Year One, July 1

I Chose You Out Of the World1

Judges 3:1-15; 31

1Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 2It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.

Israel was surrounded by hostile nations. The Lord intended to keep his people expert in war. Therefore he allowed certain of the neighboring nations to cause them trouble. In this way Israel’s army would always be on the alert and ready to go into battle. The church is also intended to be an army on active duty because the Lord will not allow everything around us to be peaceful.

3These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebohamath. 4They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods. (Ungodly marriages are the source of unceasing evil. We must maintain the separated condition of the people of God or else we will fall into sin and pierce ourselves through with many sorrows. We are not of the world and we must not act as if we are.)

7And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

They got used to hearing talk about Baal and the Asheroth (the groves of trees where Baal was worshipped). They eventually developed a deep respect for the religious beliefs of their idolatrous neighbors. And then their deceiving memories forgot their God. Beware of sin’s slippery slide.

8Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

This king ruled from a great distance. God will find a rod2 for rebels, even if he goes hundreds of miles to find it.

9But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. (Othniel had been brave in his youth and it is pleasant to hear of him in his old age. If we serve God well in the morning of life, we may be sure that he will honor us before the day is over.)

12And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the LORD. (This time the oppressor was closer to home and the punishment was more severe.) 13He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

15aThen the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. (This man struck King Eglon a deadly blow and saved his country from the rule of the Moabites. God hears the cries of his suffering people and at some point, he will raise up just the right person to rescue them.

31After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad,3 and he also saved Israel. (Rough as he was, God honored Shamgar. His simple weapon is a famous treasure in the Lord’s arsenal. God can use us for great purposes and he will, if we have real faith in him and are fully submitted to his will.)

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¹ John 15:19

² Proverbs 13:24, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

³ oxgoad - A tool somewhat like a spear that farmers used to prod or goad oxen to guide them.

Year One, June 30

Bear Fruit In Keeping With Repentance1

We will now return to the Bible history.

  

Judges 2:6-16

6When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. (Joshua dismissed the people after the angel of the Lord had finished speaking to them. The right thing to do after a good sermon is to put it into practice.) 7And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel.

Good men have a very strong influence. Pray that God will always provide the church with helpful pastors and holy men. They act as anchors to the church, which otherwise might drift into error. What brings us the most comfort is knowing that our great Joshua, the Lord Jesus Christ, will never die.

8And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. 9And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

The best of people will eventually die. Even those who live longest die at last, and so must we.

10And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.

11And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. 12And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger. 13They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. (They were carried away from the true God by their love of the false gods of Canaan. They worshiped idols that are nothing more than the work of people’s hands.)

14So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

When God’s people sin, God steps in to correct their behavior. Even though others who disobey God seem to get away with it, the Lord’s chosen will not. What misery comes as a result of trying to run away from the Lord. 

16Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. (He was far more ready to rescue them than to strike them. The Lord delights in mercy.)

  

Judges 2:1-5

1Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, (Could this “angel of the Lord” be anyone else than the Lord Jesus? Who could use such language but one who is equal with God?) 2and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” (Their sin was to be their punishment. If we will not fight against our sins, our sins will fight against us.)

4As soon as the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5And they called the name of that place Bochim (or the place of weeping). And they sacrificed there to the LORD. (Tears will not be enough, there must also be sacrifice. Blessed are they who, with broken hearts, surround the altar of the Lord. May the Holy Spirit work in each of us a holy sorrow for all sin. Amen.)

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¹ Matthew 3:8

Year One, June 29

We Will Always Be With the Lord1

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. (We may sorrow, but not as much and not for as long as those who have no hope. We know that the souls of believers who have died are safe and that their bodies will rise from the grave when Jesus comes back. Therefore, what reason do we have to weep and complain the way the godless and unbelieving do?) 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (Note the words, “fallen asleep.” Fallen asleep in Jesus! Death does not break the relationship between Jesus and his saints. We are one with him eternally; and therefore just as surely as Jesus rose from the grave, all the members of his mystical body2 must also rise.)

15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. (We who are alive are not in a better position than those who have died in the Lord. At the same time, those who have gone before us are not in line ahead of us. The dead in Christ and the alive in Christ are equal. There is no reason to be anxious to be alive when our Lord returns. What is important is that we are confident that the Lord will return. Whether we are alive or dead when he comes is not a big deal. There is no special award given just because we happen to be alive when he comes again.)

16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (Those who have died in Christ will be the first to receive new glorified bodies.) 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (The resurrection of the dead comes first, then the rapture when both living and dead rise up in the air together to live with Jesus for forever. Jesus is our best and only hope. Does he belong to us and we to him?) 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.

  

1 Thessalonians 5:1-10

1Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (Those who reject the warning of this prophecy will be caught off guard when Jesus comes back.) 3While  people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (Certainly, suddenly, unstoppably. No matter which way they turn they will find no safe way to escape; they will not be rescued.) 4But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

Even though you do not know when it will happen, your faith stands on guard, and you are prepared.

5For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

Are we all children of the light? If we are God’s special people, we should be responsible people. We need to stay awake and be alert. The children of darkness may have an excuse for being caught sleeping, but we do not. A “sleeping Christian” is a contradiction in terms.

7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.

In those days, drunkenness had not grown as bold as it is now. People who were in the habit of becoming intoxicated waited for the cover of darkness to have their drunken parties. It would be completely out of place for someone who has heavenly light to fall into the wicked activities of nature’s midnight.

8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

The great love of Jesus is understood best when his redeemed ones show it in their lives, at all times and in all places. 

Spirit of holiness, work in us to be in fellowship with Jesus and to be like him. Amen.

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¹ 1 Thessalonians 4:17

² The Mystical Body of Christ refers to all Christians in all times in all places as being part of Jesus Christ and one another. Paul refers to this in Romans 12:4-5. Verse 5: “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” See also, 1 Corinthians 10:17 & Ephesians 4:11-13.

Year One, June 28

Fear God. Honor the Emperor1

1 Peter 2:13-25

13Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, (True religion is always the friend of peace and liberty. The gospel does not encourage lawlessness and the Christian does not start fights.) whether it be to the emperor2 as supreme, 14or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. (Civil government is necessary for the well-being of mankind, and those who delight in the law of the Lord are among the last to wish to see its power weakened, or its police officers hated. We would rather suffer because of a few bad laws, than see our country terrorized by lawless mobs.)

15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (Others are quick to speak against our holy faith. In Peter’s day Christians were accused of being opposed to the government. The constant obedience of Christians to the laws of the countries they lived in was the most convincing answer to the people who thought they wanted to overthrow the government.) 16Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (Believers are the freest of people, but they know the difference between liberty and ignoring the law. As servants of the Lord, they agree to obey laws made to keep the peace in their country. The reason they do is because their Great Lawgiver commands them to.) 17Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (Four general principles that are intended to balance one another. There should be a blending of all of them in our lives. We are to honor not only our country’s leaders, but everyone. Every human being should be treated with respect. Not just rich people or those who always wear the latest style, or who are admired by the world, but poor people and those who wear secondhand clothing and do not seem to have friends. We are all created in the image of God and we should treat everyone in the best way we can.)

18Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? (Ordinary people can do that, but Christians are extraordinary people and must rise to the highest point of goodness.) But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. (Many will say, “If I deserve to be punished, then I will live through it without complaining.” That is obviously the right thing to do. If we are wise, we can put up with suffering patiently even when we see no reason for deserving such treatment. We thank God for the grace he gives us that helps us rejoice in the middle of our suffering even when we are in the right.)

21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (What an example! May the Holy Spirit work in us to imitate it. The Lord Jesus was the perfect example of patience and the perfect picture of tolerance. He was absolutely perfect. He endured suffering all the time for no reason except that he was hated. But he never complained, or resented being treated so wrongly. Master of Patience, teach your followers.)

24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (Let us then follow our Shepherd wherever he leads. Let us walk closely with Jesus especially in the paths of sacred patience and self-control.)

Oh Spirit of love, we need your grace to do this!

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¹ 1 Peter 2:17

² Or king; also verse 17

Year One, June 27

Love Never Ends1

In today’s reading the apostle Paul tells us what holy love is. This excellent grace is an absolutely essential ingredient in the Christian’s witness to the world.

  

1 Corinthians 13

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

The greatest speaker’s words are only so much sound, unless there is love in their heart to give power to their words. Better to have a loving heart than to speak twenty languages.

2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (We may be blessed with extraordinary talent and abilities and yet still perish in our sins. Grace in the heart is the only sure evidence of salvation. A man may prophesy and be a Balaam.2 He may understand mysteries and be a Simon the Magician.3 He may have all knowledge and perish like Ahithophel.4 He may have a faith that can move mountains, and be a son of destruction like Judas. If we do not love both God and people, then we have nothing good in us.) 3If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (People may give all their money for the poor just to show off. They may die as martyrs because they are simply down right stubborn. But if they have no love to God their suffering is actually pointless. Love is an essential grace. It is the heart of godliness. Without love true religion is just a dead body.)

4Love is patient and kind; love does not envy (It rejoices when good things happen to others.) or boast; (It never glorifies itself.) it is not arrogant (It hates flattery.) 5or rude. (Christian love behaves itself. Love to others will not allow us to act in ways that are improper for Christians or that society thinks are in bad taste.) It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; (It is not suspicious and always finding fault with others.) 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7Love bears all things, (Love tolerates the faults of others. As Old Master Trapp says, love “swallows down whole, many pills that would be very bitter in her mouth if she were so foolish as to chew them.”5) believes all things, (That is to say, love believes all things that would make us have a good opinion of our neighbors, even when it takes great faith to be able to do so.) hopes all things, endures all things.

8Love never ends. (It is like a beautiful flower that never withers.) As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part. (Our greatest knowledge is to know that we know nothing. We are only beginner students in Christ’s College.) 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Paul shows us that our best intellectual accomplishments here below, even in heavenly things, are temporary. He teaches us to place the greatest value on those superior graces of the heart that will outlast time and be made perfect in eternity.

13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

It is not true that faith and hope will come to an end any more than love will. The three divine sisters are each immortal. We will trust the Lord all the more when we meet him face to face and we will hope all the more enthusiastically for the continued enjoyment of his glory when we enter into it. Still love is the best. May we become perfect in love.

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¹ 1 Corinthians 13:8

² Balaam was a prophet in Moab who was hired to curse Israel, but instead prophesied as the Lord directed him. His story begins in Number 22. He later gave advice to the king of Moab that, “caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD” (Number 31:16).

³ Or in Latin, Simon Magus. His story in found in Acts 8:9-24.

⁴ Ahithophel advised David’s son Absalom when he tried to overthrow his father’s throne. His story is found in 2 Samuel 15:12 - 17:23.

⁵ John Trapp (1601-1669) We swallow pills whole because they taste terrible if we chew them. Love thinks the best of others’ words and actions and does not spend time (chewing on them) trying to figure out whether their intentions were good or bad.

Year One, June 26

Blessed Is He Who Trusts In the LORD1

Proverbs 16:17-33

17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;

whoever guards his way preserves his life.

Keep on the right road and God will keep you safe. The right road is the King’s highway, the ancient, well-used way. It is the road traveled by the saints before us and walked by the Prince of pilgrims himself.

18 Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride will cause a fall. As the needle in the barometer forecasts the weather, so does pride warn us that a humbling time is near.

19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor

than to divide the spoil with the proud.

This may not seem like good advice, and few would choose to follow it, but the Word of God knows best. The person dividing up the loot is afraid they may lose it again, and is probably already unhappy with their share and greedy for more. But the humble mind is satisfied, and therefore possesses happiness.

20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,

and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

To trust God in all our matters is the wise way of handling them. Let us trust him in all things today.

21 The wise of heart is called discerning,

and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

The really wise person will eventually be discovered and will receive the credit they deserve.  Those who can speak in an interesting and pleasing way can increase the knowledge of others if their own hearts are taught correctly.

22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,

but the instruction of fools is folly.

The wisdom of a fool is ridiculous. Even their best advice is foolishness.

23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious

and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Since pleasant words are both sweet and healthful, let us use many of them. Use words out of God’s Word, kind words, words that give pleasure to others. Let us use them from morning to night, and even though we are not beekeepers, we will never be without honeycombs.

25 There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

26 A worker’s appetite works for him;

his mouth urges him on.

We need food to eat everyday and therefore we must work for it. We need spiritual food everyday and our Savior has told us we must work for that too.

27 A worthless man plots evil,

He searches for evil like a miner for gold. He searches for places where it is hidden. He digs hard to find it. People will work hard for Satan.

and his speech is like a scorching fire.

He is always ready to speak hurtfully and do untold harm.

28 A dishonest man spreads strife,

and a whisperer separates close friends.

If you have anything to say that you would be embarrassed to say to the person you are talking about, then never say it at all. Whispering against people is extremely mean and those who listen to it are mean too.

29 A man of violence entices his neighbor

and leads him in a way that is not good.

30 Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;

he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.

Some shut their eyes and move their lips in prayer, but hateful people spend their time thinking about cruel things they can do. They are always thinking of it and muttering about it to themselves.

31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;

it is gained in a righteous life.

Honor older Christians. Think of their gray hair as crowns on their heads, and treat them with double respect. Old age is honorable by itself, but when godliness goes along with it, it is even more honorable.

32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

People with self-control have conquered themselves. They have crushed a rebellion that comes from within. These are wonderful and unselfish achievements. May the Lord make each one of us gentle and patient. Are we of a hot and angry spirit? Then let us pray for the waters of grace to quench the flames of nature.

33 The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the LORD.

The Lord controls even what seems like unimportant matters or what may appear to be accidents. This is a sweet comfort.

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¹ Proverbs 16:20

Year One, June 25

The LORD Weighs the Spirit1

Let us learn a little from the wisdom of Solomon, from

  

Proverbs 16:1-16

1 The plans of the heart belong to man,

but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

We are not able to think or say anything properly without God guiding us. This is especially true when we pray. We need to have our heart prepared and our mouth opened by the Spirit of all grace.

2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,

but the LORD weighs the spirit.

We judge by looking on the surface or outward appearance. The Lord uses an infallible test. He puts everything into his perfect balances and arrives at a very different conclusion from ours.

3 Commit your work to the LORD,

and your plans will be established.

Both our physical and spiritual concerns will be safe when we place them in the Lord’s hands. Then the peace that comes from our faith, will give us a steady, calm, determined, and joyful state of mind.

4 The LORD has made everything for its purpose,

even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Let the wicked oppose God all they want; he will make them serve some part in his plans.

5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD;

be assured, he will not go unpunished.

The pride of the wicked makes them despicable, but their power cannot protect them. God will break up all godless nations and associations, however strong they may be.

6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

7 When a man’s ways please the LORD,

he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

The Lord often does this, as in the cases of Isaac and Abimelech, Jacob and Esau. But this truth must be qualified by another truth. The Lord’s enemies will not always be at peace with us, no matter how kind and pleasant we may be.

8 Better is a little with righteousness

than great revenues with injustice.

9 The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his steps.

“Man proposes, but God disposes.”2 Napoleon sneered at this saying, and vowed that he would propose and dispose too, but his end was not far-off.

10 An oracle is on the lips of a king;

his mouth does not sin in judgment.

This should be true. In King Solomon’s case it was true. But the opposite might be said of many other kings. There is one King, the Lord of all, concerning whom this is absolutely true.

11 A just balance and scales are the LORD’s;

all the weights in the bag are his work.

Justice should rule everywhere including in the courtroom and in everyday life.  Let us be very honest in all our relationships, because anything else displeases the Lord.

12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil,

for the throne is established by righteousness.

13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king,

and he loves him who speaks what is right.

14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,

and a wise man will appease it.

15 In the light of a king’s face there is life,

and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.

This is most true of the King of kings. His anger is death. His love is life. Those who enjoy the awareness of the favor of the Lord, know by experience the refreshing and comforting influence of his presence. To walk in the light of God’s acceptance is perfect happiness. To lose fellowship with God, brings bitter sorrow to his chosen.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Wisdom from God is better, much better than gold. No one can even imagine how much better. Gold can be earned by anyone, but only God can choose us, by his free grace, to be a part of his holy family. Gold is just a valuable piece of earth, but grace is the very heart of heaven. Gold is soon spent and gone. The more we use grace, the more grace we are given. Gold may be stolen from us, but no one can take grace away from us. Gold and silver cannot comfort us in death, but true wisdom can. The wealth of precious metals will be useless in eternity, but grace will make us glorious there. Lord, always give us understanding through your Holy Spirit!

           

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¹ Proverbs 16:2

² From Of the Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis (1379-1471). An English translation from the Latin meaning: “Human beings can make any plans they want, but it is God who determines whether they succeed or fail.”