Category: Proverbs–BibleTrekToday
Holy fear and clear vision
Scripture reading for January 24: Exodus 19-20
God carried the whole nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt with a display of His power in the plagues. The Israelites were protected and experienced God’s deliverance as they walked out of Egypt, laden down with silver and gold and other valuables. God’s presence guided them in the Pillar of Fire and in the Cloud. God was in their midst and provided miraculously for them again and again in sending the manna and quail and then providing water from the Rock. They knew God’s mercy, but lacked a healthy fear or respect. This holy fear or respect is a foundation for wisdom and life. (Proverbs 1:7)
To help His people with holy fear, God led the children of Israel to Mt. Sinai where He gave instructions through Moses to the people. They were to refrain from sexual relations, wash their clothes, and consecrate themselves to hear God’s voice speaking to them. (Exodus 19:10-16) On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud, and a loud trumpet blast. When the trumpet sounded, everyone in the camp trembled with fear! (Exodus 20:18-19) God’s voice speaking His law revealed His holiness.
God’s stated purpose was to instill in them the “fear of God to keep them from sinning.” (Exodus 20:20) You might say He wanted them to have ’20:20 vision’ and understanding that sin brings death. The ten commandments that Moses received revealed sin in the heart of man. They are the mirror of our soul showing our need of mercy and forgiveness. They drive us to God for mercy through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is only by grace that we are saved from the penalty of sin. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
How has God instilled a holy respect in your life? Would you say that your vision of God is more of love and mercy that awe and respect? How does a healthy respect for the Lord keep us from sinning?
“Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” Exodus 20:20
Ancient civil disobedience
Scripture reading for January 19th: Exodus 1-2
Exodus 1:18-20 “So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives.”
Shiphrah and Puah were ordinary Jewish women who had a job to do. As midwives, they would go to the homes of pregnant Israelite women and sit with them during labor and delivery, washing off the baby and attending to the mother and child. Pharaoh gave an order to these god-fearing women to kill all the male babies. It was a form of late-term abortion being practiced in Egypt 1500 BC.
Satan comes only to kill, steal, and destroy but God is a life-giver and life-saver! These Hebrew women knew God and feared Him more than they feared Pharaoh. They chose a path of civil disobedience that is a good model for us today. They simply ignored Pharaoh’s order and did what was right in God’s eyes. They continued to do what was right before God. They knew that abortion was murder of God’s children. God was kind to them, protected them, and He rewarded them with families of their own. If you are faithful with the little, God can give you much! ( Luke 16:10-12)
Do an inventory today of the things God has given you stewardship over. One thing is your influence and vote in our democracy. Are you voting for those who will authorize abortion? Are you giving approval to those who would perform abortions and kill off human beings made in God’s image? Do you call the politicians that are trying to enact more laws to abort children? Are you like Shiphrah and Puah, staying strong for God and protecting life whenever and wherever you can? God rewards well and is pleased with “civil disobedience” that promotes His life-giving plans.
The fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe. (Proverbs 29:25)
No more delay!
Scripture reading for December 13th: Revelation 10, Psalm 98, Proverbs 31
Revelation 10:4-7 “And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by Him Who lives forever and ever, Who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as He announced to His servants the prophets.”
John reveals to us that there are mysteries that remain about the final events of the last days before Jesus returns. He heard thunders speak, but was told to seal up their message. But John was also told that the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet would usher in a fulfilment of the mystery of God. This mystery is that God will send Jesus back as King of Kings to avenge all evil and set up His kingdom of peace on the earth. This is the call of all the prophets and priests. Each person should repent and get right with God, Who judges justly! It is the call of the Gospel, repent and believe on Jesus Christ, that your sins may be forgiven and that you may have a place in God’s eternal kingdom! The Church is called to announce this Good News! No more idleness and no more delay, the fulfilment is near!
Psalm 98:8-9 “Let the rivers clap their hands, let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the prophets and apostles who have gone before us and shared Your Word. Thank You for this revelation of Jesus Christ and the fulfilment of Your eternal plans to install Your Son, Jesus, as King of Kings and bring the kingdom of peace to earth. Use me today, and those who believe, to share the Good News of Your grace through Jesus and eternal life in the coming kingdom.
Proverbs 31: 27 “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
Death and plague, but no repentance!
Scripture reading for December 12th: Revelation 9, Psalm 97, Proverbs 30
Revelation 9: 18-21 “By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
John witnessed in heaven the sixth trumpet sounding and the resulting plagues on the earth. In this judgment, four fallen angels have been bound at the Euphrates river. They are allowed to kill a third of mankind by plagues of fire and smoke and sulfur coming from a large number of mounted troops who are riding demonic horses. In spite of the death and the plagues, the people remaining on earth refuse to repent. They cling to their idols, who can neither see or hear or walk! They continue in their hatred, murders, sorceries, and immorality, although they know these actions have brought upon them the judgment of God Almighty. This is the mystery of iniquity: it blinds its perpetrators and takes them captive to their own destruction.
Psalm 97:7-8 “All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship Him, all you gods! Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of Your judgments, O Lord. For You, O Lord, are Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.”
Prayer: Father God, these sobering judgments cause me to cling even closer to Jesus Christ! Have mercy on our world and its inhabitants, Lord! Open their eyes to truth and draw them to repentance. Forgive them of their idolatry and selfish sins. I will be glad and rejoice when Your mercy accomplishes salvation for believers and Your justice fills the earth! You are exalted above all the earth! Worthy is the Lamb!
Proverbs 30:12-13 “There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth. There are those–how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift!”
Prayer and fire on the earth!
Scripture reading for December 11th: Revelation 8, Psalm 96, Proverbs 29
Revelation 8: 1-5 “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal; there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”
John sees the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, open the seventh seal of the scroll He had received from God the Father. As this seal is broken, the silence of holy reverence and expectation fills heaven for half an hour. There is a waiting upon the Lamb for the next movement of God. Seven angels standing before God were given seven trumpets. Another angel with a golden censer came to offer incense before the throne. We are told that this incense was offered with the prayers of the saints before God. On earth, in the temple of God, priests offered incense and intercession before the curtain on the altar of incense. Now in heaven, John sees the reality before his eyes. After the prayers rose, the angel took fire in his censer from the altar and cast it to earth. There was fire and shaking in response to the prayer!
Psalm 96:10 “Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You that You reign eternally! Your are just and true in all Your judgments! You hear and answer prayers and they rise to you as sweet incense, pleasing to You because they are offered in faithful trust. We believe Your Word that You will answer on earth prayers offered to You in heaven. Through the Holy Spirit, empower me to pray today and touch heaven for those still needing salvation.
Proverbs 29:14 “If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.”
The multitude in white!
Scripture reading for December 8th: Revelation 7, Psalm 95, Proverbs 28
Revelation 7:9-12, 14 “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power be to our God forever and ever! Amen!” . . .“And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.””
Heaven will be populated by people from every tribe, tongue and nation because God is Maker of them all! Jesus instructed the apostles and all who would believe on Him to go into all the world and preach the good news to every creature. As the Gospel age comes to a close, the Church on earth will undergo severe persecution and the martyrdom of many believers through the ‘Antichrist and his rebels. The ‘great tribulation’ will be marked by martyrs. But John sees these martyrs, now in heaven, clothed in white and singing around the throne! Their song rejoices in their salvation and attributes all honor and glory to the One on the Throne and to the Lamb, Who provided the blood to clothe them in white! Their worship resounds through all of heaven as they await the fullness of salvation.
Psalm 95:6-7 “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”
Prayer: Father God and Jesus our Lamb, we worship You and bow down in reverence and honor for the great salvation You have provided and announced to the entire world. Thank You for saving people from all nations and tongues. Thank You for providing us ‘robes of white’ through Jesus’ righteousness! Thank You for the privilege of worshiping you throughout eternity as members of Your forever Flock!
Proverbs 28:17-18 “If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him. Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.”
How Long, Sovereign Lord?
Scripture reading for December 7th: Revelation 6, Psalm 94, Proverbs 27
Revelation 6: 9-11 “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been killed.”
As John witnessed the Lamb opening the seven seals, he saw a multitude of souls under the altar, all in heaven through martyrdom. They were calling out to the Sovereign Lord, asking “how long” before the judgment and avenging of their shed blood. At this, John saw them given white robes and instructions to rest a while longer. This indicated that there were others that would die as martyrs and join them, also robed in the white of Christ’s righteousness. After the full number of those witnesses would arrive at the altar, then the judgment would come on those on earth. The Lord is truly a ‘Stronghold’ and ‘Rock of Refuge’ for His people and the wicked will be wiped out by their own wickedness.
Psalm 94:22-23 “But the Lord has become my Stronghold, and my God the Rock of my refuge. He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You that You are a Refuge for Your people, not only in this life, but for all eternity. Thank You for the promised justice for those of Your people who were mistreated and killed for their testimony of Jesus Christ. Through Your Word, we have a vision of what is to come. Use me to share Your Word of protection for believers and the judgment of the wicked as a warning and encouragement.
Proverbs 27:20 “Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man.”
Worthy is the Lamb!
Scripture reading for December 6th: Revelation 5, Psalm 93, Proverbs 26
Revelation 5: 6-10 “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him Who was seated on the throne. And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
John’s attention was focused on a scroll in the hand of the One on the throne. It was sealed with seven seals and a mighty angel asked a question: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (Revelation 5:2) John began to weep loudly as he understood that there was no one in heaven or earth who could open it or look in it. But an elder spoke to John, calming his fears with the announcement that “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David had conquered.” (Revelation 5:5) At this point, John saw the Lamb, bearing marks of crucifixion, standing between the throne and the living creatures and elders. The Lamb took the scroll and all around the throne fell down in worship. The elders offered bows full of incense, the prayers of believers and sang a new song of worship to the Lamb, worthy to open the scroll.
Psalm 93:1-2 “The Lord reigns; He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; He has put on strength as His belt. Yes, the world is established from of old; You are from everlasting.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world, I worship You as alone worthy of all honor, glory and praise! You are worthy to open the scroll and take possession of the kingdom prepared for You before the world began. I am thankful to be part of those You ransomed. As a priest and part of Your eternal kingdom, use me today to pray for those needing salvation and adoption into Your family.
Proverbs 26:1 “Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.”
Worship beyond the door!
Scripture reading for December 5th: Revelation 4, Psalm 92, Proverbs 25
Revelation 4: 8-11 “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him Who is seated on the throne, Who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him Who is seated on the throne and worship Him Who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.
After John’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the prison island of Patmos, he looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. He heard a Voice speaking to him, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” (Revelation 4:1) John was invited by Jesus to enter the throne room of heaven. There, he observed the One seated and twenty-four elders who were also seated on thrones, dressed in white with crowns of gold on their heads. He also saw four other ‘living creatures’ around the throne with various animal features and one the face of a man. John observed these creatures at worship, day and night, without ceasing. Their cry was “Holy, Holy, Holy” and they gave honor and thanks to the One on the throne. In response, the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before the throne and fell down in worship of God as Creator and ‘Most High’ Ruler of the universe.
Psalm 92:1-2 “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Lord, to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High; to declare Your steadfast love in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night, . .”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for this amazing Revelation of Jesus Christ through John the Apostle. The unseen world is real, while this earth is temporary. Thank You for Your invitation to John and to all believers in Jesus to ‘Come up here!’ I join now those around Your throne worshiping You! You are worthy, O Lord My God, to receive glory and honor! You created all things! I declare Your love and grace.
Proverbs 25:6-7 “Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.”
Reputation and Truth!
Scripture reading for December4th: Revelation 3, Psalm 91, Proverbs 24
Revelation 3: 2-6 “”I know your works. You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of My God. Remember, then what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the Book of life. I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.””
Jesus Christ gave honest judgments on the works of each church and each person involved. We develop reputations among men by what we do and say, but Jesus has eyes of fire that see to the heart. This church had a reputation that it was alive, but Jesus saw it as dead or dying! He warned them to repent and complete the works He had given them. If they refused, they would be unprepared when He came to them. However, not the entire church was in need of repentance. Some were walking humbly with Jesus. He promised that these would be clothed in white. These white robes are the righteousness of Christ, given to His faithful witnesses. Jesus would also confess their names before the Father and His angels.
Psalm 91:14-16 “”Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My Name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.””
Prayer: Father God, thank You for this plain warning from Jesus Christ to the Church. I chose to hold fast to Jesus as my righteousness and trust You for deliverance from death and dead works. Speak honestly with me each day about my path and my witness. I count Your correction as a kiss on the lips of covenant love and faithfulness. I want to be an overcomer and ready and watching and working when You appear!
Proverbs 24:26 “Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.”