My Journey Through The Bible

Deuteronomy 16:16 –

Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the LORD without a gift for him.

Moses gave very specific instructions on what “holidays” one must take throughout the year to celebrate God and rest. This chapter explains the reasoning and the protocol for each of the festivals. Interestingly the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Passover) and the Festival of Shelters are both defined as a week-long celebration. The Festival of Harvest is 7 weeks from the start of harvest. Notice how 7 ties into this very closely. As side note there are many who really take the numbers in the Bible serious, and think there is some great code to them. I honestly think it’s just for simplicity and nothing more.

We continue to do this today as Christians, but not for the same reasons. I believe God gave the Israelites these “Festivals” so they could have periods throughout the year for a long rest. As Christians we do not follow the Jewish Festivals for reasons I am not totally sure, but we have made our own holidays. Easter and Christmas are the “big” Christian “Festivals” which celebrate the birth and death of Jesus. Sure “Lent” lasts a few weeks, but really the true “holidays” are single days and rarely dedicated much past a quick church service and “pagan” rituals.

Think about Easter and the Easter Bunny, one could go crazy looking at how some fertility God gets tied into the celebration of the death of our Savior. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, yet the date cannot be accurately predicted so the church in Rome made December 25th as the date based on the theoretical date of conception or Annunciation. Ironically it also falls on the same day as the birth of the pagan god Sol Invictus. Also where did Santa Claus come from? I often wonder if both instance if God is upset at the rituals which correspond to each of these celebrations and how neither honor God. Why don’t we celebrate the “root” celebrations of the Bible?

Deuteronomy 15:1 –

At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money.

Boy doesn’t most people in this nation wish that was the case today! As you read this section you see many interesting facts on how Israelites were commanded to loan money. The first is this 7 year period was not a floating period based on the loan, it was a hard time. Technically you could borrow money on the 6th year and have it forgiven. Interestingly this only applies to fellow Israelites and not the foreigners who live in their land. The segment says don’t be mean spirited in your loans either. It also touches on giving to the poor and how you should do so without question.

I think the key here is people were not loaning money they did not have or could not repay. Although this segment does not touch on quality of the loans, it does imply giving to the poor and not loaning. So technically they are being commanded to make “loans” they know cannot be repaid. This is an interesting subject when you think about if this applied today. Would the money have been given out so freely? Would the poor be given enough to purchase over priced homes? Would everyone have access to plastic money that they could use without thinking?

He commands them to loan money to other nations but not borrow it so the other nations cannot have control over them. Now as I read this it’s not clear on the wisdom of the borrower. I know when I purchased 3 homes that included a $100k equity line without a job that seemed unwise, but I figured the banks knew what they were doing. In reality I should NEVER have even tried to get those loans or taken the $200k in credit card limits. I wonder if they had a way to control the borrower if God did not put real controls on the condition of loaning money. Would we be in better shape if the banks knew their money would be lost after 7 years? Or would there be a flurry of foreclosures at 6 years 11 months and 29 days?

Deuteronomy 14:3 & 22 –

<3> “You must not eat any detestable animals that are ceremonially unclean.” <22> “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year.”

This is where the rubber meats the road when it comes to the law… pun intended. Do you notice the first thing outside the Ten Commandments that Moses says you MUST do relates to food and tithing? Before this Moses is really expanding on the Ten Commandments, but this is the first real set of laws outside the “basics”. Interestingly these are the first two that most Christians consider “Old Covenant” and therefore may be ignored. But interestingly both are apply today as they did in Moses’ time.

First let’s explore the Food Laws and see why we should consider them. I know Peter’s vision in Acts where unclean food was allowed as long as it was blessed justifies eating whatever for many. Peter interpreted this as seeking the lost and welcoming anyone in, not just the Jews. But we look at the science of why we should not eat say pork. Sure we have refrigeration now that makes storage of pork safer, but it was not available when Peter had his vision. So why is pork off limits then? Well you get into what they eat and knowing their digestive track is very simple, we find the toxins they ingest go right to the meat. A cow has a much more complex digestive track and assuming “grass fed”, intakes higher quality food. For more details on the science behind the dietary Laws, read The Makers Diet by Jordan Ruben.

Now let’s look at the tithe and its importance. The tithe is 10% by definition. Be it 10% of the grain you take in or 10% of the livestock or 10% of your pay check, it’s always the first and the best. I have heard many arguments against it, the first being Jesus removed our need to obey the Law. Actually he “fulfilled” the Law instead of negating it. Also remember the widow’s mite, that was 100% not 10% so Jesus’ standard is much higher. The question is why tithe anyway? That is actually simple, obedience to God. It shows faith that you know He will provide and meet your needs on 90%. Also, this provides for the Levites or ministers to survive and teach us about God.

Now is it a sin to eat pork or hold back money from God? That I don’t know for sure, I believe the legalistic aspects of the Israelites was one of the main focuses of Jesus. I believe you may eat unclean foods as long as it’s blessed and not tithe without sinning, but you will be “outside” God’s wishes and may not receive His full blessings. Sometimes I still eat pork and tithe off the bottom and for me it’s done in disobedience.

Before we leave look at 24-27 and tell me what you think! It’s interesting how if you have a long way to travel you can sell your tithe, bring the money to the place of offering and use it to party. Does that justify a paid vacation on God? Or is that only for a “good harvest”? Your thoughts are welcome!

Deuteronomy 13:3 –

do not listen to them. The LORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul.

This verse is talking about prophets who dream of the future and promise signs or miracles. If they occur and the prophet suggests worshiping other gods, this should be our response. Now this response is something the concerns me a little, how many time are we being tested in our lives? John 16:33 says: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” So I ask how many of these trials ad sorrows are tests and how many are just normal everyday life?

First point I wanted to expand upon was this aspect of tests vs. trials. For some reason many think becoming a Christian means everything is rosy from that point forward. I can point to many Christians whose lives have been turned upside down by tragic accidents and many nonbelievers who just successfully sail through life without a worry. I don’t believe God is repeating the tests Job went through to see our resolve and I don’t think being a Christian means we can enjoy the “good things in life.”

God will test us throughout our lives, but “sh&^ happens” sometimes and we just have to deal with it. Remember a bunch of the problems in life are us actively searching for piles and wallowing in them! We cannot blame God for testing us or live just being rough when WE actively participate in something that brings our demise. Look at the debt issues I am in now, I justified the debt for building the business. But in all honesty I should have managed our purchases better and even in good time operated in a cash positive mode. That was my doing, not God testing me. The economy was the circumstance, but it really has mainly hurt those overextended.

Second point was the worshiping other gods. In today’s vernacular we are dismissing God altogether. Or we describe God as a just energy that we tap into with our minds and create our reality. Our gods today are Porsche, Armani, Gucci, or whatever stuff that lights your fire. It’s interesting that religions of “other gods” are shrinking. The only ones that are “growing” are effectively worshiping the same God. The reason for this is science explains away most “signs or miracles” as natural phenomenon and not from any gods. So we sit and wonder, instead of not worrying about the trials and doing what John said and “take heart!”

Deuteronomy 12:32 –

“So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.”

This chapter kinds of tied me up a bit this morning and it all related to this last verse. We get into the Law and see many things which are defined and have been taken as commands. This chapter makes me wonder how many are really more “boundaries” and not so much hard spiritual “commands”. First I want to look at verse 4 and how we worship God today. The basic formula of Church today is sing worship songs, pray, teach/preach, offering and worship. We compare this to how the Jewish worship and I often wonder if we are following this correctly. Granted Jesus removed the sacrificial aspects of worship, so maybe this new formula is right.

The next is verse 15 which says eating unclean meat is ok. Now does that mean southern staples like pork and catfish? The Law is very specific on what meats are ok to eat and what are not. I know we can go into Peter’s vision in acts which implies it’s ok to eat unclean meats also, but are theses the same? Did man move the food Law’s from God’s guidelines to God’s commands? I like the food Law’s since they have a scientific foundation and therefore make total sense. Anyway did the Law’s here change or have they always been clear?

Finally verse 29 takes us into following customs of conquered lands. As you read through the history of the Jewish Kings you see this happen often. These kings try to ignore or “redefine” the Law and forget this base command. Even wise ole Solomon drifts away from the Law with taking a foreign wife. It’s easy to do, we see our nation starting to fold to other religious beliefs. Ironically, freedom of religion somehow gets interpreted as freedom from Christianity. We tend to allow other religious influences to change our systems away from their basis. He courts are a great example of how our “religious freedoms” are being stifled. But this is another soap box. The key is to learn the Bible and ensure you focus on the truths found within FIRST!!

Deuteronomy 11:26 –

“Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!”

How many times do we get this option? Think about it, really think about it. One could argue this is a day to day choice. Sure we live by the grace of Jesus, but do we really live life to the full? We all make choices throughout life, some good and some bad. They all, in some way or another, impact our future. As a young adult I wandered far away from my following of God. I was always aware of Him, but I ignored his teachings and wishes for my life. Through grace what could have been a curse ended up through a long and winding road setting me on the right path.

From these writings to today we have the loving grace of Jesus. We tend to rest our transgressions on Jesus’ sacrificial death and assume our choices will not lead to a curse. Even in OT times, God was gracious and loving with his people. David fell and returned to the grace of God. Sure his sin had consequences that seem to be a curse, but we need to differentiate between a consequence and a curse. In many cases they are one in the same, but as Christians we tend to believe grace washes both away.

For example, a man murders a family goes to trial and is sentenced to death. Before his execution, he finds God and accepts Jesus as Lord. Does that mean the execution stops? Nope, the consequence still continues, but through grace he is forgiven and will spend an eternity with the Father. The curse would be never finding God and spending eternity in the lake of fire! Now here is an interesting question, if we crossed paths with that man and said nothing about God would we be held accountable?

Many times as Christians we think we “plant” seeds by being “examples” and being silent. I am as guilty of this as the next person, but we all must work on not being ashamed about our faith. God gets explained away so often that we must focus on turning that argument. If you study you will find many points to help your debate, like the evolution of a giraffe (difficult to explain other than to say, like Darwin, it all spontaneously happened). They key is not to fear, but to boldly commit to one’s faith and tell others. I am not says get on your “soap box” and preach in the square to any who will listen. In building relationships, make sure it’s known your faith and be ready to answer questions.

This gets a “tangent flag”, although it tied into God, I strayed from the original scripture about choices and curses. Although maybe not, since the discussion went down the path of our choice to profess our faith and the result if we were their “last chance”. This is a very deep concept and I am sure it will “evolve” in my brain over time. But the key for us … is keep reading so we can understand what a “good” choice is!!

Deuteronomy 10:18 – 19 –

<18> He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. <19> So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Interestingly, from what I understand Israel is one of the more peaceful places to live in the Middle East. I should discuss this more in detail with my sister who lives in Cairo, but from what I understand the non-Jewish residents who live under Israeli rule live in peace. They are treated well and welcomed by the government. The may be a distorted view but it appears they are following God’s lead in this manner.

Now one must look at Israel today to understand the conflict and what is happening. The current nation was reestablished after World War II and the injustice of the Nazi concentration camps. There was approximately 1500 years between the complete loss of the Promised Lands and when they got them back. Granted a political decree to take lands from one nation and give them to another are not always met with open arms. No the conflict in that region is all from the UN’s rebirth of Israel in 1948.

When you look at the brief time that Israel been in existence you can understand why there is hostility against them in the region. Interestingly they have not been the aggressors in the conflict, but rather defenders. When you look at the size of the nation’s battling them today and read much of the OT battles, it appears God is with them in this struggle. With all this, my understanding of life as a non-Jew in Israel is peaceful. They are following God’s commands even with people that have expressed hostility against them. I would love to hear a Muslim’s view of life in Israel.

Deuteronomy 9:4 –

After the LORD your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, ‘The LORD has given us this land because we are such good people!’ No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way.

We all tend to think that for some reason we are good people. The Israelites did at this time, yet Moses corrected them and kept the humble. Through the rest of the chapter he focuses on why they did not deserve to go into the Promised Land. This verse is more than just humbling of the people, but it demonstrates God’s love for His people.

The two things that God wants us to learn from this is pride is a bad thing. I notice it gets mentioned often as an emotion that God does not like. The reason being is it takes your attention off God and brings it inward. You start believing that it’s your skills and talents that save you and not grace. Pride is also something the devil uses to put a wedge between you and God. When we become self-absorbed, we stop thanking God. Samson was a great example of how pride took a person away from God. God gave him great strength, but easily took it from him by disobedience caused by pride.

God wants us to know about the pitfalls of pride, but He also wants us to know His love is unconditional. Sure we can be total jerks and God still loves us. We can stray down some pretty rocky paths and when we want to return, God takes us in with open arms. We are forgiven and loved on as the Prodigal Son. The consequences of sin continue many time decades after forgiveness. People tend to think forgiveness means that we are free from consequences. Look at David, he was forgiven for his transgressions, but his family lived with the consequences for generations to follow. God’s love is wonderful and forgiving, just sometime it’s “tough love.”

Deuteronomy 8:3 –

<3> Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

The key to this chapter is here in these two verses. Moses is reminding us that the Lord is the provider of all things, so we do not become proud. We can also look at few other verses to emphasize the reliance we have on God and how we need to humble ourselves. Verse 11 makes sure that in the Good Times we do not forget God. Verse 17 focuses on not boasting of one’s accomplishments. As you read this chapter focus not on the nation of Israel, but your own life with Jesus.

I know it’s not as easy “today” to make the connection to God. Really with the Israelites they were having problems after seeing plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea part, manna from heaven and water from a rock. How can we expect strong faith with our miracles being explained away by science or probability? I mean when you are backed up to a large body of water and then you can walk across it, that is easy to point to God, but even miraculous healings get explained away these days.

So this verse really embodies the chapter. It first says how he humbled the Israelites, and we can relate to that from time to time in our lives. Then it talks about the miracles in their lives and how to honor God. Do we honor God when good things happen? Finally the pivotal line which really should shape your entire life … man cannot live on bread alone, but on the word of God! How many times have you heard that?

Think about it as what you should be doing, instead of sleeping in every morning, use the early time to sit and read with God. Or in the evening don’t watch mindless TV show, but read the Bible and pray. Dive into the word of God and study it with passion. From there you will learn of life and the many avenues to peace. As you read more and more you will suddenly make the connections that others call contradictions. Your view of God become clearer, and will expand each day you focus on Him!

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 –

<3> You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, <4> for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.

I read this and my thought immediately turned to Solomon. Think about it, God knew the fate of Israel and tried to warn them. Solomon of all people was granted wisdom, yet even he ignored Moses’ warning and married outside the nation of Israel. Today we think this is nuts, love can extend beyond religious boundaries. Yet Solomon’s marriage caused a split in the nation of Israel that had ramifications for generations to follow.

I often wonder if the different sects in Judaism that exist today relate back to Solomon’s taking an Egyptian wife. You can easily see in this example God knew the dangers and tried to warn the people. How many other times has God done this? Let me count the ways! Really the first 5 books of the Bible are there for a guide on how to live our day to day lives and remain in sync with God. Unfortunately, some of Jesus’ teaching have been interpreted that we no longer have to live by these guides. “Fulfill” gives the impression that we can ignore.

Now I don’t want to get into a long dissertation about how we should obey the law, but let’s explore this verse and how it applies to our day to day lives. Again today love conquers all and we don’t need to worry about one’s religious orientation. For some reason we think the Holy Spirit will work in their lives and all will be good. In reality what happens is our beliefs start to be dismissed or put “on the shelf” indefinitely. Eventually things erode due to fundamental differences in core beliefs. This gets compounded when add children into the mix. Now many times, and ours is one, this changes and you become one in your direction in Jesus, but from what I have seen that is rare.

Is religion a litmus test for a spouse? The answer is “mostly yes” for a harmonious marriage. Again it may work if both are dedicated to the religious/moral fundamentals of marriage, but it’s easier if everyone starts on the same page. As we see with Solomon, the wisest person in the Bible, his heart caused a split in the nation of Israel which still shakes the core foundation of their nation.

Deuteronomy 6:5 –

And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

This chapter is a call for whole hearted commitment to God. If you think about what God is asking in this verse it sounds simple and may be easy for a season. But think about Israel, they saw the Lord part the Red Sea and do amazing things to guide them from Egypt and how they drift. How are we to love God when our interaction can easily be explained away as coincidence? It’s easy to love your children with all your heart and soul because they are part of you, but someone or something that is not real to many is difficult to give yourself away to.

Believe me I struggle with this daily; when things are rosy it’s easy to praise God. But when the bills are mounting, the business closed, cost of living is going up, wages are frozen, family pressures rise and life consumes the day, love for an unseen entity is difficult. Especially when you know a bunch of this could be wiped away with one blessing. Of course you then remember homes or land that sold out of the blue which wiped many of those pressures away only to step right back into the behavior that caused the initial stress. So while I may grovel in self-pity right now, God is letting me really learn a lesson.

The key here is not to worry about a season of doubt or a period where all your heart may not be into God. The key is to remain steadfast in your pursuit of God’s love. In the 3+ years I have being doing this “project” my heart is all over the board, sometimes filled and sometimes hardened. The key is never stop the pursuit of the Lord. Always focus on His love and understand it may not flow the way we want it to each and every day. And when you are in a “dark” time always remember He is with you and loves you like His own child. Sometimes His love can be defined as “tough love” and others it is flowing but it is ALWAYS there for us.

Now look at verses 7-9, interestingly they talk about the commandments in our homes but also outside. Presently our nation is in a battle for the Ten Commandments to be in public places. Interestingly these verses do not say ensure the government posts them, it limits them to your “domain”. As you read the “Law” you quickly see how closely our system of laws and courts closely model the Hebraic Law so although the Ten Commandments are not allowed on the court house steps they laws we live under have a fundamental sharing of the Law.

Deuteronomy 5:33 –

Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

This is one of those chapters you may need to read over and over again. Moses again recites the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel and reminds them of their significance. These commandments are really the only part of the Bible that are documented as being written by God’s own hand and should be taken very serious. Everything else was transcribed by a human for God, but these are His own writings. That alone is awesome, but the more interesting thing is how they are written on every man’s heart.

That is something one may argue but think about it. Almost all civilizations have rules similar to these Commandments. The first 4 are difficult to argue if you do not know God, but the last 6 are very common in most cultures. The first three deal with our relationship with God to make sure we can remain focused on His will by not straying or blaspheming His name. The next deals with a combination of our bodies and our relationship with God making us rest a focus one day on God. The final 6 help us in our interactions with our families and others around us.

This verse is the last one in this chapter and calls on Israel to follow these laws so they can live long and prosperous lives. Oh I could park here for days and discuss how this chapter will result in this promise. We are living in times that are starting to dismiss these and change them to fit their own rule set. Think about the Sabbath where we should rest, that is even being changed by the churches so we rest and go to church. The pastoral staff rests another day and many times we need to rest from our day of rest since we end up doing too many things … it spirals on to the point where work becomes where we end up resting and not being productive to society.

Honestly I think the “design” was we worship on Saturday night and Sunday’s we really rest and do little to nothing. No 100 mile bike rides, or 20 mile runs, or gardening, or kamikaze trips to the mall. Nope just true rest and relaxation, but not taken to the extreme of not doing anything. The key is to let the “batteries” recharge and be ready for the week. Now the irony in today’s world some must do work so we can rest. What happens if the power shuts down? Would you accept waiting until Monday to get your AC working again? If you needed some milk would it be ok to wait till Monday? If you were suffering a stroke would it be ok to hold off going to the hospital till Monday? Should our beliefs keep others who don’t believe from buying a six pack? See it’s easy to say but difficult to apply in a real world situations. Fortunately, thou shalt not murder is easier to follow … or is it?

Deuteronomy 4:39 –

“So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other.”

This is an interesting chapter with many subjects I want to touch on. The first second we dedicated to the commands God gave Moses, and verse 2 explained how we were not to add to them. The next section was very detailed about idols and idolatry. I often wonder if the “cross” is an idol that Christian’s worship. Then we get into being only one God. Think about how many “religions” and “gods” have come and gone throughout history. Think about the Greek gods and how many survived past that society. The “eastern” religions such as Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism all survive today without a “god” or so many “gods” there effectively is none are the only major ones outside not worshiping God.

The point in this verse is God is more than just an old guy in the heavens looking down upon us. No God is here and with us every day. Where God gets confused is when we try to make God into “our” image and not realize God made us in HIS! God is more like an energy that is everywhere than a person. Our “image” which reflects God is the “conscious energy” that drives the meat suit we live in.

This becomes a concept that people get very confused on since God is everywhere and knows all, yet He made us in His image, which means He can’t do it all. We must change our “image” of God to understand God. There is no reason to “personify” God, but to realize God as He really is. It’s really expanding to understand God more closely to the point He is not a person, but well beyond anything we could ever imagine!

Deuteronomy 3:26 –

“But the LORD was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more.”

This is passing the buck a bit. Was the Lord angry at Moses because of what the people did or what he did? Think about it, wouldn’t you be bitter if it was the people? You are finally at the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering the wilderness, faithfully following God’s prompts and doing something you did not want to do in the first place and then you cannot go into your final goal that was the promise from the start. Sure Moses is not happy, but he is honoring God.

What did Moses do that was so bad and why does he blame the people? It’s all from frustration. After 40 years most of the generation that had distrusted God was gone and still Moses had a group of complaining people. They we still not trusting of God and demanding water. Moses stuck the rock without God’s permission, God gave the water to the people but that one act of disobedience cost Moses. I often look at that and question why God did this to Moses also?

I mean we look at other sins and how much we disobey God every day. Here Moses is receiving harsh discipline for allow other to push him over the edge. I think back to first grade when the school was going to the Ford Theater in DC to watch a reenactment of Lincoln’s assassination. Recess was over and we were in the back corner of the playground in the woods. I don’t remember if we did not hear the call or just ignored it, either way the entire class went on this field trip without us. In a way the same thing happened to us as with Moses. We missed out on a very special experience all for what seemed like a very little thing. We learn through life that we should question authority, but we also learn questioning has consequences.

Deuteronomy 2:34 –

We conquered all his towns and completely destroyed everyone—men, women, and children.

This chapter details the wanderings of the Israelites over the 40 years. It expands on how they needed to avoid or negotiate passage through lands. In this segment they were to pass through Heshbon, so Moses sent ambassadors to talk with King Sihon. All they wanted to do was stay on the main road and buy food. But that was not acceptable to the king, so God allowed them to attack and occupy the lands.

Now as you read this they left no one. You compare this to war today and it’s much more sanitized. If “noncombatants” get killed, it becomes a major headline in the news. Or if we look at other nations in battle and they are killing women and children, it becomes an issue of “human rights.” But in the Bible this is ok.

I often wonder about the interpretation of instances like this. Was this the justification for the Nazis to try to kill off the entire Jewish race? Jesus talked more about love than war, so maybe the hippie movement in the 60’s had it right? Except of course for all the drugs and the disconnect with the Gospel. Now think about today, could we do this? If a leader said go in and take this land, leave no one, could you do it? Saul was commanded through a vision by Samuel to do this, and he did not. Lack of obedience was one of the reasons Saul had a downfall. So again I ask, if God said kill everyone, could you?

Deuteronomy 1:43 –

“This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the LORD’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight.”

Moses is addressing the Israelites who are ready to enter the Promised Land on the eleven month after 40 years of wandering the wilderness. Moses is going through a history of how they got to the point of wandering around for 40 years on a journey that should have taken about 2 weeks. The first 4 chapters focus on reviewing this history of the covenant, then Deuteronomy lays down the Laws of the covenant, then sealing the covenant and finally charging the leaders before heading into the Promised Land. This is the end for Moses and he knows it, so it’s time to make sure Israel gets it all.

Part of what started the 40 year journey was when they were ready to enter the Promised Land the first time there was panic because of the size and strength of the people who occupy these lands. Even after the people had been miraculously lead out of Egypt, they vehemently questions God’s intentions. God got ticked at their lack of faith and said wait, but even still a group decided it was time and moved forward assuming God would be with them anyway. That ended up being a major miscalculation!

How many times have we not listened and did things anyway? I know I have more than once over my life. I tend to go for it now and assume it’s time, unfortunately God was saying not yet and I refused to listen. I think that’s why I play the Lotto, it’s my rushing to get God’s blessing before His time. Sometimes it’s hard work and faith before blessings. I could go into many examples of how this happened in my life and in your life, but that would take months to compile! The key is listen to God, do try to move your agenda forward until it’s time and follow God’s instructions during the process. The key here is make sure it’s God and not your own selfish inner voice. Find out what God says in this book to solidify your “gut”. I can say I have not found a story about someone winning their family fortune by a game of chance.

NOTE – the casting of lots in the Bible was to clarify God’s will, it was also done with prayer … and it was free … the Lottery is not a prayed over “game” to determine God’s will … it’s just a game that people pray to win!

Well done with Psalms … now planning the next few books. First we will go to the original 5 books in the OT and hit Deuteronomy … then to the NT for Hebrews, seems good after some time in the “Law” … OT and Numbers … NT and 1’st and 2nd Timothy … that will leave Joshua, Nehemiah and Song of Songs to finish the OT and Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians to finish the NT … most likely will continue to “mesh” the two books.

Psalm 150:6 –

Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Praise the LORD!

As John Wayne once said, “that’ll be the day!” I guess I get sarcastic sometime when I see the world being joyous. Satin was in heaven and got cast out, he was there! The world has so many other distractions from God that it’s hard to imagine every breath singing praises. This and the pressures of life give me this tone this morning.

I have always wondered about heaven and “hanging” with God. I wonder how we can be sure another “insurrection” like when Satin and his followers were cast from heaven will not happen again. Do our souls really just take the love and good stuff, while leaving the bad? Or is heaven just such an unbelievable place that nothing else will matter? I don’t really ponder about that much, because I can’t imagine it so figure why bother trying. Whatever is on the “other side” will be cool.

Oh how I wish everyone would come in unity and sing praises to God. The only way I could see that happening is if He appeared before everyone. Even then I am sure there would be some doubters. Some would dismiss God as “special effects” or magic. The Psalmist in this case may be painting an overly “rosy” picture, but that is the beauty of these short chapters! In Psalms like this, you get a beautiful image of God and His glory!

Psalm 149:6 –

Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands—

This Psalm stated so joyous, talking about a new song and dancing. I read that and thought about the movie from my younger years that’s about to be remade called Footloose. It’s about a small “religious” town that decided dancing was the work of the devil and outlawed it. Real silly when you look at this Psalm! Although I have not found it, there is probably a place where some churches could Biblically justify not dancing. Like not drinking, the Bible does not say do not drink, but do not be a drunkard.

In this verse this Psalm takes a sharp turn from dancing and praise to vengeance and justice. It’s turns here from praising to yielding a sword. For some reason I wonder if this is what God had in mind or if this is what the Psalmist wishes. Again here is one of those fine lines which you have to wonder where the Bible stands. I know Old Testament times there are many instances where the Israelites went into battle and God helped them to victory. Most appear to be defensive in nature, but some appeared to be offensive. Now one could argue they were suppressing their enemies before they attacked, but I wonder God’s feelings there.

Now we skip to the Christian crusades and that is a prime example many use for a forced expansion of Christian beliefs. There are many angles to look at this, but the main was to regain access to Jerusalem by Christians. The Muslims were at the time trying to form a unified Islamic nation or caliphate. So the two clashed in a series of wars that lasted centuries and one could argue continue today.

It’s always blow my mind how so many die in the name of religion. Nations feel threatened because of a belief in Jesus or Allah, and feel forcing their view at the point of a sword is the way to a person’s heart. Sure a defensive stance is justified, but that leads to the question “what would Jesus do?” He allowed himself to die on a cross instead of saving himself from the agony and calling on God to crush his accusers. Now we could go around for hours about how Jesus’ death was required for salvation, but our deaths would be a waste. If we do not defend our nation it will perish … and on and on we go. Just know this Psalm however powerful it may be to you is a man’s prayer to God, not God reveling His trough the Psalm.

Psalm 148:14 –

He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones— the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!

As we finish out the last chapters in Psalms I notice a theme of praise to the Lord. We get all caught up in the day to day activities and many times forget to do this. These help us to focus our attention on God and realize the day to day grind is worthy of praise. Now this one was real general until I got to this point. If you really think about it the nation of Israel is very small and has enemies surrounding them.

As we focus on what has happened just in the last 100 years, things start coming into perspective when you read this verse. Think about what has happened to them, they almost get erased, then they get their lands back and have had many attacks since, but they still persist. If you look back in history, you see this has been going on through most of recorded history. God has given favor on this nation because they honor Him and were set aside.

Today they are threatened daily on every border. They have nuclear powers emerging very close, yet they still survive. Our nation, an ally, has started to throw them to the wolves. I have expressed concern that we as a nation are losing favor with God, this may be the straw. I think some amazing things are going to start to unfold before our eyes, time will tell how we respond. I know praising God should be the top of everyone’s list!

Psalm 147:20 –

He has not done this for any other nation; they do not know his regulations. Praise the LORD!

I read this and know how in and out of “favor” Israel has been throughout history. They always remained the favorite one of God, but He would also be very strict with them. Maybe it’s because they should have known better and therefore were under greater scrutiny. We look at many “godless” nations that flourish for a season, but most wither away and die. Israel has been a nation for many thousands of years, granted they have not held the same lands but they have remained united for the most part.

I feel at one time our nation had favor with God but that is changing. Part because we are starting to dismiss God from almost every aspect of our lives. A television network actually omitted “Under God” from an intro with the Pledge of Allegiance. The backlash was so quick they spent more time apologizing for the omission than they would have including the words “Under God”. This is just one recent example of how our nation is quickly dismissing the presence of God in our lives and the favor we once had.

Like Israel we know His regulations and should be following it more closely. Our nation has always been a nation founded on Biblical principles. We have “freedom of religion” not “freedom from religion”. The key point is the state was not to endorse any religion but to allow a free expression of religion, not “suppression”. Today our nation does not want to offend “minorities” or feel “convicted” about what they are doing, so Christianity tends to get the short end of that “stick”.

So our nation like Israel is in God’s favor, we will be judged more harshly because we knew what is expected of us by God. I guess the direction I was headed with this was more about how this Psalm must have been written when they were in favor with God. I always use my life as an example; I was a “child of God” early in my life and have drifted in seasons like Israel. I don’t believe I have ever left God’s favor, just have been spanked a few times to get the message across. Today pray for God to keep His favor on our nation and Israel and to “nudge” us back in line as we are drifting away.

Psalm 146:8 –

The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the godly.

This spoke to me big time this morning. My eyes are being opened to some major issues I have in my life. With this there is an incredible weight being lifted from my shoulders, while the burdens remain the perspective has changed. Finally, I hope the lord loves me for being “godly”! This prayer is one of the more personal ones to me for my point in life right now. I think it may be one that many can relate to during much of our lives!

Verse 1 starts it out with what we should be doing all along and that’s praising the Lord! Verse 3 reminds us to take our hope off of human and direct it back towards God. I think of Obama on how his presidency was campaigned on hope and change. He has been almost brought to a messiah like presence in the minds of many. Yet like all but one that has ever walked this earth, we discover he is only human. The Psalmist goes on at talks about the many reasons we should be thankful and then points out some of the benefits of being with God. He finally wraps it up with the promise of an eternal God and he gives thanks again.

There are many prayers which are good models when talking with God. This is one of them; it has most of the “components” necessary when talking with God. As you read it you are reminded that man is limited when compared to a limitless God. Again when I read it this verse grabbed me since it is a place I am in right now. The amazing this is this is happening without even praying for it, God is helping. For that I thank God for looking over me. Now does this mean we stop praying because God has got our backs? NO WAY!!

When we “isolate” ourselves from God or anyone for that matter we tend to limit our connection with them. A giver loves the appreciation for their gifts and will continue to give. God loves us more than any of us can ever imaging and He wants the best for us. At the same time He wants a connection to us and for us not to take His love for granted. So when you see things that happen, make sure you thank God and praise his name!

Psalm 145:6 –

Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness.

This is something you either buy into or not. Unfortunately in today’s time with science being the new “god,” it can explain much of the “awe-inspiring” deeds. I once prayed intensely for an injury someone had, which appeared to heal quickly. The response was “are you saying your prayer healed me? I know others heal just as fast with the same problem.” How do you respond to that? Was it coincidence that the injury felt better at about the same time I started praying?

The funny thing is much of science cannot explain much of our world around us, except with “theories” which appear more far-fetched than God’s intervention. The funny thing is we buy into science because much of it is right, but much of the Bible is concrete and it’s dismissed as a “story!” The problem today is the only thing we are to question is authority. Analytical minds are not allowed to question evolution or other aspects of science that “disprove” the existence of God. If they do they are dismissed as religious zealots.

For example I understand how a bird may change it’s coloring to adapt to its changing environment, but not how a giraffe evolved. Over generations the bird adapts to its new environment, but the giraffe cannot live without everything being in place right from the start. So how could one evolve, if it dies once it neck gets too long and blood flow either stops or bursts their brain? Things like this become impossible to explain by “evolution” since the mechanisms the giraffe has to flow blood to its head only exist in their species and they could not live without it.

I get lost in the technicalities of why Gods “awe-inspiring deeds” still exist in today’s world and forget to proclaim God’s greatness! You just can’t deny God once you put an open analytical mind to explore Him. We rarely proclaim God’s greatness outside of our close circle of friends to avoid ridicule. It’s easy to proclaim God’s greatness, but difficult to debate it … unless you have conviction. For me that came from reading and questioning the Bible.

Psalm 144:12 –

May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.

I read this today with a heavy heart because of the weight of family pressures. My prayers each and every day include you two and always will. As a parent we get the short end of the stick some times when you are having issues. When you have problem we are usually your whipping post. Yet still we don’t leave your side, our love is unconditional.

We wish the best for you and always will, our prayers are not for you to get by in life. No our prayers are for you to become the best in whatever you do. You both are at a point in your life as young adults where our relationship gets strained. Part because you think since you’re an adult you’re independent and therefore do not need your parents instruction. Of course this is outside providing a home, insurance, phone and internet service, food and other items required in daily life.

You two are the pillars of my life, and as I write this I am sick to my stomach. For once in my life I can relate to how God must feel when we stray from His loving care. He wants us to be independent, but never running away. He wants loving contact as much as possible, not a closed door or an empty room. As I write this, tears stream down my eyes because my love for you is so intense. This is what God must have to deal with each and every day with humanity, it’s a wonder He’s not callous … but then again it’s been 20 years and my love is stronger, not callous.

LOVE DAD

Psalm 143:10 –

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.

This one was one I had to read over a few times, it has so many great “nuggets”. I wanted to write on verse 7 “Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens” … since that fits my mood this morning. But this one really took my heart since God is constantly teaching me His will. The biggest problem with God and me is a dynamic clash of wills.

I tend to work my will into just about everything God sets forth in my life. I will start trying to wrestle it in a direction I want to go and then I start straying off the path. I quickly notice what a “soft shoulder” is and how difficult it is to move anyway much less forward. The thing that stinks is getting back to firm footing is sometimes very difficult when you drift too far from God’s will.

This is something similar to what Jesus prayed in the Lord’s Prayer and in the garden before his death. In Gethsemane the difference was He knew God’s will and wanted relief. Jesus was different from David in submitting to God’s will. Jesus just submitted, where David seemed to fight it along the way. The question for you is, are you more like Jesus or David? Do you submit to God’s will or fight it along the way? Do you know the path or does God’s spirit need to show you the way?

For me I follow David’s example, where I ask for help and seldom follow when asked. David was much better than I have been, but his “soft shoulder” excursions had ramifications which shook the nation of Israel to its core! As we wind down Psalms take notice of these prayers and notice asking for help is not wrong. Use these example prayers to help model your own talks with God.

Psalm 142:3 –

When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.

Once again this Psalm of David hit the nail on the head on how I feel almost every day. Verse 4 even drives the request home, where I look for help, but cannot find it. Oh yes this is another “woe is me” thought, but I am glad to see David was frequently in the same position. Granted he led the nation who’s in God’s favor, so I am sure God would respond to his requests over that of an under-employed engineer struggling to raise a small family. Sure we all have the same access through Jesus, but the millions of prayers for say a lottery win cannot all be granted.

I focused on this verse because of the overwhelmed feeling David got. Granted he was dealing with a nation who was constantly being attacked for their beliefs and I am just dealing with my own issues. Not to minimize it, but we all feel overwhelmed most of our lives. We get ourselves into it most of the time, trying to do more than what is possible and assume others doing the same will jump in to help. At the same time we try to help others and that just pushes our “stuff” further behind. Then we expect others to help like we did and the spiral into despair continues.

My tasks are simple, my financial hole is still deep, but way less than 2 years ago. My traps are set by myself, where David had actually enemies going after him and his nation. “I have met the enemy and he is I” comes to mind, which is a paraphrase of a quote from Commodore Perry and a 1970’s cartoon Pogo. The key point here is when we feel overwhelmed we should go to God in prayer. He may not answer the way we want, but He will be our guide through the rough times.

Psalm 141:1 –

O LORD, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!

This Psalm is a great prayer by David. It first praises God and implies the act of prayer as more than rituals. He then asks for protection from evil and then asks for correction. How many times have we asked for that? Give me another spanking please in not what usually flows off our lips when praying to God. The Psalm returns to David’s focus on evil and protection from the ones trying to harm him. All in all this is a great model prayer for you to help focus your eyes on protection.

I picked this verse because of the urgency in David’s tone. He wants help and he wants it now! How many of us have been in the same desperate place David is in this Psalm? How many times this week have you prayed for God to hurry? Most of the time I start my prayers with something similar, most of the time not out of desperation by impatience. I rest on God’s promises, I just want Him to “get a move on” and answer my prayer.

Sometimes I feel like a spoiled kid when I pray to God. Not saying that David is being a “spoiled kid” in this prayer, but more commenting on my feelings when praying in urgency. David had a nation to look after and pray for, so his urgency was not for his own good, but the good of the people. Now this does not dismiss your urgent needs, just don’t get upset when God puts them “on the back burner” for a while. God acts in his own time and we should be thankful for that, sometime we need a “buffer” to keep us from getting spoiled or overwhelmed.

Psalm 140:8 –

LORD, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud.

This Psalm is focused on asking God for protection from evil people. This gets very personal and focuses on the ones wanting to do harm to the person directly. I know I tend to forget about asking for safety in this country. We have relatively good law enforcement and people in general are good, so we tend to lose focus often in our prayer. But then again are we being attacked without even knowing it?

I look at my retirement accounts where most funds were put in when the Dow was around $6000. Now with it at $12,000 they all seem to have been looted by fund managers. Sadly they are not double but all seem to be less, one or two which were general stock funds are WAY less than the original principle. So maybe I have let evil take advantage of me without even knowing or caring.

A young man close to me is battling his faith as we speak. He believes (or believed at one time) but his close circle of friends are atheists so he washes back and forth. His resolve is in having fun, so he is easily influenced to ignore God. I was very similar at his age so I can relate. I only talked about God with the Born Again’s who stopped me and it was usually quick since I was “saved”. I know God is working on him as he did me and will win in the long run.

So I tie this verse into our lives not necessarily as direct threats but as indirect ones. Ask from protection from the ones trying to conn us from our hard earned money or ones who are trying to destroy our faith. Today is more difficult that most any times before, since there are so many distractions and because of that we entrust others with managing our affairs. We also need to choose our close friends wisely since many have no desire to share our faith and actually look to destroy yours. If this was not the case why do they tend to be more adamant about making fun of your faith, knowing you will not strike back?

Psalm 139:16 –

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

This is an interesting verse when you look at it closely. Think about the tense of all the comments, it’s all past tense meaning God knows the future. I believe there is a bunch of truth to this but at the same time there is questions on my idea of the future. Where I believe God did see us before we were born and He had a good idea we would exist before conception, I don’t think He controls it to that detail. If He did then free will would be really nonexistent.

In my little brain I cannot imagine a world that is “predestined” to be the way it is or will be at any given moment. I am not saying God could not be running this odd puppet show. I think we surprise Him often with the fact we have free will. Maybe God nudges us through this random life to the path which is best for us? Although overall it’s our choices that determine the outcome.

Now one could say God can see the future and not necessarily control it. That could be the case, but again I think God tries to influence our direction more than knowing the outcome. I think the world is more random by design and unfortunately that sometimes pushes people away from belief in God. Think about the question “if God loves us then why did that Tsunami just wipe out millions? I don’t think God planned that event, no it just happened and the souls lost we in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think the key is I tries to orchestrate the future into where He wants it to go, but there is still a level of randomness that is partially in our control, partially in His and partially by design.

Psalm 138:6 –

Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.

Take a look at verse 3 first, it starts with: “As soon as I pray, you answer me.” That took me a bit since we all can probably make a long list of unanswered prayers. I often wonder is this a truth, promise or an example? I know Jesus said in John 14 ask anything in “My” name and it will be given to you. So it is a truth, but how many of us have prayed for a specific “partner” that did not happen, or the job that did not happen, or the lottery that did not happen … or the … This prayer is an example of faith that God will ANSWER, we just may not like what He has to say.

Now this may be the key to figuring out the secret of praying and getting the right answer. Humble yourself before God! Don’t give God a laundry list of everything you desire and end it with “I want it now!” No Jesus prayed it right when asking for his life, “your will be done.” I am sure He wanted to not have to go through the pain and suffering, but He understood the importance of God’s will.

The other big not is one of my pet peeves, pride! Pride is one of those things where we “exult” ourselves over others and eventually this will lead to putting ourselves before God. There are many emotions that eat at our moral fiber, envy, greed, jealously and the like, but pride tends to sneak in without us knowing. We do things and people congratulate us, we start to give ourselves the credit and not God. Sure on the surface it may be your skills that enabled you to perform, but ask yourself what is the source of those skills? It’s something I need to keep in “check” constantly, the key is just give credit where credit is due. Accept praise humbly, try to direct it towards God and don’t let it “get to your head.”

Psalm 137:4 –

But how can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a pagan land?

This is a Psalm about Israel while in captivity apparently with Babylon. They are questioning how to do what their captors ask, yet they realize they must not for them but for God. It’s an interesting Psalm when you look at how it develops, from despair to hope. Have you ever been so down you could not sing?

I know we talk so much about the “hope” we have in Jesus, but that “hope” is difficult to maintain when everything around us is going awry. I am sure that’s what the people of Israel were thinking at the time this was written. As times change things seem to remain the same. A nation is in turmoil and they need security. They feel so oppressed they cannot even sing songs. Are we there today?

Well ask yourself do you feel comfortable listening to or singing praise and worship music outside church? How about outside your home or car? So are you oppressed or just embarrassed? Are we in “pagan lands” or are we in “safe” lands? I know we were at one time, but freedom has swung to the point of oppressing religion. Does that mean we need to be like rappers intruding on everyone’s space with our music? No, we need to be respectful like I would ask others to be of me. Anyway we should focus on rejoicing in God, be it public or private … just give thanks!

Psalm 136:1 –

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

The first thing I notice about this Psalm is every verse has the line “His faithful love endures forever.” If you think about forever it becomes mind blowing. We consider a world with limits, to us time ends when we die. But God has been around forever. Think of the beginning of time, what happened before then? What happens after the end of time? It just keeps ticking, always has and always will, just like God’s love. Crazy when you think about it.

The majority of this Psalm is giving thanks, which is one thing we rarely do in life. Let’s step back from God and look at our day to day interaction with others. Do we thank others for their help? How about the cashier who just rang you up? You know the one with the attitude or who was slow! How about the waitress who brought you the wrong item? Sure these are examples of poor service, but do you thank people when the service is average? Now think about God who serves you daily and since He’s not in your face it’s not on your mind to thank Him always. But this Psalm reminds us otherwise, be thankful even for the simple things in life!

Now if you have ever watched or read “The Secret” it details how a thankful spirit is necessary for you to get things. I really like the concepts explained in this book, less the lack of emphasis on God. It gave me clarity on who and what God is in our world. But it also clarified how our relationship with God should be. We should be thankful for everything in our current state, we should be thankful for our past and have faith the future will be better. It’s difficult “talking” to someone who is unseen, but know He is everywhere and therefore can hear you. And believe me nothing goes unheard! So give thanks to the Lord, His love does endure forever!

Psalm 135:6 –

The LORD does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths

As I move through the Psalms, many start running together. They all have similar themes and wording, yet each has a slight nuance that makes it unique and important. Yes I did skip Psalm 134 because I had written so much recently about praising God and could not glean anything “new” from it. I chose this verse for a few reasons. First, it demonstrates God’s sovereign power over everything. God being like energy, where he is everywhere all the time, is part of everything that happens in this world.

My other observation is that I often wonder how much God is involved with “all heaven and earth”. Look at the recent earthquake in Japan and think if God did this or if it just happened? This is a huge test in ones faith in God. If God is love and compassion, how does he allow so many children to be killed? Is there something more that we cannot see that “required” the earthquake and subsequent tsunami? Or is that just the “design” of the earth?

I could easily get on my creation “milk crate”, but decided not to go too deep into how certain animals could have evolved needing every part in order to survive. You should watch “Creature that Defy Evolution” for a more detailed “logical” discussion of this subject. I believe that God designed the world with these “tragedies” as part of the design. If it were not for earthquakes, would the Rockies be here for our pleasure? The lush tropical Pacific Rim islands would not exist if it were not for volcanic activity.

So we look at a “natural disaster” as God punishing us, and not just the way things are in this world. I heard a few comment that God was punishing Japan for Buddhism! And this is where people get turned off on religion when comments like this go unchecked. If God were punishing Japan, I don’t think the island would exist anymore. Just as the Northridge quake would have obliterated Hollywood if that was the real reason God shook California in 1994. Natural disasters are just part of this world we live in, and since they are so unpredictable we need to be “ready” to meet God if tragedy were to strike us!

Psalm 133:1 –

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!

This hits home in more ways than one! I can think back to my childhood and how my sister and I would fight and drive my mother up the wall. Or if I was in an argument with one of you kids, the house was never calm. Or look at the two ideologies that a clashing in the USA today, no one seems happy. Or look at the Middle East and how three religions are at odds; there are even conflicts with each religion causing strife. So the concept of living in “harmony” is difficult to achieve.

Let’s just take a look at an arena we can relate to, our homes. When there are issues nothing seems to go well. Working together on projects becomes a chore and filled with bickering. The “dinner table” becomes silent and most of the time empty. Now if there are issues we never see or hear from you for days! But when in Harmony, things run smoothly and your life seems to be in sync with everything around you.

So how does one reach that point? Well not “digging in” is one. Sure there will always be differences in families, communities and nations, but when we determine it’s “our way or the highway” that is when conflict erupts. Now we get into a sticky area and that is when one is truly wrong, what’s the solution? Should we just all get along as one group self-destructs or do we “dig in” and help? Most of the time where this occurs is when “helping” digresses into condemning.

This is something I get jaded on and often wonder if it’s possible at all. Look at the abortion debate, both sides cannot come to terms. The “pro-life” side believes the fetus is a life and therefore you are committing murder aborting the child. The “pro-choice” side believe it’s a woman’s right to decide what happens with her body. The only way it “works” is to say the fetus has not yet developed into a child and therefore it’s not murder. There is no common ground and both cannot be argued alone. So how do the two groups live “harmoniously”? This can be applied to so many aspects of our world, so you can see why I am “jaded” about this ever happening. Go back to the conflicts within the religions, be it Catholic and Protestant or Shi’a and Sunni, there is internal strife which has led to killing in the name of religion. You can see how difficult this simple Psalm is to actually transpire!

Psalm 132:12 –

“If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant and the laws that I teach them, then your royal line will continue forever and ever.”

Think about this promise to Israel and which descendants of David are in a prominent position. I cannot think of any living, although I am sure the Jewish faith could produce a few. The only “living” member of that line that will remain forever is Jesus! Sure his body was killed on a cross over 2000 years ago, he lives in our hearts. That is a difficult concept to understand until you see him moving in your life.

Now the conditions of this promise are “obey the terms of my covenant and the laws” which we are starting to miss. A “theology” of confession for salvation has been in my opinion twisted a bit. We are saved in Christ for all our sins, but that doesn’t mean as long as we confess we can put the Bible down and ignore the teachings. I was trapped in the “it’s ok I am saved” attitude towards carousing.

At the other extreme, the Jewish faith, especially during the time of Christ, had become very legalistic. The “covenant” became “laws” that were the source of your salvation. These “covenants” were guides you should follow to live a healthier and simpler life so you could serve God. So you followed the “covenants” and you were more in God’s favor and therefore more in tune with His will, but you were not necessarily “sinning”. The “legalism” came from wanting to ensure everyone conformed to God’s favor and therefore the “covenant” became “law.”

I like going to the food “laws” since they are very simple to understand. It’s not a “sin” to eat pork, but it is part of the “covenant” with God. The pig releases everything they eat to their flesh and they eat anything! You realize eating pork will not leave you in “peak” physical condition. Sure you’re not going to die, but you will have a weaker immune system.

So what about David? If we continue to strive for a live in obedience to the New Covenant with Christ, while following the covenant. We will help continue the dynasty of King David through Jesus, as promised here! The key is don’t water down the Old Testament or Jesus’ teaching or turn into a bunch of rules that miss the point of the Gospel.

Psalm 131:1 –

LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.

This is titled a Psalm of David, which gives you the scale of what the prayer/song is about. David was king of Israel and at a time was victorious in almost every battle he fought. He had “room” to be boastful and took on some many great endeavors. He is often used as an example of anything being possible with God! At the same time David was humbled and his pride got the best of him, therefore proving the Psalm!

I have a great problem with pride and when it rears its ugly head, God I quick to humble me. More than once racing I was put in my place when my confidence started becoming prideful. I could do no wrong and therefore tried thing “too great” … you know what happened next! In racing that mean crashing, hence why I walk funny. But even reading the Bible, every time I get on my “high horse”, God introduces me to someone who is much more knowledgeable who I would never had “expected!”

God does great things in our lives and unfortunately we tend to mess things up. The main reason is pride! If we just humble ourselves and not try to “bite off more than we can chew,” our lives tend to be smooth. We may see some unbelievable things happen throughout our lives and once we start taking credit and losing focus our “mad skills” become non-existent. Back to David, as long as he acknowledged God being the reason for his success he won, once he took matters into his own hands … oops! So learn for David and this Psalm, be humble in everything you do and chase.

Psalm 130:3 –

LORD, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?

If you think about it, just pick a day and make a tick for each “sin” and record what you do. Every lie you tell, even if it’s just a little one, gets a tick mark. Your interactions with others get looked at closely as well as your “secret” deeds. Yep this includes thoughts AND actions! Remember Jesus said if you lust in your heart that’s the same as adultery. So at the end of day look at all the ticks factor in “good” and “bad” days and then multiply them by 365, suddenly this number gets very large. Then multiply the number of years on this earth.

For some that number gets very large and almost embarrassing! This is where you are thankful God is not keeping record. Now there are two factors that enable us to live without a “laundry list” of our inappropriate actions being held over our heads. The first is God’s love, which as a parent you quickly understand how that ensures you’ll forgive. The second is Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins. This reason is more difficult to understand in today’s context since the sacrificial system of forgiveness has been long gone, hence why reading the OT is so valuable.

Now does this mean there are no consequences for sin? No, not at all, but it does mean the act will be held over our heads for the rest of our lives by God! Now one can feel that your consequences are never ending, like my financial debacle, but they are not because of God holding a magnifying glass over our heads! No many times repairing damage from a sin takes years as many times it took years to dig oneself into a hold God is not going to magically pop you out of the hole. The key is when standing before God have we been remorseful or ignorant?

Psalm 129:8 –

And may those who pass by refuse to give them this blessing: “The LORD bless you; we bless you in the LORD’s name.”

This is one of those verses I took a double take on. I tend to question why someone would refuse to bless anyone, including their enemies. I can understand the context but interestingly thousands of years later the situation has not changed. Israel is surrounded by their enemies and they all wish for their destruction. With all their prayer over the millennia I wonder why things remain relatively unchanged.

This past weekend a “rush” on the border was organized by a radical “anti-Israel” group. I cannot 100% say their motives, but up to 25 people were killed rushing the border. It’s almost like this was the expected result and those dead were “pawns” to be exploited as “martyrs”. Ironically the same government who endorsed this “rush” also killed 70 of their own countrymen wanting democracy. This is an example of the constant struggle Israel faces on a daily basis.

I feel Israel is an example of our daily struggle as Christians. I look at the influences on our lives and can see our faith being tested daily. I hate to admit it, having slammed on George Carlin recently for this “religion” skit, but he has some valid points. Unfortunately he has some very valid points which for some who is weak in faith can be sucked into. The hypocrisy of many so called followers of Christ hurts the church more than science!

WHY?? Science can actually prove God as much as it can disprove God where a hypocrite will have someone questioning religion! CNN did an interesting story on Bible “quotes” that are not in the Bible. It got the non-believers hammering on those who are light in Biblical truth. The story pointed out that many followers choose to believe their preachers without their own study. They point is not to belittle churches for leading their people astray, but to point out the importance of doing independent study. There you can have one on one time with God!

This shows how I ramble …how did I get here from this verse? But then again maybe we should be praying for our enemies like Jesus has told us to do many times!

Psalm 128:4 –

That is the LORD’s blessing for those who fear him.

Once again we run into the word fear in an instance it doesn’t make sense. Verse 1 describes how joyful people are who fear the Lord. Verses 2 and 3 describe the fruits of this fear in the Lord. These all put together make me wonder if my initial definition of “fear” is correct.

The word “fear” is used throughout the Bible, most of the time my “definition” works. But in this case I have a tough time thinking about “joy” happening when I am in “fear”! Now I checked the dictionary to see if my idea of fear being a “distressing emotion” that cannot coincide with joy is correct. Dictionary.com gives me a few definitions that work here … “to have reverential awe of” … or “to revere; respect”. These definitions make sense to me when “fear” is used with “joy”!

Awe of the Lord is difficult these days when science has explained away much of what use to be “proof” God existed. So to give credit for your happiness and success to an unseen God is difficult these days. One must assume if you read these “Thoughts” each day, you are resolved in your relationship with God. But then again you may just be curious, either way the big key is how can you “prove” God exists?

Unfortunately, if someone does not believe, that “proof” is a difficult thing to explain, apart from parting Lake Lanier. Figures in the Bible had it “easy” with God talking to them directly or having miracles occur to prove God’s existence. Today we must rest on faith, which is difficult to explain to someone who thinks this is folly. I will end this with a personal question that I would like a response from YOU on … how do you explain God to someone who says it’s folly?

Psalm 127:1 –

Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.

This gets into the root of our Christian walk with God; it’s a “foundational” principle. This is illustrating life and not just building a home. Look at all your endeavors in life and how many are actually rooted in God? We get all wrapped up in this book or that one about the various endeavors we are starting. But do we turn back to the Bible and focus on the teachings there? It’s amazing how many subjects are covered here and how rarely we go explore there first.

To build a good house you first need to start with a solid foundation. This “foundation” can easily be sorted out by reading the Bible. I am not saying read it all to build your foundation, but some “basic” chapters I would ensure I understand for a start would be Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, James and the “John’s”. The OT reading will give you the foundation of what Jesus is about and WHY he had to die a horrible death for our salvation. You’ll more greatly understand what being “born again” is actually.

As you work on your foundation, develop a prayer life and talk with God. Bring Him your concerns, burdens, questions and joys. It feels odd think something or speaking to an empty room, but soon you will find comfort and see the work in your life through awesome coincidences. Once the foundation is “set” now it’s time to continue the reading and praying and finish the home out! Now one thing to remember is once this home is complete it requires constant maintenance to ensure the soundness of the structure.

Also, you must learn to guard your beliefs or you will be like chafe in the wind. If you just stand on your own and expect to be able to handle any attack you are wrong. As you built your “home” and developed that relationship with God, your ability to trust in Him grows and therefore your life will be guarded. I am not saying it’s sunshine and blue skies, but it’s a “hell” of a lot better than the alternative!

Psalm 126:3 –

Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy!

Can you really say this in your heart? Do you give credit for the amazing things to God or to yourself? It’s funny how when things are going good, we tend to forget to give glory to God … but when things are bad, we are on our knees and wondering if we are being punished. I can say much of the time I do exactly this. Then I sometimes hit the other extreme and start thanking God for everything that happens and assuming it was His divine influence.

Funny how we work with God when it comes to our day to day lives. We either forget to give thanks and assume all the credit or blame Him for everything that happens. I have discovered as I get older I can’t eat what I use to! I kept asking God for help, but really what goes in and how I burn the energy is the real problem. We live in a world of many dynamics, some of which God controls and some of which just happen. I have a hard time believing that God created this world as a stage for His show!

No, creation is what it is, the dynamic of nature is as designed. Sure there are floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters, but they all serve a purpose. Sure God can do things alter events, but I believe He is more hands off that many like to think. Not that He is not present most of the time, He just lets things roll as designed. Now does that mean when good things happen His hand is not in it? In no way do I mean that! Does that mean we do not need to thank Him for the beautiful sunrise? No He made creation that provided that sun rise.

Now I wandered down an odd path with may contradict some people “theology”. We need to be filled with joy because the amazing things he has done for us is creation. Sure He may surprise us from time to time with something personal. But just look at what we have! I don’t care if you are worth millions or living on the street, God has given you life and creation to enjoy!! So live with joy for those amazing things and not your current circumstances!!

Psalm 125:3 –

The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong.

This cuts deep when you think about it. One could say that been happening in our country for years depending on whose side you were on. I don’t want to get into a political diatribe about this president or that but focus a little more close to home. Really the politicians can only go so far in moving our foundations, but they have been successful at nudging us in directions that may or may not be right. But the focus for today is where your foundation could be shaken overnight and that is with your circle of friends.

Before I went to college I had had only a few drinks, was “pure” and tried to follow God. But college changed everything, my circle of friends changed radically. To them it was ok to drink until you puked and then drink more. Most treated women as objects and some saw nothing wrong with using drugs. That shook my foundations since most, if not all, were upper classman who “ruled” the fraternity.

I would love to say that I resisted their temptation, but that would be a lie. For about 9 years of my life it was more about living under the influence of their rule than God’s. Sure I have a ton of regrets from this time from my blatant disregard for God’s instructions. You children were the ONLY really wonderful product of that period in my life! Because of you this new foundation was shaken to the core and my life was refocused towards God!

All I can pray is that you will learn that your sphere of friends is a greater influence that you can imagine. Ensure these are Godly people. Don’t think that you will have the power to change all your friends, because I can say with almost 100% certainty that will not happen. Not saying you can’t do that but the term “I got your back” comes to mind when being attacked. You need someone to fall back to when your core is being attacked or you could look at a comedian as the bringer of spiritual truth!

Psalm 124:1 –

What if the LORD had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat:

What if!? That is a big “what if” in my book. In this chapter they are describing the “what if” when people were attacking Israel. This particular verse could be used all over the place; it could start many of the Psalms. Really think about God not being on our side. I know many would say where is He now?

But this is something that gets to the core of our faith. What would be your answer to this question? How about during your entire Christian walk? Or do you just hear from God intermittently? That’s really a tough question when you think about it. We experience God daily yet we tend to ignore His presence. God is not a pop in/pop out friend, but rather someone who is with us all the time.

We like to think of God as a person and therefore give Him human qualities, like being by our side. But we forget God “omnipresent” or everywhere. We tend to think if things aren’t going our way then God is somewhere else doing other things. Maybe things are not going our way because of our own actions? God is there fighting for us, but we just keep filling up the boat He is bailing out!

I know most, if not all, of the times I call on God to help me, it’s because I am doing stupid stuff. It’s amazing that we have God’s guidebook and we just ignore it. Then we expect God to jump in a put us back on track. Then we will be following the “Word” and nothing seems to be happening … we ask where is God? God is not a genie at our beckon call! We just have to open our eyes to His presence and see He is by us all the time!

Psalm 123:3 –

Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt.

First I need to make a correction. In reaching 121:7 and the term “ALL harm” I found a translation that implied something more sublime in the Douay-Rheims translation. In researching this chapter I noticed a big difference between this chapter and the one in Douay-Rheims. I noticed that translation is missing a Psalm, so 120:7 in Douay-Rheims does state “all evil”. So all wins! Unpacked from yesterday “thought”, we determined the Psalms were more “examples” of prayer and not necessarily “truths”.

This chapter is shows what many of us experience sometime in our life, with people mocking us. As followers of an unseen God who has done so many great things yet cannot be proven concretely, we tend to get this often. You have science for example stating evolution is fact, yet many animals prove evolution wrong. Look at the giraffe, its long neck requires a strong heart to get blood to its brain. If it bends down gravity now works with the strong heart and the head would get too much blood too fast and therefore the giraffe die. Never able to “evolve” since “evolution” would stop the neck from growing since the “long necks” would die quickly and that “genetic defect” would not continue.

We can see the intricate system of veins and dampers the giraffe has to circulate blood could not have evolved, rater “engineered”. Back to the verse now! We also tend to get mocked by people who see Christianity as too restrictive or foolish. In a way I was like this when I was younger; I did not dismiss God’s existence but choose to not follow God. Now I never “mocked” believers, but decided to “have fun” and show “contempt” for their beliefs. I figured once saved always saved … may past, present and future sins were covers … so have fun now.

Boy did I miss the boat and now am praying for mercy not only for our family. I also pray this for our nation who appears to be overcome by people mocking our beliefs. We have been crammed into the church box and we keep getting pushed back, even while exercising “free speech!” Israel has always had this problem surrounded by people trying to destroy their way of life. So in most cases this “contempt” is not just bad feeling but suppression of our beliefs to out and out genocide. So pray for mercy on us and the people condemning our beliefs.

Psalm 122:8 –

For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.”

Sometimes I think the short Psalms take more time to unravel and decode than the longer ones. Like Psalm 121, this is a Psalm for Pilgrims ascending into Jerusalem. One thing you have to realize here is these are prayers and not necessarily Biblical “truths”. Like yesterday I got hung up on the phrase “all harm” and was trying to apply a “truth” to this. When in reality these are more “examples” of how to live our lives and how to pray. We need hope for peace for all.

That is what the Psalm is asking for is peace for all who believe. I pray for peace often, we live in a world of strife. Our nation is involved in three wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. I have no idea how many other battles are being fought around the world that are not covered or have been forgotten. No matter how many people are dying, the words of Rodney King hold true today … “can’t we all just get along?”

So when you pray, pray for peace in the world. Pray for peace in the home. Pray for peace in one’s heart. We all are in some state of turmoil, be it combat or internal struggles with addictions or concern over others close to us, and therefore need this prayer. Ask it for yourself also; since personally I can think of three or four things I am not at peace at this exact moment. The key is asking AND believing, where much of the time we ask, not expecting an answer. So pray in faith and have personal peace in your tumultuous life.

One quick note, I started talking about “truths” and “examples” in the Bible; let me expand on that quickly. If you break down the Bible there are 4 basic writings; commands, truths, examples and promises. “Commands” are things we need to follow and obey, like the Law. “Truths” are fundamental truths about God like always being. “Examples” are throughout the Bible as ways to live and follow God. Finally we have “promises”, which are God’s promises to you like Jesus returning. So think about that when you read your Bible.

Psalm 121:7 –

The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.

I read this and wonder if and when! And also we need to define “harm” because I know my life has been wrought with injuries and peril more than I care to admit. One could say I have escaped without too much damage so therefore this is true. Also, as He watches over our lives we watch others implode and affect ours. It’s all really kind of difficult to dissect when you really think about it.

What gets me on this verse is “all harm”, other versions use “evil” and “dangers” but all seem set on using “all”, which opens it up for doubters. This implies a life of “smooth sailing” and plenty of blessings, which as we all know is far from true. Yes we can have peace in turmoil but it’s difficult to say we have been kept from all harm. I love biblegateway.com because you can review X different translations quickly to get clarity. Only one really made this verse easier to apply in our day to day life here on earth, the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition that says:

Let peace be in thy strength: and abundance in thy towers.

But again all other versions say “all” so … how do we declare we are kept from “all harm”?

That is where I am hung up on this one and why I like the Douay-Rheims translation because it’s not says everything will be rosy, but that we will have peace through the rough times. But even then when a close friend dies, that becomes difficult to live, especially if it’s unexpected. Maybe this is a promise of the future and you look at the title as “pilgrims ascending into Jerusalem” it may give you clarity as “Jerusalem” may be the “afterlife” and not the actual city. Then the wording becomes clear and possible.

Psalm 120:3 –

O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you? How will he increase your punishment?

I read this Psalm on so many levels today. The psalmist is crying out to God because his land is being overrun by pagans, doubters and the like. This is much like today around the world. The last two verses remind me of Israel today; they are portrayed as aggressors but are trying to live peacefully. The Jews try to live in peace with the Muslims and Christians within their border. Yet many want the extermination of the entire nation. So as things change they appear to be the same thousands of years later.

This verse caught my eye because of the influences many have in their lives today. Outside of the churches today God is being put down more and more. Schools cannot have the Bible taught but they can have books that call for revolution against our nation today! God is being dismissed as “energy” you can control through thoughts. Science takes the mystery out of many things and attempts to prove there is no God. I have no idea what their “deceptive tongue” was then, but I am sure it was just as convincing.

We walk through this life believing what we want to believe. Trying to prove or disprove the existence of God is so difficult to do yet many just blindly accept it either way. The key is know what you know, notice the coincidences in prayer and life, and don’t be easily swayed. Hence why reading the Bible daily is so important. If not we tend to drift between what our present circle of friends believe, not having the guts to take a stand opposing them. It’s a sad state we are in these days!

As you reach adulthood one thing that blocks everything is your desires to have “fun”. For some reason many believe that cannot be done when the Bible appears to them as a book of restrictions. You can’t get stoned out of your mind or drunk without conviction. At the same time the Bible never says “don’t drink” … and some would argue smoking “weed” is there also. The key is don’t get “wasted” or do it while trying to “perform at your peak”! One can find the “limitations” open up a world of “opportunities” that could never be experienced otherwise.

Psalm 119:169

O Lord, listen to my cry; give me the discerning mind you promised.

Just because!

Psalm 119:81 165 –

<81>I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word.
<165>Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.

I am going to work to tie these two together because I see importance in both. The first has multiple levels, the first is the waiting for the Messiah. God early on promised a savior to rescue the Israelites. Many as time wore on were getting impatient waiting for their savior to rescue them. Today Christians await Jesus’ return and rescue. Many try to force God’s hand by saying the time will be such and such a day. Unfortunately those days come and go without the promised events.

Finally one can look at verse 81 as a personal rescue. I know me personally I have been putting hope in God to instantly rescue me from the crushing burden of debt. He has but what I feel should take a day is taking years of discipline and faith in His word! And this is where 165 ties into the discussion! One must love God’s instructions, the majority of which are found in His Law. Also, one must love His guidance throughout our day to day walk.

If you think about it we tend to stumble often and rarely have peace. Part of this is because we fight God’s guidance and help. The other reason is we are not patient and get worn out waiting for His promises or our expectations of what we believe He should do! That is where we start to flounder because like in my case I wonder why a windfall doesn’t happen to clear my debt. In many cases that already happened and guess what? Instead of clearing my debt and loving His laws on handling money, I doubled down and figured the business would expand!

Boy was I wrong! Patience and embracing God’s laws has helped over the last few years. Again I grow weary waiting on God’s rescue, but I have seen how loving His instructions have helped me gain peace and helped me not to stumble! Even if your faith is new, getting weak or nonexistent you can learn much from applying the principles found in the Bible. After time even most unbelievers can find peace in God’s word and maybe see how God guided people thousands of years before science proved His laws. And that’s was the key to this long chapter was to teach one to embrace God’s laws and guidance!

Psalm 119:9 & 36 –

<9> How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.
<36> Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money!

This is a long Psalm with a lot of great stuff so I am going to take a few days to unwind some of the truths here. This Psalm is divided up into many sections for individuals. This is the ABC Psalm and is dedicated to those who dwell on and love the Torah. They call it the ABC Psalm because its divided into 22 sections for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We Christians tend to dismiss the Torah since many feel Jesus fulfilling the Law in essence dismisses it. So this is very important to get excited about.

Sure people look at the law as restrictive, but it also opens so many doors with God. And with God all things are possible! So as a young person it’s difficult to “stay pure” and follow the word. You are being tugged in so many directions and unfortunately this generation of parents is not helping! For some reason we have become scared of what you may think of us. Sure we all went through the same feelings and emotions, but our parents appeared to be in unison. Now parents don’t condemn drug use and sleeping over with the opposite sex, they just allow it. They key to following God is not following the crowd!

The second verse convicted me in a way. I am focused on the money right now, granted it’s more about making sure all the bills are eliminated and no more are created … but it still consumes much of my thought. On a positive note we peaked at almost $600,000 in debt with the business and homes. Focusing on God’s principles when it comes to finances we are under $400,000! So yes the number is huge and gets most of my attention, but it’s going down!! The key I must work on is following God more and not worrying about money, but managing it by eagerly following the Law!