Acts 4:13 has been a text that has stuck with me throughout the years: Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

I realize that the second sentence most immediately points to the council realizing that Peter and John had been followers of Jesus and were associated with him. But I also believe that there is an aspect where their character, their boldness, their firmness in truth, along with their compassion for the lost and needy also displayed that they had been with Jesus. Those of us who are followers of Christ ought to long to be recognized as having been with Jesus. We ought to desire deeply to be known as those who are like Jesus.

I believe this is important all the time as we are called to be conformed to Jesus (cf. Romans 8:29; 12:2; 1 Peter 1:14,15). But this week has been an eventful one, and it’s a time that can highlight the divide in our country. I pray that it also is a time that reveals to those around each of us that we have been with Jesus. I pray that our lives reflect the fullness of grace and truth (cf. John 1:14) that we find in our Savior.

I’ve been reading a devotional book of some of Richard Sibbes’ writing. The past few days have been wonderful, and here is a little taste of what he wrote that was in my reading this morning:

“We should seek for no blessing of God so much as for himself.

What is there in the world of equal goodness to draw us away from our God? If to preserve the dearest thing we have in the world, we break with God, God will take away the comfort we look to have by it, and it will prove but a dead contentment, if not a torment to us. Whereas, if we care to preserve communion with God, we will be sure to find in him whatsoever we deny for him, honor, riches, pleasures, friends, all; so much the sweeter, by how much we have the more immediately from the spring-head. We will never find God to be our God more than when, for making of him to be so, we suffer anything for his sake. We enjoy never more of him than then.” (This abridged from The Soul’s Conflict with Itself, Works, vol. 1 p. 278)

I was struck this morning by a very small phrase in John 7:13: Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly about him. I have spent the majority of my life professionally telling people about Jesus; whether on college campuses or in the church. But outside of my ‘professional’ life I too often acts like those in this verse. No, I don’t fear the Jews, but there is certainly a fear of man in my heart that keeps me from speaking openly and boldly about Jesus in the day to day. As I think about even what the message was about yesterday, I have too often been guilty of compartmentalizing my faith in this regard.

I share this because I doubt I’m alone in this fear. This is not a new phenomena for humanity. We very much operate out of fear. I need to keep in the forefront of my own thoughts and even feelings who God is and what it is I am called to - pleasing him in everything (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:9). It is not only glorifying to God but it is good for me and for others. When my heart and mind is focused on the Lord I am actually much more beneficial to those around me. The old adage that someone is ‘too heavenly minded to be any earthly good’ is completely false.

Let us strive to be those who seek the Lord in all that we do and seek to please him. And the more we grow in our knowledge of him the more likely this is to happen because we will grow more and more enamored with who he is.

Go today and be bold for Jesus.

This morning as I was praying (something I had struggled to do this week), the Psalm reading was 109. In this Psalm David is lamenting those who are wicked and deceitful and who are against him. They hate and attack him…without cause. He has loved them, but they accuse him. So what is his response? Look at verse 4:

In return for my love they accuse me,

But I give myself to prayer.

What a beautiful statement! This tells us so much about David and where he finds his help and his strength. It tells us about his character. It also points us forward to David’s greater Son who was accused, slandered, pursued unjustly, and much more - and what did he do? He prayed. He trusted the Father.

Thinking about this posture towards prayer encouraged (and convicted) me in my own prayer life.

We also saw recently (on Day 260) how Nehemiah responded to the news about Jerusalem (he prayed), and even how he responded when asked by the King what was wrong (Nehemiah 2:4) - he quickly prayed because he was a man of prayer…a man who understood his dependence on God.

May this stir all our hearts to be more regular in prayer.

Reading through Lamentations you may not think that there is great encouragement, but that’s not the case. Some of the sweetest verses in all of Scripture are nestled inside this little book, and are probably familiar to most of you. They are worth repeating. And they are worth meditating upon.

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul who seeks him.

26 It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord. (3:22–26 ESV)

I am back from my sabbatical month (thank you), and the reading this morning is a passage with great relevance to our day (really to any day). Jeremiah 6 speaks of disaster coming for Jerusalem because of their continued rebellion, idolatry, and oppression. The people have neglected the word of the Lord. Listen to these words from chapter 6:

13 “For from the least to the greatest of them,

everyone is greedy for unjust gain;

and from prophet to priest,

everyone deals falsely.

14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,

saying, ‘Peace, peace,’

when there is no peace.

15 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?

No, they were not at all ashamed;

they did not know how to blush.

Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;

at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”

says the Lord.

16 Thus says the Lord:

“Stand by the roads, and look,

and ask for the ancient paths,

where the good way is; and walk in it,

and find rest for your souls.

But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

The description of the people is not flattering: greedy, dealing falsely, false prophets proclaiming a false peace, and unashamedness to their abominations and rebellion. This is within the people of God - within those called to be in covenant with him.

And yet the Lord throws them a lifeline. He calls them to go back to the good way. He calls them to go back to the way of God and walk there and find rest. But yet they continued to refuse.

This makes me consider the church today, our church, and my own heart. Where am I (you) walking in rebellion? Where do I (you) need to repent? The call from our gracious God is to turn back to him, walk in his ways, and find rest there. There is no rest for the soul in rebellion. But there is great peace, power, and joy in the soul that repents and seeks refuge in the Lord.

Just listen and meditate upon one verse from our reading this morning (though reading the context always is helpful).

Isaiah 11:9

They shall not hurt or destroy

In all my holy mountain;

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD

As the waters cover the sea.

What a picture! What a future! Simply ponder the idea of the earth being full of the knowledge of the Lord. And in a manner that would then lead to perfect peace and justice. Lord, hasten that day! Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Reading through the history of Israel and Judah and the cycle of kings has honestly been a bit of a slog for me. I’m not sure what it is, but it is the reality I’ve been experiencing. Maybe it’s jumping between Kings and Chronicles and reading the same story twice in the same day, or it’s just my own heart. Yet this is still God’s Word to his people and there is always something we can learn.

In 2 Chronicles 26:16 we read this about king Uzziah: But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense (ESV).

Pride leads to downfall in many ways. Uzziah was unfaithful. He did not regard the holiness of God and sought to do more than he was called to do or authorized to do. He wanted more. He saw his strength and did not rely on the Lord.

We are dependent creatures. That’s our nature. But in our pride we turn to ourselves instead of our Lord. That is unfaithfulness - the opposite of faith.

WSC 86: What is faith in Jesus Christ?

Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.

The key phrase - “receive and rest upon him alone.” That negates resting on our own laurels and strengths. We must trust him. And we need to know him better through the glorious gospel. Let us labor in that together so that we are more apt to remain faithful to our Lord.

Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;

he who keeps understanding will discover good. (Proverbs 19:8 ESV)

This text is very fitting with Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1 (which we will be looking at more tomorrow morning on the Lord’s Day). In the NASB “sense” is translated as wisdom and so you see the correlation with Colossians 1:9: And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray fro you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…

I love seeing these connections throughout Scripture. The Bible is not some disjointed work of multiple men, but the unified work of God as he, by the Spirit, inspired men to write these words. The Scriptures we hold in our hands everyday are the very words of God to us. So let’s learn from them. Let’s submit our hearts to these words and strive to be those who live by them (by the power of the Spirit).

Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 4. How doth it appear that the Scriptures are the Word of God?

A. The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God, by their majesty and purity; by the consent of all the parts, and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God; by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation: but the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very Word of God.

The Book of Proverbs is a treasure for believers. This is a book of wisdom. Wisdom is something we all desperately need. Therefore it makes sense that if we want to grow in wisdom, a significant ingredient in that growth will be reading, studying, praying through, and meditating upon the Book of Proverbs.

We read chapter 2 yesterday. Take some time and write out all the active verbs that you come across. What does that tell you? Add to that the words of 3:5-8. What do these verses tell us about our pursuit of wisdom?

Most of you have heard me quote 4:23: Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. What would that look like in your own life?

Then as we come to the chapters that we read for today, what is the wisdom conveyed here? Do you find it significant that chapters are spent on this subject?

Let us not be people who die for a lack of discipline and let us pursue the wisdom of God.

Today we read Psalm 50. This is a psalm of Asaph that begins withe a description of the Lord as the “Mighty One,” the “perfection of beauty.” It is unmistakable to know that God is the Creator. It is impossible to miss God’s independence of humanity.

Asaph writes the words of the Lord:

7 “O my people, listen as I speak.

Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!

8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices

or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.

9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns

or the goats from your pens.

10 For all the animals of the forest are mine,

and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird on the mountains,

and all the animals of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

for all the world is mine and everything in it.

13 Do I eat the meat of bulls?

Do I drink the blood of goats? (NLT)

But then he sets forth a call to humanity that is so wonderfully gracious.

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and perform your vows to the Most High,

15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (ESV)

Asaph then records words to the wicked about their hatred of discipline…of any accountability. And the conclusion of the psalm is this:

22 Repent, all of you who forget me,

or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.

23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.

If you keep to my path,

I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” (NLT)

There is certainly more in this psalm than a call to being thankful, but there is also not less than that. What does giving thanks demonstrate for humanity? Why is it so vital in our relationship with the Lord (and even with others)?

It has been good to get into the Psalms over the past week. There is one trouble with it, reading 4 or more Psalms a day is a little difficult (not because it’s too much, but because the Psalms are meant to be read slowly and reflectively). As I read through these in the NLT I often pull out an ESV or NASB translation and compare and see how they arrived at the word choice. That has been good because it has made me slow down a bit more as I read through these.

Try this for yourself with Psalm 36 today. Read it alongside another translation (ESV, NASB, NIV, CSB) and let the text come alive. It is easy to get stuck in what is familiar and then when something is worded with a slight change it often provides a bit of help in seeing the fullness of the meaning.

For example, the language of Psalm 37:3 is a bit enigmatic in the ESV:

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

The first line is not all that difficult to grasp. Trust in God and follow his ways in both thought and action. But then the second line is somewhat mysterious. What does it mean to “dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness”? The NLT translates this “Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.” That sounds similar to different times where the Lord challenged the people of Israel to live in a manner that followed the Lord and they would see God’s faithfulness to the promises of his covenant (cf. Deuteronomy 30:15-20). So then befriending faithfulness would point towards knowing the faithfulness of God and his covenant promises to bless and not to curse.

This is just one example where reading multiple translations can be helpful in our Bible reading. Enjoy your work through Psalm 36.

So….it’s been a bit of time since I last wrote. This morning as I was reading it was Psalm 7, and one verse in particular that caught my attention.

My shield is with God,

who saves the upright in heart. (ESV)

But then this verse drew me back to the rest of the psalm. In verse one David expresses his intention to take refuge in the Lord. He needs the Lord to save and rescue him. He is calling for the Lord to execute justice - and to judge him even as he judges the peoples. And then here he claims to be one upright in heart. That’s a bit hard to see at first because we have been reading all about David’s life…and it’s not the most exemplary. However, in a sense it is. We are all sinners. What David consistently demonstrates is repentance. Though verse 12 is more of an appeal to the wicked to repent, the principle remains that God calls people to repentance and he forgives those who do demonstrate repentance and faith.

Let’s be people quick to repent. Here is the Shorter Catechism on repentance:

Q. 87. What is repentance unto life?

A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.

Not that any of Judges has been an ‘easy’ read, but the end is not only difficult, but disturbing. The reading begins with a concubine who was unfaithful, but a husband who (it appears) truly desired her back and went to her father’s house to kindly bring her home. That time was a picture of hospitality and feasting. The father-in-law could not have been a more generous host. But eventually they had to leave. As the man, his concubine, and his servant travel they came to Jebus, but would not stay there as they were foreigners. They eventually made it to Gibeah and no one offered to host them from the town. In the evening an older man (not from Gibeah but from Ephraim) was kind enough and took them into his house.

As they were enjoying time in this man’s house as he provided hospitality a group of “worthless fellows” surrounded the house. At this point it’s impossible not to think of Genesis 19 and Sodom.

“In that passage Lot offered hospitality to two visitors (angels); a mob eager for homosexual relations with the visitors surrounds his house; Lot counters by offering his two virgin daughters to the crowd; his visitors rescue him and strike the mob with a baffling blindness (Gen. 19:1–11). Unfortunately for the concubine, there were no delivering angels that night in Gibeah. Different outcomes to be sure, but the similarity between Genesis 19:1–11 and Judges 19:22–26 is unmistakable. And deliberate. The writer wants you to view Judges 19 this way. ‘Yes, that’s right,’ he says, ‘it sounds exactly like Genesis 19. It’s the Sodom Connection. Only here you have Sodom-in-the-land-of-Benjamin. Gibeah is “New Sodom.” ’ This is the writer’s way of accusing the people of God. He shows us that even in Israel some have plunged into the moral abyss of Sodom and eagerly wallow in its twisted depravity.” ( Davis, D. R. (2000). Judges: Such a Great Salvation (p. 209). Christian Focus Publications.)

The woman is treated brutally all night long. In the morning her hands are on the threshold of the house and the Levite’s response is sickening - Get up, let us be going (v. 28). Then he takes her home, cuts her in 12 pieces and sends those pieces throughout Israel.

Chapters 20 & 21 don’t fare much better. In 20 the people of Israel eventually run a scorched earth policy on Benjamin (the tribe that treated him so disgracefully). The tribe was down to 600 survivors. And Israel then laments the situation. 3 And they said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?” (Judges 21:3 ESV). But the men of Israel had already sworn they would not give their daughters in marriage to Benjamin (see 21:1). What would they do? Well it turns out one town of Israel hadn’t sent men to fight. So they sent a crack unit to kill all who had been with a woman (and the women and children) and then to bring back virgins for Benjamin. But that only yielded 400…not enough! So then they allowed the remaining 200 men to raid a feast at Shiloh to grab 200 more women. I like what Davis wrote about this chapter: “There is a certain rightness and a certain wrongness about what Israel does. They justifiably requite Jabesh-gilead with unjustifiable severity (vv. 5, 10). They stand consistently upon their wife-oath (vv. 7, 16–18) but trample happily upon the rights of the Shiloh girls and their families (vv. 19–22). It is a mix of consistency and confusion. It is all correct and yet very mistaken.” ( Davis, D. R. (2000). Judges: Such a Great Salvation (p. 221). Christian Focus Publications.)

The book ends with these words: 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25 ESV). It’s easy to see this, but it’s harder to see God’s grace…and that’s what we need to see. Sodom was destroyed completely. Benjamin was not. Here is how one put, and I think it’s a beautiful summary.

“By these [Israel’s] actions the tribe of Benjamin was preserved. But the Israelites had tackled the problem in a cocky, conceited, highhanded way. How estranged from the Lord’s service Israel had become! How little did it live by His light! It is a miracle that anything came of that people, that justice was practiced, that the fellowship of the tribes was preserved. There is no other explanation for this miracle than that God, in His grace in the Christ, wished to dwell in the midst of that people in spite of its sin.” (S. G. DeGraaf, Promise and Deliverance, 4 vols. (St. Catharines, Ontario: Paideia, 1978), 2:56.)

The grace of God is amazing!

Even though this morning’s reading is not the most uplifting and it is filled with consistent failure to pursue the Lord rightly, we can still rejoice that our Lord is risen. In fact, that’s probably not best put as “we can still” but rather simply “we rejoice.” Reading stories about failure and disobedience direct our hearts toward the work of the Savior. It is there that we find hope in the midst of failure. It is there that we find strength. It is there that we find forgiveness.

When we consider what God has done for us it is hard to imagine living in the manner in which the Israelites did. But it only took a generation or so and a failure to teach the ways of the Lord (see Joshua 2:10) and people forgot. Not only did they forget but they actually pursued (absorbed) the ways of the world around them. It is no different today. If we fail to teach the ways of the Lord the next generation will forget and will absorb (and pursue) the ways of the world. The Lord calls us to fidelity. And he does so because it is what is best for us.

He gave himself for us. He brought us the victory. Let our hearts be captured by the Lord’s great love for us and let us pursue him wholeheartedly.

Love’s redeeming work is done

Fought the fight the battle won

Death in vain forbids him rise

Christ has opened paradise

Allleluia!

We find ourselves at the end of Joshua today. He summoned the leaders of the nation to him and recounted what was true. He told of the Lord having fought for them all and having kept his promises. And then he gave this charge:

6 Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, 8 but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. 9 For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you. (Joshusa 23:6–13 ESV)

He calls them to fidelity to the Lord. How often do we think about being “very strong” to keep the ways of the Lord? The temptations to sin are numerous…and strong. We must be strong in our devotion to the Lord and our intention to keep his ways. And truly foundational to that is a strong love for God. Our hearts must be captured by his love and grace.

This is not always easy. It is good to be reminded (as Joshua does throughout) of the Lord’s work on our behalf. He spoke of deliverance from Egypt, we can rehearse deliverance from sin and death. We can look to the founder and perfecter of our faith so that we will not grow weary in this and lose heart (cf. Hebrews 12:2,3). Because the further reality is that it is all too easy to lose heart in the struggle.

We also find ourselves in what could be called “Silent Saturday” or “Holy Saturday.” Last night we celebrated Good Friday, and tomorrow we celebrate Christ’s resurrection - but today we sit in the silence of God. And often that is part of our life of faith and obedience. There is weariness and trouble. There is suffering and pain. Jesus went through it all and endured on our behalf. And his resurrection displayed his victory over sin and death and hell…and even over the pains and troubles and weariness. Let us look to him in our trouble and in our weariness.

Part of my reading during prayer this morning was Psalm 41. In particular verse 9 stood out as we find ourselves at the Thursday of Holy Week. This text is alluded to by Jesus in Matthew 26:20-25 (particularly verse 23). Here is a reminder of what Jesus went through for the sake of his people - he was betrayed by one of his own disciples.

It is difficult to comprehend the depths of all that Jesus endured for the sake of our salvation, but it is a good practice to seek to understand. The depths of love that the Lord showed for his people is immense and may it lead us to worship and thankfulness.

As we begin what is known as Holy Week, take great comfort in these words from Richard Sibbes. This is an excellent reminder of where our comfort lies; no matter what we face.

“And surely there is nothing can stay the soul more, especially when it is deeply humbled, than to consider God in the second person incarnate, and abased and crucified, and made a curse and sin for us; to see the great God of heaven and earth, whose excellencies we cannot comprehend, to take our nature, and in our nature to suffer for us those things which he did endure. This will establish the soul indeed. Can the soul think that this was done for any small or to little purpose? Or can there be any grief or sin that should hinder comfort, or persuasion of the possibility of pardon, when the great God became man on purpose to die for sin? We may set this against all discouragements whatsoever. And therefore, ‘believe in God, believe also in me.’ Howsoever you see me abased, yet you may have comfort in my abasement, for it is for you. And therefore, saith Paul, ‘I rejoice to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified,’ 1 Cor. 2:2. That which proud and atheistical heathens took scandal at, that he rejoiceth in, ‘God forbid that I should glory in anything but in the cross of Christ,’ Gal. 6:14. Peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, reconciliation, and title to happiness, is all founded upon Christ crucified.”

Sibbes, R. (1864). The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes (A. B. Grosart, Ed.; Vol. 7, p. 346). James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; W. Robertson.

The book of Joshua moves along pretty quickly and there is much that could be written. In our reading for today the people cross the Jordan and set up stones of remembrance. They conquer Jericho. But one of my favorite passage is found in chapter 5.

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15 And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13–15 ESV).

I think the force of this comes out a bit more in the ESV when Joshua asks this man standing before him - “Are you for us, or for our adversaries.” And the response is beautiful: “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord…”

The Lord is not to be co-opted. The Lord is perfectly and perfectly sovereign, yet he graciously condescends to save a people for himself. Joshua has it made clear to him that he serves the Lord, the Lord is not serving his interests (even though the Lord will work for his best interests).

We also see in this the confirmation of Joshua as Moses’ successor in the command to take off his sandals for the place is holy ground.

Reading today’s text consistently takes me back roughly 27 years to when I was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ (now CRU). I was in the midst of a fast and the first bit of that time was rough. I truly felt like in my prayers I was talking with a brick wall. And my reading plan was in Deuteronomy at the time. As I read chapter 28 it was verses 47 & 48 that hit me hard. At the time I’m sure I read them in the New American Standard Bible so that’s what I’ll quote from here:

“Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.“ (Deut. 28:47,48 NASB)

I was convicted by the Spirit of God as I read those words that I had been serving the Lord because it was the thing I was supposed to do - this was what a good Christian young man ought to do. But that wasn’t a great motivation. I am (and you are) called to serve the Lord with joy and a glad heart because of who He is and his greatness and the greatness of his mercy and grace. It’s good to be reminded consistently that I serve the Lord because his grace and goodness have enabled me to do just that. My call is to trust him, to rest in him completely and to serve him because of who He is.