Introduction to Daniel

3/7/2013 9:59 AM

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL

            I have wanted to study the book of Daniel for a long time, that is on my own, and not in a classroom.  I have been in two Sunday school classes looking at the book of Daniel, and the first time that that happened was probably at least 20 years ago and one of the things that I remembered from that class is that the teacher found most of his material for the 10^th and 11^th chapters in the library, that is the public library.  I suppose that those two chapters are what scares me the most, but that is a long way off as I plan on doing only one chapter a month in this study.

            Let’s begin this introduction with the first verse in the book of Daniel and comment on them and then look at some background material on Daniel’s book.  “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.”  I want to focus in on the two different kingdoms, which are the kingdom of Babylon and the kingdom of Judah where Jerusalem is located.  We will have to go back to the book of Genesis to find the first reference to the term Babel, which is in the tenth chapter.  This chapter comes after the flood and tells of the descendants of Noah’s three sons, for it was from these three sons that all humans have come from.  I remember studying the book of Genesis and Warren Wiersbe stating that in the book of Genesis when genealogies were given that the genealogy of those who were not godly were given first, and we find that in the tenth chapter of Genesis, for the godly line that came from Noah was Shem who is in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  The line of Ham is an ungodly line for we see in the ninth chapter of Genesis that Noah made a vineyard and from the grapes he made some wine which he drank and then went to sleep.  Let’s look at this from Genesis 9:24-27 “24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.’ 26 He also said, ‘Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. 27 ‘May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.’”  Whether or not Canaan was even born at this time is not known, but we see that Noah’s younger son, Ham, had homosexual tendencies and it would grow worse with his offspring, for it was because of these tendencies that God would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah later on in the book of Genesis. As we go down the genealogy of Ham in the 10^th chapter of Genesis we see that one of his grandson’s was Nimrod and it is Nimrod who started a kingdom in Babel.  “6 The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. 7  The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD." 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar (Genesis 10:6-10).”  The next mention of Babel (Babylon) is in the next chapter of Genesis.  “9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:9).”  This is familiar story in the book of Genesis where after the flood all the people spoke the same language and so it was easy for them to learn faster, and what they learned was not pleasing to the Lord for they were building ziggurats.  The following is from the website www.bible-history.com 

  “The Tower of Babel

“Of the ziggurat built in Babylon at the time of Hammurapi we know little but there is a large amount of documentation of the ziggurat that existed in the time of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) who deported the Jews.

“This was a ziggurat already old by the time of his reign and could have been the same as the ziggurat that existed in the reign of Hammurapi. Its Babylonian name was "Etemenanki" (see below) which means in English "House of the platform of Heaven and Earth".

This temple is often associated with the famous Tower of Babel which men built to rival God. Indeed so it must have seemed to an Israelite observer whose cities were often no more than the size of our villages. They would be confronted first with the size of the city, which encompassed, at that time, both sides of the Euphrates. Babylon in the time of Nebuchadnezzar II was large even by our standards. In the city they would see the ziggurat, which would seem to them, usually living in single story houses, to reach almost to heaven. Many Jews would have seen it with their own eyes when they were deported to Babylon in about 600 BC. This would have no doubt reminded them of the events at the Tower of Babel.

“The Bible reveals very little about the ziggurat. There are other sources outside of the Bible that reveal what a Ziggurat is. We have a Babylonian tablet that gives us the dimensions of the ziggurat at the time of Nebuchadnezzar II. The ziggurat’s condition declined and it was in ruins when Alexander arrived in 331 BC.”

            What we see here is that mankind began a false religion in the very early years of man on planet earth and that religion has been around ever since, but God will destroy it as we will see in the book of Revelations.  I bring this up because Daniel was to be indoctrinated into this kind of religion, but we will see when we begin to study the book of Daniel that Daniel was a man who would not compromise, which is a theme that runs throughout the book of Daniel.  What we have is a religion, a false religion, that comes from Babylon and the true “religion” that is found in Jerusalem and as we look at this first verse in Daniel we would think, if we did not know the rest of the story, that the false religion had won over the true religion.

            We know from the very first time this religion that began in Babylon that God hated it for they were exchanging the God of creation with another made up god which of course was headed up by Satan.  When we look at the book of Revelations we will find two Babylon’s that God will destroy, one is the Babylon of money and power, and one is the Babylon of false religion.  There is a book, an older book called “Two Babylons” written by Alexander Hislop, and when checking on this book I found the following information, “The Two Babylons, subtitled The Papal Worship Proved to Be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife is a religious pamphlet published in 1853 by the Presbyterian Free Church of Scotland theologian Alexander.”

            I knew that the book was old, but did not realize it was that old.  At any rate when one looks at the 17^th chapter of Revelations it will show that God is going to destroy the false religion of Babylon and then the next chapter shows how God will destroy the money driven power driven Babylon and how the people of that day will weep when it is destroyed.  “and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ’What city is like the great city?’ 19  "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ’Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’”  (Verses 18-19 of Rev. 18)

            I just want to briefly speak of the Babylon that Daniel lived in but not get into too much detail about it.  The second king of Babylon is named Nebuchadnezzar and it was his father, the first king who was Nabopolassar that actually defeated the Assyrians and began the Babylonian Empire.  “Nabopolassar revolted against the Assyrian Empire (which had ruled Babylon for the previous 200 years) after the death of the last effective Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, sometime between 631 BC and 627 BC. He then took on the title of King of Babylonia.
Assyria, weakened by internal strife and ineffectual rule following the death of Ashurbanipal, was unable to resist the alliance of the Chaldeans and Medes, who combined to sack the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in 612 BC. Following a prolonged siege at the Battle of Nineveh, Nabopolassar took control of Nineveh. In 609 BC, Nabopolassar took the Assyrian city of Harran, where Assyrian forces had retreated after the fall of Nineveh.
From 610 BC until his death, Nabopolassar also waged war against Egypt, which was allied with Assyria. In 605 BC, his son Nebuchadnezzar fought Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt and the remnants of the Assyrian army at the Battle of Carchemish, shortly before Nabopolassar died.”  (Wikipedia)
            Daniel was probably only 14 or 15 years old when he was deported to Babylon in 605 BC, which was the first deportation of the Jews to Babylon.  Just as Joseph was sent by God to Egypt to prepare for the rest of his family, so Daniel was sent by God to Babylon to prepare for the rest of his “family.”  God would use Daniel in a similar role that He used Joseph.  Their ages were indeed similar when they were taken from their families, along with their tasks.  There were two more deportations of Jews to Babylon, 597 BC and 586 BC, which is where the city of Jerusalem along with the temple was destroyed.  
            I would like to say at this point that the parents of Daniel must have been great parents because of how Daniel lived his life after being taken from them into Babylon.  They were unsung heroes of the faith. 
            Tomorrow’s SD we will begin our journey through the book of Daniel (God willing).
3/7/2013 11:13 AM

God uses the Gift of Speech for Good (Study in Proverbs)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/6/2013 10:18 AM

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Only God Can Help Us Use the Gift of Speech for Good.

Bible Reading & Meditation                                          Reference:  Studies in Proverbs

            Message of the verses:  Today’s SD will feature comments from the last main point in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Proverbs.  I mentioned in the last few days how the things that I have been learning have stepped on my toes and now it looks like I will find some relief in today’s SD.  After today my plan is to move onto the first chapter in the book of Daniel for a few days.  I will begin with and introduction to the book of Daniel and then move to the first chapter to comment on it.  I am excited to be looking and studying Daniel as it was used of the Lord to draw me to Him in January of 1974.  I have read it many times and even helped to teach one chapter from it a few years back, but never studied it by myself.  I will have to admit that the tenth and eleventh chapters are a bit scary to me, but I will trust the Lord to give me the grace when I get that far.  My plan is to take one chapter a month, beginning with this month and when I get through that chapter I will go back to where I was before doing the chapter on Daniel, which of course is the book of Proverbs at this time.

Only God Can Help Us Use the Gift of Speech for Good

            When we see verses in Scripture on the tongue we need to take notice of them as to what they are saying to us.  We also need to remember that after the apostle Paul spent eleven chapters in the book of Romans to explain great theology to us that he then wrote these words, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”  After all God has done for us in choosing us, redeeming us, justifying us, sanctifying us, and filling us with the Person of His Holy Spirit that it is not reasonable that we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him, and that means to surrender our speech to Him too.  David writes “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3).”  However we must remember what Jesus taught us about what comes out of our mouth, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34b).”  What is in our hearts will come out of our mouth.  This is a really revealing statement when you think about it, for how many times when we get angry with someone that we blame them for our actions, but the truth is that our actions come out of or mouth because they are in our hearts.  I am not saying that at times we have righteous anger, but I have heard that 99% of our anger is not righteous anger.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Proverbs 16:1 has been a great help to me, especially when I’ve been called upon to give counsel:  ‘To man belong the plans of the hearts, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue’ (NIV).’  When you couple this with 19:21, it give you great encouragement:  ‘Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails’ (NIV).’  On many occasions, I’ve had to make decisions about complex matters, and the Lord has given me just the words to speak.  However, if my heart had not been in touch with His Word and yielded to His will, the Spirit might not have been able to direct me.  If we make our plans the best we can and commit them to the Lord, He’ll guide us in what we say and do.” 

            Proverbs 10:32 speaks of the “spiritual radar” that the Lord gives to us so we can assess a situation and make the right reply, “The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable.”  Pr. 15:23, “A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!”  Isaiah 50:4-6, “morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. 5 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. 6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.”  I believe that Isaiah was speaking of our Lord in these verses who is always the best example to follow.  Proverbs 15:28 states, “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.”  11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances. 12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear (Pr. 25:11-12).”

            How are people able to speak wisely to those in need of hearing wisdom from them?  Wise men store up knowledge (Pr. 10:14).”  How do they store up this knowledge?  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col. 3:16).”  “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips (Pr. 16:23).”  We, as believers have to take the time to study the Word of God, to hide it in our hearts, and to meditate upon it so that we can apply it to situations that we are in.

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his chapter with these insightful words, “Have you heard the fable of the king and the menu?  A king once asked his cook to prepare for him the best dish in the world, and he was served a dish of tongue.  The king then asked for the worst dish in the world, and again was served tongue.

            ‘”Why do you serve me the same food as both the best and the worst?’ the perplexed monarch asked.

            ‘”Because, your majesty,’ the cook replied, ‘the tongue is the best of things and the worst of things when use carelessly and unkindly.’

            ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue’ (Pr. 18:21).

            ‘The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life’ (Pr. 10:11, NIV)’

            “Chose life!”

            That is great advice for us to listen to and to apply to our lives, for speaking kind and gentle words has to come from the Lord if they are to be effective to accomplish what He desires them to accomplish, and to do that we must be constantly in tuned with the Lord.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Well it seems that I have my marching orders for today and for that matter for everyday to come.  I would pray that the Lord will give me to right words to speak at all times, may they come from a heart that is filled with His Word, and my they bring glory to Him.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Desire to speak healing words to those who are in need of them.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:1-5

            1 How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered!  2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!  When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.  4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.  Selah.  5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.   Selah.

Turning Points Wisdom for Today:  “He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”  (Thomas Fuller)  “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  (Matthew 6:14,15)

3/6/2013 11:29 AM

PT-3 "Speech can be used to do Evil" (Study in Proverbs)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/5/2013 6:58 PM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  PT-3 Speech can be used to do evil

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  Proverbs

            Message of the verses:  We will look at the sections of the main point listed above in our continued study of Proverbs in Today’s SD.

            We hurt others by speaking in anger.  Let us begin by looking at Proverbs 29:22, “An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.”  We will see in Proverbs 26:21 that angry men stir up the pot, “As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.”  As we look around at this world we live in today we will see that many people who are angry, hold it in when there around their friends, “Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil hearts (Or, 26:23).” 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Instead of covering our anger with cheap dross, we should cover others’ sins with sincere love.  ‘Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins’ (Pr. 10:12 NKJV).  Love doesn’t condone sin or encourage sinners to try to hide their sins from the Lord (Pr. 28:13; 1John 1:9), but love doesn’t tell the sin to others.  (See Gen. 9:18-29.)  If I’m angry with someone and he sins, I’ll be tempted to spread the news as a way of getting even.”

            We hurt others by impetuous speech.  We begin with Proverbs 29:20, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”  And then Proverbs 18:13, “He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.”  “The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him (Pr. 18:17).”  Next Proverbs 15:28, “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”  “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise (Pr. 10:19).”  Next Pr. 12:18: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  When we utter reckless words they also hurt us, and not just the one we are talking to, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles (Pr. 21:23).”  Now if we make promises that are rash to the Lord and others this is especially true, “It is a trap for a man to say rashly, "It is holy!" And after the vows to make inquiry (Pr. 20:25)” and Pr. 22:26, 27: “Do not be among those who give pledges, Among those who become guarantors for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, Why should he take your bed from under you?”  Eccl. 5:1-5, “1 Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. 2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. 3 For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”

            We hurt others by talking too much.  Eccl. 5:2, “2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.”  Pr. 10:19, “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.”  Pr. 15:2, “The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly.”  James 3:1-2, “1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.”  Eccl. 3:7, “A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.”  Pr. 11:12-13, “12 He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent. 13 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.” Pr. 17:28, “Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.”

            We hurt others by talking instead of working.  Pr. 14:23 (NIV), “In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.”  Dr. Wiersbe concludes this section with these words, “Mankind seems to be divided into three classes:  dreamers who have good ideas but never accomplish much, talkers who exercise their jaw muscles and vocal cords but no their hands and feet, and doers who talk little but with God’s help turn their dreams into realities.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I truly hope that I am in the last category and that of being a doer, even though since my retirement my doing days are not as much as they were when I was working, but God still uses me to accomplish things He leads me too.  For if God will give you a job to do he will give you the resources to accomplish that work even though at times it may seem like He is not in it at all.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I cannot remember a book in the Bible that I have studied that has stepped on my feet like this on.  I surely need to rely upon the Lord to follow the things that I have been learning.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:1-5

            1 How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered!  2  How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!  3 When I kept silent about my sin, by body wasted away through my groaning all day long.  4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.  5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Turning Points Wisdom for Today:  “The Bible is bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.”  (Author Unknown)  “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  (2Timothy 3:16-17)  3/5/2013 8:03 PM

PT-2 "Speech can be used to do Evil" (Study in Proverbs)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/4/2013 11:27 AM

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Speech can be used to do Evil PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Proverbs

            Message of the verse:  We will be looking at the second sub-point from “Speech can be used to do Evil.”

            We hurt others by gossiping:  Let us begin this section with a verse from the book of Leviticus, 19:16 “"Don’t spread gossip and rumors. "Don’t just stand by when your neighbor’s life is in danger. I am GOD (The Message).”  Let us look at this in the NKJV “‘You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.”  Dr. Wiersbe gives a wonderful explanation of what the word “talebearer” means and where it came from.  The word means “to go about,” and he says that it probably was derived from a word meaning “merchant” and the reason that is interesting is that just as a merchant goes around peddling his goods so a gossip goes around peddling his gossip.  Proverbs 11:13 says “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.”  Being a customer of a gossip can be a dangerous thing, “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.”  We learn from this verse that gossips flatter those to whom they tell their gossip to, and that is probably why they are successful.  I once heard a man speaking about how not to gossip and he said that we were to go to the throne and not the phone.

            Next we see that a gossip likes his gossip like a normal person likes food.  “The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body) Pr. 26:22).”  In order for a person who craves gossip to get away from it is to feed on the truth of the Word of God: “For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul (Pr. 2:10).”   Gossips do a great deal of evil, “26 A worker’s appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on.  27 A worthless man digs up evil, While his words are like scorching fire. 28 A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends (Pr. 16:26-27).”  “For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down (Pr. 26:20.”

            We hurt others by flattery:  The English word to flatter comes from a French word that means “to stroke or caress with the flat of the hand.”  Looking at moves that involve French men I can understand that meaning came from France.  Flattery is not good, “A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps (Pr. 29:5).”  We can see early on where the first flatter came from when we look at what Satan said to Eve when he told her that if she ate the fruit that she as God.”  Now we know that if Satan did this then flattery has to be bad.  We can see that in the book of Proverbs that the prostitute uses flattery to get her victims, “For the lips of an adulterous drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech (Pr. 5:3).”  “That they may keep you from an adulterous, From the foreigner who flatters with her words Pr. 7:5).”  “With her many persuasions she entices him; With her flattering lips she seduces him (Pr. 7:21).”  There are those who flatter the rich to get something from them:  “Wealth makes many friends, But the poor is separated from his friend (Pr. 19:4).  I am sure that we have all heard of a person who wins the lottery and all of a sudden he has so many friends and even relatives that he has never heard of and they probably all line up to flatter him.

            We probably all love flattery at least love it more than a rebuke, but a rebuke done with love can surely do more good that flattery.  “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (Pr. 27:6).”  “He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue (Pr. 28:23).”  We are not saying that there is not a place for genuine praise to be given to others who are deserving of it that brings glory to God, “11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. 12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction (1 Thes. 5:11-12).”  I believe one of the tougher things that a Pastor has to do is not to become puffed up over all of the compliments that he receives for humility is difficult when praises are given to a person with great regularly, for perhaps some of the compliments are meant to be flattery.

            We must beware of someone giving us flattery especially in the morning:  “24 He who hates disguises it with his lips, But he lays up deceit in his heart. 25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart (Pr. 26:24-25).”

            We will look at the last two sub-points in the next SD (Lord Willing).

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I don’t suppose that if anyone reads a lot in the book of Proverbs that he will not come away feeling guilty over things that he has done in the past, but the question is what are we to do about it?  I think we discovered part of the answer while looking at what we spoke of when speaking of the gossip and how they can quit gossiping and then we looked at Proverbs 2:10 which says, “For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.”  We learned early on in our study of Proverbs that when we speak of wisdom we speak of one who has been born from above.  We also know that wisdom comes from the Word of God and so we need to fill our minds with the Word of God so that it will take the place of the other worldly things that are in our minds.  We think mostly about what we like and so how we think determines much about us.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Fill my mind with the Word of God and think on it throughout the day.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:1-5

            1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!  2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD dose not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!  3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.  4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.  5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Turning Points Wisdom for Today:  “If you pray for bread and bring no basket to carry it, you prove the doubting spirit which may be the only hindrance to the gift you ask.”  (D. L. Moody)  “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  (Matthew 26:19)

3/4/2013 12:19 PM  

Speech can be used to do Evil (Study in Proverbs)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/3/2013 8:19 AM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  Speech can be used to do Evil

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Proverbs

            Message of the verses:  We will begin to look at how speech can be used to do evil in today’s Spiritual Diary, as we contrast it from what we have learned in the past two SD’s where we looked at how speech can be used to do good.

            When we look at the beginning of the Word of God we see that the Lord spoke and the world came into existence and this was surely a good way to use speech, but then we see in the 3^rd chapter of Genesis that Satan’s speech to Eve caused the world to plunge into sin and we can see evil speech all the way through the Word of God even in the book of Revelations when we see the evil speech of the false prophet and the Antichrist.  As we turn on our TV sets and listen to our radio and look at things on the internet we hear much evil speech in the form of listening too and also reading.  It is truly my desire to write the truth in all the things that I write, to do this so that the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified and lifted up.  There are many “spin doctors” in the world today and it is not getting better, but getting worse.  Politicians probably have the worst reputation when it comes to speaking lies, but there are many so called preachers who do the same.  However we are not going to look too much at those “professional” people who speak evil, but we are going to look at believers who do this.  How do we do this?  Well first we do this by having our speech hurt others.

            We hurt others by lying.  We will begin by looking at Proverbs 12:19, “Truthful lips will be established forever, But a lying tongue is only for a moment.” Next Proverbs 12:22, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.”  Next Proverbs 6:16-17, “16  There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17  Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood.”   Solomon warns his readers about bearing false witness, which is a violation of the ninth commandment. (See Proverbs 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, 28; 21:28; 24:28)  Dr. Wiersbe writes “When words can’t be trusted, then society starts to fall apart.  Contracts are useless, promises are vain, the judicial system becomes a farce, and all personal relationships are suspect.”  “Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor (Pr. 25:18).”

            When we look at liars we find that they enjoy listening to lies, “A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue (Pr.17:4).”  We know that what the ears hear is what the heart loves, so one who lies loves lying.  However “An honest answer is like a warm hug (Pr. 24:26 The Message).”  We know that mostly a kiss is a sign of love and so Paul writes in Ephesians 4:15, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following about being a honest person, “We should be honest because we’re honest people in our hearts, walking in the fear of the Lord and not because we’re shrewd bargainers who follow a successful policy.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I never want to tell lies, even if it benefits me, for in the long run it will not benefit me, but hurt me.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Learning things from the book of Proverbs has been and I suppose it will continue to be convicting to me, and so I need to confess the things that I fail at and trust that the Lord will give me the strength through His Word and the Spirit who lives within me to put into practice the things that I am convicted to put into practice.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:1-5

            1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgive, whose sin is covered!  2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!  3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.  4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.  Selah.  5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Turning Points Wisdom for Today:  “Never compromise with those who water down the Word of God to human experience.”  (Oswald Chambers)  “The Law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”  (Psalm 19:7-8)

3/3/2013 9:19 AM

PT-2 "Speech Can be Used to do Good" (Studies in Proverbs)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/2/2013 2:29 PM

My Worship Time                                                   Focus:  Speech Can be Used to do Good PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Proverbs

            Message of the verses:  We will begin to look at the second SD on the subject of have your speech used for good.

            Our words can instruct the ignorant.  We will begin by looking at Proverbs 15:7 “The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.”  By spreading knowledge to those who need it we are using our speech to do good.  Next we will look at Proverbs 16:21, “The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.”  When we think about our life on earth we know that it does not last too long when compared to how long the earth has been in existence, and my belief is that it has been around for somewhere around 6000 years.  We must gain wisdom in order to have a successful life in the eyes of God.  Listening to a sermon by John MacArthur this morning on the last part of the 10^th chapter of Luke’s gospel I learned the following important lesson, “41 But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”  David writes the following “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple (Ps. 27:4).”  13  Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14).”  This was written by Paul and we can conclude from these three passages that the one thing that should be the top priority in our life is to listen to and study the Word of God.  When we do this we gain wisdom so that what we learn can be applied to our lives.  When we study the Word of God it is kind of like what Mary did as she sat at the feet of Jesus listening to him teach her and so as we sit at His feet we can gain wisdom so that we can teach our children, our grandchildren, and others that the Lord will bring into our lives.

            Our words can rescue the perishing.  The wonderful song writer Fanny Crosby who was blinded very, very early in life due to an accident wrote many, many songs and poems.  One of them she entitled “Rescue the Perishing.”

1.     Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

o   Refrain:
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

2.     Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe.

3.     Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

4.     Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.”

Proverbs 14:25 says, “A truthful witness saves lives, But he who utters lies is treacherous.” Dr. Wiersbe writes “If my testimony could save an innocent person from death, and I refused to speak, then my silence would be a terrible sin, ‘11 Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. 12 If you say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?’  Whether it’s rescuing prisoners from execution or lost sinners from execution or lost sinners from eternal judgment, we can’t plead ignorance if we do nothing.”

Our Words can encourage those who are burdened.  “Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up (Pr. 12:25 The Message).”  Next Proverbs 15:23, “A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!”  If we are learning wisdom, walking in the Spirit we will know when we can give an answer that is timely.  “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Pr. 16:24).” 

Dr. Wiersbe writes “The Royal British Navy has a regulation which reads, ‘No officer shall speak discouragingly to another officer in the discharge of his duties.’ We need to practice that regulation in our homes and churches!  Each of us needs to be a Barnabas, a ‘son of encouragement.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am convicted in my heart that I do not use the kind of words that I should use in the different circumstances that are spoken of in the sections above.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Think before I speak, and not speak too much.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:1-4

            1 How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered!  2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit!  3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.  4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.

Turning Points Wisdom for Today:  “O LORD, let us not live to be useless, for Christ’s sake.”  (John Wesley)  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  (Matthew 28:19)

3/2/2013 3:16 PM 

           

PT-2 Speech (Proverbs)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/1/2013 10:04 AM

My Worship Time                                               Focus:  Speech Can be Used to do Good (PT-1)
Bible Reading & Meditation                                                             Reference:  Proverbs
            Message of the verses:  We are continuing to look at what the book of Proverbs has to say about speech in today’s SD.
            How many times has it happened to you when you went to the doctor that he or she asks you to stick out your tongue?  A doctor can tell a lot of what is wrong with us by looking at our tongue, and in a spiritual way the tongue can cause spiritual illnesses for a person also for what we say can hurt other people.  In our last SD we looked at how the tongue can be helpful by bringing beauty and value, nourishment, refreshment, and healing to the inner person.  We will continue to look at how the awesome power of words reveals itself in other positive ways.
            Our words can bring peace instead of war.  Let’s look at Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.”  Next Proverbs 15:18, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel (NIV).”  We will look at an endnote on what the word “quarrel” means.  “The Hebrew word translated ‘quarrel’ has legal overtones and can refer to a lawsuit (Ex. 23:2-4).  Solomon’s counsel is wise:  it’s better to keep cool and speak calmly than to argue with your opponent and end up with an expensive lawsuit that nobody really wins.”  Dr. Wiersbe writes, “Solomon isn’t advising us to compromise the truth and say that what’s wrong is really right.  Rather, he’s counseling us to have a gentle spirit and a conciliatory attitude when we disagree with other.” 
            The key in this is what the key in many spiritual issues is, and that is the heart.  What the condition of our hearts tells us a lot of why we use the words we use and the way we use them.  Do we use harsh word that hurt or as Solomon states soft answers that are healing.  James writes “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.”  James speaks of “earthly wisdom” in his letter in James 3:17: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”  I wish to quote from my Spiritual Diary on some of the things I wrote about James 3:17a on Sept. 24, 2003, “James writes of the origin of Godly wisdom in verse 17 where he says it comes from above.  James 1:17 tells us that every good gift and every perfect comes from above.  Our citizenship is in heaven, our treasures are in heaven, we were born from above, our home is in heaven, and our hope is in heaven.  It makes sense then that are wisdom should come from God in heaven.” 
There are places where the believer looks to for wisdom.  Colossians 2:2,3 gives us the first place to look for wisdom, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The Word of God also gives us wisdom, and James has already written that we can receive wisdom through believing prayer as we ask God.  (See James 1:5)  Ephesians 1:17 says that The Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of wisdom.  “The origin of true spiritual wisdom is God.  To get your wisdom from any other source is to ask for trouble.”  (From “Be Mature”)”
Dr. Wiersbe writes “Applying this wisdom means taking the attitude that’s described in Philippians 2:1-12, the attitude that was practiced by Jesus Christ.”

Our words can help restore those who have sinned.  This is truly a difficult task, and I think that one of the reasons that makes it so difficult is that we are all sinners, and that means that if a person is involved in sin and is unwilling to confess that sin to the Lord and it is found out about then another sinful person has to confront him or her with their sin and so the person being confronted can look at them and say “yes but you have this problem or that problem.”  However with that being said it is the way that Jesus describes leaders in the church to handle such problems.  The passage where this instruction is found is in Matthew 18:15-20, and in that passage we find that when a person sins (habitually) in an area and it is found out by another person they are to gently confront them with the sinful issue asking them to confess it to the Lord.  If they refuse to do this then the next visit with them the accusing person should bring someone else along, and if they still refuse to confess the next step is to bring it before the church, what we see here is that the sin and sinner has gone from their sin being private to becoming public. 

The way we do this as stated before is doing it in a loving and firm way:  “Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear (Pr. 25:12).”  Paul writes the following to the Galatians Church: “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted (Gal. 6:1).”  Next we look at Proverbs 28:23, “He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.”  Next is Proverbs 10:17, “He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray.”  Dr. Wiersbe concludes by writing, “Of course, during this whole procedure, we must be much in prayer, seeking the Lord’s help for ourselves and for those we’re trying to help.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and so I am reminded that I need to make sure that my heart is right with the Lord and that the words that I speak will be healing and helpful to others in a loving manner.
My Steps of Faith for Today:  As I read these different Proverbs I am coming to understand the book of Proverbs in a better way.  As I am convicted or have my toes step on by the all powerful Word of God then I must remember to confess to the Lord my failing in following the wisdom that is found in the Word of God.
Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 32:1-4
            1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!  2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!  3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.  4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
Turning Points Wisdom for Today:  “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to the person on which it is poured.”  (Author Unknown)  “For I know that You are gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness.”  (Jonah4:2b).”
3/1/2013 11:19 AM