Author: mydailybiblestudying

Lessons from the Use of Parables

The use of parables is one of the most unique ways that differentiated Jesus from other teachers. A person had to take their time to intentionally understand what the parables meant if they wanted to get the lesson. This intentionality is key when it comes to learning from the Lord.

One of the things that the parables do is to separate those who were truly seeking the Lord God from those who were following him because of the things that Jesus did. While the Lord had many followers, He only had a few disciples. The disciples were closest to him, were curious to learn from him and were always awe struck at his power and majesty. They are the ones who see him calm storms and raise the dead. They are also the ones who get to understand and have great faith in Him because they get to know deep in their hearts that this is the Messiah. Even with the parables, the disciples got to understand the meaning and when they did not, they asked Jesus directly so that they could understand.

And as believers, this is the call we have: we are to be disciples of Christ, not just followers. It is deeper and a bigger mandate – Making disciples. See the command:

Matthew 28:19-20 RSV – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20 NLT – Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Even today, large crowds and “congregations” are following Jesus but few are coming really to be his disciples. Few are coming to be like Him and to obey Him as their Lord and master. Few are coming with a clear understanding that beginning a relationship with Jesus is not just a “relationship” like any other. It is a relationship characterized by submission and obedience to Him, doing everything He has commanded us to do in His word.

(Lord Jesus, may you help me to be truly submitted to you, sincere in my worship and obedient to your commands. Forgive me and help me not to compromise on any of your commands and directions. Let me be ready to do what you say because therein is life. Amen)

V1-16

(The Parable of the Vineyard Workers)

In this parable, the workers come in to work in the fields at different times.  Some work more than others but at the end of the day, two unique things happen. The first is that the workers who came in last are paid first while the ones who started working first are paid last. The second thing is that everyone is paid the exact same wages. The kindness of the master is what makes him pay them all the same rate.

We also have to note the reason why they came in at different times. It’s not that these workers were doing something else and so were available to work late. The reason why they were not working is because no one had hired them. If someone had hired them, they would have worked the full day just like those who were hired in the morning.

This parable is talking about eternal life.

Here are some lessons:

• The landowner’s decision to pay all workers the same represents God’s abundant grace and mercy upon us all.
• We also learn that Salvation is not earned through self-righteous works but is a result of God’s mercy. The amount of work that the first workers did was not what the landowner used to measure how He paid them. He pays out of his mercy. You do not earn salvation, it is a gift from God. No amount of work you do can qualify you to enter. In fact, the only common thing is that all these workers ACCEPTED the invitation to work for the landowner. And after they all came in, they worked according to the time they had remaining. None of those who was hired refused to work. And so that’s what the landowner looks at.
• Rather than complaining when others get eternal life, we should all rejoice that they accept the redemption given by the Lord, even if they do this at their death bed. On the cross, the thief got salvation just like the way the Apostles who would later work much more than him did.
• While there may be varying rewards in heaven, all believers will share equally in the reward of eternal life.

V17-19 – Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him and He tells his disciples so that they can clearly know the future. This part clearly shows that Jesus is not forced, He willingly gives his life for us. He lay down his life for you and me.

John 10:18 NLT: No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

1 John 3:16 NLT: We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

John 10:11 NLT: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.

The theme of his mercy and love for us continues on. The Lord willingly gives his life for all of us, because He loves. John 3:16 – starts with “For God so LOVED the world…” Love led him to give his life for us.

And He does this so that we can be like Him. He has become the firstborn among many.

Romans 8:29 Living Bible – For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him—and all along he knew who would—should become like his Son, so that his Son would be the First, with many brothers.

I John 4:17 NLT – And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

V1-2 – In this account, we see clearly that there is an ideal process to getting children and building a family. The man and woman from the tribe of Levi FIRST get married and then after… get children. It’s an important reminder of sexual purity and how to build a godly foundation for marriage and family.

The Story of Moses, is a shadow of the life of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

I am reminded of the story of Joseph and Mary: they were also not married and had not had any sexual relations and that’s why Joseph felt obliged to break the engagement with Mary when He realizes that She is pregnant. Joseph therefore understood and respected the order in place. We live in a society that seeks to break these foundations of marriage and purity. Dear friend, be careful not to be enticed by such sinful ideas.

Of course, in Joseph’s story, He did not leave Mary because an angel of the Lord visited Him and made things clear for Him.

Matthew 1:18-21 NLT – This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[h] quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[i] for he will save his people from their sins.

An important point of note is that Moses’s mother saw that Moses was a special baby. Maybe this was revealed to her by the Holy Spirit. On this verse, a number of other versions say that Moses was an unusually beautiful child. Regardless of this, it is clear that God’s plan to keep Moses and to ensure He grows is in place and is happening.

Moses’s mother hides him because Pharaoh has ordered Egyptians to throw every newborn Hebrew child into the Nile. (Seen in Exodus 1)

This story of the young Moses and his mother is still also similar to what happened to Jesus after He was born. At that time, Herod had ordered all males 2 years and below in Bethlehem to be killed.

Matthew 2:16-18 ESV – Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

An angel of the Lord told Joseph to leave Bethlehem so that Jesus would not be killed.

Matthew 2:13 NIV – When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

In both cases, an enemy who feels threatened is looking to kill these children. Thankfully, the Lord always makes a way and the plans of the enemy do not succeed. This is an important comfort for all of us. God is in control and He will protect and take care of his people. We do not necessarily have to worry about the details of how He will protect us from the enemy because He will always make things clear or give us wisdom if there is something we need to do. The most important thing is to have that underlying understanding and faith in Him, regardless of the situation.

Joshua 1:9 NIV – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV – Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

V3-10 – How beautiful God’s plan is, Oh How beautiful.

In these verses, we clearly see how the story plays out. Dear friend, this is not something that happens because of Moses’s mother sharpness or how good she is at coming up with ideas, she was only an instrument of God who yields herself to the plans that God has. God is the one who gives all the ideas and what to do and eventually Moses is saved and grows up. And see, Moses is raised up in his early years by his own mother. That’s great. And then later, He is taken to the palace where He will now grow up as the princesses’ son.

As a child (and son) in the Palace, Moses would obviously grow up to be very well educated in Egyptian matters.

V11-15 – Moses is pained by the oppression He sees the Israelites under. He feels that He needs to do something. In his heart, we can clearly see therefore that Moses already had a burden about his people. He wanted to see them free and liberated from this oppression and that’s why He killed the Egyptian. It is also why He wanted to make peace between these two Hebrews who are fighting.

It seems to me that God had already planted the seed and burden for Israel in the heart of Moses, way before He is later called and specifically appointed to be God’s servant in the liberation of Israel.

Truly, our God is great and Mighty. His plans are perfect and He executes it out of his love, righteousness and justice.

Isaiah 46:10 NLT: Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.

V16-22 – Moses gets a family in Midian and spends many of his years here. We see from this section that Moses is a virtuous man. He is careful to help the daughters of the Priest of Midian. In addition, Moses we see that Moses is still a man who hates injustice.  He stands up to defend the daughters of the Priest against the shepherds who usually oppressed them. He knows that what the Shepherds are doing is not right and He is ready to do something about it.

This quality of Moses is admirable : He hates injustice. In this regard, Moses continues to be a shadow of Jesus. Jesus hates wickedness and loves righteousness. This is what God says of his son:

Hebrews 1:8-9 NIV – But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

Dear friend, the Lord Jesus is calling us to be like Him, we must be haters of sin and wickedness and lovers of righteousness. We must imitate the Lord.

Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT – Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

V23-25 – God’s plan continues to be worked out. The people of God continue crying out to God because of their pain. They cry out to God for his help and the Lord knew it was time to act. Obviously, it is not that God had not seen what had been happening to them. He was constantly seeing but the appointed time had not come.

God had an appointed time for saving them.

But it does not mean that the Lord was not doing anything at this time. There is a lot He was doing, He was preparing Moses and laying the “building blocks” essentially. And remember, the Lord had already said that the Israelites would be slaves for 400 years:

Genesis 15:13-17 NIV – Then the LORD said to him, “Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.

What is the lesson here: God has an appointed time for acting but in the waiting time, when we have to wait for Him to act, it does not mean that He is not doing anything. He always is working it out for us. Regardless of our pain and struggle.

And so what should we do?

Psalms 27:14 NKJV – Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Dear friends, in all this we must ALSO remember that God had a bigger story that He was writing. The great story of our salvation. And therefore his plan for Israel had to be fulfilled so that Israel could be an example for us.

For example, Egypt and the oppression they faced is an example of us, when we were living in bondage to sin and the devil.

Another great example is a demonstration of God’s saving grace. The Israelites cried out for salvation from their bondage. But in our case, it was the opposite. We did not need to cry out, the Lord offered us salvation while we were still sinners, even before we were born. Some of us did not even know how sinful we are until He shed his light on us.

Romans 5:8 NKJV – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Lord, I praise you for your great plan of salvation for me. I am grateful for your immense and amazing love for me and I pray that you help me to be an imitator of Christ. Lord, may you cause me by your holy spirit to hate sin and wickedness and to love righteousness. Your throne, Oh God, is built on righteousness and justice, Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants. Help me Lord to walk before you in sincerity and humility, not hiding my sin but bringing it before you and getting forgiveness from you. Renew my mind oh Lord, every day, so that I may never ever forget the weight of what you have done for me on the cross and that I may know how to walk with and in you. My heart desires you and your precepts. I desire to come and be with you forever. Help me to stand till that last day, help me to overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. I desire you Lord. Amen)

V1-7

In this chapter, we start seeing God’s grand plan to move the Israelites out of Egypt and return them to the land He promised to Abraham. These verses first bring out the contrast of the number of people. The whole of household of Israel had 70 people at the time they came. When they came, Joseph had favor with the Pharaoh at the time and they were allowed to live in the land of Goshen. The number of the people was quite small compared to how big they later become. As their numbers increased, their power also increased. They become very powerful and fill the land.

There is power that comes from numbers. When a people are many, they are very powerful in what they say and what they do.

There is a lot of power in people coming together to walk together for a cause. The Church can benefit a lot from this. Unity in the Church can cause effectiveness in ministry because each person makes their small contribution and it adds up to a very big effort. As light in the world, disciples of Jesus must shine and glorify the Lord’s name on the Earth.

V8-10

Even though the Israelites had not rebelled against the Egyptians, the Pharaoh is filled with fear that they might revolt and He therefore makes a plan to oppress them.

It is interesting what fear and negative speculation can do. Rather than trusting in God, people filled with fear start hatching their own plans to protect and save themselves. Verse 10 actually shows that the Pharaoh, since this early stage, feared that the Israelites would revolt and “escape from the country.” He clearly did not want this to happen.

The second lesson is that when you become a threat to a person or a group of people, they will always make plans to destroy you. This is what is happening here in the heart of this Pharaoh. We see this same thing during Jesus’s time on earth. Even though Jesus had come to bring the Kingdom of God, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law did not like that He was challenging the status quo and that many people were listening to Him and so they made plans to kill him. One of these times is when Jesus heals on the Sabbath. Jesus was doing the right thing in healing on the Sabbath and He even challenged them that they would also save their sheep and donkeys if they fell into a well on a sabbath. The Pharisees did not like this because they had created their own kind of “religion” and created laws that were not from God. And so, when Jesus challenges their ways:

Matthew 12:14 NLT: Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.

V11-14

The saving plan of God continues to unfold. At this stage, God now allows pain in the lives of the people of Israel. This pain is very critical because it makes the people of Israel uncomfortable in Egypt.

God had a divine plan for Israel. This was his chosen nation through which He would reveal himself and his plan for humankind. Part of God’s plan is to return the children of Israel to Canaan, the promised land, just as He promised Abraham.

The people of Israel since the time Jacob and his family come down to Egypt had been comfortable in Egypt and their numbers grew greatly. They enjoyed a time of great prosperity, peace and growth from God. But now the time had come for these people to return to their ancestral land Canaan. And so, God allows pain so that the Israelites would no longer love their stay in Egypt. This pain would move them into a place of prayer, a place of remembering what God had said about them. It would push them into a place of realizing that the time had come to leave. And so, through the start of period of pain, God starts making the children of Israel ready and He starts making them come to his side where their hearts would now begin to move into a place of agreement with God’s plan.

Personally, the unfolding of this story makes me have so much reverence and Awe towards God.  His plans over our lives are amazing. He would allow pain in our lives, not because it is enjoyable for him but because it is a tool He can use for our redemption because it tests us and brings us closer to Him. Oh! He is great and He is greatly to be praised. This also gives me confidence in Him: He has a good plan for me and as He has said:

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

John 16:33 NIV: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

One part of this unfolding that I have find to be amazing is in verse 12 and this continues to unfold till the end of the Chapter. Pharaoh’s plan was to stop the growth of the numbers of the Israelites but clearly, this was not God’s plan. In fact, instead of reducing in numbers, they grow even more and more. Even the Egyptians are alarmed.

For me, it shows how precise God is in his plan. He had a limit to their pain. Even though God allows them to be oppressed, He does not allow their numbers to reduce. To the contrary, they grow even more and more. And up to the end of this chapter, Pharaoh continues to try to kill the Israelites but his plan never comes to pass. So, it was not in God’s design to reduce the numbers of Israel. God is already glorified in this because the Egyptians obviously wonder why their plan is not working.

V15-19

Being blind to what is happening or unfolding by not realizing this is the hand of God, Pharaoh continues to resist and therefore when his first plan to reduce their numbers through slave labor fails, He orders midwives to kill the Israelite sons who are born.

But you see, the midwives are not blind, they know that this is a sin against God. They can’t do it regardless of what Pharaoh orders. The midwives fear God more than they fear or even honor Pharaoh.  The lack of the fear of God differentiates Pharaoh from the midwives. Pharaoh is a man without Godly wisdom because He does not fear God. He only fears or is scared of the power of the growing Israelites and so He does not care what He has to do to ensure their population does not continue to grow.

And that is how the fear of God differentiates people and also protects us from sinning against the Lord.

Here are a few verses showing what the fear of the Lord is and what it does:

• Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
• Job 28:28: “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
• Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.
• Proverbs 9:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
• Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• Proverbs 10:27: The fear of the Lord prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
• Proverbs 14:27: The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.
• Proverbs 14:26: In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.
• Psalm 112:1: Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
• Psalm 128:1: How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.
• Psalm 33:8: Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

V20-21

Regardless of Pharaoh’s evil plans, the Israelites still continue to grow in number. We also see that the Lord blesses all who fear Him above all else. The Midwives are given families of their own because they fear the Lord. It is a proper example of all what all the verses about the fear of the Lord above are saying.

(Father in Heaven, I am sorry for every time I fail in fearing you. Your word teaches me that to fear you is to hate sin. Help me to learn to fear you oh great and mighty God. Because in fearing you is life. Lord, make me like these midwives who learned to fear you above human authorities. Let me not sin against you by fearing men and circumstances more than I fear you. I submit to your Holy Spirit so that I may be led of Him in fearing you. In Jesus name, Amen.)

V22

Hard headed Pharaoh still continues to find ways to ensure the Israelite male newborns are killed.

Can a man win against the Lord? No

In all these things, however, we still remember that God had a divine plan for Israel and He was working it out.

(May your divine plan of Salvation over my life be fulfilled oh God. Let me learn more and more to humble before you and to walk with you. Let me learn to treasure your word because it gives me wisdom.)

V16

This young man comes to Jesus asking what “good deed” He can do to get eternal life. He seems to have had knowledge of the commandments and so we can assume that He knew the Law given by Moses (Torah). The purpose of the law was to show people what God required of them. The Law is a set of directions (do’s and don’ts’s)  that to be perfect, people would have to obey it (in its entirety) in order to inherit God’s kingdom.

But you see, therein, lies the problem. And this, in my view, is exactly what I see in this beginning part of the conversation Jesus has with this young man:

• Can a person in their own power keep the whole law and be perfect?
• Can you enter God’s kingdom because you have obeyed the commandments and have therefore “worked for it” and so you “deserve to enter”?

This person wants to be counted as “good” or “righteous” and He thinks that this goodness comes from doing “good” deeds.

V17

In this verse, Jesus first deals with this aspect of being “good.” Jesus says ““Why ask me about what is good?” and “There is only One who is good.”

This story is also seen in Mark 10:17-22. And in this account of the story, it says “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”

When you first read this part of the response, you might think Jesus is denying that He is God. But He is actually not. Jesus simply answers the guy in a wise way. To make it simple, if I am to paraphrase this statement, Jesus is essentially asking the guy:

“God is the only one who is good, and so by calling me good teacher, are you saying that you know that I am God?“

And

“If you know that I am God, will you carry my words as such?“

Jesus wanted the young man to truly understand what He was saying by calling Him “good teacher.”

And then Jesus goes ahead to reveal where the problem is with the young man. In this short conversation, Jesus reveals what sin is and ensures we are able to see why we need a savior. In essence, Jesus, in very few words, lays out and explains everything that the Apostle comes to much later explain in the book of Romans about the law.

Jesus tells the young man that if He wants to get eternal life, He needs to keep the commandments.

V18-21

Jesus starts telling the young man some of the commandments He must keep and the young man replies that He has actually kept those commandments already. And then He proceeds to ask Jesus what else needs to be done for Him to get eternal life.

When we read the account in Mark 10:17-22, we see that Jesus looked at him and loved him and then He said “One thing you lack” and then goes to explain what the man lacks. Jesus then says that the young man needs to sell everything, give it to the poor and follow Jesus.

For me, as I read this, I find a number of things very striking:

First, I clearly see that Jesus answers this question (about what else must be done) by connecting it to the aspect about him the “good teacher” i.e. him being God.

From this first understanding, the second thing I see is that Jesus did not at first mention all the 10 commandments. He had left some out . And I see that this response from Jesus is directly connected to the first two commandments:

Exodus 20:3-5a NIV – “You shall have no other gods before me.” “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them;”

Jesus (who is God), already knew what the problem with this young man was– His wealth. The issue is that there was already something that was a god in his life and therefore the Lord, the true God was not the only God in his life. From the commandments above, we see that we are not to have any others gods apart from God. God is to be worshipped alone; He alone must be God in our lives. He must be the first and the last!!

By telling the young man to sell his wealth, give it to the poor and come follow him, Jesus was essentially telling him to let go of his other god, submit to the ultimate leadership of Jesus and become his disciple. He was telling the young man that He should not have any other god. As seen above, Jesus connects this with the aspect about being called “good” and is showing the young man the real implication of calling Jesus good and what that means for the young man. Being God, Jesus directly deals with the young man’s idolatry.

He was telling the young man that getting eternal life only comes by submitting to Him and is not based on good deeds. If there is to be a “good deed” to be done, then it is only submitting to Jesus and letting Him truly be the center of our lives. It means obeying him, making him our Lord and savior and depending on him completely. It means putting our complete and full trust in the Lord and no one or nothing else… not our wealth, our actions, our intellect, our positions, our cunning ways, not anything else!!

V22

Sadly, the young man could not come to let go of his wealth and so He did not become a disciple of Jesus.

V23

After the young man hears this and leaves, Jesus puts even more weight on what He was saying by showing how big of an idol wealth can be. Wealth can easily take up the place of God because it gives you the prestige, power, positions and you feel that you have the answer to all things because you have money. The rich person can find himself/herself in the very bad trap of wondering why they need God.

Dear friend, wealth in itself is not bad, but what it can cause is bad. Be careful. If the Lord gives you wealth, take great care that it does not take God’s place and make you forget God. This is what the Lord told the Israelites:

Deuteronomy 8:10-18 NIV: When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

On the other hand, it is also possible that we may not be wealthy and we have financial problems. While this difficulty most of the time leads to God, we might also find ourselves exalting the suffering more than God. The worry and anxiety can become our god, and we might complain and forget the Lord. Let us all remember, The Lord must be our God in all situations. Don’t forget the Lord. At his time, He will fix those problems.

V25-26

The disciples were astounded, they could not see how anyone then could be saved. But Jesus says “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

In essence here, Jesus is telling the disciples that a human being can never be good enough to earn eternal life. It is only possible with God, through his Mercy to our lives by sending Jesus to die for our sins. Because of his sacrifice on the cross, “with God, it is possible.” We only need to accept him and make him the Lord of our lives.

V28 

Jesus tells the 12 disciples their reward for being his followers. They will judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

V29-30

And everyone who gives up everything to follow Jesus, anyone who values their relationship with Christ as more valuable than ANYTHING, they will also be greatly rewarded. But if we value anything more than Him, we will lose everything. Do not endeavor to be first in this world.

Questions to Ponder

• Is God truly first in your life?
• Is there anything you have prioritized more than God?
• Are you in idolatry?
• Do you trust your “good deeds” to get you salvation? Are you telling yourself “I am a good person” “I don’t do many wrong things like other people do?” “I am not a terrorist/rapist/thief/murderer/corrupt.” or do you recognize that you are a sinner in need of a savior?

V1-2 – Large crowds follow Jesus wherever He goes. This is important because it shows that these people saw that there is something that Jesus could provide.

He was a unique teacher or “Rabbi” as they often called teachers of the law. He was unique because He taught with authority but apart from that, Jesus also healed them of their diseases. He is therefore also meeting their needs. As we learn in other places in the gospels, Jesus did this out of deep compassion for the people.

Preaching the gospel without also considering the immediate needs of others is not the model Jesus uses. Let’s emulate Him.

V3 – The pharisees, unlike the people/crowds above, come to Jesus trying to trap Him. This is a clear example of what it means to be wicked. These pharisees, as we always see throughout the gospels, do not have a good intention in following Jesus. Their intention is never to learn from Him or get life from Him. No, their intention is to cause bad things to happen to Him, they are interested in trapping Him. This was obviously out of jealousy and an evil spirit of competition because Jesus had the crowds, people were listening to Him and He was doing amazing miracles. Instead of being interested in knowing what makes Him this unique, the Pharisees wanted to fight Him.

It’s so unfortunate that people can think that they can trick or trap God. You can’t trick the Lord, you will only get punishment and pain from that kind of behavior.

Proverbs 26:27 NLT – If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.

Rather than try to trick the Lord, why don’t you go to Him humbly to learn from Him?

Matthew 11:29 NIV – Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

V4-12 – The question of divorce is a big issue that many people contemplate and struggle with. People do not want to be lonely but people also don’t want to really obey God’s word. In the purest sense, Jesus is saying that Divorce is ungodly and is not right. It can only happen when there is sexual immorality and even in that case, the guilty party should not be remarried to anyone.

V13-15 – The Kingdom is for those who are like little children. Little children have hope and trust in their parents, are humble and are also very observant to see what their parents do and they copy it. There is also much more that little children are like.

May the Lord help us to be like little children in our relationship with Him. We can trust Him, obey him, and learn from Him.

This blog explains it this way:

“What are the elements of such childlike receiving?

• First, unmitigated trust. We see such trust in a baby who stands on his father’s hand high over his dad’s head—and smiles proudly.
• Second, untutored humility. Children do not engage in the various forms of pride of adulthood. Further, a little child is free from the pride of knowledge. He has no learning, no degrees to pile up before the cross. Intellectual conceit is impossible. Children are teachable too. They receive the gospel without proposing amendments to it.
• Third, untarnished receptivity. Children know how to receive a gift—they simply take it.
• Fourth, unabashed love. Children easily return love for loving gifts. Enthusiastic hugs and kisses and multiple “Thanks” are showered on the giver. And spiritually, “we love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Unabashed love is the province of those who receive the kingdom as little children.”

V1-9

Joseph loved his father and He weeps and organizes a mourning period which lasts seventy days. To preserve the body of Jacob, the Egyptians embalm it.

Joseph weeps the death of his father because He loved Him. I think that when we love someone deeply, their passing away from the earth will always be a point to weigh us down and cause us to be sorrowful.

The story of the death of Jesus shows this. Before the death of Jesus, in Matthew 26, Peter clings to Jesus, even saying that He will not and cannot deny Him. (Of course, Jesus tells him that He will deny Him and He goes on to deny Jesus three times) But the point is that Peter’s intention not to deny Jesus was good. He wanted to be by the side of Jesus. Then later on, as Jesus heads to the cross, in Luke 23, there are women who were mourning and weeping for Him. Even later, in John 20, we see Mary Magdalene weeping at the tomb after She finds Jesus’s body missing from the tomb. 

The common thing between Joseph, Peter, the weeping women and even Mary Magdalene, is that they all loved these loved ones and were mourning about their deaths. For Joseph, it was his father Jacob and for these others, the Lord Jesus. These people in the New Testament wished that their Lord would be with them longer and that He would not have to die.

There may be several lessons that we can get from here, but I think I see two (for now). First, I learn that everyone mourns for their loved ones at the face of death simply because death is painful. Death hurts all of us because it takes away the people we love. And this takes me to the second lesson, why does death even exist?

Sin… sin is the cause. This happens after Adam and Eve are lied to by the devil and they accept the lie and go on to sin against God by eating from the tree they were told not to eat from. When God speaks to them, He proceeds to say to Adam:

Genesis 3:19 NIV – By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

At its core, Death is basically SEPARATION.

When our loved ones die, we are SEPARATED from them. Anyone who dies is essentially separated from their body and from life on earth. And the ones who are left behind are pained by the death.

Until Jesus comes, everyone is destined to die the physical death. So, what happens after this death?

After death, comes judgement,

Hebrews 9:27 NIV: Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment… (continued below)

But then, we learn that there is not only one death, there are two types of death. The second death is the lake of fire where everyone whose name will not be in the book of life will be sent. It is eternal SEPARATION from God. And being separated from God is definitely not a good thing –>> it is pure pain and suffering.

Revelation 21:8 NIV: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

This second death is not for everyone. There are those who will be saved from the second death. The question is: Who are these??

And here comes the joyous news of the gospel — Jesus. The women were mourning and weeping and even Mary Magdalene wept when She found the tomb empty. But they had not yet full realized that this was actually the Plan: GOD’S PLAN FOR HUMANKIND.

(Continuation from above) Hebrews 9:28 NIV – so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

John 11:25 NIV – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

John 3:16 NIV– For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus died on the cross so that each of us can have eternal life. This is so that we can enjoy eternity with Him, not separated from Him. You and I do not have to experience the second death. For those who believe in Jesus and abide in Him, a time will come when they will say (Oh death, where is your sting?):

1 Corinthians 15:55-58 New Living Translation (NLT) – O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

And so, what should be our appropriate response to this?? —-> Brokenness, humility and the believing and acceptance of what Jesus has done on the cross.

And after that, what should we do?

We should live for Him. We must give our lives Wholeheartedly, we must and need to obey his word, we should hate sin and we must abide in Him.

John 15:4-11 NIV: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you[a] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

After we believe and trust in Jesus, we do not mourn about death in the same way as those who do not believe. We mourn with an understanding that those who believe and trust in Jesus will not suffer from the second death. And so, even the other verses of Genesis 50 can be seen from this understanding.

V10-11

The mourning of Joseph and all who accompanied Him was so great such that even the outsiders, the Canaanites, saw it and recognized that their mourning was great.

There is something very profound about this.

When I look at this verse from the new perspective and understanding we have learnt above, the question that comes up within me is this: How remorseful am I about my sin?

Other questions also come up:

• How serious am I talking my walk with the Lord?
• Do I hate sin and the things of the World?
• Can people witness that I walk with the Lord?
• Is my life impacting people and leading them to Jesus?

As I reflect, Please also reflect on these questions.

Jesus died, He died for our sin. He did not have to. He had no sin in himself. He died purely because of his love for us and so that we do not have to be eternally separated from God forever.

V12-13

Jacob’s body is buried with his father’s, Isaac and grandfather’s Abraham. Abraham had bought a burial site for him and descendants and these descendants were careful to be buried there.

V14 – 21

Joseph’s brothers come up with a lie so that Joseph does not punish them for what they did to Him. The guys are still fearful and guilty. And really, this is the problem with guilt. Guilt always comes up with many ideas of horrible and terrifying things that are going to happen.

But Joseph is a man of Faith. He is a man of forgiveness and a person who understands God’s sovereignty. He understands that this was actually God’s plan for Him so that He can save his family and many other people from death by hunger.

The brothers don’t seem to have understood this yet. They are still looking at it carnally. They really don’t seem to have seen that this was God’s plan. Although they were forgiven, they were still doubting.

Dear friends, after we accept Jesus, we don’t have to doubt what He did for us on the cross. You only should fear if you are not living for Him. But Jesus secured our salvation through his precious blood on the cross, through his death. He is now resurrected and is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.

He has also given us his Holy Spirit, who is our helper so that we may live lives that are worthy of this high calling of salvation and a life dedicated to the Lord.

V22-26

Joseph, like his father Jacob, had faith and He knew God’s word about Israel would be fulfilled. And so, He asks his brothers to ensure they have carried his bones when God will be taking Israel out of Egypt. The writer of the Book of Hebrews also sees this great faith in Joseph:

Hebrews 11:22 NLT – It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.

This is the lesson: God’s Word can be trusted. God is faithful and He can be trusted to do what He says He will do. He will indeed save all whose eyes are fixed on Him. He will save those who are careful to walk with the Lord. Don’t lose heart.

Hebrews 12: 1-3 NLT: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

V1 – Jacob gathers his children around Him to tell them what will happen to them in their future. He does this prophetically, through faith in God and through the Holy Spirit. Jacob had kept God’s word in his heart. He knew that his descendants will be a great nation as the Lord had promised. He was now speaking prophetically from this understanding.

Oh that we would so filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with God’s presence that we even are able to see mysteries in the Spirit. God always has a way of speaking to man, even about the future. And at his will, the Lord also reveals mysteries. Look at what Daniel says:

Daniel 2:28a NLT – But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future.

Remember, the Lord also revealed the future to Pharaoh, the King of Egypt at the time of Joseph. When the Lord chooses to do this, it is important to heed and follow his direction.

One of the biggest mysteries that has been clearly revealed is Jesus Christ, through whom we are all saved. The prophets and righteous people of old longed to see this great mystery but did not see it (Matthew 13:17, I Peter 1:10 -12). Jesus is the exalted King, the High Priest of God, who is seated at the right of the Father. He rules over all things and He gives life to all who believe in Him, to all who make Him their Lord and Master.

V2 – Sons have to listen to their father. This exhortation to listen is critical. It’s also seen in other verses like Proverbs 4:10, 1:8. One of the benefits of the human earthly family is that it is a model of the kingdom of God. God is our Father. And He is more loving, caring and just than any of our fathers here on earth. We are to listen to Him.

V3-5 – Although Reuben is first in rank and power, He has an issue— He is very unruly (definition – disorderly and disruptive and not amenable to discipline or control.) The Amplified version says: But unstable and reckless and boiling over like water [in sinful lust], you shall not excel or have the preeminence [of the firstborn]

Because Reuben is this way, He went up to his father’s bed and lay with his father’s wife Bilhah and defiled his father’s marriage bed. Jacob says that Reuben will no longer be first place. This birthright was now given to Joseph as we learn in I Chronicles 5:

 I Chronicles 5:1-2 NIV: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright, 2 and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph)

This predicament that Reuben suffers seems to be a direct result of his sin and disobedient character. It is a reminder of the great consequences of sin. The distinguishing factor between Joseph and Reuben was that Joseph feared the Lord and therefore the Lord exalted Him. Unlike his brother Reuben who burned with sinful lust and even sleeps with father’s wife, Joseph actually ran away from sexual sin when He was tempted. In Genesis 39, He ran away from Potiphar’s wife which is a great testament of his Godly character. Potiphar was Joseph’s master and Joseph could not allow himself to sin against God by sleeping with master’s wife. Yet Reuben slept with his Father’s wife!

V5-7 – Simeon and Levi, on the other hand, also suffered a predicament which is very close to Reuben, their elder brother, also because of their sin. Part of their sin was anger and unforgiveness. In particular, this is because they murdered Hamor, his son Shechem and all the males in the city (Genesis 34), because Shechem had raped Dinah, their sister.

When he heard what had happened, Jacob was angry or heartbroken about this. They had dishonored him by making him obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites. When Jacob told them their mistake, they were not remorseful about it. In fact, they replied:

Genesis 34:31 NIV – But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

This clearly shows that they had no remorse about it. They felt justified in their actions because of what Shechem had done to their sister. As a result of this sin, Jacob says about Simeon and Levi,

“I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob; I will disperse them throughout Israel.” (v7)

Do you feel justified in your sin? Do you feel justified in your anger and unforgiveness simply because someone wronged you?

Be warned, there is no blessing in that. God says “forgive” and “vengeance is mine.” Stop revenging, forgive.

V8- 12 – Judah is a ruler. He is the strongest of the brothers and Jacob says in v10 that ‘The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor. ‘ (NLT)

The one who to whom it belongs is Jesus, our Lord and Savior. One of the names we call Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Judah’s tribe went on to produce Kings. For example, King David came from the tribe of Judah and Jesus is also recorded as coming from this lineage because his earthly father, Joseph, was also from this lineup.

One of the distinguishing factors about Judah was that He was willing to be held accountable for his brother Benjamin. He essentially lay down his life for his brother. Judah essentially proved himself a leader because of How He wanted to even protect his father from being hurt again. Read Genesis 44:18-34.

V13 -21 – Jacob speaks about each of his sons differently. Based on the trend, it is possible to say that He is doing this prophetically and in a way, He is also reflecting their characters.

V22 -26 Joseph is blessed above all of his brothers. He clearly gets the greatest blessings.

Jacob says “his arms were strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.” He also says “May the God of your father help you; may the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, and blessings of the watery depths below, and blessings of the breasts and womb.” and says “May my fatherly blessings on you surpass the blessings of my ancestors.”

There are fatherly blessings which fathers can bless their children with.

Fathers, do you bless your children? What do you speak over them? Bless your children as directed by the Lord.

As for children, Godliness is always of great gain. Love the Lord and honor Him in all your ways.

V29-32 – Jacob continues the tradition that had been set by his grandfather Abraham by saying that He should be buried in the “cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site.”

Jacob is careful to honor that. This speaks about building and keeping Godly family traditions. We need to set good precedence for our children and our children’s children. One of the foundational precedence we can build is one of godliness and godly living. Let your children and your children’s children, your family and all around you, know that you love and trust the Lord. And let this be the most important memory they have of you.

It starts now, live in and for Jesus, today and everyday

(Father in Heaven, thank you for this great privilege to call you Father. Thank you because you are the best father we can ever have. You are always present, never ending because you are not limited by time nor do you have a human decaying body so that you get old. You are the ancient of days and the ever living God from whom all life comes. I pray that you will help my reader and I to fear you like Joseph did and to honor you like Jacob does. Be the center of our lives and may you cause us to fully, gladly and willingly submit to you. Help us to get rid of our sinful desires because we see and understand that they have great consequences. And may we be led by the Holy Spirit so that we may live a life pleasing to you. We submit our lives again to you, in Jesus name. Amen.)

V1 – This verse brings about an important aspect about worship. In the Old testament, worship mainly happened in the sanctuary of God (the tabernacle). People gathered there to worship, pray and give their offerings and sacrifices. It is also the place where they heard from God and received forgiveness of their sins. The high priest offered the sacrifices of sin for the people and was the senior most human being in relation to tabernacle worship.

In Hebrews, however, we learn that this tabernacle was only but a shadow or a copy of what is in heaven.

Hebrews 8: 5 NLT – They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”

Through Christ, however, we now have access to the real tabernacle, where God is. And Christ is our High Priest. He became our high priest because of the sacrifice He died for our sin on the cross.

Hebrews 9:24 NLT– For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.

And so, to paraphrase…Psalm 15:1 is now asking… who is the person who will enter into this sanctuary of God where Christ is our high priest? Who is the person who will be able to worship at God’s Holy Hill?

Clearly, there is a person who worships here… It’s not just any kind of person. These coming verses will help you and I to know who this person is.

V2-5  – David now outlines the person who will be able to worship there at God’s holy hill. He says it’s the person who

• Leads a blameless life
• Does what is right
• Speaks the truth from a sincere heart
• Does not gossip
• Does not harm their neighbor
• Does not speak evil of their friend
• Despises flagrant sinners (Words similar to flagrant are: blatant, glaring, obvious, overt, evident, conspicuous, naked)
• Lends without interest
• Cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent

From this breakdown, David explains in summary that it’s the person who hates sin and is walking uprightly with the Lord. Obviously, there are very many things that David has not mentioned here that speak about an upright life.

 I see a number of themes in these verses that can help us see the bigger picture.

• Blamelessness
• Right living
• Truth and Sincerity
• Love towards all people
• Hating of sin

(You might also see quite a lot more in your own reflection)

I wonder what these themes are really speaking of. Essentially, I understand this is talking about a TRUE BELIEVER/DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.

A believer or a disciple of Christ loves God’s word and honors it by obeying it.  I see that David is saying that the person who will worship God in his presence is the kind of person who is walking by the Spirit and not living in the flesh. This person is fully submitted to the Lordship of Christ and obeys what God’s word says. This person has a sincere and deep desire to please the Lord and wants to deepen their relationship with God. This person deeply longs for fellowship with God and readily worships God for who He is. This is the person who depends on the Lord and trusts Him. It’s also the person who does not hide their sin, they confess it and repent of it.

So, how are we to be this person that David is saying here?

First, you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you have not made this decision, please do it right now. And you can do it on your own because this is between you and Jesus. If you are wondering what to say, here is a simple prayer you can use:

“Jesus, I want to know you. I want you to come into my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin so that I could be fully accepted by you. Only you can give me the power to change and become the person you created me to be. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life. I give my life to you. Please do with it as you wish. Amen.”

After you have committed your life to the Lord, be a sincere and true disciple. Be led of the Holy Spirit:

Galatians 5:16-17 NLT – So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Cultivate a discipline of daily reading and studying God’s word (the Bible) and pray at all times. Also, join a fellowship of believers, A bible believing Church. As you get to know God more and more, you will be led of the Holy Spirit to change your ways and make them be what God wants you to be.

In conclusion, In verse 5, David says “Such people will stand firm forever.” They will not be shaken by issues and circumstances because they trust in God. And they will go on to enjoy eternal life.

(Lord Jesus, please help my reader and I to be true disciples. Give us a true and sincere desire to please you and to walk with you. In your precious name, we pray. Amen.)

V1 – When a person is blind (the blind person is the one who does not acknowledge his sin and seek God and does not believe in God’s saving power given through Jesus’ death on the cross), they think that there is no God and even if they think that God is there, they don’t think that He cares about each of their actions and that they will answer for everything they do or say. This kind of person is the one God calls a fool.

This person forgets that God does not sleep or slumber. He watches everything that human beings do. Look at these verses:

Proverbs 5:21 NLT

For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.

Proverbs 16: 2 BSB

All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.

Proverbs 15: 3 GNT

The Lord sees what happens everywhere; he is watching us, whether we do good or evil.

Because this person thinks God is not there or He doesn’t see or care, they do evil. They do not run away from sin and are actually glad to be in sin.

As believers, it’s also possible to fall into this place where we do not necessarily think that there is no God (we do believe), BUT, we behave as if He is not watching. And that is why verse 2 means so much.

V2 – This verse explains so clearly that God is looking at people everywhere. He is interested in seeing if anyone really seeks Him, if anyone really desires a sincere and truthful relationship with Him. God is looking to see if any human being is remorseful about their sin and is looking to Jesus for salvation and a renewed relationship with God.

God is also looking to see if there are believers who are not denying his power. Because many do deny his power. You see, many people know God is present but they deny his power by refusing to obey him to live a godly life. They have a form of godliness but they truly deny God’s power that causes us to say no to ungodliness. They deny God’s power that enables and teaches us to run away from evil. Paul speaks about this when speaking to Timothy:

2 Tim 3:1-5 NLT

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

Dear friend, beware and tremble in fear because this is a dangerous path. It sure leads to Hell… complete separation from God.

What does God want of us?

The Lord seeks those who will truly give themselves to Him. He is looking for those who are ready to seek Him wholeheartedly, with no reservations.

2 Chronicles 16:9a Common English Bible

because the LORD’s eyes scan the whole world to strengthen those who are committed to him with all their hearts.

2 Chronicles 16:9 MSG

God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God’s help. Now you’re in trouble – one round of war after another.”

V4 – When our hearts are not given to the Lord, we cannot pray. It doesn’t even cross the heart to seek the Lord. Instead, we focus on our flesh, our pride, our wealth, our money, our “future.” Yet, God is able to give us all we need. In fact, He has said it clearly that we actually don’t have to worry about these things. The Lord is interested in those who seek him… for those ones, He always take care of their need.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

V5 – Look at how comforting it is to obey the Lord and to walk in his paths… God will be with you. It’s always so encouraging to know that God is always present for those who seek him wholeheartedly

V6 – The Lord also protects those whose hearts are given to Him. God is also a defender of those who are oppressed by the wicked plans of the wicked. He is the one who helps his people.

V7 – We are filled with rejoicing when we know that the Lord has been our help. Blessed be his name.

V1-2 – David is in despair. He feels that the Lord has forgotten him and He is feeling distant from God. David feels weak and that his enemy has the upper hand and will therefore crush him. David is asking why. He wants to know why things seem the way they do.

At different points in our lives, our hearts many feel this way. We may feel as though God has shut his eye or has looked away from us. But the question is… has He? The Lord does not sleep nor does his slumber:

Psalm 121:4 NLT

He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

David is therefore in a moment of prayer and we can assume that this is how He begins his prayer or supplication to God.  He is asking for help from the Lord. He feels weak that He cannot make it against his enemies on his own.

There are many times when I personally feel that I am slipping away. That I am falling back and my enemies, especially my “self” is getting stronger and wants to lead the way. The Lord always needs to be at the center of my life, driving all my decision making but many times, I feel my flesh wanting to take over.

At these points, I usually feel like crying out to the Lord: “Help me, so that I don’t lose the way! Help me to stay on the straight and narrow path! Help me not to doubt you because I know you are faithful! Be enthroned in my heart Oh God!“

My heart cries out to God because He is the only one who can help me. And so, I cry out to the God, my Father who can strengthen me and make me win

V3-4 – David now asks the LORD to fight for him. That the Lord will not let his enemies win over him. He asks that God will not let enemies laugh, gloat and mock him.

As a believer, who are your enemies? Who are those constantly pursuing your downfall? I like how this blog Three Enemies of the Christian Life (biblehelpsinc.org) explains it.  Quoting directly from the blog: “The Christian life is indeed a warfare.” “The Christian faces three bitter enemies—1. The Outer Enemy—the World, 2. The Inner Foe—the Flesh, and 3. The Stubborn Adversary—Satan. All three enemies exert their powerful influence in order to bring us down to defeat.”

I find Psalm 13 to be so appropriate to use in my prayer against these three very powerful enemies. I cry: “Lord, don’t let the world, my flesh and our adversary, the devil overcome me. Don’t let them overcome your people. “

In verse 3, David is asking God to enlighten him. The Common English Bible puts it this way:

Psalm 13:3 Common English Bible

Look at me! Answer me, LORD my God! Restore sight to my eyes! Otherwise, I’ll sleep the sleep of death.

David asks the Lord to give sight to his eyes lest He die. For the believer, the sleep of death is that slippery slope of laziness where we fail to seek the Lord, obey his commands and eventually fall back into a place where the Lord is not the center of our lives. That is a dangerous path and it sure is not the “straight and narrow.”

And so how does the Lord give light to our eyes? Through the holy spirit, the Lord gives us light through his Word (the Bible) when we are in communion with him. And so when we come into his presence, we are reminded of a number of things:

First, the Lord reminds us that He who is within us (the Holy Spirit) is greater than He who is in the world. The Lord also reminds us that those who are with us are much more than any adversary. He also reminds that it is He who works in us for his good pleasure. He also reminds us that we have victory in Christ Jesus. And He reminds us that it is He who is able to keep us. Ponder on these verses:

• I John 4:4 ESV – Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
• 2 kings 6: 15 -17 BSB – When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha
• Philippians 2:13 NLT – For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
• 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NLT – But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Jude 1:24-25 NASB – Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Second, the Lord warns us against drifting away. He exhorts to keep our eyes on the things of above. He reminds us to keep obeying Him. Look at what His word says:

• Hebrews 2:1 NIV – We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
• Colossians 3:2-4 NIV – Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
• John 14: 15-17 GNT – If you love me, you will obey my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive him, because it cannot see him or know him. But you know him, because he remains with you and is in you.

And third, the Lord gives light to our eyes by reminding us of the reward that awaits those who overcome. There are seven of these promises in the book of Revelation:

• Revelation 2:7 – You will eat from the tree of life.
• Revelation 2:11 – You will not be hurt by the second death
• Revelation 2:17 – You will get some of the hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name
• Revelation 2:26-28 – You will get power over the nations, a rod of iron, and the morning star
• Revelation 3:5 – You will be clothed in white garments and your name will be in the Book of Life
• Revelation 3:12 – You will be a pillar in the temple of My God
• Revelation 3:21 – You Sit with Jesus on His Throne

Read more about these great promises for those who overcome at this blog: To him who overcomes: 7 extraordinary promises for overcomers (activechristianity.org)

V5-6 – After pondering on God’s goodness and his word, when in communion with the Lord, David’s heart is now enlightened and He rejoices and sings in the Lord. He rests in God’s embracing arms and gets comfort and reassurance from Him.

I pray the same for you and I.