“With here many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him. Suddenly he follows her as an ox goes to slaughter, or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, until an arrow pierces through his liver; as a bird hastens to the snare, so he does not know that it will cost him his life. Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths. for many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.” Proverbs 7:21-27 Sin brings about death. There is no way for us to escape the peril of our sinful condition through any action of our own. We are drawn into the snare of sin that captures our heart, mind, soul and strength. We must run away from the death but as we run we find ourselves completely trapped. Continue Reading…
Wisdom came to save mankind from the curse of sin: Proverbs 7 and 8
When sin abounds will the grace of God fall upon you: Ezra 9 and 10
“Oh my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day.” Ezra 9:6,7 Have you felt as Ezra, where your have seen the deliverance of the Lord only to find yourself dwelling in sin shortly there after? God brought a remnant of Israel out of captivity back to Jerusalem and the temple was rebuilt. In the midst of God’s mighty deliverance the people intermarry with the people of the land without heeding God’s command not to dwell with them. Continue Reading…
Depravity, sin, death: inherent without Jesus Christ: 2 Samuel 13 and 14
” ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, an he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’ ” 2 Samuel 12: 10-12 The words God spoke to David through Nathan tell of the direst to come within the house of David. Did David’s actions lead to his family thinking that they were above reproach in all of their deeds? How was David as a father? Was David like many men today who give all their effort and skill at work only to reserve nothing for their family where the greatest effort and energy is needed? Continue Reading…
Lack of diligence perverts the truth of God: Judges 17 and 18
Have you ever read a book where the characters are in the midst of a traumatic situation only to see it go from bad to worse? The Israelites have fallen away from God and they are have turned their hand to whatever is good in their own eyes. Have you ever found that your life progressed from a vibrant relationship with God to a lackluster existence far from the rich fellowship of God? There were times in my past where I rested on my laurels thinking I didn’t need to read my Bible daily, I went to church a few weeks ago so missing this week is okay, or why do I need to be around other believers these friends of mine are not that bad. These ideas I have held at various times in my walk with God are from the pit of hell. Hope and security in life can only be found in God and you can only find God through the Scriptures within the body of Christ. In Judges 17 and 18 the Israelites have rested on their laurels and started doing whatever they chose with no consideration of what God would want. It is a sad moment to see a nation who was mightily delivered by God time after time totally disregarding His commandments. I never want to dwell in this state with God, to move from tasting the wonderful refreshment that is a living relationship with Him to the desert of my own desires. Continue Reading…
What is the true meaning of sacrifice: Deuteronomy 17 and 18
Why does God require an unblemished ox or sheep to be used as a sacrifice? In Deuteronomy 17 Moses reminds the people of Israel that they shall never offer a blemished sacrifice to God. It seems a little weird to me at first to think that God wanted perfect animal to be sacrificed. I tried to place myself into the story of the Israelites in Deuteronomy and that is when I started to understand why it was important. Let me put this command in a more modern sense. My sacrificing a blemished animal would be me giving my church money only after I have everything I need or it is like donating your car to your church only after you have upgraded to a new and better one. Continue Reading…
God’s rescue of Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 and 20
I think the most interesting thoughts I have had in reading Genesis 19 and 20 are just “why” questions. I think of why was Lot in the city? Did Lot recognize the angels as angels? Why is the story of Lot’s daughters sleeping with Lot included? It seems like a lot of things that don’t add up. The story shows how depraved humans can be and how lost we are apart from God. I find encouragement when I see the faithfulness of God. God is faithful and remembers Abraham and He rescues Lot. I am so thankful that God is in control and faithful.
