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