February 14th One Year Bible Readings

Exodus 37:1-38:31 ~ Matthew 28:1-20 ~ Psalm 34:11-22 ~ Proverbs 9:9-10
~ Click here to read today's Scriptures on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - I found Exodus chapter 38 verse 8 intriguing today: "The bronze washbasin and its bronze pedestal were cast from bronze mirrors donated by the women who served at the entrance of the Tabernacle."  Apparently mirrored glass had not yet been invented in these days, but highly polished bronze gave off a good reflection.  This reminds me of Paul's writings in First Corinthians 13:12 - "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."  Below is an image of the type of ancient bronze mirror that could have been used in the making of the bronze washbasin (obviously this ancient bronze mirror below is not currently "highly polished" :) -

New Testament - Matthew 28 is one of the most important chapters of the Bible we will read this year! Jesus' resurrection is the key to the Christian faith.  The resurrection is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and of Jesus' own statements.  The Christian faith stands or falls on the bodily resurrection of Jesus.  We can read more about this important point from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.  Tyndale Publishers outlines these 5 points in their commentary today that the resurrection guarantees:
1. Jesus was truly the Son of God. (Romans 1:4)
2. God the Father accepted what Jesus did at Calvary on the basis of the resurrection. (Romans 4:25)
3. Jesus as our Risen Lord pleads for his people before the Father. (Romans 8:34)
4. Believers have the hope of eternal life. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
5. Believers will also rise and have resurrected bodies like that of Jesus.  (1 Corinthians 15:49, Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:2)

The Great Commission at the end of Matthew chapter 28 in verses 18-20 is so important for us as followers of Jesus on Earth today: "Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.""  I like that we see the Trinity in this commission - the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen!  The NIV Study Bible commentary today says that Jesus' Great Commission has three steps:  1.  Go  2.  Baptize them.  3.  Teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded.  I know the Great Commission encourages many to go on mission trips, which is wonderful and makes sense.  However, I believe that often times the mission field many of us are called to "go" into is in our own backyards.  Our own towns.  Our own cities.  Maybe even our own homes.   Let us go where the Lord calls us to go - near or afar.  Will you go?

Psalms -  I love Psalm 34 verses 17 & 18 today: "The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help.  He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit."  I am sure all of us have moments of needing help.  Moments of trouble.  Moments of being brokenhearted.  Moments of being crushed in spirit.  The big question is what do we do in those moments?  Or, who do we turn to?  Do you call to God in those moments?  Do you know that he will help you?  Do you know that he will rescue you?  Do you know that he is close to you?  Do you know that He is near?

Proverbs - I love this image below for Proverbs 9:10 today.  Bob Deffinbaugh has a great look at this Proverbs verse - and many others - in an essay titled "God and Man in Proverbs" at this link.  A great quote from Bob at this link is: "Proverbs persists in confronting us with the urgency of coming to a decision regarding the fear of the Lord. There are only two ways, the way of wisdom and the way of folly. Those who follow their natural bent will continue on the road to destruction. Those who admit their sin and trust in God will receive life and peace and fellowship with God. Whether by decision or default, every man, woman, and child makes this choice. Do not delay to choose to follow the way of wisdom, the way of life."

Worship God:  Reading about the Great Commission today reminded me of MercyMe's great song "Here Am I Send Me":

Are you in a relationship with God such that you could sing "Here Am I Send Me?"  Not sure?  Click here and get sent!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Comments from you & Question of the Day - How are you participating in Jesus' Great Commission today in your life?  Are you in some way helping make disciples?  Are you in some way helping to baptize?  Are you teaching people to obey Jesus' commands?  One thing that I think we can do as Christians related to the Great Commission's call to disciple is to encourage our fellow believers - and non-believers - to read the Bible.  Obviously I'm a fan of the One Year Bible format, but there are so many other ways to encourage people to read the Bible.  Leading or participating in a group Bible study through your church is one great way.  Life Transformation Groups - anyone familiar with these?  Great way to read the Bible in pairs/threes.  This year will you seek ways to encourage others in your life to read God's Word?  Do you think this type of encouragement is part of the Great Commission in any way?  (Let me plant this seed - this year will you think of 5+ people you can give a One Year Bible to as a gift and will you encourage them to read the One Year Bible in 2010?  Personally, I have found that giving someone a OYB greatly increases the chances of them actually reading the Word...)  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[Lori]

Thanks Mike,
I am enjoying my journey through the bible.

Thank you for your daily comments, pictures & music.

[Karen Maxwell]

I really am enjoying the daily readings, commentary, pictures, and music. I am amazed at how much thought and time you must put into this site. This will be my third time through the Bible and I'm loving it more than ever before. Thank you for helping me!

[Elizabeth]

Hello,

Yesterday and today I've been enjoying Psalm 34--there is SO much in there to ponder. Here are some of my favorite verses along with a gob of thoughts (some my own but mostly those of others):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth." -Psalm 34:1

“His praise shall continually be in my mouth,” not in my heart merely, but in my mouth too. Our thankfulness is not to be a dumb thing; it should be one of the daughters of music. Our tongue is our glory, and it ought to reveal the glory of God. What a blessed mouthful is God's praise! How sweet, how purifying, how perfuming! If men's mouths were always thus filled, there would be no repining against God, or slander of neighbours. If we continually rolled this dainty morsel under our tongue, the bitterness of daily affliction would be swallowed up in joy. God deserves blessing with the heart, and extolling with the mouth - good thoughts in the closet, and good words in the world.
-Treasury of David, Spurgeon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." -Psalm 34:4

“He delivered me from all my fears.” To have delivered me from all my troubles had been a great favour, but a far greater to deliver me from all my fears; for where that would but have freed me from present evil, this secures me from evil to come; that now I enjoy not only tranquility, but security, a privilege only of the godly. The wicked may be free from trouble, but can they be free from fear? No; God knows, though they be not in trouble like other men, yet they live in more fear than other men. Guiltiness of mind, or mind of the world, never suffers them to be secure: though they be free sometimes from the fit of an ague, yet they are never without a grudging; and (if I may use the expression of poets) though they feel not always the whip of Tysiphone, yet they feel always her terrors; and, seeing the Lord hath done this for me, hath delivered me from all my fears, have I not cause, just cause, to magnify him, and exalt his name? - Sir Richard Baker.

“And delivered me from all my fears.” God makes a perfect work of it. He clears away both our fears and their causes, all of them without exception. Glory be to his name, prayer sweeps the field, slays all the enemies and even buries their bones. -Spurgeon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them." -Psalm 34:7

No deep thought here---just love the comforting image of the angel of the Lord encamping around me. I've shared this verse with my children when they are afraid. I envision an angel encamping around their bed like pioneers circled their wagons and slept in the middle. It's comforting for me to think on this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" -Psalm 34:8

“Taste and see.” Be unwilling that all the good gifts of God should be swallowed without taste or maliciously forgotten, but use your palate, know them, and consider them. - D. H. Mollerus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." -Psalm 34:10

"A life of faith will find food in everything, because it is all founded in Christ. The young lions may, and will lack, because nothing will supply their voracious appetites but that which is carnal." - Robert Hawker.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
-Psalm 34:11

"David was a famous musician, a statesman, a soldier, but he doth not say to his children, I will teach you to play upon the harp, or to handle the sword or spear, or draw the bow, or I will teach you the maxims of state policy, but I will teach you the fear of the Lord, which is better than all arts and sciences, better than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices. That is it which we should be solicitous both to learn ourselves, and to teach our children." - Matthew Henry.

GREAT point. Culturally, I think our society misses the boat when we emphasize intellect and mere "knowledge" over wisdom. This is one of the things I love about homeschooling...the opportunity to round out our children's education in ways that teach them the fear of the Lord. I like this comment too:

“Here,” says Cassiodorus, “is not fear to be feared, but to be loved. Human fear is full of bitterness; divine fear of sweetness: the one drives to slavery, the other allures to liberty; the one dreads the prison of Gehenna, the other opens the kingdom of heaven.” - J. M. Neale.

Our culture has an unhealthy and warped perception of "fear"---godly fear is healthy and liberating.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Psa 34:14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

The premium the Word sets upon peace is high--reminds me of Romans 12:18
"If it be possible as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."

I also found this comment on evil worthy of thought:

“Depart from evil,” etc. This denotes that evil is near to men; it keeps close to them, and should be declined and shunned and it regards all sorts of evil; evil men and their evil company; evil things, evil words and works, and all appearance of evil; and the fear of the Lord shows itself in a hatred of it, and a departure from it. Pro_8:13; Pro_16:6.- John Gill.

....and also this thought on goodness--that there is NO neutrality with regard to this. I think you've got to shun evil and DO good:

“Do good.” Negative goodness is not sufficient to entitle us to heaven. There are some in the world whose religion runs all upon negatives; they are not drunkards they are not swearers, and for this they do bless themselves. See how the Pharisee vapours (Luk_18:11), “God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,” etc. Alas! the not being scandalous will no more make a Christian than a cypher will make a sum. We are bid, not only to cease from evil, but to do good. It will be a poor plea at last - Lord, I kept myself from being spotted with gross sin: I did no hurt. But what good is there in thee? It is not enough for the servant of the vineyard that he doth no hurt there, he doth not break the trees, or destroy the hedges; if he doth not work in the vineyard he loseth his pay. It is not enough for us to say at the last day, we have done no hurt, we have lived in no gross sin; but what good have we done in the vineyard? Where is the grace we have gotten? If we cannot show this, we shall lose our pay, and miss of salvation. - Thomas Watson.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry." -Psalm 34:15

LOVE the imagery in this comment--to think of the Lord leaning his ear unto me, His church, the righteous, does my spirit much good!:

“His ears are open unto their cry.” The word “open” is not in the original, but the meaning is that the ear of God is propense, and in a leaning kind of posture, towards the cries of the righteous; the word may here be taken emphatically, as many times in Scripture it is, for some worthy, choice, and excellent strain of righteousness. Those who are worthy and righteous indeed, the ear of God, I say, is propense, and leans and hangs towards them and their prayers, according to that of Son_2:14, “Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice.” There is a kind of naturalness and pleasantness between the ear of God and the prayers and petitions, and cries of such a righteous man. Joh_15:7. - John Goodwin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. "-Psalm 34:18

-Reminds me of the beatitudes....blessed are they who mourn. For me, this commentary is a good reminder of how different His perspective is:

“The Lord is nigh unto them,” etc. Consider the advantages of this broken heart; as I. A broken heart is acceptable and well pleasing to God, “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psa_51:17. II. It makes up many defects in your service and duties, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” Psa_51:17. III. It makes the soul a fit receptacle for God to dwell in, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy; I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isa_57:15. IV. It brings God near to men, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and sayeth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psa_34:18. And V. It lays you open to Christ's sweet healing, “I will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.” Eze_34:16. And, oh, who would not be broken that they may find Christ's soft hand healing them, and find the proof of that sweet word, “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.” Jer_30:17. Yea, VI. It puts you in the right road to heaven, where all your wounds and bruises will be cured; for there is a tree (Rev_22:2) the leaves whereof are for the healing of the nations; there is no complaining there of wounds or bruises, but all are perfectly healed. - John Spalding, in “Synaxis, Sacra, or a Collection of Sermons, etc., 1703.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all." -Psalm 34:19

I wonder why we are surprised by our affliction (or wonder if they are punishments) when we have verses like this (along with Christ's comment that a servant is not greater than his master.) The Lord IS faithful to use everything for His glory and our good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love the psalms--particularly David's ; )