Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

  I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. Hosea 2:20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/hos.2.20.ESV Hosea had a horrific home life: God had him marry an adulterous woman to symbolise His relationship with His unfaithful people. Thankfully, the end of the story for both Hosea and the Lord is hinted at here. Hosea and Gomer were going to have a recommitment; God and His people will be restored to a right relationship. Hosea, the prophet of God, was to take the initiative to bring Gomer back to himself. He was to betroth her to himself in faithfulness. They were going to have a new lease of life as a couple. God, the spiritual husband of His people Israel, unites Jew and Gentile into a spiritual bride for Himself. Most Jews might not currently acknowledge Christ as Lord, but we can trust for a restorative revival amongst Jewish people. Even us Gentiles can become part of God's love story, through faith in Jesus. Maybe Israel generally never knew the L

  Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. Daniel 12:10 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.12.10.ESV How can we purify ourselves? Humanly speaking, it's an impossible task, like asking a pig to have a bath. Yet God can transform us from spiritual pigs to spiritual cats, obsessed with spiritual cleanliness. How can we wash our spiritual robes white? Not by laundry detergent, but by the blood of the Lamb. That's how we can be made pure, because Jesus died for us. Sadly, the wicked act wickedly. If we purify ourselves, we once were wicked, but have been cleansed through faith in Christ. We can break the cycle of evil in our hearts. The wicked can't understand how they can be anything but wicked. Pulling themselves up by their metaphorical bootstraps doesn't work. The wise know that the righteous live by faith in God. '

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  I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest." Psalm 55:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.55.8.ESV I think we all feel like the Psalmist sometimes. In fact, this feeling of wanting to 'get away from it all' is something of a theme in Scripture. Jeremiah felt it, and even Jesus at times tried to get away from the crowds. I'm sure the Psalmist is writing figuratively as well as literally. Obviously, when we get caught in a storm, we seek shelter. Even in the storms of life however, we long for peace and security. Peace and security in the midst of the storm doesn't necessarily mean that the storm ceases. It just means that we're safe in the midst of it. Metaphorical safety isn't a literal safe place, but the presence of God in our lives. The disciples didn't need to fear in literal storms, because Christ could calm the storm in a moment. He can calm whatever metaphorical storms we face too. Even if He doesn't, He can loo

  Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2ki.6.17.ESV Elisha and his servant were in a besieged city, surrounded by a mighty army. Elisha could see with the eyes of faith however that in infinitely greater army was present too- an angelic army on the side of God's besieged people. He prayed for the servant to see too. Angels are ministering spirits, who minister to God by ministering to us. So when we feel overwhelmed, we should know that one angel is enough to overcome what we're facing. Even if that angel wasn't sufficient to the task, nothing can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Just as an angel ministered to Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, so angels will minister to us on assignment from our heavenly

  To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. Daniel 9:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.9.7.ESV Daniel has a healthy perspective in this prayer. He knows God is righteous and that we are not, and that therein lies the problem. The fact that God is good might not sound immediately scary, but the fact we are bad shows that God's going to have a problem either us. Daniel knew that Judah had been exiled for being treacherous towards God. They ought to have been faithful. After all, God was faithful towards them. Shame is clearly a bad thing, but we can use it to propel us in prayer to God. Daniel wasn't wallowing in shame. Instead, he pleaded with God to take it away. What are we to do if we feel shame at our sin

  and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ti.1.14.ESV Paul was a rough diamond. Before his Damascene conversion, he had blasphemously and violently persecuted Christians to death. Thankfully, Jesus literally stopped him in his tracks. Where we might have asked God to smite Saul of Tarsus, God went one better. He transformed Saul to Paul, arguably the greatest Christian of all time. He went from persecutor to persecuted, for the sake of Christ. What was the secret of Paul's dramatic turnaround? The overflowing grace of Christ. He deserved nothing but death and yet received abundant life (abundant in trials and tribulations too!). Paul was strong in faith not because he was particularly worthy. It was simply that God generously gave him the gift of faith and he invested it in living all out for Him. God first loved him, so he lived a life of love for God and others. 'O Lord

  Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 2 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2th.3.12.ESV 'Such persons' are busybodies. These are people who don't mind their own businesses. They're lax in their own work, but nosy about other people's affairs. Paul didn't mince his words with busybodies. They are commanded to get on with their own work and provide for themselves. There's no room for busybodies in God's Kingdom, so if we have that tendency, we need to sort ourselves out. I like how Paul doesn't just command. In case he comes on too strong, he also 'encourages'. This is the carrot to the commanding stick! Keeping our heads down and getting on with our own works is a good thing. We're to focus on providing for ourselves and our dependants, and ideally having enough to be generous to those in need. We mustn't get distracted by poking

  I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. Daniel 6:26 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.6.26.ESV This verse is remarkable, coming as it does from the leader of the world superpower of the time. Imagine Presidents Biden, Putin or Xi coming out with something like this! We often see the story of Daniel in the lion's den as a Sunday School topic, but king Darius saw it as a remarkable miracle. It's ambiguous whether Darius ever came to a saving faith in the Living God. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but to acknowledge the Lord as the True God. It was a surprising admission for a proud ruler that it's God's Kingdom that will last forever, not his own. God has set eternity in the hearts of mankind. Sadly however, many seek to immortalise themselves by worldly deeds. Instead, we should

  The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. Psalm 46:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.46.6.ESV Why does Russia rage and Ukraine totter? For that matter, why does Saudi Arabia rage, and Yemen totter? War ravages the earth, and cynics question God's existence. God is sovereign over it all. When God utters His voice, the earth melts. Isn't this just poetic license however? I think there's a prophetic element to the Psalmist's words here. When Christ returns, the earth will melt at His voice, and be recreated as His new creation. The one who spoke the earth into being will speak its conclusion. Knowing that God is sovereign should stop our raging. It should strengthen and steel us against tottering. May we be still, and know that the Lord is God. 'Lord our God, we still our hearts before Your sovereignty and acknowledge Your supremacy over all. May we know Your strengthening for all that lies ahead, until Christ returns, in

  Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Daniel 4:37 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.4.37.ESV Nebuchadnezzar may have been the king of the civilised world in his day, but the King of heaven humbled his arrogant self. From being the most powerful of men, God reduced him to an animalistic madman. At the end of that time, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the One True God. If God drives someone mad, He still remains right and just in His dealings. God has allowed me personally to suffer poor mental health in the past. Like Nebuchadnezzar however, I acknowledge His loving sovereignty in the midst of it all. Pride comes before a fall, as the famous proverb goes. Nebuchadnezzar could testify to the truth of that. Also however, he could rejoice in God's exaltation of the humble. Pride is the sin for which satan was kicked out of heaven: the mother of all i

  Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Daniel 3:28 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/dan.3.28.ESV Nebuchadnezzar was one of the most powerful men who ever lived, more powerful than Presidents Biden, Putin and Xi. There was no pretense of checks and balances in his global superpower of Babylon. In fact, he was worshipped as a god by many of his people. When Daniel interpreted his dream that the Kingdom of God would topple all the empires of men, he rebelled against the vision. He created a statue that didn't have feet of clay like in his dream. Instead, it was pure gold and had to be worshipped by his people upon pain of death. Faithful Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to compromise their faith in God by bowing to the golden

  He said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." 1 Kings 19:10 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ki.19.10.ESV In the early part of this chapter, Elijah is feeling pretty sorry for himself. Having defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in the previous chapter, he now fled for his life from murderous queen Jezabel. God is wonderfully gentle and gracious with him. Elijah was suicidal- he wanted God to end his life. God knew he needed refreshment and rest, and that's what He provided. He didn't stop there however. God gently asked Elijah what he was doing hiding away in the wilderness. This verse is his reply. He thinks he's the only follower of the Lord left. God went on to inform Elijah that there was seven thousand people who haven't bowed the

  And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 1 Kings 18:36 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ki.18.36.ESV We join the story at a moment of high drama. Elijah is up against the prophets of Baal on God's behalf in an attempt to win the hearts of the people of Israel. He called upon the Lord of promise to come through for His people. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were promised a multitude of descendants, One of whom would bless the world. Jesus was yet to come, but God still yearns for the hearts of His people. Sadly, they'd been led astray by neighbouring nations. Elijah (whose name appropriately means 'the Lord is God') wanted God to prove Himself to His people. So he cried out to Him to hear his pray. God would answer resoundingly. Baal was impotent to

  Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), Colossians 4:10 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/col.4.10.ESV I love this verse, that hints at the restoration of Mark. Mark had been a partner in the gospel with Paul, until he ran away. Paul initially refused to work with him. By the time of this letter, Paul and Mark were evidently reconciled. Mark had messed up, but God had restored him. There's hope for us all. In another verse, Paul asks for Mark to be brought to him, because he was useful to him in his ministry. From being a useless dropout, Mark became once again an invaluable partner in the gospel. When we feel like giving up, we should be encouraged by Mark's story. The flip side of the coin is to consider Paul. He could have written Mark off, but he refused to do so. By welcoming him back, he gained a valuable member of his team. 'O Lord our God, help

  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Psalm 37:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.37.6.ESV Even our righteousness is a gift of God. 'Abraham believed God, and He credited it to him as righteousness'. We're naturally in the dark; spiritually, God can draw us into the light. Naturally, we shy away from the light, like some creepy crawly. Yet God can metamorphasise us from spiritual caterpillars into spiritual butterflies. We can become new creations in Christ. When we are made righteous by God, we should also become just in our dealings with others. We should be fair and kind with other people, whether they share our faith or not. We shouldn't just be like the first glimmer of dawn in our justice, but like the noonday. We ought to be so upright in our dealings with others that those who are bent in their dealings cringe from us like someone might hide from the heat of the noonday sun. Ultimately, we are to be Chris

  Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. Colossians 2:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/col.2.16.ESV In the Colossian church, people were starting to think that maybe Jesus wasn't enough. Maybe they also needed to observe kosher food laws and Jewish festivals. Paul is surprisingly open about the Colossian Christians could be. Paul didn't mind if the Christians in Colossae observed kosher food laws and Jewish festivals. What he didn't want was people binding the consciences of others. The Kingdom of God isn't a matter of eating, drinking, or observing days. Of course, as Christians we don't have to observe our former cultural practices. If we do however, there shouldn't be any judgement. We ought to focus on what really matters. Our focus should be Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, in whom we have spiritual rest. He's the One who said it doesn't matter what we

  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Colossians 1:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/col.1.12.ESV Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in perfect unity as they work to save us for eternity from the condemnation we deserve. Naturally, we're unqualified for a place in God's Kingdom. Supernaturally, God qualifies us to share in the heavenly inheritence. Through faith in Jesus, we become adopted into Father God's family. Adoption into God's family qualifies us to inherit eternal life with Him. Through Jesus's death and resurrection, we get to inherit eternal life. In human inheritences, we don't get to share the inheritence with the person who grants it. With our heavenly inheritence, we get to share it with God. We enjoy the unending light of His favour. Though we are naturally sinners, we get to supernaturally become saints, made holy and fitted out to be suitable for the perfect new creation. Wha

  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/php.4.19.ESV What a wonderful promise this is! God doesn't promise to supply our every want, but that's a good thing, because sometimes we want things that aren't best for us. Instead, God supplies our every need. God isn't stingy. We lack no good thing who trust in Him. This doesn't mean to say we don't need to pray to Him. He still loves us to cry out to Him for what we need. God is glorious. We need to glorify Him in our lives. He gives us everything we need to bring glory to His holy name. It is through Christ Jesus that we receive everything we need from God. He is the means by which sinners like us can receive what we need to be reconciled to Him. The sky, not the grave, is our goal. 'Dear Lord, please fulfil this glorious promise in our lives. We don't necessarily ask for what we want, but what we ne

  Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Psalm 33:1 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.33.1.ESV There's nothing lukewarm or halfhearted about this Psalm. In a culture where people often only shout for joy at sports, we would do well to heed this call. God is worthy of shouting for joy to, for He has saved His people from hell. How do we become righteous? Not by our own efforts. Only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can we become righteous. That's why we should shout for joy, because sinners like us can become righteous through faith in Him. Are we happy? We have God to thank for that. As James says, if we're joyful, we should sing songs of praise to God. If we're upright, it's not because we've pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps. We're set upright by God. So all the praise and exuberant worship belongs to Him. 'O Lord our God, we shout for joy to You. We praise Your holy name and ask that You would make us right

  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. Philippians 1:22 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/php.1.22.ESV For Paul to live was Christ, to die was gain. As long as he lived in the flesh, he fruitfully laboured for Christ and His Kingdom. He knew however that the ultimate goal was to be with Christ forevermore. Even though at the time of writing Paul was imprisoned, he knew that as long as there was breath in his lungs, there was work for him to do for God. If he hadn't have been incarcerated, he might never have penned his letters that have been immortalised in Scriptures, to the blessing of countless millions. I think Paul knew deep down that the choice of life of death was not his to make. Ultimately, he would shuffle off life's stage when Christ called him home. Until then, he would work for Him. It is generally accepted by experts that Philippians is one of Paul's earlier letters. So his hunch that he st

  There's a trendy saying now which is about 'church in hard places'. Just imagine however that you live in a place that the 'church' describes as a 'hard place'. That's not the most flattering of terms, and is unlikely to attract you to church. The church is an outpost of heaven in a world destined for destruction. Wherever the local church is, is going to be a hard place. Hardship for the gospel isn't necessarily economic hardship. Spiritual hardship isn't synonymous with being skint. In fact, the seed of God's word that falls on rich places finds it to be full of thorns and thistles due to the 'deceitfulness of riches'. Jesus blessed the poor and pronounced woe to the rich, so maybe the church 'experts' have got the 'hard places' wrong. As James said- why do we show favouritism to the rich when they're the ones who oppress us? God has chosen those who are poor materially to be rich in faith. I'm not denyi

  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.5.2.ESV It's not enough to talk the talk in the Christian life. We need to walk the walk, and it's a walk of love. We love because Christ first loved us. Out of love for us, Christ walked to the cross and gave Himself up for us. Because He gave Himself up for us, we should give ourselves up for Him and for one another. Those who lose their lives for Christ and the gospel will find eternal life. I'm not a Greek expert, so I assume the fragrant offering and sacrifice to God is Jesus Himself. God accepted Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. That is the grounds of our hope. I think another application, amazingly, is that we ourselves can become fragrant offerings and sacrifices to God. We can't add anything to Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. Yet we can offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God, holy an

  from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.4.16.ESV A body without a head isn't much of a body. So too, a Christless church is pretty much a social club without much of a purpose. The purpose of the body of Christ is to do whatever He tells us. Jesus doesn't save individuals for them to carry on individualistically. Instead, upon faith in Christ, we as individuals become part of God's body, the church. Every part should play its part. There's no point a hand attempting to walk around. There's no point the feet attempting to serve refreshments at a church meeting. We all need to play our parts. We need to work properly. We might want to be the heart, but there's no point hankering after that if we're the guts. We need to find out where we belong in the church an

  The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. Psalm 25:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.25.14.ESV Friendship and fear might seem superficially contradictory. Yet if we're truly friends with someone, we would fear upsetting them. If we have the honour of being friends with Almighty God, we ought to fear grieving Him. So if we're afraid of angering God, chances are we're His friends. The fear of the Lord might be the beginning of wisdom, but the love of God is the eternal destiny of wisdom. When God makes known His covenant to us, He reveals it to be one built upon love rather than fear. The fear of the Lord is the kind that drives us to Him, not from Him. Having been driven to Him, we find that His perfect love casts out fear. Friendship with God is not just a nice accessory to life, it is the meaning of life itself. To know God is to know our life source and the source of all that is good in life. Friendship with

  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.2.6.ESV God didn't save us for us to obsequiously and indebtedly grovel towards Him for eternity, although He could have done. Instead, the moment we believe, we're spiritually raised to the highest heaven and seated with Christ. Like the sons and daughters of the King of kings that we are, we get to sit on the throne of heaven with Him. This doesn't mean to say we have God's power, just that we have the closest relationship to Him that we could have. From being hellbound sinners, we get elevated to heaven above. This truth is staggering, but we should try to come to grips with it. If we grasped the fact we're spiritually exalted with Christ, we should start living like it. We shouldn't be habitually doing wrong if we know we're united with Christ. We won't be perfect until we sleep the sleep of death or Christ

  And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 1 Kings 3:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ki.3.7.ESV I think Solomon was exaggerating here, he was probably more than a little child at this time. Yet he clearly felt like one, way out of his depth in ruling Israel in its golden age. God clearly appreciated his humility, because He answered his prayer. Solomon, feeling like a little kid, cried out to God for wisdom. God graciously granted him his request. Not only so, but the Lord kindly gave him riches and peace and the promise of a long life if he would obey Him. Some people unfairly criticise Solomon for asking for wisdom when God gave him a blank cheque. They argue he should have asked for a heart that sought after God like his father David. Yet the fact God gladly granted his request suggests he didn't ask amiss. As James says, if we lack wisdom, we should ask

  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/gal.6.8.ESV This verse is an explanation of the famous saying 'you reap what you sow'. If we're sowing to our flesh, we'll corrupt. If we sow to the Spirit, we'll reap from the Spirit eternal life. This explanation isn't quite what we might expect. We might think of 'you reap what you sow' as being a 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' kind of saying. According to this verse however, we aren't to do things in our own strength, but in that of the Spirit. Doing something in the flesh isn't just about being lustful and impulsive. It's also about trying to solve our own problems, instead of seeking the Spirit's help to deal with our temptations. We can't sort ourselves out, but the Holy Spirit can. Living by the Spirit means givi

  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.19.11.ESV God's word is practical. It's not just airey fairy made up stories with no real life application. It's full of warnings of how not to live. Realistically, the Bible doesn't just tell us what not to do, but it also gives us examples of the consequences if we don't do what we're meant to do. Sin, falling short of God's standards, has miserable consequences. We do well to heed the warnings of Scripture. More positively, if we actually obey the word of God, there's great reward, greater than anything this world offers. We get to become part of God's perfect new creation through faith and obedience to His word. Nothing this world affords should tempt us away from an eternal reward. Even if life is hard, it's worth it if we trust and obey the Lord, and His words to us. We need to soldier on through the hardsh

  Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man." 2 Samuel 24:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2sa.24.14.ESV  God had allowed satan to incite David to number his fighting men. We might wonder what the problem is with that. The problem is that David was trusting in numbers rather than in God.  As a result of David's sin, there were going to have to be consequences. David could either fall into the hands of God, or his enemies. Knowing God, and his enemies, David chose the former option.  So Israel suffered an intense pandemic where many people died. Yet David figured that would be better than the incessant war that had plagued his kingdom. Even today, we can appreciate why David chose as he did.  If we had to chose between covid and war, which would we choose? Thankfully, with the development of vaccines, covid looks to be a temporary blight. War on the other hand is

  he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. 2 Samuel 23:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2sa.23.4.ESV On the face of it David is eulogising himself. He talks about the kind of king he is (a good one) as being like this verse. In the wider context however, he looks forward to the sure fulfilment of God's promise to him. God promised that David would have a Descendant whose Kingdom would never end. Jesus is the Son of David, the Lord of the Kingdom of God. He's ultimately the One sinful David is looking forward to. The sun set on David's kingship. Yet the sun will never set on Jesus's Kingdom. In fact, the Kingdom of God will outlast the sun. The Son will shine forevermore, when the sunshine is a distant memory. And we will bask in His glory for eternity. We will be refreshed in His love like gentle rain on tender grass. 'Our God and King, how we worship You f

 "In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. 2 Samuel 22:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2sa.22.7.ESV What do we do in our distress? Bury our heads in the sand? Try and run away? Attempt to sort things out ourselves? Or do we go to the Sovereign Lord of all to help us? He's the One we should call upon. He'll never let us down. The Lord isn't just some distant force way out there in the universe. He can be our personal God. We can call Him our own, through faith in Jesus. David had wanted to build God a temple in Jerusalem, but he knew God dwells in a temple not built by human hands- the highest heaven. Even on His exalted throne, He hears our cries. He isn't deaf to our concerns. 'Heavenly Father, thank You for hearing our cries. Please help us to cry out to You in our distress, and to know Your comfort. In Christ's name, amen'

  "And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God. Ezekiel 28:24 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/ezk.28.24.ESV On the face of it, all the neighbouring countries of the modern state of Israel ought to be concerned. Is that what Ezekiel is alluding to however? The Bible is a spiritual book, not a socio-political textbook. Israel in the Bible is never just a country, but a spiritual entity. Being ethnically Israeli doesn't automatically qualify someone for the Kingdom of God. True worshippers worship in spirit and in truth. Spiritual Israel is everyone: Jew or Gentile, who believes in the Jewish Messiah Jesus. He warns us of persecution for our faith. Yet here, through Ezekiel, He promises a day when all who trouble us will be no more. This verse is escatological, it's looking forward to the end of time when the enemies of

 Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, "You will not call to account"? Psalm 10:13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.10.13.ESV Renouncing God is like a lump of clay renouncing the potter: it's a ridiculous state of affairs. Sadly, it is all too common. There is no good reason for such a rejection. One reason is that the devil has blinded the minds of unbelievers. This doesn't absolve them of responsibility. It just explains why even though they might be intelligent, they reject the idea of a supremely intelligent Creator. There's a sense in which we can appreciate that people don't like the idea of accountability. Unless we've seared our consciences, they indict us and call us to account. Judgement is coming, whether we're blinkered to it or not. The wicked aren't just that. They're also foolish. To live in denial of our Master and Maker is like committing spiritual suicide. He's going to judge us. We need Him to justify u

  Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! Psalm 9:11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.9.11.ESV Zion is part of Jerusalem, but metaphorically it is the heavenly city of God. We all belong either naturally to the doomed city of men, or supernaturally to the exalted city of God. Either God is enthroned in our hearts, or the devil. It is right that God's people should sing praises to Him. Having been set free from the evil one, we have every reason to rejoice in the Lord. He is worthy of our worship. We're not just to praise God in holy huddles, in godly ghettos. We're to call others to worship the Lord. We are to publish His name among the peoples. The reason we're not yet in Zion, God's heavenly city, as His people, is because we're to make Him known in the world. Others need to be snatched from satan's grip to be free in Christ. All praise is due to Him. 'Sovereign Lord, we pray that You would help

  I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Psalm 7:17 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.7.17.ESV Even if the Psalmist might not have felt like it at the time, he declared that he would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. God is worthy of our praise, whether we feel like it or not. He is always good. Maybe at the time of writing, the Psalmist didn't feel like singing worship to God. He knew that time would come again though. We don't have to fake joy when we don't feel like it. Singing is a joyful expression of thankfulness. We're not always necessarily in that season sadly. Yet we should come to that point, if not in this life, then in the next at least. If we are feeling sad, there's a place for lamentation: sorrowful songs which say that despite our circumstances, we're going to praise the Lord. Hopefully though we come to the point where we joyfully worship God in

  Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. Psalm 5:2 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.5.2.ESV Most worldly kings and rulers are deaf to penniless petitions. It's money that does the talking for the corrupt powers that be. Thankfully, God isn't like earthly kings. Everyone, whether the king of Israel or a penniless pauper can approach God on an equal footing. We need to humble ourselves before His majesty. We have to cry out to Him. Who are we trusting for deliverance? Is it some indifferent ruler? Or is it our loving heavenly Father? God will never let down those who cry out to Him in spirit and in truth. He will hear our cries and respond to our prayers. It might just not be in the way we expect. 'Loving heavenly Father, thank You for hearing and responding to  cries. Please help us to trust You, in Jesus' name, amen'

 There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!" Psalm 4:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.4.6.ESV It's not just nowadays that people are longing for good news, although covid, climate change and conflict cause us to long for something better. Even in David's day people longed for some good. Plagues, wars, famines and natural disasters are nothing new. So who has good news, other than the stories on TV of rescued pets up trees or whatever? We need eternally good news, that will outlast all the badness the world can throw at us. Thankfully, the gospel of Jesus is the good news we need. We need God to lift up the light of His countenance upon us, and to give us peace. Thankfully, in Jesus, we see the brightness of God's welcoming face, not an angry frown. Jesus loved us to such an extent that He was willing to die for us. Jesus won't greet those who trust in Him with a disappointed grimace, but with nail s

 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 2 Corinthians 7:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2co.7.9.ESV 1 Corinthians was partly written to rebuke the Corinthian church for tolerating an incestuous member. Paul told them to excommunicate him. By 2 Corinthians however it seems he repented and was welcomed back into fellowship. Sin should always be grievous to us as God's children. Sadly, until Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, the Corinthian church was in denial about the grievous sin in their midst. Thankfully, he spurred them on to grief and repentance. There are different kinds of grief. One is simply being upset at being found out. Godly grief however is to turn away from whatever is grievous. If we're just sorry we're caught, we're not truly repentant and we won't be able to move on. If however we're genuinely sorry for what we've done, and

  but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 2 Samuel 12:3 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2sa.12.3.ESV Nathan's story tugs on the heart strings. The poor man in the parable is Uriah the Hittite. The lamb that was like a daughter to him was Bathsheba his wife. David was the rich man who slaughtered the poor man's lamb. He didn't realise it at first when the story was told, and decreed that the rich man deserved death. Adultery and murder do demand death in God's law too. Once Nathan bravely confronted king David, he admitted that he had sinned against God. He was the man, the rich man who metaphorically slaughtered poor Uriah's lamb Bathsheba. The child she was pregnant with died as a judgement upon David and Bathsheba. David went on to pen Psalm 51 as a c

So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 2 Samuel 11:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2sa.11.4.ESV The verse and context is pretty matter of fact about David's heinous crime, but in ensuing chapters we see the devastating consequences of his evil. This kind of thing happens when boredom strikes. As the saying goes, 'the devil makes work for idle hands'. David should have been out leading his forces in battle against the enemies of God's people. Instead he decided to lounge around at home. That's when the devil seized his opportunity. From glancing at a naked women proceeded a swift descent into adultery and eventually murder. Some commentators go as far as to accuse David of rape. The Bible however seems to clearly distinguish between David's sin and that of His incestuous son Amnon, who forced himself upon his stepsister. No doubt D

  who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2co.3.6.ESV God is our sufficiency. We have no natural sufficiency. Instead, God impart supernatural sufficiency to serve Him. The letter of the law condemns us to death. The Spirit of the law raises us to life. The old covenant demands our destruction for our sins. The new covenant justifies us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Having been made alive by the Spirit of God, we are to call others to come to life in Him, through faith in Jesus. That is our ministry. We are to serve God by sharing His good news with others. Religious people are still trusting in their deeds. Spiritual people are trusting in God. We have to entrust ourselves to God for salvation. 'Father in heaven, thank You for pouring out Your Spirit upon us in the Lord Jesus. Please help us to find our sufficiency in You t

  For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 2 Samuel 7:27 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/2sa.7.27.ESV God promised David the most awesome of legacies. He would build him a house that would never fall. This house is everlasting. How could God do such a thing for David, who would go on to commit murder and adultery? His immediate family was mostly a disaster. Even his son Solomon who succeeded him became idolatrous in later life. Yet God promised a Son of David whose Kingdom would never end. One of Jesus's nicknames was the Son of David. As He said though, His Kingdom is not of this world, a revived Israel, but the global Kingdom of heaven. By Jesus taking on flesh as a Son of David, He made it possible for mortals like us to become part of an eternal Kingdom enjoying everlasting life. God isn't ashamed to associate w

  Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. John 15:20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.15.20.ESV Jesus was persecuted by religious and political leaders. So it shouldn't surprise us when we're persecuted as Christians by religious and political leaders. In fact, Jesus declared us to be blessed when we're persecuted, because great is our reward in heaven. Many ordinary people however kept Jesus's word. So it shouldn't surprise us as Christians when ordinary people come to faith in Christ. Of course, it is cause for great rejoicing every time it happens. Jesus is the Master, He is Lord of all. So if we vainly hope to be treated better than He was by the world, we delude ourselves. Because Jesus was maltreated, we His people can expect to be mistreated too. If we're serving Jesus, we should expect opposition.

  For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:21 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.15.21.ESV How can the resurrection of the one Man Jesus result in resurrection life for countless millions? It goes back to how death came into the world. Through one man, death came to us all. Because Adam alone caused us all to face death, Jesus alone can redeem us to eternal life. Christ is the perfect substitute for imperfect Adam, and all of us descended from him. In Adam all die; in Christ all live. By default we're all in Adam. We're all descended from him. Therefore we all face death. We all need to be adopted into Jesus's family. We become adopted by Jesus through faith in Him. It's not because we're worthy. It's because He's merciful and gracious. 'Almighty Father in heaven, thank You that death doesn't have to be our destiny. We're grateful that we can trust in Jesus and have eternal life, bec

  So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 1 Corinthians 14:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.14.9.ESV What many people understand as tongues, Paul would dismiss as gobbledegook. The whole point of speaking in tongues is to speak in intelligible, translatable human languages. When Paul says 'if I speak in the tongue of angels' he's not saying that he can, he's speaking rhetorically. From the outset, on the day of Pentecost, the gift of tongues has been used to translate the gospel from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into other people's mother tongues. The whole point of speaking in other languages is not to edify ourselves, but to communicate the gospel to different people groups. Usually now, learning languages is hard graft rather than miraculous, but being able to speak in different languages is still a spiritual gift. People overspiritualise spi

  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. John 11:33 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.11.33.ESV If we were to watch the average dramatisation of Jesus, He wouldn't have a blond L'Oréal preened hair out of place. He would unflappably float around in His white toga without a care in the world. That's not the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of the Bible got deeply moved in His spirit at human grief, and greatly troubled. He cared, and He wept with us. He isn't indifferent to our afflictions. Jesus's good friend Lazarus died, and He mourned His death, even though He went on to raise him from the dead. He didn't just shrug His shoulders at the evil of death. It angered and upset Him. We might not be Lazarus. We might not rise again four days after dying. Yet we will all rise again to the judgement of all, whether we'll be acquitted or condemned. 'Almighty Fathe

  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 1 Corinthians 11:29 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.11.29.ESV Taking communion is serious business. It's not just a bit of bread and wine. It's a remembrance of Christ's ultimate sacrifice for us. In the Corinthian church, the rich hosts of the church and their friends overindulgence in the bread and wine, whilst the slaves and poor people went without. When we eat, we don't do so as some individualistic, selfish exercise. We should be mindful of others too. The church is Christ's body on earth. So we should be mindful of one another when we take communion. The alternative is grave. If we don't have regard for each other, we eat and drink judgement upon ourselves. We would do well to examine our hearts before taking communion. If all isn't right, we need to sort ourselves out. 'God, have mercy upon us for times we disregard one another. May we be m

 My blog gets very few visitors. But in the last few days I've had a couple of visitors from the mighty land of Russia (or maybe just one who popped back in), according to blogspot anyway. Maybe it's because I've referenced what's going on in that part of the world in recent posts. Well, just in case you or other Russians pop in, I want to assure you of my prayers at this time. Whether you're Putin in the Kremlin or some ordinary person going through tough times at the moment, you're not beyond the grace of God. Simply cry out to Him to reveal Himself to You, and dig into his word the Bible to find out what He would have to say to you. God bless,   Robert

  But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 1 Corinthians 10:28 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.10.28.ESV Paul has already said that food sacrificed to idols is nothing. It's not poisoned and won't condemn us to hell if we eat it. Idols are nothing and the food sacrificed to them are edible. Having said the above, Paul also says that for the sake of those for whom food sacrificed to idols is a big deal, we shouldn't eat it. Otherwise we might seem to be validating their belief that their idols are legitimate. For their consciences' sake we should refrain. The Kingdom of God isn't a matter of eating and drinking. Yet within the Kingdom of God, we should be defined by love. So if by eating and drinking I will upset someone's conscience, I will refrain. Some religions are obsessed with food. Not Christianity. Jesus declared all fo

  This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. John 8:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.8.6.ESV Any guess at what Jesus actually wrote is mere speculation. The most convincing theory is that He wrote some of the laws of God. By the law His accusers sought to trap Him; by God's law He convicted them of sin. Jesus's accusers brought a woman caught in adultery. Would He condemn her to death according to the law; or would He acquit her and appear licentious? Did any of her accusers keep God's law as they ought though? As Jesus said, 'let the one without sin cast the first stone'. Jesus is the One without sin, yet He refused to stone the woman as the law demanded. Instead, He called her to leave her life of sin. Do we love God as we ought? Do we love one another as we should? Even if we're not guilty of the act of adultery, our sins condemn us. Only in Christ can w

  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. John 7:37 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.7.37.ESV Jesus calling people to come to Him to spiritually drink and be satisfied was risky business. The religious leaders already had it in for Him. He was a marked man. Jesus preaching in the temple was like someone attempting an open air service in Red Square in Moscow. It would likely get shut down pretty quickly. Similarly, Jesus's enemies would soon have Him executed for blasphemy/treason. Jesus's message is so essential that it is worth dying for. Better to physically die than to spiritually dehydrate in hell. Only Jesus satisfies spiritually. Jesus is our only hope. As He also said, 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled'. We are filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit so that we might be a blessing to others too. 'Dear Lord, th

  Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains." 1 Samuel 26:20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.26.20.ESV David had great humility and godliness in his dealings with the incumbent king Saul, who was out for his blood. More than once he had opportunity to assassinate Saul and take his place as the anointed king of Israel. Yet he refused to raise his hands against the Lord's anointed. As far as David was concerned, he was a 'wee flea' on the back of Saul. Saul was treating him like a hunter would pursue a partridge, as fair game. David insisted this wasn't fair, he'd not wronged Saul. If we think of the church, when we're persecuted by the likes of Saul of Tarsus, we aren't to take the law into our hands and seek revenge. Instead, we are to entrust ourselves to God's grace. Blessed are the persecute

Russians can no longer own English football clubs, but the Saudis who are fighting in the Yemen can (with Newcastle). Is it because Ukrainians are white and Yemenis aren't?

  When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 1 Corinthians 6:1 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.6.1.ESV We're not told what the Corinthian Christians were going to court with each other for. Maybe they were like America stereotypically is, with people suing each other relatively frequently. We know slavery existed back then, so maybe it was slaves with grievances against their masters and vis versa. Whatever the reasons for going to court, Paul insisted that they weren't valid. Church is meant to be a loving family within which differences are ironed out. There should in theory be more wisdom in the church of Christ than in the world's law courts. One of the biggest issues in the courts is divorce. Ideally, Christians shouldn't be divorcing. If there's adultery then of course there can be separation, and if there's abuse there should be, but the Biblical ideal even for adulterous p

  not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. Ezekiel 3:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/ezk.3.6.ESV 'Keen' Christians are often characterised as those who are cross-cultural and especially linguistic missionaries. Of course we should all be zealously sharing the gospel, whatever our contexts. Ezekiel wasn't sent to an unknown language group however. Ezekiel ministered to his own people, albeit in exile in Babylon. On the face of it that might sound a relatively easy job. God warned him however that he wasn't going to get listened to. God even said that if Ezekiel had gone to another language group, they would have listened. As it was, he was going to have to be harder and tougher than his hard and tough audience. Thankfully God promised to make him hard and tough. Apparently there was a time in British history when church leaders were concerned there weren&#

 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade." John 2:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.2.16.ESV As a half humorous gesture, I left a note in a church guest book referencing a similar verse, referring to their gift shop. Places of worship of the Living God aren't to be places of commerce. They are to be houses of prayer. How are places of worship maintained? Is it by selling stuff? Or is it by prayerfully trusting that the people of God will generously give? When Jesus drove away the tradespeople from the temple, He got angry. Yet it was a righteous anger. He didn't lose His temper. Jesus's disciples remembered the verse 'zeal for Your house has consumed Me'. Jesus was so passionate about His Father's glory that He was full of wrath against those who disrespected Him. We get a glimpse of what Christ will be like on His return with those who fail to worship Him aright. 'Fath

  and we labour, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 1 Corinthians 4:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.4.12.ESV Paul and company laboured hard. No-one could accuse them of being idlers, or of choosing the ministry as an easy option. Instead, he worked night and day to earn his keep. Paul worked as a tent maker as well as a minister. He was holding down two jobs as he made the good news known. He deserved to earn his living purely by preaching, but he didn't insist on that right. Sadly, Paul and his team were often reviled, and worse. Instead of retaliating however, they blessed those who cursed them. That's how far away we need to be from hitting back at those who hurt us. How did Paul and team endure persecution, which was often violent and painful? No doubt by remembering Christ's promise. We're blessed when we're persecuted because our reward is then great in heaven. 'Dear God Almighty, please help us to

  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.1.5.ESV God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. God said, 'let there be light', and there was light. Jesus is the Light of the world. The devil thought he extinguished the Light when Christ was crucified. Yet even at the darkness of the cross, the Light of God's love for us shone brightly. On the third day He victoriously rose again from tomb. The forces of darkness seek to extinguish the light, yet the light shines in the midst. Darkness is simply the absence of light, but it fails to overcome the light. God's light is eternal. The darkness is temporary. We might pass through the darkest valleys in this life, but we will break through into the eternal dawn of the new creation. Through faith in Jesus we too will overcome the dark. 'Light of the world, thank You for stepping down into our darkness to bring us into Your Kingdom of

  What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.1.12.ESV We see this kind of celebrity Christian culture all the more in the Internet age. "I follow John Piper/Don Carson/Tim Keller" is the type of thing we might hear today. Paul would remind us that it is Christ who is preached by His faithful servants, not themselves. It's all too easy to follow our favourite Christian teachers online nowadays. What of our faithful local church leaders though? Do we support them as we ought? Do we know where our allegiance ultimately lies? Not with any Christian personality, but with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One we should magnify in all we do. Paul, Apollos and Peter were all faithful servants of God in their own ways. Yet we shouldn't have favourite Bible teachers. As long as they are exalting Chr