Tag: pro29

The joy of righteousness!

In today’s reading, we learn about King Asa. It is said that overall, he did what was pleasing and good in the sight of God! As such, God gave him a period of peace and happiness. During this time, he cleansed the land of idolatry and fortified his cities; it was a time of rest from his enemies. Notice an event that proceeded this time of peace. 

On that day they sacrificed to the Lord 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the plunder they had taken in the battle. Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul…They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding. All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side. (2 Chronicles 15:11–15, NLT) What a difference from the pagan gods Judah had served before King Asa. In fact, over in Israel, where paganism was rampant, great numbers of people defected to Judah because they saw God was with them. They desired the blessing of righteousness (2 Chronicles 15:9). 

All of this reminded me of a proverb. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. (Proverbs 29:2, KJV) Righteousness does a nation well! It blesses the people! What’s my part in all of this? To live righteously and to encourage others to do the same! Righteousness is attractive! It is a positive thing. Believers, let’s rejoice in showing righteousness to the wicked around us! There is no need to be discouraged when we have the answer. May others see our joy and good works and glorify our God!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from 1 Kings 15:1-24; 2 Chronicles 13-16.

Associations!

Stay away! Don’t get close! Don’t associate! Don’t befriend! The Book of Proverbs instructs us to avoid certain people in today’s reading. The danger is that these people’s lifestyle, ruin, and end will become ours in time. We are all more easily influenced than we realize.

First up are the corrupt or crooked. They walk a thorny and treacherous road, and those who value life will avoid them (Proverbs 22:5). It is better to live an honest and happy life than constantly watch your back and eventually get caught in your snare. Avoid this person!

Don’t befriend an angry person or associate with the hot-tempered (Proverbs 22:24–25)! Angry people produce angry people. They are full of pride, arrogance, and sinfulness (Proverbs 21:24, 29:22).

Don’t eat with the stingy (Proverbs 23:6–8)! They don’t care about you; you are only a unit of measure to them. They are very judgmental, always judging your actions. Don’t waste your time eating with them!

Don’t hang out with the drunkard or the glutton (Proverbs 23:20–21)! These people are on their way to poverty. The drunkard lives a hard life (Proverbs 23:29–35), and the glutton lacks self-control and is lazy. Everything falls apart around the lazy (Proverbs 24:30–34).

Lastly, don’t associate with the rebellious (Proverbs 24:21–22)! The disobedient are destructive, and destruction comes upon them suddenly and usually without remedy (Proverbs 6:14–15). Stay away from them!

It is better to associate, befriend, and eat with the humble, honest, generous, those of good reputation, the pure of heart, and those of gracious speech and character. Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. (Proverbs 13:20, ESV)

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Proverbs 22-24.

Righteousness = Rejoicing!

David is firmly established as king of Israel! David realizes it, the people realize it, and the surrounding nations know it. God greatly blesses Israel, joy speaks across the land, and the fear of David spreads to other kingdoms.

And David perceived that the LORD had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel. (1 Chronicles 14:2, KJV)

And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations. (1 Chronicles 14:17, KJV)

What a stark contrast between Saul’s and David’s reigns! This morning’s reading brought to mind a verse from the Book of Proverbs.

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. (Proverbs 29:2, KJV)

In the reading this morning, there is much rejoicing. King David brought the Ark of God, representing God’s presence, back to the place of worship. It had been disregarded under Saul and left in obscurity. Apparently, to Saul, the presence of God wasn’t a big deal—it wasn’t worth the effort that David was about to go through to honor God. 

Now, David’s initial intentions could have gone better. But the nation under Saul had departed from honoring God and doing anything right for so long that it lost its knowledge and reverence for God. While their intentions were honorable, their presumption and irreverence for God and His methods cost one man his life. God was not okay with being treated any old way! This caused some serious national reflection from the king down to the people. They returned to God’s law and studied how to move the Ark of God.

This time of reflection became a time of repentance. This time of studying God’s law became a time of awareness. This awareness and repentance resulted in consecration (to set apart) and obedience—notice David’s words to the Levites.

and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.” (1 Chronicles 15:12–13, ESV)

The result of repentance and the people setting themselves apart to obey God nationwide was a return to joy, praise, and worship (1 Chronicles 16:36, 40)! Oh, how true: when the wicked rule, the people mourn, but when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice!

Believers, our reverence for God, our going back to the Bible, and consecration—that is, setting ourselves apart from sin unto righteousness—affects our joy, praise, and worship. It affects our families, churches, and nation! As Christians, may we honor God in our lives. May we encourage others to honor God with their lives. And may those around us see our praise and joy and revere our God with us!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from 2 Samuel 5:11-6:23; 1 Chronicles 13-16:43.