https://esv.literalword.com/?q=eze+17%3B+psalm+106%3B+proverbs+16
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 16 September 2023:
Ezekiel 17:18 – He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape.
God expects His people to keep the promises they make to both believers and unbelievers. It has been noted that when Zedekiah made his oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord’s name was invoked as a guarantor of the treaty (see 2 Chron 36:13). Consequently when Zedekiah broke his oath to Nebuchadnezzar, he in effect broke a treaty with God. Nonetheless, Jesus commanded, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:33-37; James 5:12) “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak….” (Matthew 12:36) As Christ’s ambassadors and messengers and ministers of reconciliation, charged above all else to display perfect, genuine love and Christ’s image bearers and the light of the world, every word we speak must be true and loving. You never need to make an oath when everything you say is always true.
Psalm 106:1 — Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Having an attitude of gratitude and contentment before the Lord changes your perspective on everything else:
Psalm 106:2, 3 — Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise? Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!
The more you genuinely appreciate God, the more you will desire to obey Him. If obeying God is challenging in some way, it is an appreciation problem, a perspective problem, a relationship problem. To make temptations smaller in your life, make Jesus bigger by getting closer to Him and focusing on Him, abiding in His love with gratitude.
Psalm 106:6 — Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
The more you truly appreciate the grace you have received, the more willing you are to show grace to others. “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:47)
Psalm 106:13 – But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
We sin when, in the moment, we forget God.
Psalm 106:16, 17 — When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord, the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan….
When you are appreciative and content with what God has given you, you won’t covet. Jealousy and envy are sins of the heart that lead to sinful, destructive deeds. In actuality, jealousy and envy are not displays of resentment against another person but rather against God, ingratitude for what He has given you and resentment for what He has given others rather than you. How powerful is envy? Envy led to the crucifixion of Jesus – “For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.” (Matthew 27:18) Have nothing to do with envy and jealousy. Be grateful and content in the Lord!
- James 3:16 — For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
- 1 Corinthians 3:3 — For you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
- Ecclesiastes 4:4 — Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
- Job 5:2 — Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple.
- Exodus 20:17 — “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
- James 3:14 — But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
- 1 Peter 2:1 — So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
- Galatians 5:26 — Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Psalm 106:25 — They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
Better to live in your tent given to you by the Lord with gratitude, contentment, and peace than to envy the mansions of others. Ingratitude leads to all sorts of sins and enslaves you. The Israelites in the desert longed for the comforts and luxuries of Egypt, forgetting that in Egypt they were slaves. If we have a right relationship with Jesus, we can only be grateful, despite our circumstances, and only when we are grateful can we truly worship Him as we ought: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:10) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God…. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:1, 2, 28, 29)
“Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” Give glory to God by standing out in the crowds due to your unbelievable, unshakeable thankfulness. Be known for your thankfulness to God, which is different than simply a positive or can-do attitude often based on self-confidence and self-reliance. Rejoice in all situations because the grace of God is more than sufficient. Radiate joy as a testimony to the truth of the Gospel.
Psalm 106:37, 38 – They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
How many abortions will proclaiming Christians commit this year?
Psalm 106:40 – Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage.
“His heritage” – Most of the warnings in the Bible are for the ‘believers,’ not the unbelievers. How is the Holy Spirit convicting you through God’s word?
Psalm 106:41 – ….he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them.
God punishes by giving people terrible leaders.
Psalm 106:42 – Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.
God punishes by giving victory to enemies.
Psalm 106:44 – Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry.
God will accept genuine repentance.
Psalm 106:47 – Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
God intends for His people to honor Him and to be a light among the nations. Our nation’s problem is that the light isn’t bright enough because God’s people have not honored the Holiness of God.
Proverbs 16:1 — The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord…. The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
From beginning to end, the message in Proverbs 16 is very clear: “The Lord works out everything for his own ends.” The LORD is KING, the LORD is Sovereign, the LORD is in complete control, and the LORD has a plan. When our plan is aligned, in synch, and in accordance with and subordinated to His plan, life is good. We are on the “highway of the upright” (Proverbs 16:17). However when we get off course, when we go our own way, life is painful. The problem is that our hearts are deceptive, and, guided by our own pride, ignorance, and emotion, we will always choose the wrong path (Proverbs 16:2, 9, 25). Unfortunately, when we choose the wrong path, we also lead others astray too (Proverbs 16:29). Therefore we must “fear the Lord…. Commit to the Lord whatever [we] do…. Give heed to instruction…. [and] Trust in the Lord… (Proverbs 16:6, 7, 2, 20).” Ultimately, our desire to faithfully submit in obedience to the LORD should be motivated purely by selfless love rather than a self-centered desire for the blessings of God. However, today’s Proverbs and Psalms do remind us that obedience to the Lord leads to fullness of life on earth (Proverbs 16:31; Psalm 20:7; 21:7). Yet to be perfected in love, we all have mixed motives behind our “love and faithfulness” to God and to others – it is partly selfless, and partly selfish. God calls us to approach Him in obedience while He continues to work on our hearts.
Proverbs 16:2 – All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.
God shows the truly humble what they cannot see in themselves. God will show you the truth of your heart if you will listen, and God will draw you closer to Him if you will obey.
From Henry T. Blackaby – “How quick we are to question the motives of others, yet we are so slow to question our own! When others harm us, we may assume the worst of intentions. When we are guilty, we often excuse our offenses, concluding that others are far too sensitive! Regardless of how we monitor our motives, God weighs them in His scales of righteousness. I t is futile to try to deceive God with our pious justifications, for He sees our hearts. Is it possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason? Of course! You can attend worship services with a heart that is far from worshipful (Isa. 1:10-17). Could you show concern for the poor and yet have a heart that is opposed to God? Judas did (John 12:4-8). Could you make bold statements of love for Christ and actually be aiding the work of Satan? Peter did (Matt. 16:21-23). Could you offer sacrifices to God and be in total disobedience to Him? King Saul did (1 Sam. 13:8-9). Could you pray with the wrong motives? James said you can (James 4:3). Many things cause us to do what we do. We can be motivated by good things, such as love for God, compassion, generosity, and faith. Or our actions can come from unhealthy motives such as pride, insecurity, ambition, lust, greed, guilt, anger, fear, and hurt. It is even possible to do the best things based on the worst motives. When the Lord measures our motives He looks for one thing: love. All that we do should proceed from our love for God and for others (1 Cor. 13). Take time to look past your actions to what lies behind them. Ask God to show you what He sees when He examines your motives.
Proverbs 16:4 – The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
No matter what you choose to do, God will be glorified by your life and His truth will be revealed in your life. He will either use you to reveal His truth in a positive way or a negative way. Either way, God is glorified. Better to reveal to others the blessings of God rather than the curses. God says, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live….” (Deut 30:19)
Proverbs 16:7 – When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
God can control people in ways you can’t.
Proverbs 16:17 – The highway of the upright turns aside from evil.
Those on the fast-track in life stay far from evil. Sin always drags you down and keeps you from getting to where you need to go.
Proverbs 16:33 – The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
Nothing is left to chance.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 16 September 2023: Today, “praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 