Psalms of Asaph

Today's Reading:

• Psalm 75:1 - 10
• Psalm 76:1 - 12

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Psalms 75 & 76
Psalm 76 is a psalm of Asaph.  Psalms 73, 74 and 75 were also psalms of Asaph.  It is interesting to see the contrast between these four psalms.  Psalm 73, the first psalm of Asaph, pondered as to why the wicked prosper.  The 74th Psalm focused on a nation that needed deliverance from its enemies.  I remarked how little praise was in that psalm.  This was a major contrast to the psalms of David, whom praised the Lord even in his lowest of times. 

Psalm 75 is a short psalm that praises the Lord.  All the praise that was missing from the previous psalm was evident in this one.  It opens up by saying "we give thanks because you are near" -- so I wonder if the people are praising the Lord because deliverance was at hand?

The next psalm, number 76, tells of a defeat against enemies at the hand of God.  I think it's interesting how these four psalms together -- 73, 74, 75, 76 -- seem to tell one cohesive story.  This is what I like about studying the entire bible as a whole instead of just individual passages.  You can only divulge so much information from a passage.  The bible is so complex that all these separate passages, themes, stores, etc. all give purpose to one greater understanding. Isn't the bible the most amazing book?

Obeying the Lord

Today's Reading:

• Deuteronomy 26:1 - 27:26

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Deuteronomy 26:1 - 27:26
The people are preparing to go into the land that Lord has promised them.  They are being given instructions, and if these instructions are followed the Lord will bless the nation.  This passage from chapter 26 caught my attention:

18  The LORD has declared today that you are his people, his own special treasure, just as he promised, and that you must obey all his commands.

19  And if you do, he will set you high above all the other nations he has made.  Then you will receive praise, honor, and renown.   You will be a nation that is holy to the LORD you God, just as he promised.

 I think it's important to remember that God expects a commitment out of us when we declare ourselves to be a Christian.  We often focus on the fact that Christ died for us and that we are forgiven of our sins, but the Lord does expect that we obey Him after we accept Christ into our hearts. 

So this is what I'm keeping in mind as I start off the year 2013.  I need to be mindful that I am always obeying the Lord in all I do and say.  This is how I will show the Lord that I love Him.

It's Time for me to Fess Up

Alright, it's time for me to fess up and tell you where I've been.  I have let this blog fall by the wayside ever since I started this little thing called grad school.  Yikes.  I was afraid that my graduate studies would get in the way, but saying it got in the way is an understatement.  It has consumed most of my non-working time.  This post is being written during my first break from school -- I have about three and a half weeks between my fall and spring semester.

I have not quit reading the bible, I just had to give myself permission to quit writing about it.  For awhile I was doing neither -- not reading, and not writing -- and feeling mighty guilty about it.  I realized that it was better to keep reading and not writing than it was to not do either.  That being said, I haven't been that faithful to my daily studies. 

It's almost a new year, and with that new year comes the realization that it's been a year since I set this blog up and made the original commitment.  My commitment still stands in that I WILL read through the entire bible and I WILL write about the entire thing, it just won't be in a year's time.  I will try to continue to get posts out, and will commit to doing better than I have in these previous few months.  I am also going to break the posts down further -- currently each post contains two readings, in the future they will contain one.  Anything I can do to keep myself reading, and writing when I can.

Please know that I haven't given up on this blog, and that I will never ever give up my faith or my commitment to study the word of God in its entirety.  May you all have a blessed 2013!

The Fall of Satan; Jesus Friend of Sinners

Today's Reading:

• Luke 10:13 - 37
• Psalm 75:1 - 10

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Luke 10:13 - 37
Today's reading in Luke was a short one that touched a few topics, such as loving your neighbor and the judgement of cities who reject or accept Jesus.  The portion I want to focus on is pretty brief and regards demons and Satan.

The 72 disciples returned to Jesus, pleased that they the demons obey the name of Jesus.  Verses 18 - 20 tell his reply:

"Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!  Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them.  Nothing will injure you.  But don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven."

The most interesting thing to me in this verse was the mention of Satan falling from the sky light lightning.  I realized, after I had read this, that I had yet to read anything about the fall of Satan from Heaven.  

Satan is also referred to as "the enemy".  I am guilty of not taking Satan as seriously as I should have for the majority of my life so far.  It wasn't until the past couple years that I started to change my thinking.  Previously, being a Christian meant to me that I loved the Lord, that I accepted Jesus as my savior, and that I tried to live a life that was pleasing to the Lord.  Now I am realizing that it is not enough to just know God, I also must know my enemy.  

There is something else I have noticed, too.  When you announce to others that you believe in God or praise the Lord for something that has gone well in your life, other people don't seem to much or think anything of it.  Very few would think you were actually crazy just because you believe in God.  But if you make mention of Satan coming up against you, that's a different story.  It's like there is a disconnect -- its okay to believe in God, but it's not as okay to attribute things that have happened as to being the work of Satan.  In fact, a lot of times when tragedy happens, people will say that it must just be the Lord's will.  Just because Satan has done something to attempt to destroy your life, and has succeeded, does not make it the Lord's will (but the Lord will bring something good out of it if you have faith, regardless).  I think Satan has succeeded here in driving this disparity between having faith and believing in an evil force that is destructive.

Psalm 75:1 - 10
This is a short Psalm with a simple message:  The Lord will judge the wicked.  The Lord will judge the wicked when He wants to, not when we want Him to.  And it is no one's job but the Lord's to judge.  There is a song I really love called "Jesus Friend of Sinners" by the Casting Crowns.  Here is verse two of that song:

Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand
Made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of these
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did

I just think this song truly encompasses the truth behind what happens when we are the ones to judge others instead of the Lord.  We don't help people who are lost by judging them.  Many people view Christians as judgmental and hypocritical, and it turns people away from wanting to find out what the Lord is all about -- love and forgiveness. 

Should a Person Make Vows to the Lord?

Today's Reading:

• Deuteronomy 23:1 - 25:19
• Proverbs 12:12 - 14

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Deuteronomy 23:1 - 25:19
Chapters 23 - 25 of Deuteronomy outlined various miscellaneous laws for the people of Israel.  The laws covered the treatment of slaves, foreigners, widows and orphans.  There were many verses that commanded the people not to harvest every last morsel out of their fields.  Instead, they were to leave small amounts for others to find. Whereas society might ridicule the poor, the Lord looks after those less fortunate.

We saw more laws outlining what happens when a widow dies without an heir.  In that case the brother of the man who died is supposed to step in, marry her, and give her an heir.  I've read that many times over, but there was a part of it I hadn't read before.  Mainly it just struck me as funny, because in the US today this wouldn't be considered much of an insult, but I suppose it was serious at the time.  If the brother ultimately refuses to marry her, despite being talked to by the elders, this is what is to happen:

25:9  The widow must walk over to him in the presence of the elders, pull his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face.  Then she must declare, "This is what happens to a man who refuses to provide his brother with children."

25:10  Ever afterward in Israel his family will be referred to as 'the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off!'

 On a more serious note, the verses that spoke most strongly to me was 23:21 - 23.  In these verses the bible talks about making a vow to the Lord.  We are told that it is not a sin if we do not make a vow to the Lord.  However, if we make a vow to the Lord, we must be quick to fulfill that vow.  Any vow we make to the Lord is voluntary; He does not require us to make vows.  But should we make a voluntary vow, we shall be guilty of sin if we do not fulfill that vow. 

Have you ever made a vow to the Lord that you knew you might not keep?  Maybe it was in the form of, "I promise Lord that I will do better at this", "I promise Lord I won't do this again", "If you do this for me Lord, I promise that I will do this."  Be wary of making those promises.  Even if the thing you're promising is not to commit some sort of sin, should you fail you would then be committing more sins -- the sin of whatever it was you did, plus the sin of breaking a vow to the Lord.  That's food for thought, eh?


Proverbs 12:12 - 14

12  Thieves are jealous of each other's loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.

13  The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.

14 Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.

Verse 12 talks about thievery.  Godly people are not thieves -- no matter how one might try to justify thievery, even "Robin Hood" situations, the bible clearly lets us know that thievery is in no way godly.  

Verse 13 isn't telling us that the godly escape the trouble of using wicked words.  Instead it is understood (or at least, this is what I understand) that the godly don't get themselves in a position to be trapped in the first place.  With all the verses about our words betraying our hearts and wicked people saying wicked things, the godly as set aside because they do not do as the wicked do.

Verse 14 talks about wise words and hard work.  As a contrast to wicked words that trap people, wise words bring reward.  Wise words are godly.  Another thing that is godly is hard work.  No where in the bible that I have read so far does it say that God will just up and bless people without them putting work into it.  I call this the "lottery syndrome".  "Well, God will provide for me, God will bless me, so therefore I just know I'm going to win this lottery drawing on Saturday!"  Yes, the Lord will always provide you with provision, but that doesn't mean riches.  Yes, the Lord will bless those who are faithful, wise, honest and hardworking.  But that doesn't mean you're going to be filthy rich, and it doesn't mean that you're going to realize that blessing here on Earth.  I'm not saying you won't realize it on Earth, but the bible does state the blessings that await in eternity for those who are faithful to Him.  While I enjoy being comfortable on this Earth, if I have to choose between the two, I choose abundant blessings for all of eternity.  This life, after all, is just the blink of an eye.