Devotions
Read Through The Bible In A Year
Below you will find daily devotions to coincide with the daily scripture reading for Cover-to-Cover which began Tuesday, January 12.
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DAYS 237-238
Job 17-21
Chapter 17 takes up where chapter 16 left off – with a second round of speeches from “well-intended” but not always wise and not usually compassionate friends. This round is similar to the first round in that we see Job’s three friends giving him counsel which is usually only half true at best. Both Bildad and Zophar are still convinced that it must be Job’s sin that has caused this calamity and can’t fathom a situation in which a righteous person could suffer like Job. Although Job often times is in a state of despair, we see a wonderful picture of faith in 19:23-29. Job is perhaps at one of the lowest points of his life and in the midst of tremendous pain and anguish; he says that he wishes that his thoughts could be written down in stone for all to know. What is his thought that he wants everybody to know? “My Redeemer Lives.” It is a wonderful testimony of running to God during difficult times instead of running from God. When you face life’s greatest tests, do you run to God or from God? We can certain that although life can be awful at times and even hard to understand; God is still there and willing to walk with us through every step of it!
DAYS 239-243
Job 22-31 (September 7-11)
Round three begins with Eliphaz getting a bit nasty as he “counsels” Job. At this point, you may be thinking “who needs enemies when you’ve got friends like these”. Job’s friends are relentless in accusing Job of sin as the cause for all his trouble. But this round of speeches includes a new line of “reasoning” as well. Eliphaz envisions a God that is so big that he does care about the trivial matters of our lives and our cries to Him amidst suffering. At this point, all you must do is go read some of the Psalms or the book of Exodus to know this is absolutely false. God does care about the cries of His people when they are suffering. Job responds again with much anguish and confusion but his plea is essentially a plea of faith. Chapter 23:2-3 records the jist of Job’s plea. “Oh that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat.” Job simply wants to sit alone with God and be able to ask Him why and plead his case. This may seem a bit bold or even presumptuous but it is none the less a plea of faith. Job has not lost his belief in a just and righteous God. We too would be well served to remember during tough times or when we helping others to go through tough times that God is real and we can honestly approach Him with our deepest hurts, fears and confusion.
DAYS 243-246
Job 32-37
Six chapters; one person! This guy can really talk. He is young, at times very arrogant and like the other three friends of Job, only half right! He is right to defend the majesty and justice and righteousness of God but he still can’t come to grips with the fact that Job is not hiding any un-confessed sin, which is the cause of his troubles. If we learn anything from Elihu, we learn that right things said are rarely effective coming from an arrogant person. Elihu is very arrogant at times and actually covers very little new ground that has not already been covered. Have you ever known someone that even if they were right, you would not listen to them because they believed they were God’s gift to you, your situation and this world? Elihu is that guy. If we take anything from Elihu, we should heed the warning against arrogance. The Bible is clear that God shows mercy to the humble but opposes the proud. When we deal with people who are hurting, humility is a godly and helpful path to follow!
DAYS 246-248
Job 38-42
The cases have been stated. The arguments have been made. The only thing left now is to hear a verdict from the one true and righteous judge. The friends have spoken and Job has spoken. Now it is time for God to settle the issue. What will He say? God essentially tells Job His verdict in a series of questions. Who are you to question me? I am the Creator and you are the creation. The effect of God’s questions is to humble Job. He repents for his presumptuous and demanding attitude toward God. He is not repenting for sin that caused his trouble but for reacting to his suffering in a way that belittled God. It is true that we have intimate access to God and we can enjoy beautiful relationship with Him but we must never forget that God is the Creator and we are the creation. He demands respect, fear and awe. We have no right to demand anything of Him. So the verdict is not an explanation to Job of why he has suffered. It is simply a charge to Job to trust God no matter what. Explanations are not the real issue; trust is! Do you trust God even when you don’t understand? This is essentially the message of Job!
DAY 249
Introduction
Proverbs concisely presents wisdom for living. Solomon, the writer of Proverbs gives the reader a collection of wise sayings which are sometimes humorous, but at the same time cause a great deal of reflection. A mentor of mine often reminds me that the two primary concerns that show up on Proverbs is wisdom against fast sex and easy money. Nothing could be more applicable for today’s society. Foundationally, Proverbs reminds us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7), and from there the book begins to take shape.
Proverbs 1-2
Proverbs chapter one functions as a prologue (or introduction) to the rest of the book. The prologue of Proverbs begins to direct our minds to the everyday decisions of life, by suggesting wisdom applies to all things. Solomon makes it clear that wisdom comes from God, therefore true wisdom is not attainable by all, only those who are seeking wisdom from its source who is God alone. The end of chapter one leaves no doubt that foolishness/godlessness will bring about calamity and disaster in the life of he who rejects wisdom. The self-destruction of the person who rejects God is a stark contrast from the light and easy yoke of Christ (Matt. 11:30).
DAY 250
Proverbs 3-4
The delivery method of the first nine chapters of Proverbs is in the context of a father talking to his son. This delivery style underscores the teaching of Deuteronomy chapter six that instructs parents to teach their children when they lie down and wake up. The word used for “teaching” in these chapters is the word “Torah” which is the Hebrew word for the first five books of the Bible. The use of the word Torah is also important because it suggests the wisdom that is imparted from parent to child is not simply earthly wisdom, but wisdom that finds its source in God.
DAY 251
Proverbs 5-6
In these two chapters Solomon addresses short-sightedness, and discontentment as it applies to the sexual life of his son. The question may be raised, why apply the truths of short-sightedness and discontentment to such a narrow focus in one’s life, does it not apply to other things? Yes, these principles do apply elsewhere, but human sexuality emerges often the book of Proverbs and I do not think it is a mistake. The sheer number of words dedicated to human sexuality communicates the ever present danger of sexual sin, its power over the individual, and the devastation of its repercussions. At the risk of being redundant, it is significant to recognize that this a conversation that fathers (parents) and children should have in the time of Solomon and in a contemporary context as well.
So far in Proverbs we recognize that Solomon has discussed primarily earthly consequences of sin. For example, the personal destruction that is caused at the end of chapter one, and the wrath of a vengeful husband that is aroused in chapter five. Although these handy observations are true, we must consider that sin brings consequences upon our relationship with God. If we are in Christ we will always be children of God, but sin strains our relationship with our heavenly Father, much like it would for an earthly father. To name a few of the relational consequences of sin, our joy in Christ is squelched, our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading is numbed, and our fellowship with other believers is less sweet. God, being he who restores, is ready to restore you to himself because He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9).
DAY 252
Proverbs 7-8
Chapters seven and eight stand in stark contrast to one another. In chapter seven we read a story of folly as a young man falls prey to the adulteress, in chapter eight we read of Wisdom’s plea to all to heed her call. In a sense Proverbs almost takes on the form of a family that is raising a child, beginning with the wisdom passed down from a father to his son, and cry of the Wisdom (who is a woman and perhaps a motherly figure) as she imparts godliness to the young man (Prov. 1:20; 8:1-36).
There is a sharp juxtaposition between the women found in the first nine chapters of Proverbs. The first woman that we see is Wisdom who stands in contrast with the adulteress. As a result of the dissonance in the character of these women, a young man can gather a better understanding of the type of woman that he should cherish, and those whom he should stay away.
As an aside, it is my contention that wisdom has been personified to illustrate that wisdom is more than just a choice that is made a few times a day, but a way of life that impacts our every action.
DAY 253
Proverbs 9-10
Chapter nine marks the end of a literary section in the book of proverbs. The primary means of recognizing the end of a literary section is the repetition of a previously stated thought or phrase. Proverbs 1:7 in the culminating phrase of the introduction to the book of Proverbs saying, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” we see the same statement in chapter nine that lets the reader know that the section is coming to an end.
In chapter nine there is another contrast between Wisdom and Folly. Both women issue an invitation to those who are walking by, with the slight difference of volume as Folly issues the far more seductive call of sin. The most drastic contrast is in the results of each invitation: The request of Wisdom ends in understanding, and the summons of Folly results in death.
Proverbs 10
Proverbs is a unique book because it is not a letter to a group of people (like much of the New Testament), it is not a history of God’s people (like Chronicles, Kings, or Ezra), it is not prophecy (like Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Obadiah), and it is not the Law like the first books of the Bible. Each author of these genres is recounting events, or instructing on a few specific topics. In proverbs there are a number of topics all addressed in a verse or two at a time, so it is fitting in Proverbs (but nowhere else in Scripture) to work through the book topically. Although the duration no Proverbs can be handled topically, I will address both topics and give instruction that will assist in interpreting the book of Proverbs as it is unique to the rest of Scripture.
DAY 254
Proverbs 11-12
As we read through this section of Proverbs here are some helpful hints that may help you understand what the writer is doing literarily. There are four common patterns that Solomon follows in Proverbs, the first highlights to a contrast between that which is foolish and that which is wise and that is called an antithetical parallelism. The second is called synonymous parallelism meaning that the second half of the statement helps clarify the first half. Next pattern is comparisons which grants comparative value judgments to two sides of the same coin, for example, “If the righteous will be rewarded on earth / how much more the wicked and the sinner!” Lastly, statements of explanation, which is self explanatory. A comparison that shows up numerous times in chapters eleven and twelve is the comparison between the righteous and the wicked and how the results differ for each.
DAY 255
Proverbs 13-14
Chapters thirteen and fourteen are a rapid-fire of wise quotes from King Solomon. As these chapters are read, it is important to remember that that God’s Word is studied so the reader can know God in a more complete way. This is a corrective because many people read the Bible solely for their own personal encouragement (although encouragement is a byproduct). Because we understand that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7), and wisdom finds is source in God, it follows that as we retain and apply the wisdom in the book of Proverbs we have a greater understanding of the source of all wisdom, God himself.
Let us not forget that we are given a clear picture of these Proverbs lived out in day to day life in the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ because he is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). As we examine the life of Christ further, the more we will gather the application of godly wisdom and be able to apply it to our lives, and once again be able to know God more fully.
DAY 256
Proverbs 15-16
Chapters fifteen and sixteen are much like the two prior, they contain numerous pithy sentences containing wisdom that are in most cases detached from one another. Instead of pulling one topic I will provide further insight into the interpretation of these tidbits of wisdom. As a result of Proverbs being a book that assumes the correct application of a principle to produce a specific result, the reader must be careful that we do not make conditional statements (that assume correct application) absolutes. If a person a person takes a conditional proverb and misapplies it, we cannot say that the inconsistency in on God’s part, but the misapplication of a proverb is on the person who sought to apply the wisdom, not on God who inspired the proverb.
Also, in the book of Proverbs there is often a vagueness that plagues these thoughtful insights into life. As we have walked through Proverbs together, we have noted that wisdom is to be applied to all of life, and vague proverbs are ready made to be applied to several situations in our lives. Stated differently, the book of Proverbs is often left vague in order to allow the reader to apply wisdom in their situation.
DAY 257
Proverbs 17-18
The final verse of chapter 18 stuck out to me as I read and reread these chapters. “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (vs. 24). As time passes and each of us grow older, we understand this truth more and more clearly. In the work place, at school, and even at church one may have numerous companions, people that may know your name and some facts about you, but rare are the friends that verse twenty four speaks of. In a culture that is so “me” centered, it must be understood that such friendships cannot be cultivated without selfless sacrifice for another person. In Scripture we find the prime example of this in our Savior Jesus Christ. As we continue to immolate the character qualities in our own friendships we will find more verse twenty four friends we begin to have.