A Righteous Man

 Psalm 15

There is an old legend about the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes.  In the legend, he spent many years of his life wandering around, looking for an honest man.  According to the legend, he never found one.  Our psalm for today is looking for the same thing, a good, upright, righteous man who may enter into God’s tabernacle, into His presence.  Is there such a person?  Let’s look into Psalm 15

King David is the author of Psalm 15.  For many years the Ark of the Covenant had been held captive by the Philistines, and it was David’s great desire to bring it back to Jerusalem.  Yet God is all-holy, and who, with their own sinfulness, can come into His presence?  The Bible clearly teaches that everyone, you, me, we all are sinful, and no one on their own is good, upright, or righteous (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23).  Yet as we read through our psalm and the requirements of the people God will welcome into His presence, we wonder who could possibly fulfill these requirements.

On our own, we will consistently fall short.  There is only one who is sinless, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Whoever accepts Him as their Savior will have His righteousness bestowed upon them (II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 10:13).  We exchange our sinfulness for His righteousness, and are thus able to abide in God’s tabernacle, and dwell in His tents.

A saved person should exhibit indications of ethical integrity and moral responsibility.  God calls His people to be morally upright, and He gives us several  standards to determine how we are doing.  We read these in this psalm that David wrote.  A follower of the Lord Jesus should show in his lifestyle evidence of integrity.  His deeds should be just, and his words be true (vs. 2).  He doesn’t speak hurtful words to others, doesn’t harm others, nor bring a reproach to his family or friends (vs. 3).  A believer will try his best to not do any evil to his neighbor.  He won’t do anything to bring disappointment to his family, to make them a reproach in the neighborhood, or hang their head in shame.

As we continue on in our psalm, we read that one that God will welcome into His tabernacle and holy hill will be careful with whom they associate (vs. 4).  He rejects wicked, degenerate sinners as his companions and good friends, and instead fellowships with other believers.  We know that our behavior and thinking is frequently affected and changed by those we associate with, so if we wish to continue living in a godly manner, we should be associating with other godly Christians, not with the worldly, sinful crowd.

Another characteristic of a righteous and upright person is that they will hold themselves accountable (vs. 4).  He performs what he promises.  His word is his bond.  God keeps every promise He makes to us, and His Word is true.  He expects His children to also be honest in their word, keeping their promises, vows, and oaths.  As we see in several of these characteristics, words are powerful.  How we use them reflects our relationship with God.  We need to speak the truth, refuse to slander others, and keep our word and our promises.

David concludes his list with a final characteristic of a godly believer, and that is that he is not fickle or greedy.  He can’t be bought with a bribe, nor does he charge high interest in order to become rich at the expense of the poor (vs. 5).  Some people are so obsessed with money that they will change their lifestyle and standards to get it.  That is not to be the case with a follower of Jesus.

So, who may abide in God’s tabernacle, and dwell on His holy hill?  The answer is those who have the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, which we receive when we accept Him as our Savior.  Those who come to Him through the shed Blood of Jesus.  Only when we have the righteousness of Jesus, will we be able to faithfully show these characteristics in our life.

Do Not Add Or Subtract

 Deuteronomy 4:1-9

Accuracy is important, especially when a crucial message is being sent.  When we send a verbal message to someone through a third party, we want them to get the message correct, word for word what we said.  The same would go for a secretary taking a letter for the boss.  She needs to get the words of that message down correctly.  When bringing a message, it needs to be accurate, not adding any words of our own, nor taking out any words.  God feels the same way with His Word, the Bible.  Let’s look into our Scripture today from the Book of Deuteronomy.

The Book of Deuteronomy was God’s message to the people of Israel just prior to their entry into the Promised Land.  It was the final words that God spoke through His servant Moses, as Moses did not enter the land of Canaan.  He died on the eastern side of the Jordan River.  Throughout Deuteronomy Moses urged the people to stay true to Yahweh, and not be tempted by the false gods of the Canaanites.  He also told the people that they were to stay true to the Word of God, not adding or subtracting a single word, and they were to teach that Word to their children.

The Bible is the Word of God.  The Bible is sufficient for us.  It is complete, and it contains all we need for life and godliness.  Verse 2 warns us that we are not to add or to subtract from it.  That is a warning that God gives us at the close of Scripture, as well, in Revelation 22:18-19.  No human being, with their limited wisdom and knowledge, can change it. To presume to change the Bible is to assume a place of authority over God.  The religious leaders at the time of Jesus did this.  They elevated their own man-made laws to the same, or even greater level, than God’s Word (Matthew 23:1-4).

Moses continues on, pleading with the people to stay true to Yahweh, reminding them of what happened at Baal Peor (vs. 3-4).  We can read of Baal Peor in Numbers 25.  Throughout the wilderness wanderings of the people of Israel, God had warned them not to intermarry with the pagan people.  This was to be a rule, though frequently disobeyed, when they entered the land of Canaan as well.  The reason behind this order was because marrying a pagan, particularly a pagan woman, would lead them to quickly start worshipping their pagan gods.  We see this centuries later with King Solomon, and what brought about his downfall (I Kings 11:1-11).  In Numbers 25 we find that many of the Israelites were marrying the Moabite women, and worshipping their gods.  Many of the pagan worship rites included immoral sexual practices.  The Israelites began taking part in these, along with idolatrous worship of the false Moabite gods.  God brought swift and harsh judgment on them at Baal Peor.  Only those who held fast to God lived.  Though God often holds back and delays punishment, He does not overlook or wink at sin.  Judgment will come.

Moses continued instructing the people, telling them that they were to be God’s witnesses to the surrounding nations (vs. 6).  Israel was supposed to be a testimony to the world.  They were to be a witness nation, drawing the Gentiles to God.  The unsaved were to see God’s light shining through them, and thus desire to find out more about Him.  This is even more true of Christians today.  Is our Christian walk such that the unbelievers see Jesus in us, and want to find out more about Him because of how we live?

As we continue in our passage, Moses reminded the people that God was near them.  Unlike the pagan gods, who never cared about the people who worshipped them, Yahweh is the true and only God, and He loves and cares for His people (vs 7).   The life and words of Jesus, our Savior, abundantly shows this.  These pagan gods only demanded sacrifices, often human sacrifices.  Yahweh, though, loved us so much that He gave the sacrifice, the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus!  We can call on God for any reason, at any time, regarding any difficulty or challenge.

As Moses closes the Scripture today, he warns to take heed to follow God’s Word.  Take heed, watch out, be careful.  Evil is everywhere, always seeking to tempt us away from obedience to God, and His Word.  Sin promises a better life if we only follow the world’s way.  However that promise is empty, as it leads only to destruction.  God calls us to listen and obey Him, and not be tempted by what the world has to offer.  Who will we listen to and follow?  The choice is ours.

To Whom Shall We Go?

 John 6:60-69

Fickle people.  They change their loyalties, interests, and affections frequently.  They will follow after one thing until some little thing happens to change their mind.  They will be a supporter of a leader for a while, but then when the wind blows the other way or some challenge comes up, they drop away.  It is not pleasant to have fickle people in one’s entourage, and they do not help one’s cause at all.  Jesus faced some fickle people among the crowds that followed Him.  We will read about them in our passage of Scripture for today.

As our Scripture today begins, Jesus had been teaching the crowds of people.  After He gave His talk where He called Himself the Bread of Life, and that people would need to partake of this Bread for eternal life, many of the crowds turned away from Him.  Even some faithful followers were disillusioned with what Jesus had been saying that day, and they even turned away in unbelief.  This was one major, critical turning point in His ministry, one where people were faced with making a decision.  Would they accept what Jesus had said about Himself, or would they turn away in unbelief.  After this day only the true believers remained.

At this point in time many of the Israelites had a set idea of what they felt the Messiah should be like.  They wanted a warrior-king type of Messiah, one who would come and kick the occupying Roman empire out, one who would set up a king like their great King David from the past.  The actions and words were indicating that Jesus was the Messiah, but not the type of Messiah they wanted.  He never spoke of kicking the Romans out, nor of being an earthly king.  Jesus spoke of sacrificing Himself.  These crowds were unwilling to accept the bloody death of the Messiah, one who would sacrifice Himself.  This was an offence to the Jews, a stumbling block to them, and they turned away (vs. 61).  The cross is an offense to the world.

The weak-faithed disciples complained and murmured at what Jesus said.  His words were too hard and unbelievable, and seemed like either nonsense or blasphemy.  That is the case with many people today.  They have their own preconceived ideas of what Jesus should be like.  They love the idea of a Good Shepherd, a gentle Jesus.  However, when He says that He is the only way to heaven, when they read that we must be obedient children, give up our own ways, they turn away.  They want God on their own terms, they want salvation on their own terms, not by what the Bible says.  So they turn away, just like the people in our passage today.

There were several reasons why these false disciples left.  One was when they realized that Jesus was not going to be the conquering Messiah-King they were wanting.  Another was that He did not give in to their self-centered requests.  Some people turn away from God when they don’t get what they want.  They want a heavenly Santa Claus, and that is not who God is.  Some of the people turned away in our passage because Jesus emphasized faith, and not works.  That turns some people off today, as well, as their pride gets in their way.  And then, His teachings were difficult to understand, and some even seemed offensive.  What God’s Word really teaches gets some people angry today, too, and they decide they want no more to do with Him.

Jesus knew what was in their hearts (vs. 64).  They were not true believers, and were only attracted by the miracles and food.  When Jesus turned to the twelve apostles, He asked them if they were going to turn away (vs. 67).  The apostle Peter answered right away that he knew that there is no other way, no other One who has the Words of eternal life (vs. 67-68).

There is no middle ground with Jesus.  We either accept or reject Him.  The more people hear Jesus, the more they divide into two camps.  Many reject Him because they don’t like what they hear in the Bible.  Jesus’s Words, God’s Word the Bible, gives us life (vs. 63).  Jesus didn’t use flowery, placating speech to make the crowds feel warm and comfy.  He spoke hard, Biblical truths.  We need preachers and Bible teachers today who do the same!

Be A Spiritual Fireman

 Jude 1:17-25

Most of us have seen on TV shows or in the movies when a fireman goes into a burning building to rescue a person who is trapped inside, the flames hindering a safe escape.  The fireman rushes in to grab the trapped person, snatching them up and rushing out as the flames surround them and the burning beams start to crash down.  These rescues happen in real life, and they occasionally happen in people’s spiritual lives, as well.  In our Scripture passage today, we read that God has called us to be a type of spiritual fireman, rescuing those who are on the brink of hell.  Let’s look into our passage from the Book of Jude.

Our Scripture today begins with a reminder that the apostles of the early church warned the coming generations, (which would include us today), of apostates entering into the church with their false teachings (vs. 17-19).  An apostate is someone who has turned away from sound, Biblical doctrine, and instead believes false or heretical teachings, or believes nothing at all.  Throughout every generation, from the times of the apostles on through today, there have been those who have spread false teachings.  Paul warned Timothy of this in II Timothy 3:1-9, and warned other early church leaders in Acts 20:29-30.  Peter also warned us of this in II Peter 3:3.

Jude called these people “mockers”.  We see a lot of mockers of the Bible today.  They claim that God’s Word is not true and is not divinely inspired.  Even within some denominations we see some preachers claim that the Bible might contain some of God’s Word but that not all of it is inspired, which is false and heretical teaching.  Jude, Paul, and Peter each warn us to beware of these people.  These mockers especially scoff at God’s future plans as laid out in the Bible.  They pretend to know the truth, but deny that judgment will ever come.  Mockers in the world today ridicule genuine faith in Jesus and those who believe the Bible.

Scripture warns us that these apostate teachers claim to have great spiritual knowledge, but are instead very worldly and ungodly (vs. 19).  These apostates have separated themselves from those who teach solid Biblical truth.  They fracture the true church and believers, rather than unite them.  Jude warns that they do not have the Holy Spirit.  If one doesn’t have the Holy Spirit, then one is not saved.  We need to beware of revisionist teachings of Scripture, that replace sound doctrine with human doctrines (II Timothy 4:3-4).  They can be highly deceptive, so be careful to check every teaching against Scripture (Colossians 2:8; Acts 17:10-11).

After warning us, God, through His servant Jude, gives true believers some instructions (vs. 20-23).  True believers have a sure foundation in Jesus Christ.  We need to consistently pray that we stay firm and true on that Biblical foundation, being obedient and faithful, eagerly awaiting the Second Coming of Jesus.

Jude then urges us to try and witness to those who have fallen away into false teaching, and to lead them back into the truth (vs. 22-23).  Some of these are sincere doubters who deserve compassion, but need to be properly instructed.  Then there are those who are deeper into unbelief.  These need to be rescued before they become further entrenched on the road to hell.  They need to be snatched from the fire that awaits them, just like a fireman does a trapped victim.  There are also the outspoken apostates, those who are thoroughly polluted by false teachings, who still need to be rescued.  They need to be handled with care and fear so that we do not also get spiritually tainted.

Scripture here says we are to hate the sin that they are in.  We should have no love or sympathy for the sin, but have love and mercy for the sinner.  In doing that, though, don’t fall into compromise with the sin or the sinner.  We are to influence them for Christ.  Don’t allow them to influence us to sin.

Our Scripture passage ends with a magnificent benediction (vs. 24-25).  Jesus is able to keep us, through His Word, from falling into apostasy.  It is ultimately not through our own efforts that we remain on our feet as we walk in this world.  It is God’s power that keeps us standing.  We are eternally secure.  But others, those who follow the world, will come to a day when they will take a step and find out there is nothing to support them, and they will fall.  Let us follow Jude’s example and put on our fire gear, rush into the flames, and try to rescue the perishing, snatching them from sin.

Putting A Muzzle On

Psalm 39

I open my mouth and out comes words that I wish weren’t there.   Maybe words that are unkind and hurtful to others.  Perhaps words that are angry, or not completely honest.  Or maybe they are words that show a lack of faith and trust in God.  We all have occasions where we wish we would just keep our mouth shut.  In our psalm for today, David recalls a time that he had said things that he wished he hadn’t.  Let’s look into Psalm 39.

Sometimes we really need to put a muzzle on our mouth!  This was something that King David wished he could do (vs. 1).  He just wanted to tie his mouth closed so that those words he regretted saying would not get out!  We put muzzles on dogs to keep them from biting.  Our words can bite, as well.  They can be hurtful in so many ways.  We need to develop self-control to keep from saying wrong and hurtful things.

David knew that there were many ways he could be sinning with his words.  We know, of course, that we can hurt others with our words.  We can also use some very foul language that is not seemly for a believer to be speaking.  Then there are words that show a lack of trust in God, that can cause others to stumble in their faith.  Some Bible scholars believe that David had been complaining to others, or in other’s hearing about God and His perceived treatment of David, and why God was not punishing the wicked right away.  That David felt He was letting the wicked get away with their sin.

When David realized that his words were not right, he decided to keep quiet, but the burden inside of him was too great (vs. 2-3).  He tried to suppress his distress and complaint until he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Then David came directly to God, which is what he should have done from the start.  Sometimes we hold off coming to God with our problems, needs, or feelings, but we shouldn’t.  When David did come to God, he knew that He would hear him (vs. 12-13).

King David also realized that his words can give a bad witness or testimony in front of unbelievers.  This is very true.  Unbelievers are always watching the Christian.  They listen to everything we say.  They may not always act upon the godly things we say, and turn to Jesus.  However, when we say something we shouldn’t, they take notice, and our words can turn them away from God.  Never give anyone a reason to reject God because we’ve said something ungodly (Colossians 4:5-6).

David appealed to God for mercy because life is so brief (vs. 4-6).  Apart from God, life is fleeting and empty.  According to Scripture, our time and how we use it is important (I Corinthians 7:29).  The time we have to do God’s work is limited, so we must use it wisely (Ephesians 5:16).  We are on the earth for such a short time, we must be diligent to walk wisely.  Since we could appear before God tomorrow, we need to live for him today.  In spite of how brief and short life is, people spend so much time securing their lives on earth, and spend so little, or no thought about where they will spend eternity.  We shouldn’t just spend time, we should invest it.

As we study this lesson from God that He inspired King David to write, let's learn some of the lessons that David himself learned.  We need to talk less.  The more we talk, the greater the chance of saying something stupid, hurtful, and regrettable.  Before we do speak, pause and consider - are our words accurate?  Are they kind or cutting?  Are they necessary or needless?  Are they wholesome words?  Are they grateful to God and to others, or are they complaining?

Words are powerful, and once they are spoken, we can’t take them back.  How many relationships were destroyed because of the wrong words?  How many people carry the scars around for life because of hurtful or vicious words spoken to them?  And we may never know how many people decided to turn away from accepting Jesus as their Savior because of some ill-spoken words that someone said.  As David advised, sometimes we need to put a muzzle on our mouth!

Choose Who You Will Serve

 Joshua 24:1-2, 14-25

Every day we make choices.  Many of them do not have long-lasting importance, but some of them do.  Some of our choices will affect our family for years to come, such as where we choose to live, where we will send our children to school.  Probably the most important decision we will ever make will affect our family for generations, and that is what God we choose to worship.  In our Scripture today we read of Joshua, in the closing years of his life, challenging the people as to which God they will serve.  Let’s take a look.

Years earlier, shortly before the death of Moses, God had appointed Joshua to be the one to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River and on to the conquest of the Promised Land.  Now, at the close of his life, Joshua gathered the people together to determine the course of their spiritual future.  Moses was gone.  He would soon be gone.  He knew the people needed to make an important decision.  Who or what they would worship was important.  It would determine their future as a people.

There would be the temptation to worship the pagan gods of the Canaanites where they now lived.  Some would remember the false gods of the Egyptians where they had been slaves for several hundred years.  Going back even further, there were the pagan deities from the ancestors of Abraham (vs. 2).  The River that Joshua referred to was the Euphrates.  Abraham and his family had lived in Ur, a city near the southern end of that river.  His father Terah had been a pagan, worshipping false gods.  Moon worship was strong in that culture.  Abraham would have been raised that way, until he came to follow Yahweh, the one true God.

The people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven His trustworthiness, or pagan gods.  We too must all make a choice as to who we will follow.  Will we follow Jesus or other false religions of the world?  Or will we follow a worldly, self-worshipping lifestyle?

That day Joshua made a very public stand for himself and his family.  He and his family chose to follow and serve Yahweh (vs. 15).  Regardless of what the other people would do, Joshua made a commitment to serve God.  Joshua was faithful to the Lord.  He was faithful in instructing his children and family in God’s Word, teaching his children, and later grandchildren all about Yahweh.  We can’t just say that we want our family to follow God.  It won’t just happen by happenstance.  It is a deliberate choice we make with every decision and action of our life.  We must teach our family to follow God.  It won’t occur by chance.  We must model our faith by example, praying for them, and instructing them in the Bible and ways of the Lord.  This is what Joshua did when he said that he and his family would follow the Lord.

The people answered Joshua that they, too, would follow the Lord (vs. 16-18).  Joshua heard their promises, but knowing the people as well as he did, knowing how they had been unfaithful to Yahweh in their hearts all throughout the wilderness wandering, he questioned their sincerity (vs. 19).  God demands the believer’s total commitment to Him.  That is only possible when we depend upon the Holy Spirit each and every day.

Talk is cheap.  Joshua and his family committed themselves to follow Yahweh, and they were true to their word.  The people of Israel made a similar commitment, but very quickly fell away.  Within a very few short years after Joshua’s death they had plunged into idolatry.  The whole Book of Judges records this sad saga.

To follow God requires destroying whatever gets in the way of truly worshipping Him (vs. 23).  God is not satisfied if we merely hide these idols.  We must completely destroy them, removing them from our lives.  The Israelites did not do this.  They left them up in their lives, where they could tantalize them and lure them back into their clutches.  We cannot afford to let that happen in our life or in our family.  Anything that comes between us, our family, and God must be removed and destroyed.  Only then can we be sure our family will follow God.

Just as Joshua did, we are called to make a choice.  Will we follow Jesus, some false religion, or the world?  After death it will be too late to make a choice.  If we haven’t chosen Jesus, then we have chosen Satan and hell.  The choice is ours.  We need to decide.  We need to choose who we will serve.

Healing At The Pool Of Bethesda

 John 5:1-16

What were you doing 38 years ago?  That was a long time ago.  Some of you reading this might not even have been born yet.  Many might have been only young children.  I was in my mid-twenties and was working in busy downtown Chicago.  Imagine no internet, no cell phones!  It is also a very long time to be sick or crippled, and completely bedridden.  That was the condition of a man highlighted in our Scripture passage today.  Let’s take a look at the account of his meeting with the Lord Jesus.

There was a pool in the city of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus called Bethesda, whose water had healing qualities.  Occasionally an angel would come down and stir up the water.  Whoever was the first to get into the pool would be healed from whatever illness they had (vs. 1-4).  Because of that, large numbers of sick people gathered around the pool's edge, waiting for the water to be stirred.  Among them was a man who had been sick for 38 years.  The exact nature of his illness is not specified, however we know that he lay on mat, and was unable to get to the water first, despite being there for 38 years.

Then one day Jesus came by.  He saw this man.  His desperate condition did not escape the notice of Jesus.  Scripture says that Jesus knew that the man was ill and had been so for many years (vs. 6).  He asked the man if he wanted to be made well.  This man gave a very sad answer, stating that there was no one to help him get into the water.  There are times when there is “no man” there to help us, as with this man.  We have nowhere to turn.  That’s when we need to turn to God.  No man can do for us what Jesus can do for us.  Family may let us down, the church may disappoint us, friends forsake us, but Jesus will be there in the time of our greatest need.

No one, over 38 years, had ever helped this man.  He had no hope of ever being healed, and over time he had no desire to do much to help himself.  There was something in the man’s attitude holding him back from even thinking about receiving healing.  He had been in his condition for 38 years.  It had become a part of his identity.  Most of us, if we had been seriously sick for 38 years would answer Jesus right away, “Yes Sir!  Most definitely!”  However, there are some, if honest, who would not be so sure.  They have given up all hope, don’t believe healing is available, or even prefer the attention they get while sick.

The sick man’s discouraging answer did not stop the Lord Jesus from bringing him the healing he needed.  He told the man to get up, pick up his mat, and walk (vs. 8-9).  Immediately the Pharisees took notice, and confronted the formerly sick man about carrying his mat on the Sabbath.  They had seen the sick man for 38 years and had done nothing to help him, but now, right away, they condemned him for carrying his mat!  (vs. 10). Carrying a mat on the Sabbath did not break any Old Testament laws, as Sabbath laws referred to one’s job.  But it violated the Talmud, a collection of rabbi’s or man’s words, which the Pharisees followed even more closely than they did God’s Word.  The man answered and told them that the man who healed him told him to carry it, however he didn’t know who that was (vs. 11-13).

A short while later the man meets Jesus again, and He warns the man to stop sinning or something worse will happen (vs. 14).   This might imply that the man’s sickness was brought upon him because of his behavior.  Although Scripture makes it clear that not all disease is a consequence of someone’s sin, illness at times may be directly tied to one’s moral behavior.  One gets drunk and falls down a flight of stairs or in a car wreck, the injuries are directly a result of drunkenness.  Certain immoral behavior can bring some nasty diseases.  This man was healed physically, but needed to turn from his sins and seek God’s forgiveness, and be spiritually healed.  However, we unfortunately do not see that here.  The man turned around and told the Pharisees that it was Jesus who healed him (vs 15).  He had no gratitude.  He only resented that Jesus told him to mend his behavior.

The Pharisees tossed away the great miracle of healing, and saw only the perceived breaking of the Sabbath law, and was only breaking the man-made Talmudic law, which was adding to God’s law (vs. 16).  Jesus paid absolutely no attention to man- made laws!

In closing, do we see those around us who may need a helping hand to get to their blessing?  Are we there to help them up?  If we are the one in need, have we become too discouraged and given up hope?  Don’t give up hope, as Jesus is there, and He sees us.   Perhaps there are some who need to get their life in order, as that man did.  Reach up and accept Jesus today!

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I pray that you have enjoyed and benefited from these Bible meditations that I have written for this blog.  I hope you will prayerfully consider donating as the Lord might lead you.  This blog is not run through a large ministry with a wide funding base.  I am an individual with limited financial resources.  Thank you and God bless.