Today’s Reading: Daniel 12, Psalm 16, 46, 76, 106, 146, Proverbs 16
Psalm 16:6 “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” The New International Version says “The boundary lines” I love the security he speaks of here. There are lines we shouldn’t cross but they are not to keep us in…they are to keep us out of unpleasant places. When we stay within bounds of what God desires for us we see that even if our family were a bunch of nuts, we still have a goodly heritage. How? We have a heritage that brought us to what we are now…a history that pushed us to become what God wants us to be rather than what the world would mold us into. Sometimes a past so despicable we are driven to be as far from a part of it as we possibly can. Once we find ourselves in the pleasant places of God. We can rest. We are secure…nothing can harm us. To add New Testament insight…we are a new person now. Our heritage is simply a story that got us here it is not a defining characteristic of who we are.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”
I can’t wait to see God exalted among the heathen. Not to be cruel or anything…but there is a righteous anger in me when I see or hear people directly denying or belittling God. People who outright offend who and what he is, either with their actions or their words. Challenging his deity, his authority and his Holiness. I get a shudder when I see it and I want to either shush them and help them see what their actions will lead them to or then see God prove himself to them. How arrogant you must be to deny God.
Psalm 106:15 “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” This verse always catches me. He is talking about the children of Israel here. Their trek through the desert and the things they did that were displeasing. It opens my eyes though to the idea that sometimes, even if God doesn’t want us to have or do something He will say yes. Sometimes He gives us what we want, regardless of how it will hurt us. Not without warning, not without saying “no” several times I’m sure, but if we insist…He may just give it to us. And then what…leanness into our souls? The amplified Bible says…”sent leanness into their soul and (thinned their numbers with) disease and death”. It’s sort of like that little phrase…”I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you.” This is thought provoking. I think of a woman who so desires to be with a certain man that she can see no other way to live. She begs of God and is told no, she begs again and is told no. She begs again and won’t take no for an answer. God throws up His hands and says…okay…if you want him you can have him. She takes that as good enough regarding God’s will and marries Mr. Wrong. A year later she can’t understand why he doesn’t want to go to church with her, he doesn’t want to do anything with her anymore and seems to be working late with his female project manager a little too often. God said it was okay, didn’t he? Why do so many bad things happen to me?
Proverbs 16:3 “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” I love this verse. It is the motto for doing what’s right. Sometimes you don’t feel like it, sometimes you don’t even believe it will do any good. Sometimes you think…if I’m only doing it because I think I should, than my motives are wrong and that’s not good. But according to this verse…if you do what’s right and commit what’s right to God…He’ll cause your motives to follow. He’ll bring your feelings along and prove to you that obedience doesn’t require you to believe it will work…it only requires you to do it. That’s why obedience is better than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3 says “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” Sacrifice involves your feelings…good or bad and obedience involves faith. Just do it because you believe that I am who I say I am. More could be said, but I have an Owen to take care of.