Author: BJ Armstrong

Matthew 6:22-23, Psalms 80

I remember a sailing trip with my father.  I was standing in the cockpit with him and his friend looking at the islands a few miles away.  We were picking out landmarks that would help us identify our position.  But, there was a problem.  My dad could not see them.  We kept pointing to them and trying to direct him toward them, but it was no use.  He could not see.  Finally, our friend suggested that he try on his glasses.  The result was shocking.  Not only did my dad see the landmarks we were referring to, he could see everything.  He couldn’t believe it.  Even the leaves on trees were visible.  From that moment on, my dad saw the world differently.  He is not the only one.  According to Google (the ultimate truth for everything under the sun), 61% of the population uses corrective lenses of some type.  Why do they need them?  Simply put, our eyes are not healthy.

Today in Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus talks about the health of our spiritual eyes.  Have you ever considered how well you see spiritually?  When we take a cue from our physical eyes, the answer is not very encouraging.  In fact, our picture of God is really fuzzy and unclear.  When that is true, Godly choices are hard to make.  In fact, as the scripture points out, they may be flat out wrong.  Even worse, just like my dad, we don’t know that we don’t have the whole picture.  We are being led astray and don’t even know it!

Thankfully, just like our physical sight, we are able to improve our spiritual vision.  Consider these two distinct ways to test our spiritual sight.  First, is the Bible.  Psalm 119:105 says that God’s word is “a lamp unto our feet.” Additionally,  2 Peter 1:19 says that the light of scripture will light our path until our hearts can see clearly on their own.  The second significant source of clear spiritual vision is other believers.  Acts 2:42 tells us that through the teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers with other believers many are able to see clearly.

I am grateful for this opportunity with BibleJournal.  Every day, it presents a unique opportunity to see God rightly with a Biblical foundation in the presence of other believers.

Thank you for following BibleJournal.net.  To date, we have 817 journal entries with more than 48,000 views!  Our focus, has been reading entire chapters so that we can experience the Bible in its entirety.  Starting tomorrow, we are going to make a small change.  Our daily scripture reading is going to be drastically reduced.  The goal is intimacy rather than broad understanding.  Our topic for the next 45 days is the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7.  As always, you will continue to receive a link to the day’s reading along with a journal entry from one of our 12 writers.

I hope you enjoy the new format.  Either way, we would love to hear from you.  Leave a comment, or email me directly at bj@bjarmstrong.com.

Blessings,
BJA

2 Samuel 24, Psalms 56

Contracts often include language like “valuable consideration.”  It identifies the price, or the cost (not necessarily in monetary terms) that is required for the exchange of goods.  The amount of consideration provided is dependent upon the item changing hands.  To complete the contract, both parties must agree that the compensation offered will result in full payment for whatever is received. 

Today, in 2 Samuel 24, David receives something incredibly valuable from God.  Forgiveness.  In return, God asks for consideration.  He sends his servant Gad to ask David for the payment.  In this case, David’s payment takes the form of a burnt offering.  Gad instructs him to, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”  Araunah the farmer, attempts to give David the parts for the altar, the wood, even the oxen from his own stock.  But, David knew better.  He knew that any offering without personal cost, would not be an offering at all.  It is, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it, “cheap grace.”  Without payment, David knows that his agreement with God would be null and void.  

So, how is it that we receive forgiveness without a costly sacrifice? the answer is that we don’t.  Thankfully, the full price was paid, for us, in advance.  According to Hebrews 10:14, Jesus is our “single offering” and  “he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”  What does that mean?  It means that our agreement with God is paid in full.  There is no more consideration due.  It is worth pausing here.  Think about how valuable Jesus’ consideration was.  He effectively paid for all sins, for every person for all time.  It is promised in 1 John 2:1-2.  It says, “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

If the valuable consideration for our sin has already been given, then the only thing remaining is our agreement.  How does that work?  Romans 10:9-10 says that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

2 Samuel 12, Psalms 44

Who were you created to be?  That’s a big question.  For me, that question stirs up all kinds of thoughts and fantasies about what is possible.  If I am not careful, those thoughts and fantasies will turn into selfish musings about power and greatness.  Before I know it, I’ll convince myself that God also wants these very things for me.  Why wouldn’t he?  After-all, he created me in his image, he even sent his son for my redemption.  I have everything going for me, right?  Clearly, there is a fault in my thinking.  Without help, that thinking will settle into my heart, affecting my soul.  Thankfully, God knows this about me (and you).  Thankfully, God works strategically in our lives to protect our souls from serious damage.  One way that God does this is through other people.

God strategically placed Nathan in David’s life.  We don’t get the details of how their relationship was built, but David fully trusted in Nathan.  He relied on him for advice.  All the time.  Why?  How did Nathan earn this place of trust and honor for King David?  God.  David put his faith and trust in Nathan because Nathan knew God.  Intimately. David knew that whatever answer Nathan gave, it would be the will of God.  This is how he became the most trusted friend and advisor.

Of course, being a most trusted friend and advisor is tough business.  Sure, there are fun times that come with happiness and laughter.  There are also sad times that bring tears and mourning.  A real friend, however, does more.  They take the tough step of reminding us who we are created to be.  They are willing to get messy with us.  They challenge our thinking and expose our flaws.  Nathan exposes David in a big way.  Read again 1 Samuel 12:7-12.  He doesn’t hold back. He doesn’t sugar coat anything.  Nathan did this for one purpose, with one goal.  To point David back to God.  The God who created him.  The God who has a bigger purpose for him.

Thankfully, I have a Nathan in my life.  In fact, there are several people that continuously point me to God.  Some, know me well enough to poke at specific flaws in my thinking.  I would love to say that my response is always like David’s in verse 13, but its not.  The Nathan in my life has to push through my walls and overcome my defenses with determination and persistence.  I am convinced that, like David, God has put Nathan’s in all of our lives.  If we let them, if we listen to them, if they are Godly, they will help us become everything that God created us to be.

Today, in 1 Samuel 31, we see the death of Saul.  His death wasn’t just any death, either.  Saul suffered the greatest defeat.  Quick and painless, it was not.  To start, Saul watched as his army was overcome by the Philistines.  Their press forward caused many of the Israelite warriors to simply give up the cause.  They fled, abandoning Saul, their leader.  The few loyal warriors were Saul’s own family.  But, instead of comfort, they brought pain as he witnesses their slaying at the hand of the Philistines.  As the pain becomes too much to bear, Saul  concedes that the end is near.  The emotional defeat is complete and the physical is not far behind.  With the piercing pain of arrows, Saul is badly wounded.  His last effort to save a shred of dignity is to have his trusted aid kill him.  When the man refuses, Saul has no other choice.  The only way to escape more torment is to fall on his own sword.  Death is the only option.

I’ve wrestled with this story for several days.  The despair is overwhelming.  The complete absence of hope crushes my spirit.  I read and re-read it searching desperately for something redeeming.  It’s not there.  It doesn’t exist.  I am forced to accept Saul’s complete destruction.  Thankfully, today I discovered something new.  It appeared for me as I read the Chet Bandy’s post, “Leadership Lessons From David.”  He presented a picture of David’s life that stands in such stark contrast to Saul’s.  

Saul took action following his own direction.  In 1 Samuel 13, Saul decided to offer the sacrifice on his own, and not follow Gods plan for it.  Compare this with David who took action by after the Lord’s direction.

Saul used his own wisdom and made a ridiculous vow in 1 Samuel 14.  It caused needless suffering and turmoil within his own family.  David, however asked for the Lord’s wisdom and direction.

Saul made excuses for not following God’s direction, attempting to twist the failure into an offering in 1 Samuel 15.  David, on the other hand, makes no excuses and quickly seeks correction in 1 Samuel 24.

Saul solicits answers from a medium and not going to the Lord in prayer in 1 Samuel 28.  Contrast this with Davids effort.  In 1 Samuel 30:6 he seeks and finds strength in the Lord. 

Perhaps the most striking part of Saul’s story is the ease at which it happened.  It reminds me of the phrase first slowly, then suddenly.  You see, God didn’t yank him from the throne immediately.  In fact, our gracious God stuck with him, desperately wanting to atone for him.  Alas, Saul did not respond.  His continual denial, betrayal and last rejection of God became his undoing.

Ironically, my final analysis of 1 Samuel 31 revealed hope.  This hope, however, is only found within the context of Saul’s entire life.  It’s revealed in God’s grace upon grace.  God presented grace as patience toward Saul, waiting for his acknowledgement.  The same is true for you and me.  We have grace today for our failures.  God still loves us, despite our failure to follow and honor him.  Only one thing is required to stave off death.  Acknowledge Him.

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 (ESV)