The Psalms of Asaph; Godly Advice

Today's Reading:

• Psalm 79:1 - 79:13
• Proverbs 12:25 - 12:26

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Psalm 79:1 - 79:13
Psalm 79 is a Psalm of Asaph.  The people are in the midst of great destruction brought upon them from the Lord.  The people are begging the Lord not to punish them, but to instead punish the godless who caused their demise.

I have a few problems with the cries from these people.  First of all, they do not account of any sins.  They claim they are being punished for their ancestors.  I have not yet read about these people anywhere else but these Psalms -- since my readings are broken up, I am reading Psalms along with my regular readings.  That being said, my study bible quotes two verses that state people will no longer be judged by the sins of their parents -- Ezekiel 18:20 and Jeremiah 31:30.  I assume, based on those two verses being quoted here, that the timing of this destruction took place after people were eradicated of the sins of their parents. So in other words, these people are not yet even realizing what sins they have committed (or they are ignoring them and passing blame elsewhere).  If they don't realize the sins they have committed, how can they ask for forgiveness from them?

The other thing that bothers me about this psalm is that the people don't praise the Lord at all.  All they do is ask the Lord to save them, and only then will they praise and thank him forever (79:13).  All the great psalms of David made sure to praise the Lord, even during the midst of the storms he faced.  Our Lord is worthy of praise, always.

The writer of the psalm begged the Lord to punish the offenders, not His own people.  I could certainly see why the Lord would be more harsh with his own people.  I think of my own children -- when one of them knows that they are disobeying, they are always punished far greater than the one that does wrong yet does not realize it.  As the Lord's people, we are expected to love him, and show that we love him, we obey him.  That is how we choose life instead of death. 

Proverbs 12:25 - 12:26

25  Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers them up

26  The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray

These are two very good verses to consider.  I would like to focus on the second one (verse 12:26).  I can say I do my part by giving my friends good advice and not trying to lead them astray.  So when I read that verse, I thought about the reverse of it -- about receiving advise.

According to this verse, I should be wary of the advice of those who are not godly and give much more esteem to the advice of those who are.  I will certainly keep this in mind for anytime that I am faced with a dilemma! 

Short Parables of Jesus, According to Luke

Today's Reading:

• Luke 13:1 - 14:6

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Luke 13:1 - 14:6
Today's reading contained many short parables.  These parables are:

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (13:6-13:9)
A man planted a fig tree, but that tree had yet to produce fruit.  So he was going to cut that fig tree down, until the gardener pleaded with him not to.  The man decided to give the tree one more year to produce figs; if it failed to produce fruit after all the extra nourishment then it would be cut down. 

This was a very short parable that was very open to interpretation.  Jesus in his time was talking to Israel, so perhaps it was a warning to them.  I read it as a warning to myself -- what I am doing to produce a fruitful crop?  How am I trying to help grow the Kingdom of Heaven?

The Parable of the Mustard Seed (13:18-19)
Jesus told the people that the Kingdom of God was likened to a mustard seed.  It starts off as the tiniest of seeds; yet grows into something so large that it houses the birds in nests. 

Again, this parable is so short and has no extra explanation to it, which leaves one to decipher the meaning of it themselves.  My study bible says the birds who nest in the tree are likened to the people who find protection and security within the Kingdom of God. 

The Parable of the Yeast (13:20 - 21)
In the final parable of this reading, the Kingdom of God is compared to yeast.  It takes but a tiny sprinkle to completely permeate all of a loaf of bread dough.  My study bible suggests that this is reference to the Kingdom of God permeating the entire world.  It is amazing how the Kingdom of God continues to grow.

The Lord Buried Moses

Today's Reading:

• Deuteronomy 33:1 - 34:12

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Deuteronomy 33:1 - 34:12
Today's reading finished off the book of Deuteronomy and was a relatively short reading.  In chapter 33, Moses blessed all the tribes of Israel in preparation of his death and their journey into the promised land.

In Chapter 34, the Lord had Moses up to Mount Nebo to see the promised land in its entirety.  I am sure it was painful for Moses to know that his one huge mistake cost him the ability to ever set foot into that land.  Regardless, even though he punished, the Lord still loved Moses greatly -- and there is a lesson for all of us to be learned in that.

We are then told that Moses died and that the Lord buried him (34:5-6).  I thought that was very strange -- I don't recall any reading so far where the Lord buried someone.  We are told that the burial place of Moses remains a secret to all men, even to this day.

I really wonder why that is.  I did a little looking online, hoping for some answers.  What I found was a reference to Jude 1:9, where there is a short reference to the archangel Michael having a dispute with the devil over the body of Moses.  Right now I do not know any more than that, and given the results of my search, I am doubtful that I will know anymore, even after reading through the entire bible.  But hence is the nature of the Lord -- some things are His secrets, only to be revealed to us at the time of His choosing.

We are told that Moses was 120 when he died, "yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever" (34:7).  I think this verse shows us that the Lord wants us to be strong and healthy, not sick and frail.  Even if we are 120 years old and about to die, we should be doing the work of God until the day we die.  And the Lord will always give us the ability to do so.

He Leads us with a True Heart and Skillful Hands

Today's Reading:

• Psalm 78:56 - 78:72
• Proverbs 12:24

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Psalm 78:56- 78:72
This psalm continues to tell the tale of how the people of Israel fall out of the Lord's favor and into destruction.  The psalm is full of imagery and beautifully told, even if it is a sad story.  The people rejected the Lord, as He said they would, and the anger of the Lord poured down over them.  We are told that the people fell to their enemies, which the Lord allowed because he was so angry with them.

This was not to be the end, however, because eventually the Lord rose up and returned to His people.  The Lord chose David to be the "shepherd of Jacob's descendants" (78:71) and had a shrine built on the top of Mount Zion.  The Lord then "cared for [the people] with a true heart and led them with skillful hands" (78:72).

Even when the Lord is angry with us, He is always faithful.  Always.  He leads us with a true heart and skillful hands.
 
Proverbs 12:24

Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.

God never tells us to be idle and lazy.  We need to work, He expects us to work.  And if we want to be a leader, we should work hard.  If we do only what we need to slide by, then we are becoming slaves by our own accord.  Don't sitting around waiting for something wonderful in life to happen to you -- get out there and make something happen for yourself.

Sin in Ignorance vs. Intentional Sin

Today's Reading:

• Luke 12:35 - 12:59

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Luke 12:35 - 12:59 
Today's reading is a short one, but it comes with a dire warning that sticks out.  Jesus is talking about being prepared for the Lord's return.  He tells the disciples to be ready, for He will come when least expected.  Jesus also gives a short example of the behavior of a servant while his master is away.  Jesus says the following:

47  And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn't prepared and doesn't carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.

48  But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly.

 Sin done in ignorance is still, no doubt, sin.  But Jesus says here that is treated lightly compared to the wrath that occurs when sin is intentionally done.  It seems to me that the more of God's word we read and study, the more we are required to discipline ourselves and follow the Lord's instructions for us.  Once we know, we are no longer ignorant.  We must obey.  That is how we show the Lord that we love him.  It can seem like a lot to take in and a lot to live up to, and I have a LONG way to go.  But the rewards are well with it -- Every time I crack open this bible and I am losing a tad bit of my foolishness and replacing it with life-giving wisdom.