15 May (Joel 2)

Joel 2

(v.1) The Day of the LORD is coming indeed! I like to use the Blue Letter Bible for referencing and looking up verses, so I did a search for Day of the Lord, and here is what you can find:

http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=day+of+the+lord&t=NKJV

God died on the cross for us, just so we can be redeemed and be with Him forever in Paradise! All He asks in return, is for us to acknowledge that, and to give our lives to Him, so He can work in us and through us. For those that reject Him and what He did, they will see a terrible day of Judgement...but they brought it upon themselves, since God has been pleading with them to repent.

(v.2) This is a prophecy to the Day of the Lord, but we've seen similar instances of darkness over the earth...God works that way...He shows us a pattern that we can look for and rely upon. He is not flippant or capricious, He is steady and true. Here are some other verses describing the darkness over the land:

~Exodus 10:22

~Job 5:14

~Psalm 97:2

~Isaiah 60:2

~Amos 5:20

~Matthew 27:45

~Acts 2:20

~2 Corinthians 4:6

~Ephesians 6:12

~1 Peter 2:9

~Jude 1:13

~Revelation 16:10

As you can see, God's Word is consistent from Genesis to Revelation! It is one message, and it's God's love letter to us, to bring us back to Him!

I am reminded of the phrase, "It's the darkest just before the dawn"...I believe this phrase is true, and we will see great evil just before Jesus comes again! He gives us warning and even describes what to look for...all it takes is a desire to understand!

(v.12) Turn to Me with all your heart...this is God pleading with all of us to set aside our sinful pride, and let Him work in our lives. God is love, but He does demand that we choose Him or hell...it's that simple.

(v.18) Many good scholars believe that this part is describing the Millennium...after the Great Tribulation, where Jesus rules on David's Throne in Jerusalem for 1,000 years.

(v.23) I agree with the scholars who believe that there was a water canopy that protected the earth before the Flood. That canopy came down, and the water from the depths came up, and the whole earth was covered in water. After Jesus returns, there will be a reset of His creation, where the earth will enjoy the things it enjoyed in the beginning.

(v.28) Right at the end of the Great Tribulation, God will pour out His Spirit upon all mankind. There will be a great last harvest, before the Son comes to destroy the wicked. We need to pray and share the Gospel with all we meet...time is running out!

Apr 3 (Psa 122, 124, 138)

Songs of Joy and Praise

Psalm 122

This psalm is focused on Israel, as is the majority of the Bible. God views all time and events with Israel as His focus. Only now, during the time of the gentiles, has God focused on putting together and bringing home His Church. Once the Church is raptured, God will once again focus on Israel, and save them from their enemies.

(v.8) The Bible tells us that Israel will not have complete peace, until the Prince of Peace comes. However, we are still to pray for the peace for Jersusalem and Israel. This is the same as God knowing what we need and desire, but He still wants us to pray and call out to Him.

The USA has been blessed because it's the nation that God established to evangelize the world, but also because it's been a friend and ally to Israel. Currently, in 2010, that has changed. If we don't change our mistreatment of Israel, then Gen 12:3 will be our epitaph. We are on a dangerous path.

Psalm 124

(v.1) This phrase is similar to "But by the grace of God, go I" since if we acknowledge that we are guided and protected by God. If we didn't have God, then we would be susceptible to evil and even more problems.

(v.8) We need to always remember that God created everything...He is all-powerful and mighty, and this is what is referenced when we see the fear of the Lord...His ability to destroy us, but He loves us, and wants to have fellowship with us.

Psalm 138

(v.1) We need to worship without fear of what people will think or say about us. We need to sing to Him like when we are alone and no one is there but God.

I also like how the psalmist says to sing to the LORD before the gods, or the worldly idols that many people worship. We need to be bold and open in our faith, not reserved, ashamed or fearful of what others will think.

(v.4) This is a reference to the Millenium, where all the leaders of the earth will worship and praise Jesus as He sits on the Throne of David in Jerusalem!

(v.6) Even though God is almighty and powerful, He cares about the lowly, poor and needy. He actually focuses on us, and rebukes the rich and prideful in their folly.

(v.7) God's right hand is Jesus, and He will guide us and protect us if we're walking with Him.

(v.8) After we have been saved and justified in Christ, the Holy Spirit works in us to perfect us. We will not be perfect until we're in heaven, when we're glorified in Christ. Until then, the Spirit will sanctify and purify us, through trials and God's Word.

Mar 13 (2 Sam 6-7; 1 Chr 13-16)

2nd Samuel 6

(v.6) My kids ask me why God killed the man who merely steadied the ark when the oxen stumbled. After all, it seemed that he was concerned for the ark! But God gave rules about how to handle the ark (Num 4:15) which stated to never touch the ark with bare hands.

David realized that all Israel needed to be in tune with God's Word, and to take what God says with respect.

(v.16) David came to fear the LORD more, and because of it, he danced in worship to the LORD. We need to do this more ourselves! It doesn't say exactly why David's wife, Michal, resented David for doing this, but perhaps it was two things: first, she may have thought he looked silly, and worried what the people would think, or secondly, she wasn't in fear of the LORD, and thought David's actions were unjustified.

Either way, David rebuked her for her vain thoughts, and Michal never bore children the rest of her life.

2nd Samuel 7

David wanted to build a Temple for the LORD, in the fashion of the Tabernacle. This in itself was not wrong, since David wanted a place where he and all Israel could come and worship the LORD, but God didn't want it this way. David was God's warrior, and he had too much blood on his hands from doing God's work. God had planned for one of David's sons (Solomon) to build the Temple, and God promised to bless him...and He did!

(v.16) This is a key verse...Your throne shall be established forever. David would never sit on the throne in the Temple, but one of his descendants will...Jesus!

When Jesus returns, He will sit upon the throne of David and rule for 1,000 years called the Millenium. Jesus purchased us and the ownership deed of the earth when He died on the cross. He will be coming back to take residence, and rule in righteousness for 1,000 years! It is our duty as parents to teach our kids to know the LORD, and to look forward to His return!