Contemplative Bible Reading

Psalm 27:4 (New Living Translation)

The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.

This is the prayer of a warrior—a man who was not allowed to build the Temple because of his past occupation as a warrior. This man did not kill by dropping bombs from 10,000 feet. He killed face-to-face, hand-to-hand by plunging his sword into the bodies of thousands of opponents. He was covered with blood both literally and emotionally.

Still, this is what he requests from Jehovah God:

• to live in Jehovah’s house
• to delight in Jehovah’s perfections
• to meditate in Jehovah’s Temple

Doesn’t make much sense to me, but that is me and that is just one example of how far Jehovah’s thoughts are from mine. Still, Jehovah God looks on me each day.

Hebrews 10:24 (New Living Translation)

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

I love the words used in this translation. Notice how the verse combines the intellect, emotion, and action of serving our Lord. There is the thinking of ways that lead to an emotional motivation. These then lead to actions in the real world. We think, we feel, we do: all in service to our Lord directed towards other persons.

This is all pretty simple when expressed in this sentence. Sometimes we beat a dead horse (excuse the old country cliche).

John 20:8 (New Living Translation)

Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed

Note the marvelous shift from physical sense to spiritual faith. The disciple saw (a physical sense) the empty tomb, but then believed (spiritual faith). There were many physical conclusions available given the physical evidence the disciple sensed. Instead, he jumped to faith—believing something he could not see. He believed that Jesus of Nazareth was actually the Messiah—the one sent to take away the sins of the world.

Marvelous faith.

Jude 1:16 (New English Translation)

These people are grumblers and fault-finders who go wherever their desires lead them, and they give bombastic speeches, enchanting folks for their own gain.

These are, from verse 4, ungodly men who have turned turned the grace of our God into a license for evil. Verse 16 is one description of who these men are and what they do.

At first, these men are the kind that everyone would avoid. They grumble and find fault with everyone. Who wants that? They, however, have some “redeeming” qualities. They have fun, at least it seems that way as they follow their desires. People who follow their desires usually have fun. And then they enchanted folks. That’s not bad, is it? Enchanting sounds much like entertaining.

Note, however, that the ungodly enchant or entertain for their own gain. Hmmm, that sounds a lot like Hollywood. Perhaps that is a coincidence. There are many entertainers who gain, i.e., are paid, from entertaining, and there are many of us who gladly pay for and enjoy the entertaining. Still, this sounds a bit ominous. Maybe one day I will understand the depth of this one, simple verse.

Hebrews 1:1-4 (New English Translation)

1 After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoke to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. 3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and who when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs.

What strikes me about this description of Jesus, the Son, is how the cleansing of our sins is almost an afterthought. Note the mentions of the Son:

1. God spoke to us in the Son
2. The Son was appointed heir of all things
3. Through the Son, God the Father created the world
4. The Son is the radiance of the father’s glory
5. The Son is the representation of the father’s essence
6. The Son sustains all things
7. The Son accomplished cleansing for sins
8. The Son sits at the right hand of the father
9. The Son became for better than angels
10. The Son inherited a name superior to the angels

Item number seven of ten is about the amazing cleansing of all the sins of all of us for all the ages. We tend to think of that one as the one and only important thing the Son of God did and is, and for good reason. That is pretty darn important. Do we, however, shortchange the Son by forgetting all these others things in just this one little list.

Romans 15:1 (New Living Translation)

We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves.

In his letter to the Roman church, Paul has just finished discussing eating this and doing that. He discussed parts of the culture of the day that bring questions to the mind of some Christians regarding the propriety of such things.

I like the words used in this New Living Translation:

be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this

Think about those people who are sensitive about these things. Try to feel what they feel. Consider their background, their experiences, and what causes them to be sensitive. People with alcoholism in their family are sensitive about alcohol. People with gambling addiction in their family are sensitive about casinos and lotteries. People with all sorts of addictions and pain in their families are sensitive about all sorts of things that may not bring the slightest thought to my mind.

I am not here just to please myself.

That is difficult to remember at times, but that should be in the forefront of my mind and heart.

Matthew 23:1-4 (New Living Translation)

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. ³ So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. ⁴ They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

Jesus tells His followers, “Practice what the teachers preach. Don’t practice what they practice.”

First, Jesus notes that the religious teachers preached correctly. They knew the law and taught it well. Jesus encourages His followers to, “practice and obey whatever they tell you.”

Second, Jesus notes that the religious teachers didn’t follow what they taught. He tells His followers, “but don’t follow their example” because “they don’t practice what they teach.”

Hmmm, people say one good thing, but do something else that isn’t so good. How … well what can I write about that?

Here is one thing I can write about that: I give the same advice for everyone to everyone. I have yet to find any Christian that practices 100% what they teach, and I include myself in that group of say-one-thing-but-do-another. Anyone who says, “love one another” falls into this crowd as I have yet to find anyone who truly loves everyone else all the time.

What is amazing to me is that God loves us anyway. We are all a big bunch of hypocrites. None of us practices what we preach. Nevertheless, the grace of God covers this infrequently stated but always lived fault.

Matthew 21:42-44 (New Living Translation)

⁴² Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.’

⁴³ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

These words of Jesus come after He tells the Parable of the Evil Farmers (NLT title). We all know what Jesus means: you religious leaders have missed the boat by not realizing who I am.

There is, however, much more to this. The words of Jesus in verse 42 come from Psalms 118. The Psalm was chastising the Babylonians for rejecting Israel as the cornerstone of God’s relationship with mankind. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were as bad as the Babylonians.

A few verses earlier, Jesus called these religious leaders like sinners and tax collectors. That was bad, but nothing like telling them they were like the Babylonians. Those Babylonians completely rejected Jehovah the Creator God. They destroyed the Temple—the place where God visited the Israelites. Those Babylonians committed the greatest sin of all time.

And Jesus tells them they are just like the Babylonians in rejecting Him—the Son of God.

As we Americans read these verses from Matthew’s Gospel, it is easy for us to miss the lesson. We don’t know the Psalms in the same way that the Jews of Jesus’ day knew the Psalms. Much is lost in translation.

It is small wonder that these religious leaders decided to kill Jesus, but kill Him quietly.

Romans 12:19-20 (New Living Translation)

¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.

²⁰ Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”

Revenge is sweet—so says someone in human history. Revenge is for God—so says Paul in his letter to the Roman church.

I could write about how I want to revenge those who harm me. It does feel so good to “get them back.” Still, human folly.

Instead, we are to take care of those who harm us. Sigh. I understand all this, but, really? Isn’t that just some nice thing to say? A good principal, but not practical and all that.

Isn’t it easy to create such nice excuses? That, however, is all they are: nice excuses. It is plain what God expects of me.

Romans 12:21 (New Living Translation)

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Let’s try to reassess God’s advice here. Well, maybe let’s not.

Don’t defeat evil—a negative—by removing it (another negative). Instead, defeat evil—a negative—by adding good (a positive).

• Perhaps it is better to be for something than to be against something.
• Perhaps positive thinking is better.
• Perhaps I should concentrate on good instead of evil.
• Perhaps this list could go on for the rest of my life.

Funny how five little words from God can take me a lifetime to understand and apply.