Contemplative Bible Reading

Proverbs 7:2a (New Living Translation)

Obey my commands and live!

We Americans in the post-post-whatever-modern world don’t like COMMANDS. Don’t tell us what to do. We know what to do. We are our own commanders of our own fate, so stop this commands even those that come from God.

Let’s step back for a moment, please.

God promises life. God promises us that we will live and live to the fullest extent. Anything wrong with the result here? God is commanding us to live. Let’s see, how can I disagree with that one? I want to choose to not live or, well, uh, er, there must be some hidden agenda here, right? No.

God wants His creation to live as fully as He has provided. Is there any reason for us to want otherwise?

Nehemiah 6:16 (New Living Translation)

When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.

God’s people had finished rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. This task—given the puny resources applied to it—was not possible. The enemies of God’s people realized that this task had been completed with the help of God the Creator.

People realize the work of God; people realize the hand of God in human affairs. People may not proclaim what they know as that would make their entire life a lie, but they realize what they see.

And when deniers see what they cannot deny, they are frightened and humiliated.

And when we believers see fright and humiliation in deniers, how do we react? Smugness? Victory? Compassion? We know persecution and the accompanying fear and humiliation. Let us learn from ourselves and extend a hand of fellowship to fellow sinners. Easier said that done, and that is why I write…please God, help me in my unbelief.

James 1:5 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

I live to improve. I want to be and do better everyday. I desire this to a fault. Yes, others don’t always share my enthusiasm for this, and that is my failing.

One of the problems with attempting to improve myself and those about me is that improvement for the future almost always appears to be criticism of the present. That, again, is my failing.

Note God’s aid to improvement. Want wisdom? Ask God. God gives it without criticism. Oh that I were to be more like God, but that is a desire for improvement and I have to take care that…

Proverbs 6a, 13 (New Living Translation)

Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you.

All who fear the Lord will hate evil.
Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
corruption and perverse speech.

I hate negative preaching (that doesn’t make sense, but let’s go on). Nevertheless, there are times when I need to hear what the LORD hates. This is plain speech here, “Listen to me!”

Four things God hates:

1. pride
2. arrogance
3. corruption
4. perverse speech

Okay, we can accept number 3 as that is actually illegal, but the other three, well, maybe they are not nice and sort of defects of character, but really, God HATES these? It sure seems that way, and God calls these important things, not just minor character defects.

Listen to God. That is for me to do. Note what God hates. That is for me to do. Pray for strength and forgiveness. That is for me to do. Accept the grace of God with thanks and humility. It goes on, and yes, these are things for me to attempt to do with the help of God.

Ezekiel 22:30a (New Living Translation)

I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land.

There is a wall of righteousness—a wall that separates right from wrong. That wall guards a land and safeguards a people.

It appears that the wall of righteousness can be built and maintained; it can also decay from neglect.

Persons build the wall of righteousness. A person says, “That isn’t right. We won’t do that.” Sometimes others sneer at such a person. Other things are easier to do. Other things are more profitable in the short term. The right thing is sometimes a pain to try.

Nevertheless, the wall of righteousness guards the land and the people. Sounds like it is worth the effort. Sounds like I need to say, “That isn’t right. We won’t do that,” more often.

Proverbs 17:9 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,
but whoever gossips about it separates friends.

Offenses are committed daily. Some persons seem to offend others all the time. What is a good Christian to do?

I can gossip about the offense, i.e., I can sort of tell the truth of about it, maybe not the whole truth, and maybe embellish parts I wish. That separates friends. Well, if there are true friends, what I say won’t hurt them. Right? Uh, er, well…

I can conceal the offense. Let’s hide the dirt. No, I don’t think that it what is meant here in these words. I think it means to do the opposite of gossip. Everybody knows the offense was committed. I can’t add to what everyone knows. Just keep my mouth shut and not amplify the offense.

Funny, the thing to do is do no thing. Why is doing no thing so difficult?

Ezekiel 22:7 (New Living Translation)

Fathers and mothers are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed among you.

The prophet is describing the collapse of a Godly people. The paragraph surrounding this verse includes many things such as these. Simply put, people are taking advantage of others who cannot protect themselves.

Shame. Shame. Shame. What else can we say?

I don’t run the show here. I have no shame here, right? Look upon others who have less and are less in the eyes of society. How am I acting? Where is my heart?

Psalm 19:9a (English Standard Version)

the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;

This is a different way to express the fear of the Lord. “Clean.” What does that mean? The next phrase states that a clean fear endures forever. Things that endure forever have usually achieved some sort of perfection. There are no defects that allow decay. Clean, no defects, ready for time.

Ever wipe a white board only to see faint lines where those dry erase markers left a little bit of ink on the surface? That board isn’t clean. It is cleaner, but not clean. It isn’t ready for enduring time.

How do we make ourselves clean? We can’t. We can allow the blood of Jesus to clean us and make our fear of the Lord endure. Simple, huh. Let Jesus do the work. Why do we resist the gift?

1 Chronicles 21:1 (New Living Translation)

Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel.

Satan attacks King David of Israel. What does Satan do? How does Satan “get at” David? What is the devious plot? What is the frontal onslaught?

Satan spurs David to count his stuff.

Let’s go through that one again. Satan causes David to count the blessings of God—the number of persons in Israel. And someone please explain how that is an attack from evil.

Here is one attempt: God wants us to be happy. God blesses us with and in ways that we cannot count. Let us enjoy. Really, let us simply enjoy. Count the stuff? Why? Besides, I can’t count that high.

Still, I sometimes want to count and recount just to make sure that I have counted correctly. I want to put a number on God’s blessings. I want to put a number on God. If I can put a number on God, I can measure God, and I can show God that I am bigger than God. “Hey God, you’re doing pretty good this week. You up’ed the count a little. Way to go, God.”

Of course all this counting God is silly. Worse, it is sinful. That is why Satan spurred David to count his blessings in an official census. How’d it work out? Not too good (see verse 13 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied…). I thank God that He doesn’t kill just about everyone I know in response to my silly, stupid, sinful, and all-too-frequent counting. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (New Living Translation)

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Let me strive to read the first three words and stop there until I “get it right.”

One way to read this—meaning one way that I have failed to read this up to now and suffered for it and hurt others—is that I must be patient with myself if I am to better love others.

“But I have this great stupendous thing I have to tell you that you really need to hear RIGHT NOW and I can’t hold it in any longer and YOU REALLY NEED THIS and I AM JUST THE PERSON TO TELL YOU AND…”

Not the words, thoughts, or deeds of a patient person. Not the words, thoughts, or deeds of a LOVING person. Please God, help me to love others; help my in my unbelief.