Psalm 34:7-11 (33:8-12 LXX)

The Angel of the Lord shall encamp around those who fear Him,
And He will deliver them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who hopes in Him.
Fear the Lord, you His saints,
For there is no want for those who fear Him.
Rich men turned poor and went hungry;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Encouraging Words…

Oh, how blessed we are to have the ability to participate in our practices of faith however we want and whenever we want. So many Christians in our world are so much less fortunate and deal with persecution everyday of their lives. May we remember them in our prayers and thoughts.

Baruch 2:14-15 LXX

O Lord, hear our prayer and our petition, and for Your own sake deliver us, and grant us mercy before those who have carried us into exile, in order that the whole earth may come to know that You are the Lord our God, for Israel and his descendants are called by Your name.

Personal Challenge…

We, the Church, the followers and children of the living God, have been carried into exile just as the Israelites of old were. How can I say this when I can look around and see all the freedom and wealth that abounds around me? Because as Paul claimed in his letters we are not of this world anymore, we are now of the kingdom of god and living here as ambassadors for Him. So this verse is so very relevant for us today. We, the Church, especially in the developed world, need His deliverance. We need His mercy before those around us who do not know Him so that the whole world may know that He is the Lord our God.

This has become more evident to me this week than any other time in my life. We have had this whole uproar about how a major media network is treating the leader of Duck Dynasty for expressing his spiritual beliefs. I stand on the side of this man who should have the right to stand up for and articulate his belief in God. I laud him for having the guts to do so knowing that the politically correct world would attack him. More power to him. However, where I have become truly convicted about this is how vocal the Christian community has become about this all the while remaining silent about the many more atrocious events that are going on around us throughout the world: millions of babies being murdered for the purpose of free choice and convenience; the many Christians around the world that are being persecuted and killed while everyone looks the other way; the victims of poverty, abuse, natural disasters, and the list goes on that spurn us to write a check, but not roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty helping them; the billions and trillions of dollars being spent on stuff and sports and Hollywood elites while more and more people around the world and in our own neighborhoods go to bed hungry and cold every night. It all brings me to tears.

And as I write this I find myself doing all of this as well and hearing the Holy Spirit remind me that I too have become comfortable in my exile and am taking on the practices of the land in which I am captured. God, forgive me! God, deliver us from this exile! God, grant us mercy before those who have carried us into exile! God, change us so that we might do Your work in a way that will help those around us come to know that You are the Lord our God!

Baruch 1:11-12 LXX

And pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his son Belshazzar, that their days on earth may be like the days of heaven. And the Lord will give us strength and enlighten our eyes, and we will live under the shelter of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and under the shelter of Belshazzar his son, and we will serve them for many days and find mercy in their sight.

Personal Challenge…

The children of God have long been commanded to pray for those in leadership, whether it be a conquering king like Nebuchadnezzar, an elected president like Barack Obama, or our management where we work. How difficult this can oftentimes be, yet nonetheless we have no choice but to follow our Lord and do what we are commanded. This glorifies Him, lifts His name above all others, and through God’s power gives us strength and enlightenment. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Wisdom of Sirach 50:22-24 LXX

And now bless the God of all,
Who does great things in every way,
Who exalts our days from our birth
And deals with us according to His mercy.
May He give us gladness of heart,
And may there be peace in our days,
In Israel as in the days of old.
May He entrust with us His mercy,
And let Him redeem us in our days.

Encouraging Words…

Through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ this benediction of old is fulfilled. In Christ our days are exalted, the Father’s mercy is poured out upon us, we are given gladness of heart, we see peace in our days, and He redeems us as His own. Glory be to God.

Wisdom of Sirach 39:33-35 LXX

All the works of the Lord are good,
And He will supply every need in its hour.
No one can say, “This is worse than that,”
For all things will be well pleasing in their time.
So now sing praise with all your heart and voice,
And bless the name of the Lord.

Encouraging Words…

Glory be to God! He knows our needs and provides for them in the hour that is best. It is our “wants” that so often get confused with our “needs”, especially in the society full of wealth and entitlements which we live in. As we learn to live our lives in an ascetic way we begin to develop better understanding of what our true needs are and sing praises to our Lord for meeting them.

Wisdom of Sirach 39:1-3 LXX

How different is the man who devotes himself
To the study of the law of the Most High.
He will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients
And be occupied with their prophecies.
He will preserve the discourse of notable men
And penetrate the subtleties of parables.
He will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs
And be engaged in the riddles of parables.

Personal Challenge…

Do I really wan to know God? To know what He wants me to do in my life? Do I really want to understand the depths of His truths? And how to apply them in my life? Then I must spend time devoting myself to the study of His teachings…the scriptures and all that they provide as His written Word, but also the wisdom of the ancients…our church fathers, the saints that have gone before me, have to offer. God’s truth and wisdom is found in the collective teaching passed on to us.

Wisdom of Sirach 37:13-15 LXX

Stand firm on the counsel of your heart,
For no one is more faithful to you than it.
For a man’s soul sometimes tells him more
Than seven watchmen sitting high on a watchtower.
And in all matters, pray to the Most High
That He may direct your way in truth.

Personal Challenge…

We are guided here to listen to our heart for counsel and guidance. Now before I get jumped on with reminders that our hearts are bad, I would like to suggest that this passage is speaking in the context of having spent much time pursuing the Wisdom of God (which is personified in Christ). As a redeemed child of God my heart of flesh has been replaced with a heart filled with the love of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is this new heart, a heart guided by the Holy Spirit, focused on serving God by loving Him and my neighbor, encouraged by wise counsel from other godly men and women, that I should stand firm in the counsel of. This still requires prayer and diligence to make sure that I am being obedient to God. My new heart is good because it is the home of my Lord, but it is my will that I must always be guarding so that it follows Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.