May 3, 2012

"The Greatness of His Lovingkindness" (5/3)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 106-107.

Psalm 106 chronicles the history of the Israelites sinning against God, then being punished by Him for their sins. But in spite of their sin, God was always willing to save them when they cried out to Him.

“Nevertheless He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake, and relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness” (Psalm 106:44-45).

God’s grace is remarkable. Despite their chronic sin, He was still willing to deliver them.
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April 17, 2012

"The Lord Will Repay Each Man For His Righteousness" (4/17)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Samuel 25-27.

As Saul pursued David, David had several opportunities to kill the king and save himself. Yet each time, David refused to kill Saul. Notice his explanation why on this occasion:

“The Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I refused to stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord, and may He deliver me from all distress” (1 Samuel 26:23-24).

David’s trust and faith were in the Lord. Therefore, he was looking to Him for deliverance from his enemies and the threat that existed from the king.
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March 29, 2012

"You Will Not Be Able to Serve the Lord" (3/29)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Joshua 22-24.

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

This is one of the more well-known verses in the Bible. Joshua, toward the end of his life, challenged the Israelites to choose to either serve God or not. His decision was already made – he and his house would serve the Lord. But he told them they would have to make their own choice.
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March 10, 2012

Equal Justice Under the Law (3/10)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 35-36.

The cities of refuge were given as a provision in case anyone killed another man unintentionally (Numbers 35:6-28). If this happened, the one who took the life of his neighbor could flee to one of the cities of refuge to escape the slain man’s avenger. While there, the manslayer would be safe until he stood trial. If he was found to be not guilty of murder, he would remain safe if he remained within the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only then could he leave and return to his home.

After these rules were given, the Lord was explicitly clear that these rules would apply to all the people.

“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest” (Numbers 35:30-32).

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March 6, 2012

Remember Those Who Were Unfaithful (3/6)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 26-27.

Chapters that provide details about a census of the Israelites are easy for us to skim over. Yet there are lessons to be learned even here.

“The sons of Eliab: Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed  them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning” (Numbers 26:9-10).

“The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan” (Numbers 26:19).

“To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord” (Numbers 26:60-61).

Of the more than 600,000 men of Israel included in the census, the ones listed above were the few to have additional comments made about them. Why were we reminded of these men? They are here to serve as “a warning” (Numbers 26:10).
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March 1, 2012

“Teach Us to Number Our Days” (3/1)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 14-15; Psalm 90.

“As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).

In this psalm attributed to Moses, we are reminded of the brevity of life. We will not live forever here on the earth. Although seventy or eighty years may seem like a long time from a certain perspective, it is really a short period of time.

James writes, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The Hebrew writer notes, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
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February 25, 2012

Innocent Until Proven Guilty (2/25)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 5-6.

When the Law was first handed down to Moses, adultery was explicitly condemned (Exodus 20:14). If this command was violated, God revealed the punishment for this sin – “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife… the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” (Levitucus 20:10).

What if there was only a suspicion of adultery? What if one was all but certain his wife had committed adultery with another man, but he had no evidence to prove she was guilty? The Law addressed this:
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