Live humbly, knowing God and His word

Wednesday, March 6, 2013


Devotions: Ps 81, 82, 119:97-120; Gen 45:16-28; 1 Cor 8:1-13; Mk 6:13-29

Let us make a joyful noise before our God. Sing aloud; shout for joy! Raise a song with timbrel, lyre and harp. Blow the trumpets, and raise a ruckus in celebration! I hear God's voice, a new and wonderful sound: 'I relieved your shoulder of the burden and freed your hands from the basket. You called, and I delivered you from your distress. I answered you from the secret place of thunder; I tested you at Meribah. So now, My people, listen to Me! There must be no strange god among you; I Am YHWH your God; I brought you out of Egypt. Open wide, and I will fill you with goodness! But My people have not listened to My voice; so I consigned them to the consequences of their stubborn hearts, to follow their own flawed counsel. I desire to subdue their enemies and destroy their foes. Those who hate YHWH should cringe toward Him, and their fate would be everlasting. I want to feed you with the finest wheat and honey from the Rock; I want to satisfy you!' Our God has taken His place in the divine council; He directs the divine ones to judge fairly and impartially. He orders: 'Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and destitute; rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hands of the wicked. For they have neither knowledge nor understanding; they stumble around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.' Those who are sons of the Most High nevertheless will die like mortals and fall like any human prince. Let God arise and judge the nations, for all the earth belongs to Him.
     Lord, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies. By Your grace, I have more understanding than my teachers or the elders of my community. Your word keeps me from false and evil pathways. Your words are sweet to the taste, and I hate every false way. Your word is the lamp for my feet, a light to my path. Lord, accept my offerings of praise and thanks, and teach me to go Your way. Let evildoers depart from me; and let me not depart from the holy path of God; I tremble for fear of You, my God, and Your holy judgment. Lord, have mercy!

Word got around Pharaoh's household that the brothers of Joseph had arrived, and Pharaoh and his household were pleased. Pharaoh directed Joseph to tell his brothers to return to Canaan with supplies, and then to bring Israel and his household back to Egypt, where Pharaoh would give them the best lands. The king said to tell Israel to leave his goods, for all the riches of Egypt would be his. So the sons of Israel did all this, and Joseph generously provided for their journey. This wonderful news revived Israel, and he resolved to return to Egypt, saying, 'I will go and see my son Joseph before I die.'

Paul responded to questions he had from the Corinthian Christians: Concerning food offered to idols, we know that all of us have some knowledge. But knowledge apart from godliness puffs us up; let's keep humble before God and bow to His wisdom. We are privileged to know that idols have no reality; there is only one God There may be so-called gods in heaven and on earth—indeed there are many—but for us, there is only one God, the Father, from Whom all things come and for Whom we exist. And there is only one Lord, Jesus the Messiah, through Whom are all things and through Whom we exist. However, not everyone shares in this knowledge. Instead, because of their experience thus far, some eat food as if it really had been dedicated to a spiritual power; they believe in the idols. And so their conscience, being weak and ignorant, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God; we're not worse off if we don't eat such food, and no better off if we do. So take care not to become a stumbling block to the weak. If someone sees you, a person known to have spiritual knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, he might be encouraged to do the same. And since he would do it believing in the idol's existence and power, this weak person would be destroyed by your exercise of your knowledge that the idol is and means nothing—you destroy a person for whom the Messiah died Therefore, if food is a weak point for my brother, tempting him to fall, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother or sister to fall.

After Jesus commissioned the Twelve and sent them out in pairs, they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick, and the sick were healed. Herod heard about all this; Jesus was not unknown to him. Some said Jesus was the reincarnation of John the Baptizer; others said Jesus was Elijah; others, that Jesus was a prophet like those of old. Herod sided with those who believed Jesus was John the Baptizer, whom Herod had beheaded, after imprisoning him for John's criticism of Herod's incestuous marriage of his brother Philip's wife Herodias. This enraged Herodias, and she wanted John destroyed. Herod put John in prison, but was afraid of him, knowing he was righteous and holy, and so he protected John. But an opportunity to do him harm arose during the celebration of Herod's birthday. Herod hosted a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading citizens of the Galilee. Herodias' daughter danced for the assembly, and so enflamed Herod that he offered to grant her a wish: 'Ask me whatever you wish, and I will grant it, up to half my kingdom.' The girl consulted with Herodias, her mother, about what to request, and at the queen's bidding, she told Herod, 'I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.' The king was exceedingly sorry, but kept his oath, and sent a soldier of the guard to the prison, where he beheaded John and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, who gave it to her mother. When John's disciples learned of all this, them came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.