we will all turn to God first in our storms of distress. He will guide us through the storm.
Verses 31-32 talk about giving thanks. When we look back at our hardships in life we can see what God has done for us. We appreciate the good times even more. And we can help other people when they are in distress.
Father God we thank you for the Psalmist words today.We thank you for the songs of praise written from your hand. We are thankful that you help us in our distresses in life, you redeemed us, bought us for a price through Christ dying on the cross, and you forgive us for our sins. You help us pick up the pieces and follow you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/19/2010
Aug 19, 2010 I Chronicles 29
Today's reading is the last chapter in I Chronicles. Tomorrow begins about a month of reading Psalms 107 to 138 then continues in II Chronicles in Mid September.
Chapter 29 begins with Gifts for the building of the temple verses 1-9. David itemizes the materials given as gifts for the temple. David gave gifts and so did leaders and families in Israel. Gifts were given willingly, which is how our attitude should be when giving to God.
Verses 10-13 - David prays a prayer of praise in the presence of the whole assembly. Enduring Word commentary says verse 10 is the first time the bible refers to God as Father. How affirming it must have been for David's people to pray a prayer of praise like this!
Verses 14-20 David continues the prayer being thankful for everything God has given us, and we can give back to God. David gives with joy, as men have before him, and he prays that his nation will continue to do so. He asks that Solomon will also have the whole hearted devotion to keep his commands. Verse 20 David says to the whole Assembly "Praise the Lord your God" and they did. They bowed low and fell prostrate before the Lord and King.
Reading this makes me realize a different side to the separation of church and state. In America we have the freedom to worship in any way we choose but the leaders of our government cannot lead in a public prayer such as David did. This saddens me a little. I have to admit I don't want to be forced to worship a specific religion, but saddened in the fact that leaders of our country need to be very careful regarding prayer during public events, for fear of offending segments of the population. In the current news - Muslims want to build a mosque near the New York Twin Towers Ground Zero location and there is much debate going regarding this. So much emotion. How do we peacefully sort this out? We can privately pray for God's wisdom in this situation. My intent here is not to get political, but to reflect upon King David of Israel's dream to build a temple for the Lord and he can freely build, pray and praise God for all he has done before his nation.
Verses 21-25 The next day they made sacrifices to God, and they ate and drank with great joy in celebration. Solomon was acknowledged as king for the second time. I Chronicles does not go into detail the first time Solomon was made king. That can be found in I Kings. I Chronicles theme is to unify God's people, and to teach genuine worship needs to be at the center of our individual and national life.
Verses 26-30. David dies. David was the son of Jesse, King of Israel. He ruled for 40 years and lived a long life. His son Solomon succeeded him as king. This is like a short obituary notice in the paper. The events of David's life are recorded by Samuel, Nathan and Gad. These three authors detail David's life.
Father God, this chapter reminds me to day what an awesome God you are - you are the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end. I come to you today with words I cannot seem to put on paper but I know you know my heart. David's prayer of praise is far more eloquently expressed that I could ever verbalize. We thank you for seeing this side of David in I Chronicles - a man after God's own heart. We do not see the details of his sins but see that he does sin and repents, turns to you. We all sin, and we can all repent and continue to worship and honor you. One of David's dreams was to build you a temple but he listened to you and made provisions for his son to build the Temple, because that was your plan. We see all the praise David expresses to you for being our God before his nation. I am thankful I can freely worship you in America. In Jesus name we pray.Amen.
Chapter 29 begins with Gifts for the building of the temple verses 1-9. David itemizes the materials given as gifts for the temple. David gave gifts and so did leaders and families in Israel. Gifts were given willingly, which is how our attitude should be when giving to God.
Verses 10-13 - David prays a prayer of praise in the presence of the whole assembly. Enduring Word commentary says verse 10 is the first time the bible refers to God as Father. How affirming it must have been for David's people to pray a prayer of praise like this!
Verses 14-20 David continues the prayer being thankful for everything God has given us, and we can give back to God. David gives with joy, as men have before him, and he prays that his nation will continue to do so. He asks that Solomon will also have the whole hearted devotion to keep his commands. Verse 20 David says to the whole Assembly "Praise the Lord your God" and they did. They bowed low and fell prostrate before the Lord and King.
Reading this makes me realize a different side to the separation of church and state. In America we have the freedom to worship in any way we choose but the leaders of our government cannot lead in a public prayer such as David did. This saddens me a little. I have to admit I don't want to be forced to worship a specific religion, but saddened in the fact that leaders of our country need to be very careful regarding prayer during public events, for fear of offending segments of the population. In the current news - Muslims want to build a mosque near the New York Twin Towers Ground Zero location and there is much debate going regarding this. So much emotion. How do we peacefully sort this out? We can privately pray for God's wisdom in this situation. My intent here is not to get political, but to reflect upon King David of Israel's dream to build a temple for the Lord and he can freely build, pray and praise God for all he has done before his nation.
Verses 21-25 The next day they made sacrifices to God, and they ate and drank with great joy in celebration. Solomon was acknowledged as king for the second time. I Chronicles does not go into detail the first time Solomon was made king. That can be found in I Kings. I Chronicles theme is to unify God's people, and to teach genuine worship needs to be at the center of our individual and national life.
Verses 26-30. David dies. David was the son of Jesse, King of Israel. He ruled for 40 years and lived a long life. His son Solomon succeeded him as king. This is like a short obituary notice in the paper. The events of David's life are recorded by Samuel, Nathan and Gad. These three authors detail David's life.
Father God, this chapter reminds me to day what an awesome God you are - you are the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end. I come to you today with words I cannot seem to put on paper but I know you know my heart. David's prayer of praise is far more eloquently expressed that I could ever verbalize. We thank you for seeing this side of David in I Chronicles - a man after God's own heart. We do not see the details of his sins but see that he does sin and repents, turns to you. We all sin, and we can all repent and continue to worship and honor you. One of David's dreams was to build you a temple but he listened to you and made provisions for his son to build the Temple, because that was your plan. We see all the praise David expresses to you for being our God before his nation. I am thankful I can freely worship you in America. In Jesus name we pray.Amen.
Aug 18, 2010 I Chronicles 28
Today's scripture is about David's Plans for the temple. Please follow along in your bible.
David summons all this officials and commanders to Jerusalem to discuss the plans for the temple. David tells the assembly that in his heart, he wanted to build a building - a place of rest - for the Ark of the covenant. He God did not want David to build the temple because he was a warrior. David then gives the assembly a history lesson of how God chose Judah's line to have kings rule over Israel. God chose David and then Solomon to be kings. Neither man was the first born son - the heirs - but God appointed to be King. Verse 8 - David then tells the assembly 3 things to follow God by, and that is be careful, seek out the commandments and follow all of the commandments. This means they have a great responsibility as a nation to follow God and his commandments, don't pick and choose which ones to follow and which commandments to ignore.
Verses 9-10 David speaks to Solomon. He tells Solomon to acknowledge God and serve him with his heart and soul, serving God with wholehearted devotion and willing mind. If Solomon seeks God, he will be with Solomon forever, but if he ignores God - God will reject him forever. I underlined these verses in my bible, as a reminder to me that I should do the same. David tells Solomon that Solomon was chosen to build the temple and to be strong and do the task given him.
Verses 11-19 David gives Solomon the plans for the temple. David gave him the plans of all that the spirit put in his mind for the plans of the temple. How cool is that? David has details right down to the gold forks and bowls. I try to imagine what the temple will look like, it sounds magnificent!
Verses 20-21 David gives Solomon words of encouragement and advice. Be strong and courageous, do not get discouraged, for God is with you. And finally, David tells Solomon about all the people who are in charge of building the temple, they will help in all the work and will follow Solomon's commands.
Being a leader is a great responsibility and David outlines first we are to serve God, and he will come along side of us to help us lead. He will place people in our lives to help us fulfill our tasks.
Father God, we thank you today for David's speech today to his commanders and official and he gives advice to Solomon. David has provided the specs for the temple, now it is Solomon's responsibility to love God with his whole heart, and to work to build the temple. For me this means I am to continue putting God first in my life, follow all his commandments, and work to help continue his kingdom. I may not be building a beautiful magnificent temple, but I can build relationships that are God honoring both in my personal and professional life. God will continue his kingdom through me. I have the burden to share my faith to my children and grandchildren both in thought and deeds that they follow my example. This is a huge responsibility. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
David summons all this officials and commanders to Jerusalem to discuss the plans for the temple. David tells the assembly that in his heart, he wanted to build a building - a place of rest - for the Ark of the covenant. He God did not want David to build the temple because he was a warrior. David then gives the assembly a history lesson of how God chose Judah's line to have kings rule over Israel. God chose David and then Solomon to be kings. Neither man was the first born son - the heirs - but God appointed to be King. Verse 8 - David then tells the assembly 3 things to follow God by, and that is be careful, seek out the commandments and follow all of the commandments. This means they have a great responsibility as a nation to follow God and his commandments, don't pick and choose which ones to follow and which commandments to ignore.
Verses 9-10 David speaks to Solomon. He tells Solomon to acknowledge God and serve him with his heart and soul, serving God with wholehearted devotion and willing mind. If Solomon seeks God, he will be with Solomon forever, but if he ignores God - God will reject him forever. I underlined these verses in my bible, as a reminder to me that I should do the same. David tells Solomon that Solomon was chosen to build the temple and to be strong and do the task given him.
Verses 11-19 David gives Solomon the plans for the temple. David gave him the plans of all that the spirit put in his mind for the plans of the temple. How cool is that? David has details right down to the gold forks and bowls. I try to imagine what the temple will look like, it sounds magnificent!
Verses 20-21 David gives Solomon words of encouragement and advice. Be strong and courageous, do not get discouraged, for God is with you. And finally, David tells Solomon about all the people who are in charge of building the temple, they will help in all the work and will follow Solomon's commands.
Being a leader is a great responsibility and David outlines first we are to serve God, and he will come along side of us to help us lead. He will place people in our lives to help us fulfill our tasks.
Father God, we thank you today for David's speech today to his commanders and official and he gives advice to Solomon. David has provided the specs for the temple, now it is Solomon's responsibility to love God with his whole heart, and to work to build the temple. For me this means I am to continue putting God first in my life, follow all his commandments, and work to help continue his kingdom. I may not be building a beautiful magnificent temple, but I can build relationships that are God honoring both in my personal and professional life. God will continue his kingdom through me. I have the burden to share my faith to my children and grandchildren both in thought and deeds that they follow my example. This is a huge responsibility. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
8/17/2010
Aug 17,2010 I Chronicles 25-27
Today we continue planning building the temple, delegating tasks. Todays chapters delegates the duties of singers, gatekeepers, and army divisions. Open your bible and lets read along.
Chapter 25 The Singers chapter. Verse 1 begins with "David - together with...." I like it that David delegates and consults with the experts. It reminds me that it is alright to seek counsel, get opinions, delegate tasks to others. The singers were from the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. 288 men were chosen for these tasks. There is more to the worship service than singing. Some prophesied, some led in thanksgiving and praise, and some played instruments or sang. I am thankful that we have music in the church today. Singing stirs our emotions, allows us to participate in the worship experience. The word prophesy in this verse suggests that the music was inspired by God. Today many churches have worship leaders that lead us in song. The worship leaders coordinate with the minister choosing appropriate music for the sermon of the day.
Chapter 26 The gatekeepers. The gatekeepers were to be from the family of the Korahites. Gatekeepers were assigned for the north, south, east and west. Next are the treasurers and other officials. The descendants of Ladan were responsible for the treasury. Some of the plunder taken in battle was set aside for the building of the temple. This reminds me that we should set aside money, for giving and saving for the rainy day fund. From the Izharites family officials and judges were chosen. 1700 men were chosen to be responsible for all the work for the kings service west of the Jordan. The Hebronites were in charge of keeping records of genealogy.
Chapter 27 Army divisions. The army was divided into 12 divisions, with each division responsible for one month of the year. Each division had 24,000 men in their army. Verses 16-22 are the men chosen for the officers of the tribes. Verse 23 - taking census of men. David only wanted men over the age of 20 because the Lord promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. Verse 24 Joab was instructed to count the men but never finished. The book of annals was a historical document of King David, and this is where the count should have been posted. Verses 25-31 is the overseer division, which includes all aspects of growing and storing the crops.
The last few verses of Chapter 27 lists men individually
Jonathan - David's uncle who was a counselor, man of insight and a scribe.
Jehiel took care of David's sons
Hushai was the King's friend
Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada (my study bible notes says this happened after Ahthophel betrayed David).
Joab was the commander of the army.
Father God, we thank you for God's word today as learn about all the jobs that are necessary to efficiently build and run your kingdom. You provide worship and song, armies, administrative tasks, gatekeepers - whatever is necessary to make everything work together for your purpose. We thank you for the talents you have given us. Whatever you have given us is important work for your kingdom. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Chapter 25 The Singers chapter. Verse 1 begins with "David - together with...." I like it that David delegates and consults with the experts. It reminds me that it is alright to seek counsel, get opinions, delegate tasks to others. The singers were from the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. 288 men were chosen for these tasks. There is more to the worship service than singing. Some prophesied, some led in thanksgiving and praise, and some played instruments or sang. I am thankful that we have music in the church today. Singing stirs our emotions, allows us to participate in the worship experience. The word prophesy in this verse suggests that the music was inspired by God. Today many churches have worship leaders that lead us in song. The worship leaders coordinate with the minister choosing appropriate music for the sermon of the day.
Chapter 26 The gatekeepers. The gatekeepers were to be from the family of the Korahites. Gatekeepers were assigned for the north, south, east and west. Next are the treasurers and other officials. The descendants of Ladan were responsible for the treasury. Some of the plunder taken in battle was set aside for the building of the temple. This reminds me that we should set aside money, for giving and saving for the rainy day fund. From the Izharites family officials and judges were chosen. 1700 men were chosen to be responsible for all the work for the kings service west of the Jordan. The Hebronites were in charge of keeping records of genealogy.
Chapter 27 Army divisions. The army was divided into 12 divisions, with each division responsible for one month of the year. Each division had 24,000 men in their army. Verses 16-22 are the men chosen for the officers of the tribes. Verse 23 - taking census of men. David only wanted men over the age of 20 because the Lord promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. Verse 24 Joab was instructed to count the men but never finished. The book of annals was a historical document of King David, and this is where the count should have been posted. Verses 25-31 is the overseer division, which includes all aspects of growing and storing the crops.
The last few verses of Chapter 27 lists men individually
Jonathan - David's uncle who was a counselor, man of insight and a scribe.
Jehiel took care of David's sons
Hushai was the King's friend
Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada (my study bible notes says this happened after Ahthophel betrayed David).
Joab was the commander of the army.
Father God, we thank you for God's word today as learn about all the jobs that are necessary to efficiently build and run your kingdom. You provide worship and song, armies, administrative tasks, gatekeepers - whatever is necessary to make everything work together for your purpose. We thank you for the talents you have given us. Whatever you have given us is important work for your kingdom. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/16/2010
Aug 16, 2010 I Chronicles 23-24
Today's study - David is old and prepares to have his son Solomon King over Israel, and he delegates jobs picked from the Levite family line. As always, please follow along in your bible or a free online bible site. www.Blueletterbible.org is a free bible site you can use.
I Chronicles 23
Verse 1 David is old and full of years and made is son Solomon King over Israel.
Verse 2-45 David assembles all the leaders of Israel and the Levites priests. God has set aside the Levites as one of the 12 tribes of Israel, to be priests and in charge of any temple duties. David does a census of the Levites, and this time the census is alright because it was about business, not to brag about personal gain (which we saw in I Chronicles 21). After the Levites were counted David assigns jobs to the Levites. 24,000 to supervise the building of the temple, 6000 will be judges and officials, 4000 will be gatekeepers, and 4000 will be musicians who's purpose is to praise the Lord with musical instruments that David will provide.
Verses 6-23. David assigns tasks to the families of the 3 sons of Levi, who are Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Aaron is of the Kohath clan, son of Amram. Aaron's descendants were set apart, by God, to consecrate most holy things, offer sacrifices before the Lord and give blessings.
Verse 24-32 The Levites have been counted, and men aged 20 and older who were workers, were individually counted. David explains the duties of the Levites which was all inclusive from the grounds where the temple was located to the inside responsibilities.
Chapter 24 continues with delegations of jobs. Aaron's descendants are priests, and there are 24 groups of priests picked by impartially by lots. Verse 20-30 - the rest of the Levites were listed too.
Father God, To do your work well, all aspects of your work needs to be accounted for, from start to finish, even business and administration needs to be done. You chose what our tasks (talents too) will be, and we pray that we do what ever you give us with to the best of our abilities and for your glory. We also realize that our heritage is important, and we are known by our family line. We ask that we bring honor to our family today.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
I Chronicles 23
Verse 1 David is old and full of years and made is son Solomon King over Israel.
Verse 2-45 David assembles all the leaders of Israel and the Levites priests. God has set aside the Levites as one of the 12 tribes of Israel, to be priests and in charge of any temple duties. David does a census of the Levites, and this time the census is alright because it was about business, not to brag about personal gain (which we saw in I Chronicles 21). After the Levites were counted David assigns jobs to the Levites. 24,000 to supervise the building of the temple, 6000 will be judges and officials, 4000 will be gatekeepers, and 4000 will be musicians who's purpose is to praise the Lord with musical instruments that David will provide.
Verses 6-23. David assigns tasks to the families of the 3 sons of Levi, who are Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Aaron is of the Kohath clan, son of Amram. Aaron's descendants were set apart, by God, to consecrate most holy things, offer sacrifices before the Lord and give blessings.
Verse 24-32 The Levites have been counted, and men aged 20 and older who were workers, were individually counted. David explains the duties of the Levites which was all inclusive from the grounds where the temple was located to the inside responsibilities.
Chapter 24 continues with delegations of jobs. Aaron's descendants are priests, and there are 24 groups of priests picked by impartially by lots. Verse 20-30 - the rest of the Levites were listed too.
Father God, To do your work well, all aspects of your work needs to be accounted for, from start to finish, even business and administration needs to be done. You chose what our tasks (talents too) will be, and we pray that we do what ever you give us with to the best of our abilities and for your glory. We also realize that our heritage is important, and we are known by our family line. We ask that we bring honor to our family today.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/15/2010
Aug 15, 2010, I Chronicles 22:2-19
Today's study is about David arranging for the building of the temple. If you don't have a bible, you can go to www.biblegateway.com and read along. This is a good passage to be reading this time of the year as we think of our children/grandchildren getting ready for the new school year. We want to lay down a good foundation for our children both at home and in school.
Verse 2 - David decided to begin the groundwork needed to build the temple - he hires stone cutters, metal for the nails, cedar logs for the building. The scripture says David has so much of everything they can't count or weigh the materials. David spares no expense for this temple!
Verses 6-10 David tells Solomon that he wanted to build a temple for the Lord, but God told David that he had fought in too many battles, and shed too much blood to build the temple. David's mission was to be a warrior and build up Israel, and the temple will be built in peaceful times. Solomon will be a man of peace and rest. David tells Solomon what God promised him in I Chronicles chapter 17 - that Solomon will build the temple - he will be my son and I will be his father and God will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. This means that Christ will come from the line of David.
Verses 11- 13 David then instructs Solomon regarding how to have a personal relationship with God for when Solomon becomes ruler over Israel. David tells Solomon to pray and study God's word. And David tells his son to be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged.
Verses 14-16 David tells Solomon how much he has provided to ensure that the temple will be built - he provided materials and man power. He ends with 'now begin the work and may the Lord be with you.'
Verses 17-19 David then orders all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. David tells his leaders all that God has done for Israel and ends saying to devote their hearts to the Lord and build the temple so that the ark of the covenant.
Father God - we thank you for today's passage. David provides for his son's physical tools to build the temple, and instructs him the spiritual tools necessary to succeed in life. We ask that you give us guidance and direction today to instruct our children in the way they should go. We ask that if our children stray they will remember what they been taught, and return to you, Lord. We pray today for the teachers as our children start a new school year, and we pray for all the Sunday School teachers who have the heart teach our children. And I ask as a grandmother that any influence I have on my grandchildren will be pleasing and God honoring to you too. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Verse 2 - David decided to begin the groundwork needed to build the temple - he hires stone cutters, metal for the nails, cedar logs for the building. The scripture says David has so much of everything they can't count or weigh the materials. David spares no expense for this temple!
Verses 6-10 David tells Solomon that he wanted to build a temple for the Lord, but God told David that he had fought in too many battles, and shed too much blood to build the temple. David's mission was to be a warrior and build up Israel, and the temple will be built in peaceful times. Solomon will be a man of peace and rest. David tells Solomon what God promised him in I Chronicles chapter 17 - that Solomon will build the temple - he will be my son and I will be his father and God will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. This means that Christ will come from the line of David.
Verses 11- 13 David then instructs Solomon regarding how to have a personal relationship with God for when Solomon becomes ruler over Israel. David tells Solomon to pray and study God's word. And David tells his son to be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged.
Verses 14-16 David tells Solomon how much he has provided to ensure that the temple will be built - he provided materials and man power. He ends with 'now begin the work and may the Lord be with you.'
Verses 17-19 David then orders all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. David tells his leaders all that God has done for Israel and ends saying to devote their hearts to the Lord and build the temple so that the ark of the covenant.
Father God - we thank you for today's passage. David provides for his son's physical tools to build the temple, and instructs him the spiritual tools necessary to succeed in life. We ask that you give us guidance and direction today to instruct our children in the way they should go. We ask that if our children stray they will remember what they been taught, and return to you, Lord. We pray today for the teachers as our children start a new school year, and we pray for all the Sunday School teachers who have the heart teach our children. And I ask as a grandmother that any influence I have on my grandchildren will be pleasing and God honoring to you too. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/14/2010
Aug 14, 2010 I Chronicles 21:1-22:1
This was a tough chapter to read today. We sometimes joke that the devil made me do it. And we sometimes think the devil DID make me do it, but the truth of the matter Satan plants the seed of temptation in our mind and it is up to us whether or not to follow through on these temptations. If we allow the temptations to follow through into action, then we sin. I justify my sins thinking it won't hurt anyone but it does. Imagine throwing a pebble into a pond and watching the ripple effect - all those circles that form after the pebble plops through the surface of the water. The circles start where the pebble hits the water and the surrounding circles become larger and larger. The ripple effect can be far reaching. The surface of the water was peaceful before a pebble was thrown into the pond, it causes chaos and takes time to return to a peaceful state again. David's sin was far reaching today.
Chapter 21 verse 1 begins with Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of the land. I wondered what was so wrong with wanting to take a census, and came up with this - David wanted to know how many people were in his kingdom for the wrong reasons. The reasons were for pride, to see how much his kingdom had grown, and how big his army was. David tells Joab, the commander of the army, to take a census. Joab questions David about this, but David ignores Joab's advice and orders him to take the census. Joab makes a good point - all of David's subjects are the Lords people and does God really need a head count of everyone? Joab counts everyone except the clans of Benjamin and Levi because Joab finds this command from David repulsive.
Verse 7 God finds this census evil too, and he punishes David for his sin.
Verse 8 David confesses his sin, and confesses he has done a very foolish thing.
Verse 9 God speaks through Gad, David's seer. God gives David 3 choices as punishment for his sin.
I wondered why God chose to punish the whole nation, and not just David. Two thoughts come to mind, first - David is commander so his actions can be far reaching, and secondly maybe he wasn't the only person in Israel who was prideful and placed their great nation above God.
Here are the 3 punishments God gave David to choose from.
1.3 years of famine
2.3 months of being defeated by other armies
3. 3 days of a plague on his nation.
David pleads for mercy and God settles for the plague.
The plague begins, and 70,000 men die. As the Angel of the Lord descends up on Jerusalem to destroy the city, God commands the angel to stop as God observes the severity of his punishment. The angel is standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite when God orders him to stop the plague. David looked up and saw the angel, David and his elders fell face down on the ground. David pleads to God that only his family be punished, and spare his people. The angel of the Lord tells Gad to tell David to build an altar to God.
David buys the threshing floor from Araunah for a fair price and builds an altar to the Lord at the threshing floor. David gave up something - in this case money to show his sincerity for asking forgiveness for his sin. Verse 30 surprised me - David could not go to the tent where the Ark was because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
Chapter 22 verse 1 David says that the house of the Lord is to be located at the threshing floor, and the altar of burnt offerings will be located here too.
Father God, we thank you for this reminder of how sin affects not only us but those around us. You have given us the life story of a great warrior David, and like any other man he sins. David accepts his punishment for sin but also pleads that others won't suffer for his sins and God showed mercy upon his request. I ask this day that when we sin we do not fear coming before your throne, we can come in fear and awe but not so fearful what we can't come to you. No matter what we have done, you will allow us to come to you. We will still be punished for our sin but in your mercy your punishment may be changed.
Tough lesson today how our actions impact others.
Chapter 21 verse 1 begins with Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of the land. I wondered what was so wrong with wanting to take a census, and came up with this - David wanted to know how many people were in his kingdom for the wrong reasons. The reasons were for pride, to see how much his kingdom had grown, and how big his army was. David tells Joab, the commander of the army, to take a census. Joab questions David about this, but David ignores Joab's advice and orders him to take the census. Joab makes a good point - all of David's subjects are the Lords people and does God really need a head count of everyone? Joab counts everyone except the clans of Benjamin and Levi because Joab finds this command from David repulsive.
Verse 7 God finds this census evil too, and he punishes David for his sin.
Verse 8 David confesses his sin, and confesses he has done a very foolish thing.
Verse 9 God speaks through Gad, David's seer. God gives David 3 choices as punishment for his sin.
I wondered why God chose to punish the whole nation, and not just David. Two thoughts come to mind, first - David is commander so his actions can be far reaching, and secondly maybe he wasn't the only person in Israel who was prideful and placed their great nation above God.
Here are the 3 punishments God gave David to choose from.
1.3 years of famine
2.3 months of being defeated by other armies
3. 3 days of a plague on his nation.
David pleads for mercy and God settles for the plague.
The plague begins, and 70,000 men die. As the Angel of the Lord descends up on Jerusalem to destroy the city, God commands the angel to stop as God observes the severity of his punishment. The angel is standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite when God orders him to stop the plague. David looked up and saw the angel, David and his elders fell face down on the ground. David pleads to God that only his family be punished, and spare his people. The angel of the Lord tells Gad to tell David to build an altar to God.
David buys the threshing floor from Araunah for a fair price and builds an altar to the Lord at the threshing floor. David gave up something - in this case money to show his sincerity for asking forgiveness for his sin. Verse 30 surprised me - David could not go to the tent where the Ark was because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
Chapter 22 verse 1 David says that the house of the Lord is to be located at the threshing floor, and the altar of burnt offerings will be located here too.
Father God, we thank you for this reminder of how sin affects not only us but those around us. You have given us the life story of a great warrior David, and like any other man he sins. David accepts his punishment for sin but also pleads that others won't suffer for his sins and God showed mercy upon his request. I ask this day that when we sin we do not fear coming before your throne, we can come in fear and awe but not so fearful what we can't come to you. No matter what we have done, you will allow us to come to you. We will still be punished for our sin but in your mercy your punishment may be changed.
Tough lesson today how our actions impact others.
8/13/2010
Aug 13, 2010 I Chronicles 18-20
Today's reading is three chapters long and is about David's battles. I found some interesting stories in these chapters, so lets go through and see what we can learn about them. www.biblegateway.com is a great resource for bible study. You can read many different versions of the bible, and other resources. One commentary I like is www.enduringword.com
I wanted to include a bible map today,I found this at hhttp://www.bible.ca/maps/ and this map shows the kingdoms of David and Solomon.
OK on to chapter 18
David defeats the Philistines, the Moabites and Gath and its surrounding areas. Verse 9 King Tou of Hamath sent his son Hadoram gifts to congratulate the battles David had won. This was a friendly gesture of neighboring county. Hamath is located near the top of the map. David dedicated these gifts to the Lord, along with winnings from his battles. Verse 13 - the Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.
Verse 14 - David reigns over all of Israel, doing what was right and just for all his people. This reminds me that I should do what is right and just to everyone who crosses my path both in my personal and professional life. Verses 15-18 lists leaders David has appointed. Joab is commander of the army, and we will see his name later on.
Chapter 19
This chapter is the battle of the Ammonites - which is located in the middle of the map. There is a psychology lesson in this chapter about human nature.. David learns Nahash the King of Ammonites dies, so David decides to send his condolences to Nahash's son, Hanan the new King because King Nahash had been kind to David.
David sends men to the Ammonite territory to offer his condolences, and when the Ammonites see David's men coming they think why are they here? Are they here to offer condolences or are they spies to come and overthrow our country? They relay this to Hanan and Hanan thinks the worst. Lets stop here for a second. How many times do we think the worst before we get all the facts? And then we allow our worst fears to take control. So Hanan seizes David's men, shaves off their beards cuts their garments so their buttocks show and send them away. I did a little research - and found out was humiliating to shave off a man's beard, and it was also humiliating to be in public half naked. David allows his men to stay at Jericho until their beards grew back in. And hopefully they had a second set of clothes!
Verse 6 King Hanan finds out that David is angry - the bible says they had become a stench in David's nostrils - can you smell that just reading about it? King Hanan assembles an army. Instead of apologizing for what he did to David's men he instead makes matters worse by preparing for war.
Verse 8 David sends Joab and his army to battle. They find themselves surrounded by Ammonites and Arameans (hired by the Ammonites), in front of them and behind them. Joab verse 13 tells his troops to Be strong and couragious, fight for our own people, and the Lord will do what is good in his sight. Joab fought the Arameans, the Arameans lost and would not help the Ammonites anymore.
Chapter 20
In the spring - David sent Joab to do battle, and they captured all the towns in Annon one by one. Usually the kings go to battle, but David sent Joab in his place, found in 2 Samuel 11,12. David sinned with Bethsheba during this time. The theory why David's personal life isn't included in Chronicles is because the theme is about God's presence in the nation of Israel.
David's army also did battle with the Philistines. This chapter talks a little about huge men, one had 6 digits on his hands and feet totaling 24 digits. David's army defeated the Philistines.
Father God - I am not a leader of a great nation but I learned today that you will bless us when you put us first in your life. When we err or sin, we should make matters right to both man and you Lord. If we don't do this we dig ourselves into a deeper hole. We ask this day that we listen to the stillness of your voice guiding us in our walk, and filter out all the "what ifs" that scream for our attention in our minds. We also ask that we be brave and couragious, fight our own battles, and fight our battles in the name of the Lord. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
I wanted to include a bible map today,I found this at hhttp://www.bible.ca/maps/ and this map shows the kingdoms of David and Solomon.
OK on to chapter 18
David defeats the Philistines, the Moabites and Gath and its surrounding areas. Verse 9 King Tou of Hamath sent his son Hadoram gifts to congratulate the battles David had won. This was a friendly gesture of neighboring county. Hamath is located near the top of the map. David dedicated these gifts to the Lord, along with winnings from his battles. Verse 13 - the Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.
Verse 14 - David reigns over all of Israel, doing what was right and just for all his people. This reminds me that I should do what is right and just to everyone who crosses my path both in my personal and professional life. Verses 15-18 lists leaders David has appointed. Joab is commander of the army, and we will see his name later on.
Chapter 19
This chapter is the battle of the Ammonites - which is located in the middle of the map. There is a psychology lesson in this chapter about human nature.. David learns Nahash the King of Ammonites dies, so David decides to send his condolences to Nahash's son, Hanan the new King because King Nahash had been kind to David.
David sends men to the Ammonite territory to offer his condolences, and when the Ammonites see David's men coming they think why are they here? Are they here to offer condolences or are they spies to come and overthrow our country? They relay this to Hanan and Hanan thinks the worst. Lets stop here for a second. How many times do we think the worst before we get all the facts? And then we allow our worst fears to take control. So Hanan seizes David's men, shaves off their beards cuts their garments so their buttocks show and send them away. I did a little research - and found out was humiliating to shave off a man's beard, and it was also humiliating to be in public half naked. David allows his men to stay at Jericho until their beards grew back in. And hopefully they had a second set of clothes!
Verse 6 King Hanan finds out that David is angry - the bible says they had become a stench in David's nostrils - can you smell that just reading about it? King Hanan assembles an army. Instead of apologizing for what he did to David's men he instead makes matters worse by preparing for war.
Verse 8 David sends Joab and his army to battle. They find themselves surrounded by Ammonites and Arameans (hired by the Ammonites), in front of them and behind them. Joab verse 13 tells his troops to Be strong and couragious, fight for our own people, and the Lord will do what is good in his sight. Joab fought the Arameans, the Arameans lost and would not help the Ammonites anymore.
Chapter 20
In the spring - David sent Joab to do battle, and they captured all the towns in Annon one by one. Usually the kings go to battle, but David sent Joab in his place, found in 2 Samuel 11,12. David sinned with Bethsheba during this time. The theory why David's personal life isn't included in Chronicles is because the theme is about God's presence in the nation of Israel.
David's army also did battle with the Philistines. This chapter talks a little about huge men, one had 6 digits on his hands and feet totaling 24 digits. David's army defeated the Philistines.
Father God - I am not a leader of a great nation but I learned today that you will bless us when you put us first in your life. When we err or sin, we should make matters right to both man and you Lord. If we don't do this we dig ourselves into a deeper hole. We ask this day that we listen to the stillness of your voice guiding us in our walk, and filter out all the "what ifs" that scream for our attention in our minds. We also ask that we be brave and couragious, fight our own battles, and fight our battles in the name of the Lord. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/12/2010
Aug 12, 2010 I Chronicles 17
Today's chapter in the bible is about David wanting to build a temple for the Ark of the Covenant. If you don't have a bible please go to www.biblegateway.com.
David has built his home and now he wants to build a home for the Ark. David felt bad that he lived in a beautiful home while the Ark was in a temporary building - a tent. So David consults with Nathan the prophet that he wants to build a temple for the Ark. I like that David talks to the experts whenever he has a major decision to make. Nathan tells David to build it because God is with him. And I'm thinking - why didn't they both pray about this first? Verse 4 God does hear David's request and the word of God comes to Nathan that night and instructs Nathan what to tell David about building a home for the Ark. God reviews how he has traveled in the tent from the time he brought Israel out of Egypt. I thought what a great analogy! God dwells with the people where ever they move to, for they were somewhat nomadic. I wonder if I moved someplace where there isn't a church would my faith suffer because I didn't worship anymore? Then God instructs Nathan what to tell David. God reviews what he did for David, from his youth to today, from a shepherd boy to leader of the Israelite nation. God promises to make David's name great. God will subdue the enemies, and they will live in Israel. Verse 10-God will instruct David's descendants to build a temple. It was not yet time for the temple to be built. God promises greatness through David's line. Jesus is of the line of David.
Verses 16 to the end of the chapter David prays to God. First he praises God - and is humbled that God has made David his servant and is thankful for the promises God has given him. David acknowledges that God has heard his request to build a home for the Ark, and the promise God has given David.
How does all of this apply to me? I know I am a child of God, from the line of David. He loves me for who I am and he has created me for his purpose. I am thankful that I live in a country where I can freely worship God in any of a multitude of churches that you have provided for us. My family has worshipped God through the ages, and my children and grandchildren worship in your house.
Father God - we thank you that we can come to you with anything, and you will say yes, no, or later. We learn today that God sees Davids heart of wanting to worship him in a permanent temple, but it is not yet time to build a temple. God reveals his plan to David. We ask that when we petition God with our requests that we hear and accept God's response. Amen.
David has built his home and now he wants to build a home for the Ark. David felt bad that he lived in a beautiful home while the Ark was in a temporary building - a tent. So David consults with Nathan the prophet that he wants to build a temple for the Ark. I like that David talks to the experts whenever he has a major decision to make. Nathan tells David to build it because God is with him. And I'm thinking - why didn't they both pray about this first? Verse 4 God does hear David's request and the word of God comes to Nathan that night and instructs Nathan what to tell David about building a home for the Ark. God reviews how he has traveled in the tent from the time he brought Israel out of Egypt. I thought what a great analogy! God dwells with the people where ever they move to, for they were somewhat nomadic. I wonder if I moved someplace where there isn't a church would my faith suffer because I didn't worship anymore? Then God instructs Nathan what to tell David. God reviews what he did for David, from his youth to today, from a shepherd boy to leader of the Israelite nation. God promises to make David's name great. God will subdue the enemies, and they will live in Israel. Verse 10-God will instruct David's descendants to build a temple. It was not yet time for the temple to be built. God promises greatness through David's line. Jesus is of the line of David.
Verses 16 to the end of the chapter David prays to God. First he praises God - and is humbled that God has made David his servant and is thankful for the promises God has given him. David acknowledges that God has heard his request to build a home for the Ark, and the promise God has given David.
How does all of this apply to me? I know I am a child of God, from the line of David. He loves me for who I am and he has created me for his purpose. I am thankful that I live in a country where I can freely worship God in any of a multitude of churches that you have provided for us. My family has worshipped God through the ages, and my children and grandchildren worship in your house.
Father God - we thank you that we can come to you with anything, and you will say yes, no, or later. We learn today that God sees Davids heart of wanting to worship him in a permanent temple, but it is not yet time to build a temple. God reveals his plan to David. We ask that when we petition God with our requests that we hear and accept God's response. Amen.
8/11/2010
Aug 11, 2010 I Chronicles 16:7-43
Today's bible reading is David's Psalm of Praise for celebrating bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. If you don't have a bible, you can read today's scripture at www.biblegateway.com.
David first gave this psalm to Asaph and his associates. They are a part of the Levite clan, priests whose job is to give thanks and praise God - I Chronicles verse 5.
My NIV study bible says that 4 elements of thanksgiving are in this psalm of praise - remembering what God has done, telling others about it, showing God's glory to others, and offering gifts of self, time and resources.
The psalm starts off verses 8-14 giving thanks for what God has done.
verse 15-18 talks about the covenants God made with Abraham, Jacob and Issac.
verse 25 tells of Gods glory and all he has done.
verse 29 tells us to bring offerings to to him and worship him.
As I read through this psalm I can pick out lines of praise songs we sing in church. This reminds me that God's word is timeless, David's words of praise are just as relevant today.
After the celebration the priests perform their duties, and everyone goes home.
Father God we thank you for this reminder to enjoy you through poetry, song and praise. You have given us many ways to worship you. You aren't just a solemn God you are a joyful God too.
Amen
David first gave this psalm to Asaph and his associates. They are a part of the Levite clan, priests whose job is to give thanks and praise God - I Chronicles verse 5.
My NIV study bible says that 4 elements of thanksgiving are in this psalm of praise - remembering what God has done, telling others about it, showing God's glory to others, and offering gifts of self, time and resources.
The psalm starts off verses 8-14 giving thanks for what God has done.
verse 15-18 talks about the covenants God made with Abraham, Jacob and Issac.
verse 25 tells of Gods glory and all he has done.
verse 29 tells us to bring offerings to to him and worship him.
As I read through this psalm I can pick out lines of praise songs we sing in church. This reminds me that God's word is timeless, David's words of praise are just as relevant today.
After the celebration the priests perform their duties, and everyone goes home.
Father God we thank you for this reminder to enjoy you through poetry, song and praise. You have given us many ways to worship you. You aren't just a solemn God you are a joyful God too.
Amen
8/10/2010
Aug 10, 2010 I Chronicles 15:1-16:6
Today's bible reading is about bringing the ark to Jerusalem. Follow along in your bible or go to http://www.biblegateway.com/
This is a picture of the Ark of the Covenant, which I obtained from Wikipedia. The article about the Ark was an interesting read too, if you would like a general overview of the story of the Ark.
Chapter 15 begins with David preparing to move the ark to Jerusalem. We learned yesterday the consequences of not following God's laws. Uzzah was instantly killed for touching the Ark because he was not a Levite. In chapter 15 we read how David now obeys God's law to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. He assembles the descendants of Aaron from the tribe of Levites. Genealogy is important to the Israelites, so we see a lot of this in the old testament. The Levites were chosen by God to be priests and are the only ones allowed to care for the Ark. David assembles the Levites and tells them in verse 13 that David did not follow God's law and now he wants to follow God's law. I find this humbling to see a man in leadership admit he was wrong but is now willing to move forward and do the right thing. Musicians were organized, and other Levites were ceremonially prepared to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. This was a huge celebration! I imagine it was like a big parade. Lots dancing and singing, playing of instruments. Chapter 16:1-6 continues the story of the Ark - it is placed in the tent David had provided. Offerings were made to God, and David blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
Chapter 15:29 Michal, daughter of Saul, watches the event from a window, and when she saw David celebrating him she despised him with her heart. My bible notes says she respected David as a leader but thought he was foolish for celebrating in the streets. My thought on this is there are different ways to worship God. If they are God honoring ways to worship God we should respect how others worship.
Father God we thank you today that we can joyfully worship you with song and dance. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
8/09/2010
Aug 9, 2010 I Chronicles 13-14
Lots to discuss in Chapters 13 and 14 today. First, if you don't have a bible, you can go to http://www.biblegateway.com/ and search for I Chronicles 13-14.
Yesterday we discussed after was David banished from Saul, 120,000 warriors come join him armed for battle to make David King over Israel.
Chapter 13 verse 1 begins with David consulting with his officers and commanders regarding bringing the Ark of God, also called Ark of the covenant, to Jerusalem. David wants the ark to be back in the center of the Israelites lives, in Jerusalem. David received the support of all of his army to bring the ark to Jerusalem. I noticed David asks his men first and says "if it is the will of God" we will do this. David had good intentions wanting the Ark back in the center of his kingdom, but I don't see David asking God to transport the ark.
The ark is the most sacred object of the Jewish faith. It holds the 10 commandments, a jar of manna, and the miraculous stick Aaron used. The ark is only to be tended by the Levites as God directed in Numbers 4:5-15. God commanded that if anyone touched the ark who was not a Levite he would be instantly killed.
Verse 7 David assigns Uzzah and Ahio to guide the cart holding the ark back to Jerusalem. Uzzah is not a Levite.
Verse 8 David and all the Israelites celebrated with song. It was a joyous occasion.
Verse 10 - When the ark reaches the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reaches and touches the ark when an ox stumbles. God instantly kills him. Uzzah had the best of intentions protecting the ark - however he disobeyed God's instructions. In a way David disobeyed God too - he should have had a Levite, a priest in charge of moving and protecting the ark.
Verses 12-13 - David realizes his disobedience to God transporting the ark, so he leaves the ark with Obed-Edom the Gittite, who is a Levite until David can figure out how to get the ark to Jerusalem. Again, I realize David had the best of intentions but you hear David asking God how will he ever get the Ark back to his town? David took matters into his own hands and a man was killed because of it. Today we need to the same - ask not what we want but ask what God's plan is.
Verse 14 The ark remains at Obed-Edom's home and God blesses his family. God is just and fair.
Chapter 14
David begins building his palace. King Hiram of Tyre sends men and lumber to help David build a palace. God has made David highly exalted for the sake of his people.
David also takes more wives at this time. Having more than one wife was the custom of the day but that is not in God's plan. Deuteronomy 17:14-17 discusses the king's responsibilities and verse 17 says the king must not take many wives or his heart will be led astray. Genesis 2:24 - this verse is about marriage - a man and a woman shall leave their parents and become one.
David defeats the Phillistines.
Verses 8 -17. Now we see David asking God about battling the Phillistines in verse 10, and verse 14 David asks God how to defeat the Phillistines. David did as God commanded him and won the battle.
What do we learn from these chapters? First, we learn the consequences of doing things our way even if it is the best of intentions. Secondly we learn that when we ask God he will give us answers. Last but not least we should be focused on God and not on man's culture. Live our lives according to God's will. It is so hard in today's society - study the scriptures - is what we are doing according to God's plan or man's way?
Father God we thank you for the wise counsel given through your word today. We learn that even with man's best intentions - we need to come before you and ask your will before carrying out important plans.
In these chapters we see what happens when we go our way, and when we follow your instructions. Amen.
Yesterday we discussed after was David banished from Saul, 120,000 warriors come join him armed for battle to make David King over Israel.
Chapter 13 verse 1 begins with David consulting with his officers and commanders regarding bringing the Ark of God, also called Ark of the covenant, to Jerusalem. David wants the ark to be back in the center of the Israelites lives, in Jerusalem. David received the support of all of his army to bring the ark to Jerusalem. I noticed David asks his men first and says "if it is the will of God" we will do this. David had good intentions wanting the Ark back in the center of his kingdom, but I don't see David asking God to transport the ark.
The ark is the most sacred object of the Jewish faith. It holds the 10 commandments, a jar of manna, and the miraculous stick Aaron used. The ark is only to be tended by the Levites as God directed in Numbers 4:5-15. God commanded that if anyone touched the ark who was not a Levite he would be instantly killed.
Verse 7 David assigns Uzzah and Ahio to guide the cart holding the ark back to Jerusalem. Uzzah is not a Levite.
Verse 8 David and all the Israelites celebrated with song. It was a joyous occasion.
Verse 10 - When the ark reaches the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reaches and touches the ark when an ox stumbles. God instantly kills him. Uzzah had the best of intentions protecting the ark - however he disobeyed God's instructions. In a way David disobeyed God too - he should have had a Levite, a priest in charge of moving and protecting the ark.
Verses 12-13 - David realizes his disobedience to God transporting the ark, so he leaves the ark with Obed-Edom the Gittite, who is a Levite until David can figure out how to get the ark to Jerusalem. Again, I realize David had the best of intentions but you hear David asking God how will he ever get the Ark back to his town? David took matters into his own hands and a man was killed because of it. Today we need to the same - ask not what we want but ask what God's plan is.
Verse 14 The ark remains at Obed-Edom's home and God blesses his family. God is just and fair.
Chapter 14
David begins building his palace. King Hiram of Tyre sends men and lumber to help David build a palace. God has made David highly exalted for the sake of his people.
David also takes more wives at this time. Having more than one wife was the custom of the day but that is not in God's plan. Deuteronomy 17:14-17 discusses the king's responsibilities and verse 17 says the king must not take many wives or his heart will be led astray. Genesis 2:24 - this verse is about marriage - a man and a woman shall leave their parents and become one.
David defeats the Phillistines.
Verses 8 -17. Now we see David asking God about battling the Phillistines in verse 10, and verse 14 David asks God how to defeat the Phillistines. David did as God commanded him and won the battle.
What do we learn from these chapters? First, we learn the consequences of doing things our way even if it is the best of intentions. Secondly we learn that when we ask God he will give us answers. Last but not least we should be focused on God and not on man's culture. Live our lives according to God's will. It is so hard in today's society - study the scriptures - is what we are doing according to God's plan or man's way?
Father God we thank you for the wise counsel given through your word today. We learn that even with man's best intentions - we need to come before you and ask your will before carrying out important plans.
In these chapters we see what happens when we go our way, and when we follow your instructions. Amen.
8/08/2010
Aug 8, 2010 I Chronicles 12
Where does one jump in and start a blog for a daily reading of the bible? I would dare to guess some books of the bible are well read and others are not because ...... insert your answer here. I decided not to procrastinate and wait until Jan 1. I am starting today with my blog. This is the 3rd year 8th month and 8th day of the bible reading plan I use. I am following God's leading and starting this blog, both as me being accountable to reading Gods word daily, and also to encourage others to join me in daily bible reading. And as we read today's scripture - well it is a good place to start, so lets begin.
A little background on I Chronicles.
I Chronicles is in the Old Testament, and it parallels 2 Samuel in the Old Testament.
The time period for I Chronicles is 1000-960 BC.
The author is Ezra according to Jewish tradition, and was written approx 430 BC.
The book was written for all of Israel
The purpose of the book was to unify God's people.
The key people in this book are David and Solomon.
Key place is Hebron, in Israel.
(This information was obtained from my NIV study bible).
I Chronicles 12 - if you don't have a bible please go to this link to read today's scripture.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Chronicles%2012&version=NIV
What did I learn from this chapter?
David was banished from Saul, son of Kish, and found himself surrounded by many great warriors. Both left handed and right handed men who could use slings and bows. These warriors were from the tribe of Benjamin, kinsmen of Saul. Verse 8 states that they were ready for battle, and able to handle shields and spears, their faces were the faces of lions and swift as gazelles. The rest of the chapter gives a listing of all the other warriors that came to David's defense, from the 12 tribes of Israel, and surrounding towns. Verse 37 says 120,000 men joined David's army. Verse 38 - all were volunteers. Verse 39 says that the warriors families supplied them with provisions. The purpose of the warriors joining David was to make him King over all of Israel.
I am not a lover of history, especially wars and battles, so reading this part of the bible is difficult for me. As I read this chapter, I realized that David the leader has been surrounded by 120,000 experienced warriors!
I personally am not going off to battle to become king of a country, but we all have our own battles in life. Who do I surround myself with both in my personal life and in my professional life? Are the people in my life Christians, and do they share my convictions? Do they laugh at the same silly jokes, and watch with me as summer thunder storms rumble across the sky? And the other side of the coin - am I a good employee doing my best for my company? Do I support my friends and family with whatever battle is going on in their lives?
A side note - I don't know if I will always do this but I will if I have the time. I am a lefty and I noticed verse 2 mentions left handed warriors. Left handed people in years past have been thought of as evil, or of the devil, so I was curious why this was in the mentioned in today's scripture. My footnote lead me to Judges 3:15. Judges 3:15 mentions Ehud who was a left handed man from the tribe of Benjamin, and he helped the Israelites be delivered from its enemies. Many Benjaminites were left handed. Even though some may perceive left handedness as evil or a handicap, God does not allow handicaps to be a deterrent for being able to use us to advance his kingdom.
Father God we thank you for all the warriors who come to our aid today. To fight for the cause of Christ. We ask that WE be good warriors for others today too, and that the leaders of our country, businesses and head of each family household surround themselves with Godly experienced warriors.
Amen
Thinking of the song Onward Christian Soldiers right now :-)
A little background on I Chronicles.
I Chronicles is in the Old Testament, and it parallels 2 Samuel in the Old Testament.
The time period for I Chronicles is 1000-960 BC.
The author is Ezra according to Jewish tradition, and was written approx 430 BC.
The book was written for all of Israel
The purpose of the book was to unify God's people.
The key people in this book are David and Solomon.
Key place is Hebron, in Israel.
(This information was obtained from my NIV study bible).
I Chronicles 12 - if you don't have a bible please go to this link to read today's scripture.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Chronicles%2012&version=NIV
What did I learn from this chapter?
David was banished from Saul, son of Kish, and found himself surrounded by many great warriors. Both left handed and right handed men who could use slings and bows. These warriors were from the tribe of Benjamin, kinsmen of Saul. Verse 8 states that they were ready for battle, and able to handle shields and spears, their faces were the faces of lions and swift as gazelles. The rest of the chapter gives a listing of all the other warriors that came to David's defense, from the 12 tribes of Israel, and surrounding towns. Verse 37 says 120,000 men joined David's army. Verse 38 - all were volunteers. Verse 39 says that the warriors families supplied them with provisions. The purpose of the warriors joining David was to make him King over all of Israel.
I am not a lover of history, especially wars and battles, so reading this part of the bible is difficult for me. As I read this chapter, I realized that David the leader has been surrounded by 120,000 experienced warriors!
I personally am not going off to battle to become king of a country, but we all have our own battles in life. Who do I surround myself with both in my personal life and in my professional life? Are the people in my life Christians, and do they share my convictions? Do they laugh at the same silly jokes, and watch with me as summer thunder storms rumble across the sky? And the other side of the coin - am I a good employee doing my best for my company? Do I support my friends and family with whatever battle is going on in their lives?
A side note - I don't know if I will always do this but I will if I have the time. I am a lefty and I noticed verse 2 mentions left handed warriors. Left handed people in years past have been thought of as evil, or of the devil, so I was curious why this was in the mentioned in today's scripture. My footnote lead me to Judges 3:15. Judges 3:15 mentions Ehud who was a left handed man from the tribe of Benjamin, and he helped the Israelites be delivered from its enemies. Many Benjaminites were left handed. Even though some may perceive left handedness as evil or a handicap, God does not allow handicaps to be a deterrent for being able to use us to advance his kingdom.
Father God we thank you for all the warriors who come to our aid today. To fight for the cause of Christ. We ask that WE be good warriors for others today too, and that the leaders of our country, businesses and head of each family household surround themselves with Godly experienced warriors.
Amen
Thinking of the song Onward Christian Soldiers right now :-)
Welcome to my Blog!
I discovered a 3 year bible reading plan several years ago, and I have enjoyed reading through the bible at a slower pace. Reading one chapter a day allows me to dig deeper as to what the scripture says.
I am a believer wanting to learn and grow in my daily walk with the Lord. I hope and pray that others will join me in this daily journey - to discern what God has spoken to us through out the ages.
I have found a few bible study methods that may be helpful to some. Please share if you have any other ways to help you study the bible.
Plan A
1. Read the scripture.
2. Ask what God is saying to me.
3. Pray the verses just read as a prayer.
4. Ask again what the scripture says to me.
Plan B
SOAP
Scripture
Observation
Application
Pray
Plan C
Acts 17:11 Berean study " .... They (Bereans) received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."
1. Be open minded and willingly receive the word of God when it is taught to you.
2. Check out what is taught by comparing what was learned with scripture.
Good internet links for online bible reading and commentaries include: www.biblegateway.com
I am a believer wanting to learn and grow in my daily walk with the Lord. I hope and pray that others will join me in this daily journey - to discern what God has spoken to us through out the ages.
I have found a few bible study methods that may be helpful to some. Please share if you have any other ways to help you study the bible.
Plan A
1. Read the scripture.
2. Ask what God is saying to me.
3. Pray the verses just read as a prayer.
4. Ask again what the scripture says to me.
Plan B
SOAP
Scripture
Observation
Application
Pray
Plan C
Acts 17:11 Berean study " .... They (Bereans) received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."
1. Be open minded and willingly receive the word of God when it is taught to you.
2. Check out what is taught by comparing what was learned with scripture.
Good internet links for online bible reading and commentaries include: www.biblegateway.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)