Day 2

Psalm 83, Exodus 27:20-28:43, Nehemiah 9, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Here are the notes I added to my study Bible today:

Psalm 83 - Ever wish that God would prove to the world that He was God with an awesome display of His might? Maybe you have friends or family members who are skeptics. No matter how much you try to show them God's love, no matter how much you try and prove to them that God is real, their hearts are closed. Psalm 83 is a Psalm of Asaph, and it records His cry that God will deliver Israel from the hands of their enemies. Asaph prays for the defeat of the Gentile nations that oppose Israel. In verses 16-18 he prays, "Fill their faces with shame,that they may seek your name, O Lord. 17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;let them perish in disgrace,18 that they may know that you alone,whose name is the Lord,are the Most High over all the earth."

Asaph wanted his enemies to know that Yahweh was God. He wanted them to call upon the name of the One True God. He felt like we do from time to time. He wanted God to show His power; to prove that He was God. He wanted all nations to know that He was God.

Scripture is full of references to the General Revelation of God. Psalm 19:1 tells us that "The heavens declare the glory of God." Romans 1:20 says, "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, "so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

God has revealed Himself in creation. He revealed Himself in the flesh in Jesus Christ. He reveals Himself through the Holy Spirit, through His Word, and He reveals Himself through His people. May we always be paying attention.

Exodus 28 - "For Glory and for Beauty" is a phrase that is used twice in Exodus 28. The chapter is all about the garments that Aaron and his sons should wear. Aaron was the first High Priest of Israel. His sons also served as priests. God gave meticulous instructions about what their garments should look like. In verse two he said, "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty." In verse 40 he said, "For Aaron's sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty."

God wasn't instructing the Children of Israel to do this so that Aaron and his sons could receive glory, but so that God would receive glory. God deserves our best. So holy is God, that if Aaron went into His presence unprepared, He could die! Bells were to be put around the hem of his robe. He could be heard as he entered into the presence of God and as he left the presence of God. Look at verse 35 - "35 And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die."

How do I enter into God's presence? Am I cavalier in my approach, or do I recognize the glory of God and the holiness of moments with Him?

One other item that struck me to the core in this chapter was the magnitude of the responsibility that Aaron had as he went before God, representing the people. Read what God said in the last part of verse 30: "Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly."

That is a huge burden to bear. When Christ came, all believers were given access to the very throne room of Heaven. The theological principle is "The Priesthood of Believers." May we remember what Aaron and the other priests faced as they went before God, and may we come to God with reverence!

Nehemiah 9

Neh. 9:3 Confession is a good thing. God commands it. He tells us to confess our sins one to another. When the people of Israel confessed their sin in Nehemiah 9, they separated themselves from all the foreigners in their land. The people knew that they had to deal with their sin before God. They knew that they, as God's chosen people had committed sin against Yahweh. And, so, they spent 1/4 of a day (probably 3 hours, since the Jewish day ran from 6AM-6PM) reading from the Book of the Law of the Lord. For three hours, the people stood as the Law was read. And then, for another three hours, the people made confession and worshiped the Lord.

Neh. 9:5b "Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise." It was the Levites again who led the people. This time, leading the people to confess their sins. I love that they begin their confession by acknowledging the true character of God. His name alone is to be glorified. The people had not done so. It was time for them to approach God with a holy reverence and fear.

Neh. 9:8b "And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous." - God's promises are not dependent upon our faithfulness. Our God will stay true to His Word, regardless of how we act. He is so good, and the Children of Israel are realizing just how much they have given up because they were not trusting upon the faithfulness of God. As a righteous God, everything that He has said will happen, will.

Neh. 9:16 16“But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments." - I wonder how many times God looks at me and says the same thing. "Brian, there you go again, acting presumptuously! I've given you my Word, I've revealed my truth to you, and yet you are such a stiff-necked person. When you cease to obey my commands you pay the price. Your life does not go well. Obey me, find joy, trust me!"

Neh. 9:21 21Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. - When is the last time you looked into your closet and said, "I've got nothing to wear?" We all know that when we make those statements it's simply not true. We do have clothes to wear. But, we don't like what is in there. We don't like the clothes because they are last year's style, etc. When the Children of Israel wandered the wilderness for forty years, they had clothes to wear. They wore the same clothes for forty years. God took care of them.

Their feet didn't swell when they walked the wilderness either. God gave them strength. And, their bellies didn't bloat. God provided them with food and water. Our God is not slow in keeping His promises! He takes care of His children.

Neh. 9:31 31Nevertheless,in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. - Even though the Children of Israel repeatedly rejected Christ, He was merciful to them. He did not do away with them. He didn't say, "Okay, I'm starting over." He allowed them to suffer so that they might come back to Him.

Neh. 9: 36-37 36Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.

The Children of Israel had asked for a King. Now, they were slaves in their own land to their kings, princes, priests, and fathers.

Neh. 9:38 38“Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

The confession of sin was accompanied by a covenant, made in writing between the leaders of the people and God. The covenant emphasized the faithfulness of God, and a commitment on the people's part to observe the laws of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Cor. 1:18-31 - I love this passage of Scripture. It begins with these words, 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

We serve a God who is wiser than the wisest man or woman. Men and women have spent countless hours debating the existence of God. We have written countless books trying to capture a glimpse of Who God is. But, our wisdom is like foolishness compared to God. He has made those of us who trust Him to have wisdom. It is not a wisdom that the world will readily accept. We may even be mocked. But, if all we live for is the small amount of time that we have on earth, we gain nothing. Our lives must be lived with eternity on our hearts. May we recognize the truth of verse 25: 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.