July 26

JUDGES 9
Sometimes we look around and see all the evil and ask, “Why does God allow the evil to continue?” Judges is a prime example. Why did God allow the evil of the Israelites? Why did God allow Gideon to have multiple wives and children? Why did God allow Abimelech to kill 69 brothers? Why did God allow Abimelech to kill thousands of people of Shechem? Why? Why? Why? The answer is simple, if not too satisfying. God allowed it in order to demonstrate to us that evil eventually turns upon itself. Love builds up. Evil destroys. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 25
Hurry up and wait. All morning long I had been hurrying to get things done on time, but now I was waiting in the backyard driveway behind the privet hedge of my any-moment-to-be in-laws. The Wedding ceremony was supposed to have started 15 minutes earlier. I was waiting and would wait a little longer. But it was okay. I knew that she would eventually come out. It was a beautiful June day; I was enjoying the weather and the anticipation of the event. Finally, someone came out of the house to tell me what was going on. Laura’s wedding dress was homemade, and unfortunately things just didn’t get finished. They were literally sewing her up in her wedding dress. Eventually the ceremony began and my beautiful bride came around the corner escorted by her Dad. She was and always has been worth the wait.
The Psalmist uses the term ‘wait’ three times in this Psalm, verses 3,5 & 21. According to TWOT this root means to look for with eager expectation. The first thing that the Psalmist tells us about waiting is that those who wait will never be ashamed. As I waited for Laura, I was looking with eager expectation. I certainly was not and never have been ashamed. But the context of the wedding and the Psalm are completely different. The context of the Psalm is that he is surrounded by enemies who were seeking his demise. The context of a wedding is that I was surrounded by friends and family who were seeking to celebrate with me. His plea is that in his waiting, nothing would be accomplished by his enemies that would cause him shame. I think it might be easier to look with eager expectation for a beautiful bride to come around the corner than for deliverance from a host of enemies. But that is why he asks for no shame as he waits. He understands that God’s glory is at stake, not his. He waits on the glory of the Lord to be revealed in and through him.
David then uses the term ‘wait’ in relation to his own attitude as he looks for the changes that need to take place in his character in the presence of a holy God. As he waits, he becomes ever more aware of his own sin and the need for change in order to experience the presence of the Lord. What if in my hurry to prepare for my wedding (getting folding chairs, setting them up in the yard, decorating, placing other furniture etc.), I had forgotten to put on my tuxedo? While waiting out by the privet hedge and seeing all the finely dressed guests, I think I would have realized my shabbiness. As we wait upon the Lord, He reveals His holiness to us. That reveals our sinfulness in His light. As we see our sin in His light, we confess our sin and he is righteous and just to forgive. If we refuse to acknowledge the sin, the light goes out. We are no longer waiting. We are hiding. Finally, David uses the term ‘wait’ to sum up what he has said and done. Only in waiting in integrity can our sin be removed and we see His glory. But when we see it, oh it is worth the wait, and it always shall be! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 51

ACTS 27:1-26
A regiment or cohort was made up of 600 men. A legion had 10 regiments or cohorts. At this time Caesarea had 5 regiments stationed in Caesarea (3,000 soldiers). I wonder why this centurion (a man in charge of 100 men) was chosen for the task of taking Paul to Rome. Do you suppose his tour of duty was up? Or maybe it was just one task among many, and he was expecting to return to Caesarea after delivering Paul. Whatever the case, he treated Paul kindly. He was probably pleased and anxious to be going home.
Paul had inside information on the weather. He knew the One who controls the weather. And apparently Jesus had given Paul some kind of insight (whether natural or supernatural, the Scripture does not say at this point) into the fate of voyage. But the centurion was anxious to get home, and the helmsman and owner of the boat thought they could make it before the winter weather became too foul. The storm came and was so severe for so long that everyone on the ship had given up, "all hope that we would be saved." Jesus controls the weather. In this case, He brought bad weather to reveal His glory. He revealed his plan to Paul and Paul stood before the ship's crew and occupants and spoke the glory of Christ. They would be saved but the ship would be run aground on a certain island. Even on the way to Caesar, God had plans for Paul to preach the gospel to this crew and the inhabitants of the island.
Can we stand in the midst of the storm and speak the glory of Christ and trust that our Lord controls the storm and we will be saved? When we are on His mission, we can. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John