“Short and Sweet”

April 11, 2024

April 11, 2024

Read Numbers 31, Psalm 116-118

Sometimes we don’t need to say much to get our point across. My grandfather was a preacher and when my brother and I were younger occasionally we would go spend the weekend with them and go to church with them on a Sunday. I always liked going to their church for several reasons, but one of those was that my grandfather’s sermons were usually no longer that 12-15 minutes. He had a knack for saying what he wanted to say in a short and sweet way without belaboring the point.

Psalm 117 is the smallest psalm in the Bible. It consists of two verses. Twenty-nine words in English (26 in Hebrew). The short and simple message is a message to all the nations to praise the Lord for his great love. God’s love is faithful throughout all generations.

Here is the entire psalm.

Praise the Lord, all you nations;

extol him, all you peoples.

2 For great is his love towards us,

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.

Praise the Lord.

What else do you see in these chapters? What stands out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Vows”

April 11, 2024

April 10, 2024

Read Numbers 30, Psalm 113-115

Have you ever made a promise to someone and broke it? Or maybe someone made a promise to you and broke their word. It seems to me that more and more people today do not intend to keep their word. Someone’s word means nothing unless it is accompanied by a stack of signed paperwork and a number of lawyers.

Numbers 30 is all about keeping your word or vow. “Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the LORD commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said” vv. 1-2. Someone might ask, what’s the big deal? Why does it matter? As God’s people, followers of Christ we represent our Savior and when we act badly it reflects on Him and affects how others view Jesus. This should be a warning for us to be careful not to offer a vow carelessly or without thinking it through. There are many examples of that in Scripture. On the flip side, when we make a vow we must intend to keep it to the very best of our ability.

What else do you see in these chapters? What stands out to you most?
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Posted by John Weldon

“Back to the Future”

April 9, 2024

April 9, 2024

Read Numbers 29, Psalm 110-112

Growing up, one of my favorite movie trilogies was the Back to the Future series with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. An action/comedy movie with a plot about how the past can change the future and vice versa. In Psalm 110, a psalm of David, we have a messianic prophecy that points to Jesus in the future and wording in verse one has a little of the same back to the future vibe.

Psalm 110 opens with, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” Jesus discusses this verse with the pharisees in the Synoptic Gospels asking about the identity of the Messiah. How could the son of David also be David’s Lord? The only answer that makes sense is that the Messiah is of godly origins and not just another human descendant of David.

Psalm 110 also holds a rare name of someone only mentioned twice in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament. “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek” v. 4. Melchizedek was King of Salem and a priest. Abram paid him a tenth when they rescued his nephew Lot from the other kings in Genesis. He is a mysterious king with no origin or family line known about him. He is not mentioned again until the New Testament book of Hebrews. The author of Hebrews expounds into detail about Melchizedek and compares him to that of Jesus. Many will say that Melchizedek is a preincarnate Jesus that Abram gave the tithe to.

Aside from this lesson in prophecy and history, we can know for sure that Jesus is our priest, the one who represents us before the Father. Jesus acts as the priest who makes intercession for us by his death on the cross for our sins.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
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Posted by John Weldon

“Praise”

April 8, 2024

April 8, 2024

Read Numbers 28, Psalm 107-109 What have you praised the Lord for this week? Have you spent some time considering the worthy things that God can be praised for? Psalm 108 says, “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. 2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 3 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth” vv. 1-5. David praised the Lord for his great love. Take some time and praise the Lord for something today.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Journaling”

April 7, 2024

April 7, 2024

Read Numbers 27, Psalm 104-106

If you haven’t figured it out yet. I have been posting on social media and my blog my thoughts on the passages of Scripture that I read every day. This is a type of journaling I felt led to do at the beginning of the year when I started read through the Bible this year. Do you like to journal or record your thoughts down on paper or in some other format? I admit it’s not for everyone. There are benefits to journaling. You get to go back and review your thoughts over a period and see how you felt about a particular circumstance you were going through. Another benefit is to see how God worked through a time in your life or how He was actively involved in your life in the past.

This is the mentality of the author of Psalm 105 and 106. The psalmist goes back over the history of Israel and looks at the highlights of their journey. There are good and bad things mentioned. Times of disobedience and times when God’s providence prevailed. The psalm opens with these verses; “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts” vv. 1-2. It starts with Abraham and then with Jacob. Next, we see the journey to Egypt mentioned and some of the 10 plagues that God brought down on Egypt. “He sent darkness and made the land dark—   for had they not rebelled against his words? 29 He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die. 30 Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers” vv. 28-30. In Psalm 106 we find more of the negative journaling that reminded Israel of their disobedience and sin. “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. 14 In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test” vv. 13-14. The golden calf was mentioned and also when the earth opened up and swallowed some rebellious Israelites for opposing Moses. “The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram” v. 17.

Good or bad, what are some things that you could journal about and return to at a later date to help you remember and appreciate the things that God has brought you through or that you have experienced?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Not To You But For You”

April 6, 2024

April 6, 2024

Read Numbers 26, Psalm 101-103

When you read the Bible it is important to remember that the Bible is not written to you originally but it is for you to read today and for your benefit. There are a few exceptions to this statement in the Bible. For example, in John 17 Jesus prayed for the future believers who would believe in Him because of the disciples. In Psalm 102 we find another instance of this. Verse 18 reads “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD” v. 18. We may read the psalm or other parts of the Bible and it will bring praise to the Lord as we have seen God’s promises come true and see how God acts and interacts with his creation. I want to urge you to read the Scripture and not to just read it as a historical account but allow it to bring forth praise to the Lord for who He is and what He has done.

What have you read today that will cause you to praise Him? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Music”

April 5, 2024

April 5, 2024

Read Numbers 25, Psalm 98-100

What’s your favorite genre of music? Do you have a favorite singer or band? Do you prefer the older music of your early years or the newer music of today? Maybe you love it all! Music has been around since the early chapters of Genesis. Genesis 4:21 mentions that sons of Jubal were the ones who played string instruments and pipes. The psalms are an expression of the hearts of Israel. They were put to music and sung in their native Hebrew language. Psalm 95 instructs us, “Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him” v. 1. There will always be new songs that come because God is doing new things. God is always working. Whether or not we see it or recognize it is another thing.

There are different types of music. Some are love songs, others are blues or dirges. Some songs are filled with fun and joy from life’s moments. The author of Psalm 95 is apparently filled with Joy when he says, “Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;” vv. 7-8.

What is something you can “sing” about today? How would you express yourself through music today if you wrote a song? Would it be focused on joy or be more of a lament or a blues song? Maybe you would prefer to express yourself with a poem.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Do Not Harden Your Hearts”

April 4, 2024

April 4, 2024

Read Numbers 24, Psalm 95-97

We have a responsibility to respond to the Lord when He works in and around our lives. Psalm 95 challenges us; “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did” vv. 7-9. This passage is echoed by the author of Hebrews as a warning for us not to turn away from the Lord. Our free will is one of the greatest gifts that God has bestowed on us. The ability to choose to love and freely give or reject that which God has placed before us is powerful. We should be cautious to not continue to away from the Lord like the Israelites did in the wilderness and like so many others have done. It is a scary thing to consider that our hearts would harden and cause us to miss out on the blessings of God because we continually rejected the Lord or continually participated in some form of sin that turned us deaf to the voice of the Lord. Have you become hardened of heart in some way or area? Do we allow the world to influence us in ways that are dangerous to our eternal destiny?

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, verses, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Discipline”

April 3, 2024

April 3, 2024

Read Numbers 23, Psalm 92-94

How do you view the Bible? Do you see it as a rule book of “Do’s” and “Don’ts.” Maybe you see it as a letter from God to you or as a guidebook to help you for your life? In Psalm 94 the psalmist says, “Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law; 13 you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked” vv. 12-13. So many people reject God as an authority over their life. They do not want anyone telling them what to do. But if God exists and His Word is true and perfect for us then we should heed his discipline and instructions for our lives. It’s like the owner’s manual for some technology that explains the proper use and care and operation for the technology. Sure you can use it anyway you like, but if you operate it under the guidelines of how it is intended to be used it will function at it’s best. We must learn to trust that God knows what is best for us and when He disciplines us it is for our own good.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, verses, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.  

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Posted by John Weldon

“The Original Talking Donkey”

April 2, 2024

April 2, 2024

Read Numbers 22, Psalm 92, Mark 16

If you could talk with an animal which one would it be? What kinds of questions would you ask? Before there was Mr. Ed or the Donkey from Shrek there was another talking animal. Word of the Israelites victory in battle had made way to Moab and to the King Balak. Afraid of what Israel might do to him, Balak send messengers to a man named Balaam. “Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed” v. 6. God comes to Balaam and tells him not to go with theses men and not to curse Israel because they are a blessed nation. The King Balak tries a second tine to get Balaam to come curse Israel. This time God responds, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you” v. 20. Balaam went on ahead on his own and this angered the Lord who sent an angel to stop him. “When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road” v. 23. The donkey refused to go past the angel and crushed Balaam’s leg against the side of the wall. “Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” v. 28. Many will say, Donkey’s can’t talk, but we must remember this is a miracle and when God acts in our world miracles are possible.

What else do you see in these chapters? What other miracles do you see God working?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

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