God sends Isiah becuz the people of Judah have become corrupt.

Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.

“The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me.

The people were going through the motions. They weren't doing it from thier heart. But since God knew, it was even more awefull than if they hadn't done it at all i think.

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

The coolest part of this story is how God is not only willing, but he wants to. God is soooooo forgiving, and that's cool.

She:
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
He:
Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women.

I read through song of songs and and I felt like I had a question mark over my head the whole time. Why is that book even in the bible? It doesn't really sound like the word of God. Is it a parallell? Was there a moral to it that I missed?

Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

What does he mean, 'you took an oath before God'? Is it an oath that every man has to take to honor the king?

Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.

Money doesn't do that, at all. Money can't save you from things that aren't smart ot do. In proverbs it says wisdom will save you from the adulteress. Wisdom is important. Extremely important.

Do not be quick with your mouth,ndo not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth,so let your words be few. A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool.

It sounds like he's saying not to pray too often. But the rest of the bible says pray constantly. what does it mean?

Walking with Solomon

In church yesterday the pastor preached a sermon from Ecclesiastes. So, since I'm in Ecclesiastes, I'll try to talk a little about it.

In Ecclesiastes, the whole point is that everything is meaningless. Here's a few of things that he mentioned were meaningless:

Time. He said were always trying to beat the the clock, to make an impact, and two generations later, we won't be given a thought. Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.

Work. Solomon said that no matter how much you work you do, your'e not gonna take it with you. the greatest building ever was probably Solomon's temple and where is that now? There's only one wall left. The same thing applies with riches.

So, life, in itself, is meaningless. The end. No. This is where God comes in. God gives meaning to a meaningless life. He judges how we lived this meaningless life. Is there ultimatley a meaning? Yes, because God gives it meaning, therefore, it has meaning.

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.

Ecclesiastes is mostly about everything being meaningless, a chasing after the wind. He even mentioned work as being meaningless, but if it was meaningless, why did he say that there's nothing better?

To show partiality is not good - yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

When you read that you probly think, 'I would never steal a piece of bread.' Well it's not just like stealing a chocolate chip out of a candy store, it could also be in your own home, like stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar or eating the chocolate chips out of the cereal. We're so quick to do wrong.

Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

Have you ever really wanted to do something bad? OK, I know you have. But the bible says that there is no hope for them, that their lamp will be snuffed out. Think about all those guys that were famous, didn't exactly lead a great life, and what did he say? 'Iv'e wasted it' don't waste your life.

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

I noticed it says in this translation: 'save his soul from death' but in another translation: 'save him from death.' I think it's true both ways. If you don't discipline your 2 yr. old, and he goes out into the street and gets run over by a car, well, you failed to save him from death. But if that 2 yr. old grows up without discipline, goes into the army and gets shot and goes to hell, then you failed to save his soul from death. I think most parents don't realize how important spanking your'e kid acctually is. Some people are afraid to hurt their kids. But if that's the case, it says ' if you punish him with the rod he will not die' and it said somewhere else in the bible that it wouldn't even bleed. So, do your'e kid a favor and spank him when he needs it.

Pastor Chris talked about this some 2 weeks ago, and it also matches with out bible study last night, so when I saw it today, I thought, I'll share what I learned on this! So, here goes.....

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.”


Why would Joshua do that? it's like he was trying to discourage them from following God! He was letting the people know that this was really serious. This wasn't just a 'Yea, OK, we'll follow God. Sure.' He was telling them to go all out, or not do it at all. there's no in between, no neutral. Your'e either there with all your heart, or not at all.

If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man's confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation.

Basically, what they're saying is that if you're fighting, which you shoundn't be doing anyway, don't give away secrets to you're avantage, cause, fist of all, that's just wrong. Second, like he state, the guy you told, or the people that may happen to hear are gonna tell on you an you're never gonna lose your bad reputation. you're always gonna beknown as the guy who couln't keep a secret. In my house they say, 'You've got a hole in your treasure chest!'

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.

 A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.
He who answers before listening—  that is his folly and his shame.

From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.

Those are all verses from one chapter in proverbs, and they are all talking about your mouth. It says the tongue has the power over life and death! It seems a lot of these verses are about what happens when you speak foolishly or speak before listening. If you con keep control of your tongue. that'd save you from a lot of trouble according to this proverb.

I think often times we think things like, 'wow, Gods so amazing, it's unfathomable all the things he does' and all that. I know that I've said that, and really meant it, my whole life. But recently I have been scratching the surface, going deeper than,  ' he made the oceans and holds the galaxies in his hands' kind of thing. I mean, that really is amazing, but I've been digging deeper. These are just a few of the facts that I've been thinking on:

•  I think the body, is absolutely incredible. Did you know that there are over 75 trillion cells in your body? God makes every single one of them do what there supposed to. 
• When you have ramen noodles in the fridge over night, and you get them out to have them for lunch, and there's hardly any broth left because the noodles soaked it all up, that doesn't just happen, God causes that.
• In Exodus, when the Israelites had just left Egypt, Pharaoh's heart hardens. God told Moses that that was gonna happen - and what do ya know! It did!
• Jupiters pull is so strong, that most of the rocks that would have hit earth have hit jupiter instead. But it's not so strong that it effects the way the earth rotates.

These are just a few of the things I've been thinking on and I think, Wow, that really is unfathomable.

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction.

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

These are the words of the wisest guy there ever was on earth, besides Jesus. People seem to take proverbs so lightly, but if the person who wrote these, (even if he did turn away from God later on,) was the wisest guy on the planet, it seems we should take his words pretty seriously, and apply them to life.

The wages of the righteous bring them life,

but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

 

 

We were just memorized a verse that went, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. They go with each other great. You could put them together like this,

 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the wages of the righteous bring them life."

 

Or,

 

"The income of the wicked brings them punishment, but the gift of God is eternal life throught Jesus Christ our Lord."

 

I'm amazed that they line up so well with each other. That's really cool.

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.  Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.  But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

David is really trying to make a point to Solomon when he's talking about the way of evil men. When the bible says something once pay attention. When it says something twice pay close attention. When it says something three times, you should know that it really really means it.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

I think it's harder than we realize to trust in the Lord with your whole heart. You could think, yeah I'm trusting in the Lord. But with all your heart? That's a lot harder that it sounds. You need to lay your whole heart down before the Lord, show him every single part of it, and give it to him. But if you only gave him part of it, because you want to keep some of it for yourself, how can he  keeep your paths straight?

and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

I'm in Proverbs! It's my favorite book of the bible. I'm not sure why, but I just love it!

If you want knowledge, you've gotta search for it. You can't just expect it to come waltzing up to your house and knock on the door. You've gotta search like it is more precious than gold! which, it is. It's also a shield that protects you from, alot of stuff:

He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,  who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,  whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.  It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words,  who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.  Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man;  the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

God doesn't really care if you're strong. You could be a wimpy person. you could be crippled. But that's how he made you. If you're naturally wimpy, that's OK. Now, if it's you re fault, like if you re eating a lot of sugar, and you know you're gaining weight , and you really don't care in the least, well,  You are a temple for the Lord and God also said to take care of you're body.

O LORD, what is man that you care for him,

the son of man that you think of him?

That's so true. the bible says wer'e like smoke, then we're gone, and yet the Lord still cares for us and watches out for us? That's pretty incredible.

     Let a righteous man [a] strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers.

     The note thingamajig says, or 'Let the Righteous One '. So he means God. But how is that and honor, in any way?

Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.  Let burning coals fall upon them; may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise. Let slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down men of violence.

I noticed that David never says any names when he curses the bad guys. it's always 'they' or 'those who are proud' or 'evil men' . It's never their actual name. In psalm 16 he says that, "I will not pour out their libations of blood, or take up their name upon my lips" He kept that promise quite well indeed.

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

God knows everything. He knows when you sit down when you get up. Before you even pray a word, he knows what your'e gonna say. He's always there, he always knows, nothing can be hidden from God.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

There's nowhere that you can be away from God to do whatever you want to do. Your'e accountable for what you do cuz he sees you.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

What does it mean when it says, 'Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them'? I have no clue.

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared

Imagine what would happen if God kept a record of sins. As I'm reading psalms, this is my second time to read it, I noticed that God kept seeming to highlight out the verses that tell of how perfect and awesome he is.I didn't notice this the first time I read it. I think god is showing me something.

 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.  Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.  Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.

Wow. That's a cool promise. And not only are you blessed in your wife and kide and you're prosperous, but, as I said the post before last, we have God watching over us too!

If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel say-  if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us,the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

 Nothing can be accomplished without God. You can't build a house without God. you really can't do anything without him. The people of Israel would of died under the Egyptians if God hadn't opened  the red sea. They would've died in the desert if God hadn't given them water. There's a thousand ways that they, or we, would've died if God hadn't been watching out for us. But we have a God that can kill 185,000 Assyrian men over night! I feel protected!

     I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.



     We have the maker of the world protecting us! We have God watching over us, keeping us from all harm, watching over your life, your coming and going forever! Isn't that comforting?

Something I learned

Our discipleship pastor is going to leave to move to Texas soon, so I guess that was why he preached a sermon yesterday. But he said something interesting that I knew, but I guess I didn't really ever look into it or realize how enormous it really was. He was talking about the great love of God, and he said: Not only were we not sons and daughters of God, but we were enemies of God. So, God saved his enemies, and not only saved them, he made us sons and daughters! How deep the Father's love for us.

It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

Well, I'm glad he discovered that it was good for him in the end. But what did it exactly mean by afflict? It could mean several things, did God make him sick? Was it some kind of enemy?

Our pastor preached a sermon last sunday and we're still pondering over it. There's been some mixed up ideas but here's my thinking on it. It's about hebrews 12.

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

The words I underlined discipline in both these cases probably refers to punishment or rebuke. (you can look at the dictionary.com results for the word discipline here) The bible seems to use  the same kind of example twicein the same verse, just in different words, to get the point across. It's mostly in psalms and proverbs. e.g:

Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him.

They used the same thing twice in different word, though it still had the same concept, to get the point across better than if they just said it once. That's what I think happened with the first two words: Discipline and rebuke. But I think the two others: discipline and punish, mean two different things. I think when they said punish, they meant punish. So... God punished for something we did wrong. No discipline ( or punishment) seems pleasant at the time, but painful. But he used that punishment as discipline, to bring us closer to him, through the trouble that were being punished with.

Changin it up a little

 How do ya like it? Is the old one better?

Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.

 Praise the LORD! I love this chapter. There's no bad things happening and no foolish people being foolish. It's all about how great God is and how much he loves us.

He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

His righteousness endures forever! Forever is a long long LONG time! That's amazing.

God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph." Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?  Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

I'm a little confused on this passage. God said that he had obviously won over the Edomites - he tossed his shoe on em - What does he mean who will lead him to Edom?

Psalm 100

Shout for joy all the earth, worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; for the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

I love that psalm. It's full of praising and worshiping and rejoicing and being God's people. I like that

We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his mighty power known.

That is amazing love. When they escaped from Egypt, they knew that God had done all their work for them and got them out of there, but when they came to the Red sea, it was like all those miracles just slid out there ears, completely forgotten, because they either just forgot about God, or they didn't didn't think he could do it. So they start complaining to Moses not God, that all this was his fault and now they were gonna be killed and bla bla bla. But God had another idea in mind although almost all his people forgot about him, He still rescued them.


Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Momma has a really good description for the word abounding: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. That's a really good description how much God is abounding in love for you.

All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods!

That reminds me of the time when Elijah proved the four hundred-fifty priests of baal wrong and had them all slaughtered. (Elijah on Mount Caramel) It's kinda hard to believe that people would actually worship statues.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Worship the King, for he is our God and we are his people, the flock under his care. Oh, how great it is to know that your in God's care!

The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the LORD on high is mighty. Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD.

The LORD is amazing! He is more incredible than anyone can even say. I guess David just really had the the need to pour out his honor, his thanksgiving,  and his praise out to God right then in those five verses.

He who dwells in the secret place of the most high, shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in him I will trust. Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fouler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings you shall take refuge, his truth shall be your shield and buckler.You will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilenece that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand will fall at your side, and ten thousand at you right hand, but it will not come near you. only with your eyes will you look and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the most high, your habitation, no evil shall befall you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.  For he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. The shall bear you up in their hands lest you dash you foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. Because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high because he has known my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him, I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and shaow him my salvation.


That's a very conforting chapter, But I noticed that some of the psalm is the writer that's talking, and some of it's God talking.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

What better ways are theyr'e to start the day than to get up and read the bible! And it says: that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

I was reading psalm 90, And the title caught my eye:

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

Isn't that amazing? Moses was The Man Of God. That would be a lot of responsibility.

I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him. My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.  No enemy will subject him to tribute; no wicked man will oppress him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries.

Wow. Put yourself in David's shoes. How blessed you would be! To have the hand of God on you so that you don't even have to worry - about anything. It gives David a lot of reasons to praise God.

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.  The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.  Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways."  So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."

This psalm was just spewing out it's praise to GOD in the first half. But when it reaches about the half line, they go WAY  off course! Why did they mean? why were they even talking about that? What did it have too do with anything?

Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair. Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me. All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me. You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.

Yikes. Gloom and despair.You notice he says that he was like this from his youth? And yet he still trust's in God, all the time:
 

But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Those are such sweet words to pray. You can pray them when you're sad, or happy, or mad. They are words to pray every day no matter what's going on.

1. How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?
2. You showed favor to your land, O LORD; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

I think it's neat that you can see what's happening while they are writing over the years.  You can see that in one of the previous chapters (1) That they need help, but in the next couple chapters, God restores them. (2). I think It's neat that you can see it happening right before your eyes

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Man, David really loves God. His soul is fainting to be with him. Wow! My soul yearns to be with God, but wow! That's pretty amazing!

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Asaph, the writer of this psalm, is asking God, 'why are you not helping all those people in need?' And I think it's kinda wierd that he's the one that's asking that, because he a pretty rich person, in a high position with the king. It does'nt seem that he would even know about that

You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

I have a guess of what he means here, though I'm not entirely sure. Here's my theory: The Israelites are turning away from God, maybe because they're not satisfied with what he did, or does for them, so instead, they are trusting idols. But God says, 'I am God. I  brought you out of Egypt, if you trust in me you will be satisfied.'

Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.  But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

Isn't it cool that we have a God that has so much mercy and power? I mean, he doesn't have to listen to us, he doesn't have to listen to all our whines and compliants at all. But he does because he is a merciful God. We are extremly loved.

Psalm 76

We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,  so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. They would not be like their forefathers— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle;  they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his law. They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.


Ephraim forgot what God did for them, and the next thirty verses are what they forgot.
 
Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel
 
How could you forget the whole story of how God brought your forefathers out of egypt?  I mean, that's practicly immpossible!
 
Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.  He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.
 
But since they forgot so bad, they completely sinned against God, so God didn't choose them. That's why it's so important to teach children the word of God!

Wine?

In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.

Uh... What? I was totally confused on this verse! I even checked a few different translations, but those didn't help at all. Please comment and help me out!

We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.

David is such a thankfull guy. He is one that is devoted to God. He prays during the good, he prays during the bad, He prays when he's angry, he prays when he's sad. It seems like he's praying consantly and that's very good if he had.

Happy Easter!

1 John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

What great love! He loved us enough to die for us, and it was a very painfull death. I Christ laid down his life for us, we'd better show love to our brothers in the same way.

No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.



Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

Some things that you want to do, like take revenge, is not for you to do. It's God's job to repay, and just becuz he doesn't do it on your perfect timing, doesn't mean he won't do it. The same goes for exalting people. Because, no matter what you say itt's not going to matter anyway.

psalm 116 - a thankgiving psalm

The psalms are narrowed down to three main subjects:
1. Lament
2. Praise
3. Thanksgiving
I've focused a lot on Praise and Lament psalms but right now I want to focus on Thankgiving Psalms.  A Thankgiving Psalm has four characteristics:
1. The call for praise
2. Problem
3. Solution
4. Praise
Now, the 4 characteristics go in the order given. Let's look at psalm 116 for an example:

1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;

he heard my cry for mercy.

2 Because he turned his ear to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

3 The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave came upon me;

I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD :

"O LORD, save me!"

5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion.

6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;

when I was in great need, he saved me.

7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.

8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling,

9 that I may walk before the LORD

in the land of the living.

10 I believed; therefore I said,

"I am greatly afflicted."

11 And in my dismay I said,

"All men are liars."

12 How can I repay the LORD

for all his goodness to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.

16 O LORD, truly I am your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your maidservant;

you have freed me from my chains.

17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you

and call on the name of the LORD.

18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,

19 in the courts of the house of the LORD—

in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD.

The call for praise. It's the first part of verse one, the part in bold.

The problem is in verse 3

The solution is in verse 8

The praise is started in verse 13 but the most of it is in verse 19.

I did a little research, ( this is kinda rough,) but psalms has the word praise in it 176 times! The entire bible, ( I think this is a very rough estimation) Has the word praise in it 352 times. that's like..... a third of the word praise in that one book! David of course, also needs lot's of help asking God to save him at least 43 different times!

David's youth

Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,  my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

He said that he trusted God in his youth and at birth. At birth!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, andwhen he is old he will not depart from it."

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

What a comfort to have a God that shares your troubles. He's a merciful God, I mean, he's GOD! He doesn't have to came down andhelp us or share our burdens and troubles. And it's not only the big things, like losing a brother or sister, it's also the smaller things, like every woe  of a 2 yr. old. God's always there for you.

The Lord announced the word,

and great was the company of those who proclaimed it

 

Great was the company of those who proclaim it. Do we proclaim the words of God as strongly as we should? Do we proclaim it as boldly as we should?

 I'm gonna start to find a new blogger template. comment and tell me what ya think!

Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!

                                                                                                                                                             

Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy. 

 

 

 

 

I notice how David always talks so freely with God. Sometimes people only priase God for some thing good that happened, and some people talk to Godwhen something bad is happening. But David has it as more of his normal life. Praying became a need to him, like food or water. It's a need for all of us to pray, and David meets that need for himself.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us.

That verse should be everyone's prayer. Besides, who wouldn't want it to happen to them?

Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.

David seems to have a lot on his plate, being king, running from bad guys, fighting bad guys, sorting out king matters, and stuff like that, And you wonder how he has the time for writing psalms. I mean, he wrote 150 of them and every one of them are quite descriptive. On my last post he wrote one when he was in the Desert of Judah!

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Right now, David's got his priorities straight. This was a psalm when david was really in the desert. And he was thirsty.... Duh! But he wanted God more than anything in life right then, even more than life itself.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

It is good when there is a king or a high ruler (like a president) that knows the right path, becuz he can be a very strong infuence toward the people. It is his duty to be a good example and a leader that will not lead his sheep astray.

 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfullness reaches to the skies.

His love is great. And God has a bunch of love directed straight at me, even when I'm in a bad mood, maybe even especially when I'm in a bad mood.

Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.  My slanderers pursue me all day long;  many are attacking me in their pride.

Iv'e noticed (It's kinda hard to ignore) that David is usually in a little bit of trouble.  Apparently they are coming at him all day long, no hope for bit of peace for the day, and he always has to run and hide, so he doesn't die.

On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.

After always having to run away from the bad guys that are trying to KILL HIM!, I'd want them to be finished with too.

"In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?"

That's extremly true. What can man do to me?

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

Why does he do that? And why doesn't anybody stop him? Because he's a mighty man. People have an awe for cool strong guys and are willing to believe anything they say and think it's awesome. In our history book, about 100 A.D. there was a man, I forgot his name, but he was a great army commander and he claimed to be God. And guess what? People believed him. He never did any miracles, in fact, he died in battle, and they lost the war. But when Jesus came, they were expecting a mighty man who would save them from the Romans, not their sins. When the other "Mighty guy" came along, the people were all to ready to believe in him, just cuz he was mighty, and that was what they wanted.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence, or take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your savation, and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.

That should be everyone in the whole entire world's prayer. Give me a pure heart, and a steadfast spirit.   Don't cast me away, or take your holy spirit away. Give me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing heart. That should be be everyone's prayer.

Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.

God's not exactly the sneaky sort. He doesn't need to be. His enemies don't stand a chance against him, at all.

How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! Sing praises to our God sing praises; sing praises to our king sing praises. For God is the king of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.

God is the MOST HIGH, the GREAT KING, the KING OF ALL THE EARTH. He's an amazing, awesome, wonderful, caring, and beautiful God. That makes him pretty worthy to be praised.

psalm 46: 1

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

That verse popped out at me today as I was reading. And I think that verse is amazingly true. God is always there for you, even if things aren't going your way. It's a nice verse. It's comforting, even peacful sounding.

I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.

I like how he's saying, 'I'm not the one who's doing all this good stuff, it's God.' He knows what he would be without God, and he applies it to his life, and gives praise to God.

I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you."

What? Why? Why would he ask that? 'Lord, heal me cuz I sinned.' I mean, that doesn't even make a tiny little nip of sense, if you think about it. Or maybe he was crying for mercy. 'Lord, I've sinned, please have mercy and heal me' sort of thing. But what it really sounds like is, ' Heal me because I sinned agianst you.' But I don't know. Any help?

"Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer."

David seems knows that he does'nt deserve God's love, he has God's love, and that God's love is unconditional. So he feels free to call on God, no matter what, no matter when, and no matter why.

Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Who was the guy who bertayed him? It was one of his close friends, I bet he had a lot of them. but who was it?

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 That seems to happen a lot when there is a bad king in the bible. ( Or any bad person) You think "why doesn't God just wipe that guy off the face of the earth?"  But god says to be patient, and wait. Then you start looking for them, and they're  gone. You just have to be patient.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;  for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

I know that sometimes it's really hard not to do something wrong or that occasionally it's really easy to envy someone who is sinning. And sometimes we say 'It's really hard to follow God's path and do what he wants me to do.'  But really, if we give ourselves to God, we'll find that it's really not that hard at all.

"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Besides, ther's no reward in doing wrong exept withering away like grass. And who would want that?

May those who seek my life

be disgraced and put to shame;

may those who plot my ruin

be turned back in dismay.

I don't think the thought ever occurred to David that God would ever be against him on someone elses side. God helped him so many times, all he has to do is sit back and relax as God creativly destroyes all the bad guys.

"The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them."

The Lord protects the people he loves and the people that fear and obey him. He doesn't protect the unfaithful, and the ones that do not fear, love, or obey him.

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Blessed if the man that is forgiven in every way. Being forgiven feels really good, especiallywhen it's every single sin you ever did and ever will do. I don't have to carry the wieght of who I've been, I'm forgiven.

Psalm 36

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD.

The servant of the LORD? Wow that's a pretty high up title. Cuz so far up to now, there's only been 2 guys with that high of a title. Moses, and Joshua. That must be a big honor.

"To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy"

Something I've noticed about David: He always needs help from God. Always depends on God to save him every single time he gets into a mess. He does'nt say,  ' Thanks for saving me, I can take it from here.'  He had learned to be dependent on God when he was still caring for sheep and killing lions and bears with his hands. And I think we need to follow his lead and depend fully on God.

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

So Davids really just got two things to ask the Lord: To save him from his enemies, and mostly, To dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,

for they are from of old.

 

 

What does he mean by that?  That He's been doing merciful and loving things for so long he would forget?

      1. Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;  guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

That is just an amazing verse. It's a very, very  good prayer to pray.


    2.    My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.


Davids belief in God is just extreme. He trusts God to provide all he needs to live, and God always gives  it to him. I think one of the reasons he had such a  good relationship with God was that he trusted God.

Psalm 23

 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.


This psalm is a reminder of how great our God really is. He's like no other god. He's supreme, almighty powerful, aand awesome.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the LORD was my support.

~

David really trusts God with all his heart. He always trusted him in the past and is trusting in him again and again, and according to David, God always saves him.

Psalm

Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

He resolved that his mouth would not sin? Whoa!  Thats a whole lot easier said than done. But if you look back on Davids life, he did pretty good. Of course, he wasn't perfect, but he actually did well.

Psalm

How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

 But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD,

for he has been good to me.

David as a really thankfull heart no matter what happening, or whats going on. He asks God for help and praises him at the same time.

 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer. 
 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.
I noticed that Elihu didn't get in trouble when Eliphaz and his freinds did.  He gave good advice. I'm glad it worked out with Job. I wonder what Satans thinking...

"Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words? Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life? Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering.  No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me?
That is quite true. If no one can stand up to the leviathan, imagine how much mightier God is! I mean, he made the leviathan.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" Then Job answered the LORD :  "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more."  Job kept sayin over and over that he wanted to talk to God about this, but I don't exactly think that that's what he thought was gonna happen. Imagine, talking to God, tha'd be... Amazing.

Elihu

"He draws up the drops of water,

which distill as rain to the streams;

the clouds pour down their moisture

and abundant showers fall on mankind.

Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,

how he thunders from his pavilion?

See how he scatters his lightning about him,

bathing the depths of the sea.

 This is the way he governs the nations

and provides food in abundance.

He fills his hands with lightning

and commands it to strike its mark.

His thunder announces the coming storm;

even the cattle make known its approach.

Elihu is glorifying God in a big way by using nature to describe how great he is.  And a lot of times we will look at something in nature and think of how pretty it is but not give the glory to God.

Hebrews 2 (A part of it)

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.


He was made a little lower than the angels when he was on earth. then,  when he resurrected, he was crowned with honor and glory cuz, as it says in the bible, he suffered death.