July 23rd readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
2 Chronicles 8:11-10:19 ~ Romans 8:9-25
Psalm 18:16-36 ~ Proverbs 19:26

Old Testament - Today in Second Chronicles chapter 8 we learn that Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, which was not pleasing to God.  Solomon did this for a military alliance with Egypt.  Solomon's marrying of foreign wives ultimately led to his turning his heart away from God, as we read in 1 Kings 11:1-11.  Interestingly, we see the Solomon won't allow his Egyptian wife to live in David's palace in verse 11 - "Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, "My wife must not live in King David's palace, for the Ark of the LORD has been there, and it is holy ground.""

In Second Chronicles chapter 9 we read about Solomon's wealth and splendor.  I think it is interesting for us to remember that Solomon likely writes the book of Ecclesiastes, which we will read later this year.  Ecclesiastes seems to wisely tell us that living life for one's own pleasure and for riches is meaningless... but only living for God makes life worthwhile.  Today in Verses 22 through 24 we read - "So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth.  Kings from every nation came to visit him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. Year after year, everyone who came to visit brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules."

New Testament - Wow... I love Paul's writings today in Romans 8 verses 12 through 14 - "So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God."   How do these verses speak to you?  Can you imagine that these words were written for you and your life today?  Do you believe that you have no obligation whatsoever to do what sin urges you to do?  Are you led in your life by the Spirit of God?

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Romans titled "Siding with the Spirit" is at this link and "From Groaning to Glory" is at this link.

Psalms - Great verses today for us to meditate upon in Psalm 18 verses 25 through 27 - "To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. You rescue those who are humble, but you humiliate the proud." 

I really love verse 28 - "LORD, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness."   Has Jesus brought light into your life?  Does God light up your darkness?

Proverbs - Proverbs 19 verse 26 is a great reminder of the commandment to honor thy father and mother.  Have you called your mom lately??  :)

 

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

II Chronicles 8:11-10:19
When you come to the land the Lord your God is giving you and take it over and live in it and then say, "I will select a king like all the nations surrounding me," you must without fail select a king whom the Lord your God chooses. From among your fellow citizens you must appoint a king — you may not designate a foreigner who is not one of your fellow Israelites. Moreover, he must not accumulate horses for himself or allow the people to return to Egypt to do so, for the Lord has said you must never again return that way. Furthermore, he must not marry many wives lest his affections turn aside, and he must not accumulate much silver and gold. When he sits on his royal throne he must make a copy of this law on a scroll given to him by the Levitical priests. It must be with him constantly and he must read it as long as he lives, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and observe all the words of this law and these statutes and carry them out. Then he will not exalt himself above his fellow citizens or turn from the commandments to the right or left, and he and his descendants will enjoy many years ruling over his kingdom in Israel.
(Deu 17:14-20 NET.)

I know that I’ve posted the above passage before, pertaining to Solomon’s father David, but it bares repeating. This warning is not just for Israel, but also for believers today. It is when we have read the Word of God, one time or heard it read and then proclaim, “I’ve read that already I already know it,” that causes us to commit the sin of presumption; but The Word says,

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
(Rom 10:17 KJV)

Interesting how God is a God of repetition, it does not say faith comes by having heard, but by hearing over and over again. If Solomon had read and listened to the law, the entanglements that caused his downfall and caused him to turn away from God would not have happened. All our choices have consequences for good or for evil, we reap what we sow a law set in place back in the Garden and rehearsed in the ears of Noah. (Gen 8:22)

Romans 8:9-25
I’ve read this before but I’ve never seen this before in this light.

12 So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. (NLT)

Paul says we have a choice to whom we will serve, the Holy Spirit or our flesh. For me this removes the tendency to say, “I just couldn’t help myself,” and get away with it. We make a choice to submit either to the Holy Spirit or to our flesh.

Psalm 18:15-36
24 The LORD rewarded me for doing right,
because of the innocence of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.

26 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.

“The innocence of my hands in his sight,” wow this is powerful. “In his sight…” I may be guilty in other people’s sight but in His sight, I can be seen as innocent and His opinion is the only opinion that matters. No one else has a heaven or hell to put me in; God’s opinion is the one, the only one that really matters.

I might be taking real liberties in verses 24 and 25, but I see another side to those two verses I’ve not seen before. What I think of God, His character His attributes depends on who and what I am. To the faithful …He is faithful; to the pure …He is pure; to the wicked …He is wicked. This answers questions about the way I saw God, He was “dead”, when I was an atheist.
Proverbs 19:26

Umm, Mike I think today’s Proverb goes deeper than just calling your folks up. Ok, ok, I read through the entire book of Proverbs once a month ‘cause I desperately need a whole lot of wisdom. However, in all that reading, today this verse read me. I did some commentary look ups and this verse is talking about a son (in the Hebrew it is the male child, although in today’s day and age it could be girls) who causes his father to waste or use up all of the family resources. The family’s resources are depleted by getting the wayward child out of all the troubles he has gotten into (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible).

The child’s behavior is so bad that he/she pushes away his/her mother’s affection and love. Gill translates the Hebrew as this,

“"a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach, wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother

This type of behavior is not going to be remedied by a phone call.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[MARY SCHIEDER]

I'm not sure if you can help me with this but here goes: On my son & future daughter-in-law's wedding invitation it says:
"Granted is my prayers
for I have found the one my soul loves"
Solomon 3:4
The kids are upset because the English is incorrect:
Granted is (should be "are"??)
Can you help - is this the way it is written in the bible?