1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17 + Romans 2:1-24 + Psalm 10:16-18 + Proverbs 19:8-9
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Old Testament – The theme of David being a “war” king stands out today in our First Chronicles readings. In fact, we’ll get a couple more chapters of David’s wars coming up in tomorrow’s readings. The wars are what kept David from building the Temple of the Lord. This duty will be passed on to his son Solomon, a “peace” king if you will. There are some great readings today in First Chronicles 17 about the Lord’s covenant promise to David via the prophet Nathan!
There is an interesting thing to note in this message to David via Nathan from the Lord in verses 12 through 14. In context these verses are about Solomon. However, interestingly, the New Testament basically applies these verses to Jesus in Luke 1:32-22: “He is the one who will build a house–a temple–for me. And I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not take my unfailing love from him as I took it from Saul, who ruled before you. I will establish him over my dynasty and my kingdom for all time, and his throne will be secure forever.'” Think these are Messianic verses that can be applied to Jesus?
Today in 1 Chronicles chapter 17 verse 30 we read this prayer of King David – “There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you.” Have you ever searched for other “gods”? Have you ever really found those other gods? Have they ever delivered on anything? Do you believe there is no other God like the one true and living God that we read about in the Bible? Are you living your life in such a way that you are seeking to know more and more about the character, heart, and will of the one true and living God? Do you love God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit with all of your mind, soul and strength? Have you forsaken pursuing all other false gods for the remainder of your life? Will you leave the idols behind?
New Testament – Again… wow.. Paul’s writings in Romans are so convicting and true. So many verses in today’s readings bring out so much. One verse that stood out to me was 16 – “The day will surely come when God, by Jesus Christ, will judge everyone’s secret life. This is my message.” This is powerful to consider. Do you have a secret life? Do you realize that Jesus will judge your secret life? So, really, is there such a thing as a secret life after all? It will all surely come out into the Light and be judged. Do you have skeletons in your closet? Will you confess those skeletons/sins to God right now and repent of them immediately?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Romans titled “No Excuse for the Jews” is at this link.
Psalms – I love Psalm 10 verses 17 & 18 today: “LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them.” The Psalmist here tells us that God knows the hopes of the helpless. Do we? Do we care? The Psalmist says God will listen to their cries and comfort them. Are we listening? Are we comforting? God will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them. Should we do this as well? Will we? Will you?
Proverbs – We have a great Proverb in chapter 19 verse 8 today – “To acquire wisdom is to love oneself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.” Do you love yourself? Are you continually acquiring wisdom in your life? Do you want to prosper? Do you cherish understanding? Where are you seeking wisdom and understanding in your life today?
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminds me of MercyMe’s song “To Not Worship You:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nxEjcZuDAU
Who do you worship? Click here to worship Him!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Those who get wisdom love their own lives; those who cherish understanding will soon prosper.” Proverbs 19:8 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are getting wisdom in your life each and every day. Pray that you cherish understanding. Pray that you will prosper in your life through living a godly life that honors Jesus.
Comments from You & Questions of the Day: 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
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
I Chronicles 16:37-18:17
Part of message Nathan is told to give to David has totally enraptured me,
10 …” `And now I declare that the LORD will build a house for you–a dynasty of kings! 11For when you die, I will raise up one of your sons, and I will make his kingdom strong. 12He is the one who will build a house–a temple–for me. And I will establish his throne forever. 13I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not take my unfailing love from him as I took it from Saul, who ruled before you. 14I will establish him over my dynasty and my kingdom for all time, and his throne will be secure forever.’ “
This is a message with a duel or multilayered meaning; it speaks to David’s near future and the distant future, eternity. I wonder if David understood this was not only talking about the generations from his body yet born who would die off, but the words spoke of someone who would be born into his line, Messiah.
I’m not sure if what I’m stating is correct but I think it could be possible when we search the scriptures for answers to our current personal problems, the words we find to address the issues, God’s Words, speak and point to a time to come, eternity.
Romans 2:1-24
Knowing the “law” and doing what is required are not synonymous. This is what I here Paul saying in this passage. How many times have I said these words, “O, I know that,” and then acted like the knowing of exempted me from executing what I knew.
Psalm 10:16-18
18 You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
so people can no longer terrify them
What is it about “orphans and the oppressed” that societies and cultures look to exploit, and what is it about societies and cultures that give rise to oppression? It must be either pride, lust or greed from within banded together to attack and plunder a vulnerable people but they are venerable to God. So going against them is fighting against God.
Proverbs 19:8-9
If the act of acquiring wisdom, actively seeking it out, is the physical evidence that one loves themselves, then those who shun wisdom and are desirous to frolic in folly, then they are self-hating folk.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
====== Michelle
He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;he who cherishes understanding prospers.
What a reminder that seeking God’s way for our lives is good for us! It is a blessing in and of itself. His laws are for our good–whether regarding gossip, sexuality, honoring parents, or anything else. When we pursue his way, it is better for us.
Michelle
====== Roslyn:
I do not believe that God used Jesus to “displace”
his wrath…
As a Father, yes, he had/has the right to be angry..when things were/are not done according to his specifications and satisfaction. But let’s not get “fixated” with God’s wrath. That’s why his wrath did not end with Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Instead He showed us His glorious resurrection, the triumph over sin and death! And that to me is God’s boundless measure of his LOVE for us.
This brings me back to an earlier issue, a few months ago, when I posed basically the same rhetorical question on Christianity focusing on Christ’s death rather than on his resurrection…
When all is said and done, the bottom line is….GOD LOVES US ALL NO MATTER WHAT! IT IS THE ACCEPTANCE OF THAT LOVE THAT MAKES US TRUE BELIEVERS AND TRUE LOVERS— that makes it possible for us to LOVE and TRANSCEND.
Roslyn
====== Ramona:
>> I do not believe that God used Jesus to “displace”
his wrath…>>
Roslyn et al. I don’t think it matters what “we” believe it matters what “thus saith the Word/The Lord/God/Jesus. If we all continually pursue our relationship with God, His Presence, by spending time in His Word (here it is the OYB) in his presence through prayer and being opened to the Holy Spirit, the “Truth” will be revealed to us whether we believe in that “Truth” or not. Been there and done that. A lot of what I believed has been blown out of the water by the Holy Spirit revealing to me what my understanding and mind could not logically reason out or thought it understood. And this is the first verse He did it on.
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
(Psalms 37:4 KJV)
In the Hebrew “delight thyself” is ‛ânag aw-nag’ A primitive root; to be soft or pliable, that is, (figuratively) effeminate or luxurious.
It ain’t about the “delight” we think about the delight of pleasure and enjoyment it is all about making ourselves pliable and malleable to the Word of God and as stated in the first chapter and first two verses in the Gospel of John, God and His Word are One. We jump into danger when we try to fit the Word of God to suite ourselves instead of suiting ourselves to the Word of God especially when what is stated doesn’t make us feel good or seems racist, sexist and cruel. We may miss the real meaning and understanding because we become offended like the Pharisees (far-to-sees) and the Sadducees (sad-to-sees). Many people use the above verse to justify there greed and gluttony and praying somebody else’s “stuff” and husbands into there life. Geeze.
Ramona
====== Vance:
I would like to post this comment about what Roslyn said:
“I do not believe that God used Jesus to ‘displace’
his wrath…”
“That’s why his wrath did not end with Jesus’ crucifixion and death.”
~~~
I want to share the following verses about that, and let them speak for themselves (with short comment from me at the end).
I John 4 (NKJV)
10
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the PROPITIATION for our sins.
PROPITIATION is a big word. What does that mean? Another version clarifies this for us.
I John 4 (NIV)
10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[AS THE ONE WHO WOULD TURN ASIDE HIS WRATH, TAKING AWAY] our sins.
I think of this verse in Isaiah 53 (NKJV):
6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
~~~
What is the result of all of this? How does God see those outside of Christ– for those whom His Son died?
2 Corinthians 5 (NKJV)
18
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19
that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES TO THEM, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
What does “NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES TO THEM” mean?
What does it mean to “impute”?
To answer this, I particularly like the way the Amplified Bible translates this same verse in 2 Corinthians 5:
19
It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, NOT COUNTING UP AND HOLDING AGAINST [MEN] THEIR TRESPASSES [BUT CANCELLING THEM]
~~~
It is AMAZING how much God loves us — ALL of us — including the person who raises his or her fist to heaven in open defiance to the Lord and His authority
I am AMAZED at the GRACE of God that He is presently — in this time “…reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, NOT COUNTING UP AND HOLDING AGAINST [MEN] THEIR TRESPASSES [BUT CANCELLING THEM]”
~~~
Yet, if people do not receive the grace of God in the Lord Jesus during their life on earth, then they are storing judgment for themselves.
For if we reject grace, what else is there but NO GRACE, i.e., judgment?
John 1 (NKJV)
11
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name
John 3 (NKJV)
17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Is it true that God’s wrath did not end with Jesus’ crucifixion and death?
Well…
IN ONE WAY, yes – and completely.
Jesus took ALL of God’s wrath IN OUR PLACE as OUR SUBSTITUTE — so we would not have to bear it.
YET…
if we do not receive the gift of eternal life in Christ, then God is still holy.
God hates sin. Either we received Jesus’ death to pay the punishment for our sins on our behalf… or we attempt to pay the punishment for our sins by ourselves.
We cannot pay that price.
But Jesus completely and fully did.
Vance
====== John:
Roslyn,
“…GOD LOVES US ALL NO MATTER WHAT! IT IS THE ACCEPTANCE OF THAT LOVE THAT MAKES US TRUE BELIEVERS…”
What is this based on? I did a Gospel search on “Love” and “Believe(th)” and could not find anything like the above statement. To me: A “True Believer” is one who has turned to God, repented of his sins and believed in Jesus – then we have secured the promise of eternal life. Eternal life starts at the moment of our belief and acceptance of Christ. Found plenty of Scriptures for that concept.
Acceptance of God’s Love? I don’t know???? Can you clarify?
Jhn 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name
John
====== Pat:
What really touched my heart today was the reading from 1 Chronicles 16-18. David wanted to build a temple of cedar in which to house the Ark. God, through Nathan, told David that he would NOT be the one to build the temple but instead after his death his son would be the one to construct the temple. Basically, David told God what he wanted to do and God said “No!” How did David react to this? Instead of being prideful, disappointed or angry, David praised God! How many times do we tell God what we want to do or want done instead of asking God what He wants? How many of us praise God when our plans don’t work out? I often say that I’m glad God listens to me but doesn’t follow my instructions. I, like so many others, have a tendency to tell God what to do, how to do it, and when to get it done. Thank goodness and praise the Lord that His wisdom is greater than mine and He replaces my wants with what I should have instead!
We cannot buy God’s love or a place in His Kingdom – or swap for them, or earn them, or do anything to receive them. A LOVING GOD gives them to us freely. All we have to do is accept Christ as our Savior and put our trust and faith in Him and Him alone and His gifts are ours to claim. It is so simple and easy that we complex humans living in this complex world seem to have trouble accepting it. We want to view it from different aspects, read things into it, and make it difficult. The Word of God has only one aspect, only one side, when it comes to His love and the Kingdom. It is just the simple Truth as written and should be accepted simply as it is.
Pat
====== Johnnie:
My takeaway today:
Romans 2:3-4
Do you think that God will judge and condemn others for doing them and not judge you when you do them, too? 4Don’t you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin?
We always have to remember not to judge others for many times they know not what they are doing…
Johnnie
====== Edna:
IChr 17:18 “What more can I say about the way you have honored me? You know what I am really like.” When I read verse 18, I cried because I thought about how God continually blesses me even though He knows what I am really like. Who among us can not praise God for his wonderful blessings to us? If we have nothing to praise God for, then we must be dead. Edna
Edna
====== Mei:
This is a good reflection because we have to remember that there are many christians out there who are disappointed with God and looking for some help. And that help sometimes should come from us, the church. I’m hoping that my cartoon devotionals does help to comfort some brothers and sisters, and your blog is certainly very endearing.
Mei
====== Jenny:
I agree, regarding the Romans readings, Wow!…very convicting! We need Christ’s provision and imparted righteous bcos we are all condemned aside from His atoning sacrifice! I’m guilty! we all are! There is so much to ponder in Romans. We will start Romans at church in two weeks. I cant wait!! I will love to have further teaching on this awesome book!
Jenny
====== John:
Romans 2:1-24
There are four groups of the unrighteous:
– those that deny God
– those that say deniers are bad, but that’s not me.
– those that never heard the Gospel or the Law
– those that are church-goers
=================================================================================
SECOND GROUP OF NON-BELIEVERS (UNRIGHTEOUS)
These are the people who say: ‘Yup – those deniers in the last chapter are bad people they deserve God’s anger, but I am not like them. I am a pretty good person.’
Paul maintains two things:
-You are playing God by judging those people, and that is sin.
-You do the very same things. Maybe not all, but all it takes is one, and you are subject to God’s wrath now and in the day of judgment.
Or do you think lightly of God’s patience when in reality it gives you the time to have the ability to repent.
You must because your heart is still unrepentant and you will be judged.
7″To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”
“God does indeed give eternal life to those who persevere in obedience not because this obedience is perfect or because it is the basis or the merit of eternal life, but because saving faith always changes our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit so that true believers persevere in doing good. In other words, a changed life of obedience to God’s truth (verse 8) is not the basis of eternal life, but the evidence of authentic faith which unites us to Christ who is the basis of eternal life.” [John Piper]
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1998/1060_The_Final_Divide_Eternal_Life_or_Eternal_Wrath_Part_2/
8″But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
This would be: SECOND GROUP OF NON-BELIEVERS (UNRIGHTEOUS)
John
====== Frederick:
1 Chronicles 18:13b
The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.
In our daily battles against our sins and temptations, do we more often win or lose? As for David, God gave him victory wherever he went. We should look at David’s faith in God, his heart for God, his quest to inquire God before he went into battles and his obedience to God. It is worth our time and effort to find out the reason why God gave David victories.
Frederick
====== David:
David got victories but he was weak spiritually and an awful father. Capable of awful sins when given the opportunity. What more proof do we need to know that when God forgives that he forgive completely?
David
====== Reuben:
Two things stand out to me. One, Nathan (blithely?) says that God is with David, then God has to correct him. How often do we speak out of turn about God’s will, rather than listen for His voice before speaking in His Name? Second, that last little sentene abut David’s sons also being ministers in his court hit me; was this comfort with the halls of power what later gave some of them the audacity to rebel?
Reuben
====== Bob:
Romans 2:12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
FYI: This conscience element that we see here is part of the Divine Law that God has written on our hearts. Its our personal compass and we can choose to follow it, or not. Righteousnes doesn’t come easy when we are tempted to go off course. I am always called to navigate my decisions by what my heart tells me. We might do well to put what Ramona says before any of our actions, “I think it could be possible when we search the scriptures for answers to our current personal problems, the words we find to address the issues, God’s Words, speak and point to a time to come, eternity.”
Bob
====== Dee:
I love the heart that David had for God that “there is no one like you Lord.” I love he asked, seemed and knocked. He wanted to build a temple for the Lord. It was important to him. God saw the war and bloodshed and knew even though of this..he was going to be kind to David’s lineage and bring a peace king from his midst. Solomon will build the temple. Wow
Romans..I love the questioning of the heart and conviction in Roman’s 2. We say other’s sin but have we checked our heart. We say adultery is wrong but what about our own adultery in our heart. God is no respector of persons. Jew first and then Gentiles. He loves them both.
Psalms I pray I have a tender heart always for less fortunate and widows/orphans. It is but the grace of God that I wasn’t one of them. I know when we help the least of those in turn we help the Lord.
Proverbs wisdom and understanding is a great thing. It’s best to treasure and seek Him always
Dee
======= Vance:
I Chronicles 17 (NKJV)
20
O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
NOTE:
I agree. There is no God like the true and living God. THANK GOD that He has always revealed Himself in a way that can be traced in history.
Thank God that David sought the Lord (in all of his weaknesses and sins), and that he was found faithful.
Thank God that God chose David through whom to build a house (royal dynasty). Thank God that this royal dynasty can be traced directly to the Perfect human—the Lord Jesus.
This is evident in Matthew 1 and Luke 1.
Romans 2 (J B Phillips Translation Of The New Testament)
12-13
All who have sinned without knowledge of the Law will die without reference to the Law; and all who have sinned knowing the Law shall be judged according to the Law. It is not familiarity with the Law that justifies a man in the sight of God, but obedience to it.
14-15
When the Gentiles, who have no knowledge of the Law, act in accordance with it by the light of nature, they show that they have a law in themselves, for they demonstrate the effect of a law operating in their own hearts. Their own consciences endorse the existence of such a law, for there is something which condemns or commends their actions.
16
We may be sure that all this will be taken into account in the day of true judgment, when God will judge men’s secret lives by Jesus Christ, as my Gospel plainly states.
NOTE:
I like this quote from the article titled, “No Excuse for the Jews (Romans 2) By: Bob Deffinbaugh , Th.M.”
“God judges every man according to what he knows of divine revelation: ‘For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law’ (Romans 2:12).”
MY COMMENT:
Each man has an imprint of God’s Law on his heart.
The memory of the Law of God on each human heart in each human culture might differ somewhat, but it is still there nonetheless.
Consider this excellent quote by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity.
Source: Online text of “Mere Christianity” – http://lib.ru/LEWISCL/mere_engl.txt
“I know that some people say the idea of a Law of Nature or decent behaviour known to all men is unsound, because different civilisations and different ages have had quite different moralities.”
“I need only ask the reader to think what a totally different morality would mean. Think of a country where people were admired for running away in battle, or where a man felt proud of double-crossing all the people who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine a country where two and two made five.”
“Men have differed as regards what people you ought to be unselfish to- whether it was only your own family, or your fellow countrymen, or everyone. But they have always agreed that you
ought not to put yourself first. Selfishness has never been admired.”
“Men have differed as to whether you should have one wife or four. But they have
always agreed that you must not simply have any woman you liked.”
This is also a true statement from the article titled, “No Excuse for the Jews (Romans 2)
By: Bob Deffinbaugh , Th.M.”
“Although a man is saved on the basis of faith, he is condemned on the basis of his works”
Finally, I think of what the Holy Spirit says in Romans 2 (J B Phillips Translation Of The New Testament):
“…God will judge men’s secret lives by Jesus Christ…”
This applies to Christians just as much as to those who do not believe that Christ existed and who do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus through repentance.
We need to be daily washing our hearts and keeping them pure in the Light and Blood of the Lord Jesus.
Why?
Because we are called to glorify God.
Because we are called to be “living letters” demonstrating God’s nature to those around us—which can only be done as the Spirit works through us.
Because we are called to be set aside FROM our purposes and set aside FOR God’s purposes.
May we intercede daily for the lost—and ask the Holy Spirit how He wants to use us to reach them with the Life-giving Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Vance
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