Through the Bible in one year - Day 80

Today we see Nehemiah being lied to in hopes he would sin and get caught. How often does sin - or someone with evil designs conspire against good people - against God's people in this way. Nehemiah knew not to do what seemed the prudent thing, and in so doing sin against the Lord God. We can only hope to be as discerning through prayer and study - and goodly fellowship. The company we keep matters. When things look bleak we need to be surrounded by folks who know enough to say 'lean not on your own understanding, but trust in the Lord.'

I am reminded of Job's 'friends' who gave him such sage advice - and even his wife who said 'curse God and die.' It seems to me that sometimes the advice we get is for the advice givers good and not necessarily for our own - or toward actions that bring God the glory.

Recently, I had a car mishap, and it was late, I was tired, and needed to get home, and get my two young passengers home. It was traumatic and stressful, yet my young passengers knew enough to say "don't worry Aunt Maggie, it'll be OK." And "Let's pray."

THIS advice is good, useful and Godly advice. This advice gets us home. And in God's company. So, like Nehemiah (and Job) let us not sin before God, let us thank him in all circumstances - even in the middle of the mess.

Romans 15:33

May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Today’s readings: Psalm 80, Exodus 25, Nehemiah 6, Romans 15:14-33

Through the Bible in one year - Day 79

Psalm 79:5

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?

Will your jealousy burn like fire?

Psalm 79:8

Do not remember against us our former iniquities;

let your compassion come speedily to meet us,

for we are brought very low.

There are times - often and sometimes overwhelming when this cry is too familiar our hearts are burdened and our strength is diminished - and yet - The Lord is there, ready, willing to listen and compassionate to our need, understanding of our faults and the fallen world.

Psalm 79:9

 Help us, O God of our salvation,

for the glory of your name;

deliver us, and atone for our sins,

for your name’s sake!

God does just this through his son Jesus - and for that, every day I am thankful.

In Exodus today we read of the covenant confirmed. Knowing God as this psalmist does is there any wonder? Would we do any less? Should we do any less? Or like the Israelites before us, say Yes God! You are our God, the King of creation and our Salvation! Amen!

Out of this response to a loving father, Nehemiah, we read "stops the oppression of the poor", this, like James admonishes us who read his words to go and do the same - out of our great thanksgiving for all God does and had done and will do for us. Amen.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Today’s readings: Psalm 79, Exodus 24, Nehemiah 5, Romans 15:1-13

Through the Bible in one year - Day 78

Recounting the deeds of God's saving works to the people of Israel - and how often they forget once the moment has passed! We (I) need to heed this-and to tell the next generation of His saving works. I need to tell them as much for them as for myself; I need to remember for my own faith walk.

I spoke with someone yesterday who is struggling with a tragic loss, and the folks around him offer platitudes-but no comfort. How like Job's wife we can be when she told him "curse God and die." How much better we would do if we recounted and remembered God's grace-and then acted in His love as agents of that grace. Sometimes what it takes is just to be there, and to listen.

And, as for our listening to God and following His commands, let us not be like the forgetful and rebellious generation - - let us instead recount all He has done for us, even if those things were in our past, in hopes that when He acts again on our behalf we will recognize it.

The reading from Exodus echoes this last thought - remember what God has done and be prepared when He acts again. Verse 33 says this:

"They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

How often do the snares of this world get our attention so that we forget God's law and His promises? I know I need to be watchful.

I read Romans 14 differently today. I saw in it reference to Lenten observances - or observances of Holy Days. How in one tradition or another each thinks some other person wrong-headed and 'passes judgment.' In this passage I see that if it is done for the glory of God we are not to judge, just be careful not to destroy the work God has begun in them. And going back to my thoughts from yesterday, if someone is struggling, welcome them don't quarrel with them (verse1). I pray I can do as Paul suggests here and proceed with faith, so as not to sin.

Today’s readings: Psalm 78, Exodus 23:10-33, Nehemiah 4, Romans 14

Through the Bible in one year - Day 77

Psalm 77:14

You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples.   

Psalm 77:16-19

When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

The clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

your arrows flashed on every side.

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

Your way was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

In today's Psalm we read of a possible response to hard times-this response of remembering God's blessings. I know when things are tough, or I am sad, tired, fearful...you name it-feeling persecuted or unappreciated, this lesson from the Psalmist is one I need help recalling; that in remembering God's provision and actions in the past on my behalf I am better able to stand up to and overcome the distresses of the present. Thank God that he makes his might known, and works wonders on our behalf. In the midst of the storm God walks; his path is through the deep and even when he is unseen - he is.

Romans 13:7-8,12

Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 

Today’s readings: Psalm 77, Exodus 22:16-23:9, Nehemiah 3, Romans 13

Through the Bible in one year - Day 76

Psalm 76:2

My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

Verse 10:

For a day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Do I really long - yes faint for the courts of the Lord? If I'm honest the answer is not always (maybe never?) I know there have been times when I desire to stay in the Lord's presence ardently, and desire not to leave the mountain top as did Peter - but to say that I faint for the courts of the Lord, I don't know. I am simpatico with verse 10 - this is indeed true in my heart and I can say with certainty that I agree - how much better it would be for me to say with certitude that my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God - all the time; without distractions or selfish detours.

In Exodus we read the additions to the law-those that are added (as they are today) in order to remove loopholes. No longer is "honor your father and mother" sufficient, now we see in 21:15 that “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death." and in verse 17: “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death."

However, we also see more than that. We see balance and what as children we are always harping about: fairness. These verses advocate balance and fairness in all our dealings with each other. No longer can we harm without making restitution; no longer can we value our own desires above those of others. This God of the Israelites is not the same as other gods. Master is not better than slave, my wishes do not supersede yours. Even for the actions of our animals will we be held accountable.

Our reading from Nehemiah today is about restitution as well. In this case the restoration of Jerusalem.

Verse 17-18:

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

Romans 12:3

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

I began today's readings noting the Psalmist's call to long for the courts of the Lord, and how he would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord rather than dwell in the tent of wickedness. Now as I read the remaining passages today I see the call for balance and equitable dealings echoed and know why the house of the Lord is preferable. Yes indeed a day in His courts are better than a thousand elsewhere.

Today’s readings: Psalm 76, Exodus 21:12-22:15, Nehemiah 2, Romans 12

Through the Bible in one year - Day 75

Psalm 75:4

I say to the boastful, "Do not boast,"

and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horn;

Here we have the psalmist saying that it is not our own good deeds that bring reasons to boast or acclaim; acclaim does not come from the world, but rather it comes from the Lord. Only in His eyes and according to Him does it matter whether we have reasons to boast...and as it says elsewhere (Romans 3:23)- all have sinned and all have fallen short of the Glory of God - in other words we don't actually have any reason to boast. - But not to worry we are all in the same predicament!

Exodus 20:18-19

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." 

Yes, I expect the people were afraid and trembled. And yes, I expect it made sense to them to put Moses between God and them - but by putting Moses in between themselves and God, they effectually distanced themselves and made it easier to ignore or forget or turn away. Being afraid of God, while understandable, doesn't assist us in having a relationship with God - or anyone else for that matter. Imagine if we always used a liaison between us and someone we wished to talk to - you remember that old game of telephone where we pass a message from one person to another and by the time it gets back to the originator it has changed sometimes subtly and other times dramatically; I think that when the Israelites put Moses between themselves and God they put themselves at a disadvantage and set up the opportunity for misinterpretations to evolve later on.

The next section where we talk of selling and redeeming and of treating people who are related to you with compassion and not unduly giving favor to the 'new and improved' person (wife, daughter-in-law etc) may seem a bit strange - but remember that this is a people who has been sold into slavery for 400 years - what do they know about correct treatment of each other - my guess is that under these circumstances it has been every man out for himself and each of them grasped for whatever satisfaction they could - at the expense of anyone and everyone; and what Moses tells them here - is STOP IT! Begin treating each other with respect. Obviously this is a baby-steps kind of move but it is in the direction that God wishes to bring them.

Nehemiah is a new book today for us, and we read in the opening section of Nehemiah's prayer:

And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire."

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, "O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. (Nehemiah 1:2-6)

The reading in Romans today is one of my all time favorites; I commend it to your reading. Paul speaks eloquently about the salvation of God - open to all who believe and redeeming all the Israelite and Gentile through Christ. Thank you Jesus.

Today’s readings: Psalm 75, Exodus 20:18-21:11, Nehemiah 1, Romans 11

Through the Bible in one year - Day 74

Psalm 74:4

Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;

they set up their own signs for signs

It is interesting to me to think of signs in this Psalm. If we are travelling and need to look for directions we are at the mercy of those who put up the signs. How dangerous to us, it would be if evil people put the signs up; if they put them up with evil intent we could easily lose our way or find ourselves in danger!

And then in verses 19-20:

Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts;

do not forget the life of your poor forever.

Have regard for the covenant,

for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

In Exodus today we read of the giving of the 10 Commandments. This is particularly fitting, I think in relation to this Psalm; where the psalmist asks for protection from those who would harm and subvert the Lords justice, and her is God giving the rules for safe passage - for safe living among ourselves.

My husband and I have another name for these commandments, we see them as the 10 freedoms. How much easier it is to 'worry' about only One God - and not try to appease all the little household Gods - or to keep up with the Jones' or the Trumps or whomever it is you aspire to be like. You have a right to a day off - and you are not enslaved to the world's demands for productivity, you can just spend time with the Lord - and relax and BE - not DO. Give honor to your parents - and you also deserve honor from your children - how nice this is in families when we see this in practice! Now, we see some of the other freedoms - you have a right to your stuff - no one can take it from you - not your things, or your spouse or your life! And people will not tell lies about you; this indeed is true freedom. There wouldn't be any dangerous or misleading signs from people who uphold these commandments.

In Ezra, we find the Israelites turning back to the Lord after having been out of covenant with him; in this time the Israelites had abandoned these commandments of God and put other people and things in place of God and before their relationship with God...things hadn't been going well for them and they began to see these commandments as the freedoms that God intended. (These are my thoughts today as I read the passages together.)

Now, as I read the passage in Romans today I see that we bring these ideas together. Paul writes:

But what does [righteousness based on faith] say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." (10:8-11)

and a little bit further he says: So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (verse 10:17)

I say, let us then, by faith live into the freedom of God's kingdom, here in our lives now.

Today’s readings: Psalm 74, Exodus 20:1-17, Ezra 10, Romans 9:30-10:21

Through the Bible in one year - Day 73

Psalm 73:25

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

In Exodus we read that this has been 3 months; on the third new moon...(verse 1) and what does Moses tell the people – that if they do what the Lord commands and remember all that he has done for them they will be his treasured possession among all the peoples. And the people reply YES we will do all that the Lord commands. We’ll see...

Ezra 9:10-14

"And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, "The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever." And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?”

According to Ezra the Israelites didn’t keep the commandments, and yet were not punished as they deserved. How often do we hear the lament ‘that’s not fair’? And yet in this case fair would have been worse – fair is not justice. The Lord does not punish as we deserve, he is merciful.

Romans 9:8

This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

As indeed he says in Hosea,

"Those who were not my people I will call "my people,"

and her who was not beloved I will call "beloved."

26"And in the very place where it was said to them, "You are not my people,"

there they will be called "sons of the living God." (verses 25-26)

Paul says in his letter to the Romans that God gets to be God – and we do not; we aren’t the ones to tell the creator what we will or will not do, and yet in all that, God wishes us to be adopted into his family, not by our own merit or the lineage we ‘possess’ but rather out of his love for us.

Today’s readings: Psalm 73, Exodus 19, Ezra 9, Romans 9:1-29

Through the Bible in one year - Day 72

Psalm 72:19

Blessed be his glorious name forever;

may the whole earth be filled with his glory!

Amen and Amen!

Exodus 18:7

And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.

This is such an ordinary line- they meet after being separated –and certainly unsure of if they would be reunited and they are finally brought back together, and what does our chronicler write? “They asked after each other and their welfare.” This is what we do after a separation we get caught up and sometimes everyone is talking at once – so what better way to describe this reunion? Then we read of the judging of Israel and of Moses’ burden. His father-in-law has heard of God and determined that God is greater than all the other little gods and is ready to worship and make offerings – and with his practiced managerial eye he tells Moses – look you can’t do it alone (as if yesterday’s lesson hadn’t yet sunk in) you need help; and Moses listens to the advice and appoints people to judge issues between people, up until the point where they actually needed Moses to intervene and go to God for an answer.

In Ezra we are reading of the return of the exiles – while above in Exodus these exiles haven’t yet been brought to a place of their own. They still need to learn, listen and leave Egypt behind. At present our Israelites in Exodus are still ready to turn back at the first sign of discomfort, while our returned exiles in Ezra’s time are willing to do anything they can to stay free. I can see that we need to know what freedom is before we are willing to give our all to keep it. Our Egyptian slaves do not remember anything but being in captivity.

What we hear from Paul supports this idea of mine – he says his present suffering will not compare to his anticipated glorious future. Without this knowledge and hope we are quick to fall back to wishing for slavery – where we knew what to expect – we might not have liked it but we understood it. As Paul goes on, he describes the help of the Holy Spirit by whom we receive hope and strength. Here is what he says in verses 24-25: Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

 We need this help in order to hope for what we do not see or in the Israelites’ case – have never seen or even heard of.

 This is what Paul says at the end of this chapter:

If God is for us, who can be against us? (verse 31) And then these wonderful assurances:

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (verse 38-39)

Today’s readings: Psalm 72, Exodus 18, Ezra 8, Romans 8:18-39

Through the Bible in one year - Day 71

 

Psalm 71:17-18

O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs,

O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might to another generation,

your power to all those to come.

The Psalm today continues to cry for help and ask that the Lord not forsake us, but there is this added bit that I have quoted above, where the psalmist recognizes the steadfast love and saving help he has received from God, and also acknowledges his own responsibility to tell the next generation of God’s saving help. I am reminded of a time when one of my nephews – who was eight at the time asked about God, and he wanted to know if I had (or anyone had) ever seen God. I talked to him about seeing the evidence of God and reminded him of the actions and miracles that he knew himself. I also talked to him about the ‘little’ thanksgivings I had experienced, things like driving home late at night in the dark, by myself over elevated highways, only to pull into my driveway and have the muffler fall off. I was so thankful it hadn’t happened anywhere else along that trip home – and he was VERY excited by this news; these stories of miracles of children alive who weren’t supposed to be among other things, and he said “does anybody know this? Do my parents know?” He was so excited he wanted to make sure we told his parents the good news about God. You know what sticks with me still all these years later (he is no longer 8) is was what he wanted to tell his parents – not the big stories of new life, no, what he wanted them to know was the muffler story; this seemingly little thing that God did to keep me safe. So when I read this Psalm today I was reminded of this episode and of how exciting it can be to tell others of the evidence of God’s grace.

I think that this story in Exodus reinforces this idea of how important it is to tell of God’s grace in the big and the little. These poor Israelites were trapped in the wilderness of Sin (if that isn’t a metaphor is sure could be) and they grumbled – again. This time they were thirsty, and again they said why did you bring us out here – so we could die of thirst? Moses asks why do you grumble at me, and then asks the Lord what should I do with these people? God, of course gives them water.

Then we have this very interesting depiction of fighting against Amalek and whenever his hands were too tired to hold up the staff the people faltered. What is interesting to me is the illustration of helping one another – or literally lending a hand in support.

I noticed that in our Ezra reading today this same theme of teaching the next generation continued as Ezra is sent to teach the people. I appreciated that his prayer was in thanksgiving for putting this idea in the king’s heart.

And in Paul’s letter to the Romans we read this:

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (8:14-17)

This is what our friends in Exodus are learning that they do not need to fall back into slavery – that they are freed through God’s saving actions on their behalf.

Today’s readings: Psalm 71, Exodus 17, Ezra 7, Romans 8:1-17