Below are the chapters to read this week if you’re following along in my Bible in a year schedule, divided into morning and evening readings. Follow along any way you want: just do the evening reading, flip the morning and evening, read it all. Whatever works for you and your schedule! It doesn’t have to be Bible in a Year for everyone.
Last week I fell behind a bit on both Exodus and 2 Kings – it happens – but I’m catching up.
Do you ever just feel like complaining about the bad things and people in this world? While we might hold back complaining to God, thinking He prefers ACTS prayers – focused on Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication – He is infinitely and steadfastly loving and patient, and will listen to whatever we have to say. David shared Psalm 64 with us as an example.
Read how David begins the Psalm:
“Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.”
Basically, David begins this Psalm by letting God know what’s coming: a series of complaints. In the next verses, David complains about evil plots against him happening in secret, and those who can’t wait to ambush him. David complains about how good evildoers are at what they do. He writes:
“Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear. They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, ‘Who can see them?’ They search out injustice, saying, ‘We have accomplished a diligent search.’ For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.”
By “diligent search” they have found every method available and used every skill they have to attack David, and the evildoers are impressed with their ability to be unjust and to attack “the blameless”, “shooting at him suddenly and without fear.” A lot of time and effort has been put into these secret plots.
The blog’s mascot: Ebenezer, the “But God” squirrel.
How will David stand against such attacks? He won’t, but God[1] will, as David continues in verses 7 through 9:
“But God shoots his arrow at them; they are wounded suddenly. They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them; all who see them will wag their heads. Then all mankind fears; they tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done.”
The wicked, after much “diligent search,” gathered their “swords” and “arrows,” the words they would use to attack David and God’s people. But because we have God, when we complain in prayer we don’t stop once our complaints have been aired – we continue with the “but God” part of the prayer, which comes with these three main implications:
First, that we need not respond in kind, because God needs only one arrow to bring them “suddenly” to ruin. We are saved by His strength.
Second, we need not respond in degree – If our enemies are extraordinarily diligent or skilled in their plots, we do not need to match their effort, because it is God who takes care of us. All the time and effort put in by the wicked in brought to nothing in a moment, and in that moment, “all mankind fears.” We need not be intimidated.
And finally, any success of God’s enemies is temporary. Someday He will resolve every complaint of injustice and silence every accusation against His people.
Therefore, as the Psalm ends:
“Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart exult!”
Below are the chapters to read this week if you’re following along in my Bible in a year schedule, divided into morning and evening readings. Follow along any way you want: just do the evening reading, flip the morning and evening, read it all. Whatever works for you and your schedule!
Do you ever clap for God? Maybe we’ve clapped during a worship song or after a speech or sermon, but do we just clap for God because He’s God and we’re joyful about it? Psalm 47:1 tells us to:
“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!”
Ok, but should we, really? After verse 1 above, verse 2 begins with “For…”, a transition which usually means the writer is about to give us reasons for the thing previously mentioned, which is that we should praise God with clapping and shouts of joy. So, seeing the “For…” we should ask “Why should we praise God?” and expect an answer in the next verses, which say:
“For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah”
Each of the 3 verses gives us reasons to clap our hands and shout in praise. First, these verses remind us He is “king over all the earth.” There are many authorities in the world, and many authorities we follow. We have governments that rule us, cultures that influence us, and even spiritual forces that strive to pull us away from God. But, however high and mighty these other authorities may be, only the Lord is “Most High”, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. While every other authority is flawed and can lead us astray, He is not and does not. This is a cause for a clap of praise!
The next verse reminds us that He has overcome many opposing people and nations in the past:
“He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.”
To its original audience, this probably referred to God’s victory over Egypt at the Red Sea, or the conquest of Canaan, however it can be read more broadly as God’s victory over any nation that seeks to rival Him. Consider the Roman Empire, which to many at that time seemed like it ruled the entire world. Roman emperors such as Nero and Diocletian tried to stamp out Christianity forcefully and violently, but in 410 AD, Germanic tribes would sack the city of Rome and eventually overthrow the empire. No nation will outlast or overrule the reign of God. This also is a cause for praise!
Lastly, verse 4 reminds us that however our circumstances might look to us, He loves us, provides for us, and will give us eternal refuge:
“He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah”
Being chosen by God is infinitely better than winning the lottery or anything else we might hope for in this world. We might say we’ve won the spiritual lottery, only it was not won by chance, but by the favor of the Lord. Our inheritance, our heritage, is guaranteed by Him. Another reason to praise Him! So…
“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!”
Below are the chapters to read this week if you’re following along in my Bible in a year schedule, divided into morning and evening readings. Follow along any way you want: just do the evening reading, flip the morning and evening, read it all. Whatever works for you and your schedule!
By the end of this week, we’ll be almost 1/3 of the way through Psalms and almost done with Genesis. Also, readings from OT history continue until we’re through Kings and Chronicles, then we start the Gospels.
Monday, February 12 Morning: Psalm 43, 2 Samuel 24 Evening: Genesis 43
