Monday, June 30, 2014

DBRP_Jul01_2014 1King13-14 Ps119j John8a


I think today's story of the ‘man of God from Judah’ and the ‘old prophet from Bethel’ to be one of the most fascinating in the Bible. Prophets who lie will certainly be judged harshly by God. And we will see in 2nd Kings that the prophecy of the man of God from Judah was completely fulfilled. And we hear Ahijah's prophecy against Jeroboam. We also hear of the end of the reign of Solomon's son, Rehoboam. And do you think that Shishak took the ark to Egypt?

 

Today we read the stanzas for Qoph and Resh. I love this verse:

160 The very essence of your words is truth;

all your just regulations will stand forever.

 

The story of the woman caught in adultery shows so many things: Jesus' authority, his wisdom in defeating the Pharisees, his mercy, and that being forgiven does not give one license to sin. One of Jesus' seven great ‘I am’ statements happens in this reading: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”


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Sunday, June 29, 2014

DBRP_Jun30_2014 1King11-12 Ps119i John7b


How could such a wise man make such stupid choices?! Part of the answer is the corruption caused when one has too much power. And there is something truly sticky about sexual sin. We hear the results today.

 

Stanzas off Psalm 119: Pe and Tsadhe.

 

The temple guards were ordered to arrest Jesus, but when he came back empty handed they simply said, “We have never heard anyone speak like this.”


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Saturday, June 28, 2014

DBRP_Jun29_2014 1King9-10 Ps119h John7a


Today we hear interesting glimpses of Solomon's international relations and commerce. Notably, the queen of Sheba came to listen to Solomon's wisdom and ask questions of him.

 

We read the stanzas of Ps. 119 for the letters Samekh and Ayin. 

 

It is likely that the climax of the festival mentioned in today's reading was the day in the Festival of Shelters where water was poured out before the Lord. Jesus stood up and shouted out to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”


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Friday, June 27, 2014

DBRP_Jun28_2014 1King8 Ps119g John6b


The temple is completed! And Solomon prays his long and very wise prayer asking God to fulfill his promises and help the people of Israel. In his prayer, he recognizes that the people of Israel will not be able to remain faithful to the Lord, but they will sin and repent. Solomon asks God to forgive and hear the people in situations of sin and desperation because of the Lord's punishment upon them.

 

We read the stanzas for Mem, Nun, and Samekh today in Psalm 119.

 

Because of time we don't quite finish John 6 today. Jesus is the bread from heaven. Notice the deep meaning in verse 56 and it's application to the Lord's Supper where he says, “Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains [joined to//in] me, and I [remain joined to//in] him.” This is the same meaning of ‘in Him’ that we will see in chapter 15.


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Thursday, June 26, 2014

DBRP_Jun27_2014 1King6-7 Ps119f John6a


Today we hear lots and lots of details about the building of the temple. A man from Tyre, Huram, must have been a wonderful and artistic technician in working with bronze casting. He corresponds to the two craftsmen who designed and constructed the first tabernacle.

 

Today we read the stanzas of Psalm 119 which start with the letters Kaph and Lamedh, v. 81-96.

 

There is an important play on words between Jesus and the crowd in Capernaum which does not come out in the NLT. It involves the word 'work'. I have made an adjustment to fix that which I will read in the podcast for the 28th. Here is my modification:

27[Don’t//But don’t] be so concerned about perishable things like food. [Work instead to gain//Spend your energy seeking] the eternal life that the Son of Manf can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

 

28They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

 

29Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”


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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

DBRP_Jun26_2014 1King4-5 Ps119e John5b


Today we hear of the incredible size and wealth of Solomon's dominion, and his wisdom in organization is evident. Israel was prosperous as never before. And Solomon contracted with King Hiram of the Sidon to get materials for the construction of the temple.

 

We continue with two more stanzas from Psalm 119.

 

In John today we hear of Jesus' relation with God, His Father, and that God has given authority to the Son to judge all mankind. The Son has also been given the authority to give life after death. Jesus talks about who are those who witness or give testimony about Himself. This is important because in Jewish Law and culture, assertions needed to be supported by at least two witnesses. The witnesses who support Jesus are John the Baptist, his miracles, his teachings, and in the background, his Father and Moses.


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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

DBRP_Jun25_2014 1King2-3 Ps119d John5a


Today we hear David's final instructions to Solomon. They contain a few messy details, and Solomon manages to finish all of those issues. David notes Solomon's wisdom, and later Solomon (at his finest hour) asks God for wisdom to rule the nation of Israel well, and God gives it to him.

 

God is telling us how important His Word is! In yesterday’s reading I found this verse interesting: 

45 I will walk in freedom,

for I have devoted myself to your commandments.

Note that following God’s commandments does not violate freedom.

 

We hear today of Jesus healing of a man who had been sick for 38 years. Persecution ramps up because this healing was done on the Sabbath. Jesus replied to his critics, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”


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Monday, June 23, 2014

DBRP_Jun24_2014 1King1 Ps119c John4b


Like 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles were originally each one book instead of two. The books of Kings and Chronicles have many similarities. One difference is that the books of Kings seem a bit more secular in their outlook, whereas Chronicles seems to have been written by a priest. Henrietta Mears says that both sets have these things in common: 1. They begin with King David and end with the king of Babylon. 2. They open with the building of the Temple and end with the burning of the Temple. 3. They open with David’s first successor to the throne, Solomon, and end with David’s last successor, Johaiachin, released from captivity by the king of Babylon.

Mears also gives these three rather odd meta messages in these books. I think they might be interesting to look for as we go through:

1. God does not show favoritism. Acts 10:34

2. When our all is on the altar, God never keeps us waiting for the fire.

3. The final captivity was because of disobedience to God. This was clearly prophesied long before. 

 

We continue in Psalm 119 with the stanzas for He and Waw.

 

To me it was meaningful to read yesterday at the end of John 4 that, “The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life.” The fields are certainly ripe. And I note, with wry smile, that Jesus must be talking of heavenly wages, because our support is falling behind here on earth. Then on a serious note, like Paul said, “The difficulties we face on earth are nothing to be compared with the glories that await us.

 

Many thanks to Julia Haase for reading the part of the Samaritan woman.


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Sunday, June 22, 2014

DBRP_Jun23_2014 2Sam24 Ps119b John4a


Yesterday we heard David’s final words and the listing of the 38 mighty warriors who loyally helped David in his victories. Note that Uriah the Hittite is poignantly included in the list. And this 24th chapter seems like a postscript. When it comes to verse one and the punishment that follows, I don't understand this. And looking at a couple of commentaries, it appears that the commentators are guessing also. We just are not given enough information to why this happened. Araunah's threshing floor eventually became the location of the temple. 

 

Yesterday’s reading included two of the most famous verses from this psalm:

9 How can a young person stay pure?

By obeying your word.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

 

Yesterday in John 3 we heard the words of John the Baptist at what I consider his finest hour. That was where he said, “He (Jesus) must grow greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” This is a worthy goal for all of us. And today we read about the conversation with the Samaritan woman.


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Saturday, June 21, 2014

DBRP_Jun22_2014 2Sam23 Ps119a John3b


Yesterday we read David’s long poem praising the Lord for his victory and deliverance from his enemies.

 

Psalm 119 is famous for being the longest chapter in the Bible, and it is an acrostic psalm with a difference. In this psalm, every line of each stanza starts with the same letter of the alphabet. (Most acrostic psalms are by line, not according to stanzas.) The psalm has 22 stanzas, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And this psalm has a clear theme: God’s Word or a synonym for it is mentioned in almost every verse.

 

One of the features of John's Gospel is that he breaks in with commentary without warning. Because of the lack of quote marks in ancient Greek, there often no overt signs marking the end of Jesus' speech and John's comment, or at the end of this chapter, John the Baptist's speech and John's comment. I personally don't think that John 3:16 is Jesus' words about himself, but is the start of John's explanation of Jesus' enigmatic words: “as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so [I,] the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in [Me/him] will have eternal life.” We read that story in Numbers 21. Imagine that all one had to do to be healed of a snake bite was to look at the bronze snake which Moses had put up on a pole. Do you think any of the people who were bit refused to look at that snake?


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Friday, June 20, 2014

DBRP_Jun21_2014 2Sam22 John3


We near the end of David’s story. God has given him victory over Bicri and the house of Saul. The killing of seven of the descendants of Saul seems harsh and past the ‘statute of limitations’ to us. But God arranged that revenge in response to untold injustices that were wreaked by Saul against the Gibeonites. Because of that, we should observe: God takes notice of covenants made and wants us to do what we promise in His name. David’s song of praise in this chapter includes ideas from the psalms, but does not seem to be an extended quote from any of them— as far as I can find in my sources. Because of this long poetic section today, we will not read from Psalms today.

 

One of the features of John's Gospel is that he breaks in with commentary without warning. Because of the lack of quote marks in ancient Greek, there often no overt sign marking the end of Jesus' speech and John's comment, or at the end of the chapter, John the Baptist's speech and John's comment. I personally don't think that John 3:16 is Jesus' words about himself, but is the start of John's explanation of Jesus' words: “as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so [I,] the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in [Me/him] will have eternal life.” We read that story in Numbers 21. Imagine that all one had to do to be healed of a snake bite was to look at the bronze snake Moses put up on a pole. Do you think any of the people who were bit refused to look at that snake?


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Thursday, June 19, 2014

DBRP_Jun20_2014 2Sam21 Ps118b John2b


The story of David being welcomed back ended poorly with arguments. Bicri attempted to mount a revolt. He died even though surrounded by his clan members because there was a wise woman in the town where he had taken refuge. Before that, David had decided to promote national reconciliation by appointing Amasa as military commander. But Joab, who had grown too powerful, shamefully put an end to Amasa's career.

 

Instead of reading just part of this psalm, as I had planned when I made the calendar of readings, I could not resist just doing it all twice. And there was plenty of time to do so. Verse 22 is one of the famous cornerstone verses in the Old Testament.

 

John is unique with the story of the wedding at Cana. And coming to Galilee and working a miracle seems to have been significant for John, as he later highlights the second time this happens. Then John moves the story of the cleansing of the temple to the beginning of the Gospel. I think that this is because he will highlight the conflicts between Jesus and ‘the Jews’. Note that in verse 19, Jesus doesn't say, “I will destroy...” but “Destroy” (imperative), as a challenge to the Jewish leaders. NET's note indicates that this is a form that reminds one of some words of the prophets.


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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

DBRP_Jun19_2014 2Sam20 Ps118a John2a


The story of David being welcomed back didn't end at yesterday's chapter break. Bicri attempted to mount a revolt. He died even when surrounded by his clan members because there was a wise woman in the town he took refuge in. Before that, David had decided to promote national reconciliation by appointing Amasa as military commander. But Joab, who had grown too powerful, shamefully put an end to Amasa's career.

 

Psalm 118 is an antiphonal psalm. Imagine a leader and all the congregation saying the refrain. One of the most often quoted verses about the Messiah is found in verse 22. And I have quoted verse 23 at the beginning of a number of podcasts.

 

Note how Jesus (and the writer, John) artfully hint at the story of Jacob. Jesus calls Nathanael a true son of Israel. Israel is one of Jacob’s name, and Jacob means ‘cheater’. And then Jesus paradoxically calls Nathanael a man of complete integrity. Then Jesus says something that only Nathanael can know was miraculous. Jesus didn’t need to make it obvious to his hearers and John didn’t need to explain to his readers that Jesus was quoting from the Jacob’s Ladder story. Just a few words and the previous hint were plenty to imply this: Jesus is claiming to be the Way to the Father. The way, the truth, and the life.


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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

DBRP_Jun18_2014 2Sam18-19 Ps117 John1b


Today David sends out his army under three commanders, Joab, Abishai, and Ittai. He gives them orders to deal gently with Absolom. Joab— who is always pragmatic, doesn't do this. Joab also orders David to go out to be with his troops after the battle. And finally the people decide to bring him back as their king. 

 

It is a good thing that Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm! Today's reading go 5 minutes over my standard. This psalm is a doxology the whole world will one day sing.

 

In John’s poetic opening to this Gospel, he call’s Jesus ‘the Word’. ‘Word’ in Greek (logos) means more than just one word. Among its several meanings, in this place its meaning is ‘communication’ or ‘message’. Jesus is God’s personal communication or message to the world. And ‘full of grace and truth’ in more traditional translations means that Jesus is all about bringing undeserved kindness (grace) to us and true teachings that are totally worthy of being believed. And this theme is shown again in what Jesus said to Nathanael. 


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Monday, June 16, 2014

DBRP_Jun17_2014 2Sam17 Ps116 John1a


Wow! Again I want to remind you about checking out the PDF files attached to these podcasts if you are interested in Bible translation. Today's broadcast has many modifications in Psalm 116 based upon naturalness in English. And I have made modifications in John 1 based on our experience of what was needed for clarity in our translations in Indonesia. 

 

In 2nd Samuel 17, Absalom did not take the wisest counsel. Ahithophel can foresee what will happen and acts accordingly. Two messengers barely manage to get news to David. Loyal people begin to help David at his old stronghold.

 

Psalm 116 is a poem giving thanks for the personal experience of God's kindness and salvation.

 

I always look forward each year to reading the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel is different from all the other gospels. John was probably very young when he became Jesus’ follower, perhaps 25 years old. But he seems to have waited until very late in life to begin writing, perhaps when he was 85 years old. This was long after the other Gospels and even the epistles were written. The title he gives himself in this book is ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. This doesn’t mean that Jesus didn’t love the other 11. John consciously made an original account, and very consciously left out things that are included in the three Synoptic Gospels. Where he does include things the others wrote about, he includes details that the others didn’t mention. Those stories are made to fit his themes. His gospel is thematically arranged, not chronologically arranged.

 

John uses simple words, such as light, word, lamb, and door. But the concepts he deals with are anything but simple. The meaning goes deep, so deep that you could spend a lifetime studying the prologue in chapter one alone and never get to the bottom of it. Note also that John very artistically makes use of double meaning, using a word with two meanings simultaneously.


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Sunday, June 15, 2014

DBRP_Jun16_2014 2Sam16 Ps115 Rom16


Hey, we're making such terrific progress in reading the Bible this year! Let's keep going!

 

Today we hear how Saul's servant, Ziba, is loyal and helps David on his way. And how Shimei from Saul's family curses and persecutes David all along the way. No wonder David was exhausted after that climb. David refused to put him to punish him. (But we find out later that he didn't forget him.) David's friend joins himself to Absalom, as David asked him. And Nathan's prophecy to David is unknowingly fulfilled through Ahithophel's advice to Absolom. 

 

I know I have said it a lot, but can’t help saying it again: This is one of my favorite psalms. Our God is so different than idols. He is in heaven and does whatever He pleases. 

 

Having told of his plans to visit Rome on his way to Spain, and how he must first go to Jerusalem, Paul now turns to greeting his friends in Rome. I really enjoy this section! There is real closeness in the family of God. When we call each other ‘brother’ or ‘sister’, we really mean it. And our love and bonds of fellowship often span long distances. I enjoy seeing this in every phrase here.


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Saturday, June 14, 2014

DBRP_Jun15_2014 2Sam15 Ps114 Rom15b


Absolom first steals the hearts of all Israel by being a shrewd politician. Then he mounts a rebellion against his own father. David flees Jerusalem to avoid bloodshed, and as he leaves, he leaves behind carefully chosen people to work for him.

 

Psalm 114 is one of those psalms with beautiful word pictures where hills, mountains, and rivers are personified.

 

Romans 15 is one of those places where we see Paul's motivation clearly. He certainly is the prime example for every missionary.


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Friday, June 13, 2014

DBRP_Jun14_2014 2Sam14 Ps113 Rom15a


Thanks to Kathy Reed for playing the part of the wise woman from Tekoa. She is with Pioneers International (not to be confused with PBT). And thanks for Nathan Davenport for reading our psalm today.

 

Today we hear how Joab creatively arranged to persuade David to call back Absolom from exile. And how eventually David agreed to let Absolom meet him directly.

 

Psalm 113 is another beautiful song of praise.

 

Paul continues what he was ‘on about’ in yesterday’s reading. We must accept other believers even though we don’t agree on prohibitions, practices, or rituals, and these things often come from our differing backgrounds. 


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Thursday, June 12, 2014

DBRP_Jun13_2014 2Sam13 Ps112 Rom14b


Today we see the beginning of the second phase of consequences prophesied for David because of his sin with Bathsheba. Sin is a sickness, and it seems to grow as it gets passed on from father to sons. This results in death and estrangement.

 

Like Psalm 111, Psalm 112 carries similar themes with the book of Proverbs. Verse 9 is quoted in the New Testament. And in the Hebrew this is another acrostic poem.

 

I am very happy that Paul didn't just give the churches a list of the celebrations and days that Christians were to consider as sacred. He did not give us a list of foods to not eat. That would have been the easy thing to do. To me it is a proof of God's inspiration that Paul does the counter-intuitive thing: He tells us each to decide as our conscience dictates before God. Paul was not interested in establishing a man-made religion. The things that matter are “living a life of goodness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” And when choosing our actions, let our conscience be our guide.


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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

DBRP_Jun12_2014 2Sam11-12 Ps111 Rom14a


Today we hear of David's moral failure with Bathsheba. One sin leads to more sin. In this case, it led to the death of the noble husband of Bathsheba, Uriah. Nathan gives one of his most stunning prophecies. David immediately and utterly repents. Sins have consequences. And in this case, it was the death of Bathsheba's and David's baby son.

 

Psalm 111 is an acrostic psalm, and verse 16 gives us the major theme of the book of Proverbs.

 

I am very happy that Paul didn't just give the churches a list of the celebrations and days that Christians were to consider as sacred. He did not give us a list of foods to not eat. That would have been the easy thing to do. To me it is a proof of God's inspiration that Paul does the counter-intuitive thing: He tells us each to decide as our conscience dictates before God. Paul was not interested in establishing a man-made religion. The things that matter are “living a life of goodness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” And when choosing our actions, let our conscience be our guide.


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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

DBRP_Jun11_2014 2Sam9-10 Ps110 Rom13b


David shows kindness to Jonathan's only living son. Then there is a story where suspicion causes offence, which leads to all-out war. And David is victorious again against the Arameans and Ammonites.

 

The first verse of this short psalm is one of the most repeated verses of the New Testament. It certainly was very important for the early Christians. And the 4th verse becomes an important theme of the book of Hebrews. 

 

It was delightful to meet a DBRP listener, Barbara Thomas. And thanks to her for sharing and reading today. I give a brief translation note about the meaning of “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”


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Monday, June 9, 2014

DBRP_Jun10_2014 2Sam7-8 Ps109b Rom13a


David realizes that he is living in a beautiful cedar palace while God's dwelling place is in a tent. Then God gives Nathan the prophet a long message for David. He tells him that his dynasty will last forever and that his son will build God's temple. Then God gives a string of stunning military victories to David.

 

In this reading of Psalm 109, I realized that there is a long quote from David's political enemies going from v6 to v19. This makes a big difference in understanding this psalm. It just goes to show how important it is to realize where quotes end!

 

Rather than connect Romans 12-13 using the NLT, I am going to use our Plain English Translation to remind us of what was in Romans 12. The PET is the English translation of our Plain Indonesian Translation. Thanks to Alan Medira for reading the verses from Romans 12. Alan is a new member working in the recruiting department of Pioneer Bible Translators.

 


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Sunday, June 8, 2014

DBRP_Jun09_2014 2Sam5-6 Ps109a Rom12b


At last, David becomes the king of all Israel, then the Lord gives him two great military victories over the Philistines. Then, after a botched attemp, David moves the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He dances with all his might before the Lord.

 

When you feel that you are surrounded by people who gang up against you and slander you, then this is the psalm for you. My thanks to Josh and Sarah Phillips with Pioneer Bible Translators for reading this psalm.

 

Chapter 12 marks the beginning of the practical part of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. This part packs a big punch, and the topic sentences for this section (vs. 1-2) are must-memorize verses. If everything that Paul said before now is true, then THIS is the logical and appropriate response of how we are to live. This is how ought to respond to God's wonderful kindness to us. And this is the secret to transformed lives and learning to discern God's will.


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Saturday, June 7, 2014

DBRP_Jun08_2014 2Sam3-4 Ps108 Rom12a


General Abner defects to David, but it costs him his life on the same day at the hands of Joab, the commander of David's forces and the brother of the slain Asahel. One result is also that Ishbosheth is murdered by two army captains who think that they are doing David a favor.

 

This is a psalm of exalted praise, and a song asking God for military victory. And I thank Norm Weatherhead for reading this psalm for us today.

 

Yesterday at the end of Romans 11, we came to the end of the long parenthesis. God is seen as both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who refuse to believe. Belief is not something that just happens without our control. It is an act of the will to believe. That is why the stubborn disbelief of the Israelites is called 'disobedience'. 

 


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Friday, June 6, 2014

DBRP_Jun07_2014 2Sam2 Ps107b Rom11b


In today's story, David is anointed as king over his own tribe of Judah, while all the rest of Israel follows Saul's son, Ishbosheth. Ishbosheth is not a strong leader, but was put in place by Abner, the general. Joab is David's military commander. In the first battle, it is significant that Abner kills Joab's brother Asahel. David's troops decisively win their first battle in the civil war.

 

Today we read all of Psalm 107. The psalm encourages us to call out to God in any time of distress, even when it is caused by our own sins.

 

Yesterday at the end of Romans 11, we came to the end of the long parenthesis. God is seen as both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who refuse to believe. Belief is not something that just happens without out control. It is an act of the will to believe. That is why the stubborn disbelief of the Israelites is called 'disobedience'. 


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Thursday, June 5, 2014

DBRP_Jun06_2014 2Sam1 Ps107a Rom11a


David hears of Saul's death, and correctly exacts the death sentence from the messenger. David and his men mourn for the deaths and David composes a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan.

 

We come to another of my favorite psalms, and this one also causes me to remember Brian Adams— who frequently read this psalm as part of leading our worship in our church in South Carolina. In E.C. Olsen’s book on the psalms (which is a transcription of his radio programs) he said that this psalm has a message for America. That message is in the repeated refrain found in this psalm. Then Olsen (published in 1939) gave examples of the Great Depression starting in 1929, the Dust Bowl plagues in 1933-34, and the drought of 1936. Olsen observed, “Do you think we heeded [God’s warnings]? Indeed not. … Did we cease our wicked doings? Indeed not.” And I similarly ask about our response to the increasing pace of disasters right now. My observation is that we as a nation turned to God when we confronted the first disasters (say, 15-20 years ago). But our turning to God lasted only a few days. Now, even as natural disasters multiply, we steadfastly talk of Global Warming and never talk about God. Consequently, we are NOT like the people we hear about in this psalm.

 

As Paul said in his topic sentence in this book (Rom. 1:16-17), the way God has revealed for making people right with himself is— from start to finish, by means of fully believing. In chapter 10 we have a great and succinct summation of the content that we are to 'fully believe'. Our confessing the belief that is in our hearts is also important. At the end of chapter 10 there are a series of Old Testament quotes. Two of those quotes are about the non-Jews. Paul was not changing his topic. He is still talking about Jewish rejection of the Gospel. The two Old Testament prophecies about the non-Jews (19-20) are quoted as a powerful sign to the Jews. This is the topic Paul continues with in chapter 11.


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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

DBRP_Jun05_2014 1Sam30-31 Ps106b Rom10b


David returns from being sent home from the battle with Israel only to find that his town has been ransacked by the Amalekites. He found strength in God, asked for God to direct him, and succeeded in retrieving everything, and even much more. Saul and his three sons died, and the Israelite army was completely defeated.

 

In Psalm 106 there is a very honest retelling of the stubbornness and rebellion of Israel. And then at the end, a sincere prayer for God to once again have mercy on them.

 

As Paul said in his topic sentence in this book (Rom. 1:16-17), the way God has revealed for making people right with himself is— from start to finish, by means of fully believing. In this chapter we have a great and succinct summation of the content that we are to 'fully believe'. Our confessing the belief that is in our hearts is also important. At the end of the chapter there are a series of Old Testament quotes. Two of those quotes are about the non-Jews. Paul is not changing his topic. He is still talking about Jewish rejection of the Gospel. The two Old Testament prophecies about the non-Jews (19-20) are quoted as a powerful sign to the Jews.


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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

DBRP_Jun04_2014 1Sam28-29 Ps106a Rom10a


The Philistines muster their armies for full-scale war with Saul and the Israelites. Saul has done the right thing in expelling all the mediums from Israel. But, since God had turned from him and would not answer him, he resorted to a medium. It does not bother me too much to say that God spoke through that medium. It seems so by the evidence. But if so, it was an exception. God's word says to never consult a medium. In fact, mediums are to be stoned to death. David was preparing to go to war in support of Achish, or was he really?

 

The psalmist praises God for his ‘faithful love’ which ‘endures forever’. In this psalm one sees why the Jews needed such faithful love.

 

Some of the most famous and often quoted words of the New Testament are in this chapter. Paul continues to compare and contrast God's way vs. the Jewish default way.


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Monday, June 2, 2014

DBRP_Jun03_2014 1Sam26-27 Ps105b Rom9b


Saul comes after David again with 3,000 men, and David show his integrity again and his daring. But even though Saul repents again, David makes the decision to get out of the country so that he will not be continually in danger. He goes to Achish the Philistine king in Gath. The part about the raids upon three enemy people groups is not one of the noble chapters of David's life.

 

Today we complete Psalm 105, which teaches about the miraculous exodus of the people Israel from Egypt. And the summary is, “All this happened so they would follow his decrees and obey his instructions.”

 

In our second reading in Romans 9 we see that the differing responses of the Jews vs. the non-Jews to the Good News was already predicted by God. The majority rejection of the Gospel by the Jews was no surprise to God. People today continue to stumble over the ‘great rock’ God has placed in their path. 


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Sunday, June 1, 2014

DBRP_Jun02_2014 1Sam25 Ps105a Rom9a


Today we hear the story of the cur Nabal and his intelligent and beautiful wife, Abigail. After Nabal is struck down by the Lord, Abigail becomes one of David's wives.

 

Today’s psalm is for teaching and reminding each generation of the children of Israel about the great things God has done for the Jewish people.

 

What wonderful promises God has given to us in chapter 8 of Romans! That chapter always reminds me of a time when a Christian leader did wrong to me, and then said that it would all turn out OK because of Romans 8:28. That is the ultimate of hypocrisy and it ruined that verse for me for a long time. But God DOES indeed work all things for good for all of us who fulfill the conditions stated. Chapter 8 also reminds me of Eloise Burson, the wife of one of my spiritual fathers, Richard . Some years after her husband's death, she showed me how her Bible— if you just let it fall open, always opened to Romans 8. There is no richer passage to meditate on or to memorize. Note that starting with Romans 9, we are entering a difficult section of Paul's argument. Romans 12 starts with “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, …” But if you look back at what goes right before that in chapter 11, that doesn't seem to be what Paul is going back to with the word ‘Therefore’. Can you find what Paul was going back to and how the sections we will read for the next few days fit together? 


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