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August 4

Reading 1 - 2Samuel 22

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v.7 - We need to develop the faith that these things will happen for us too. When we cry to our God (notice the personal ownership here - 'cried to my God') we too can have our cry enter into his ears that he might deliver us too from death and from the floods of ungodly men that make us afraid. This is of course applied even to Jesus too - Matt 26:39, Luke 22:44, Heb.5:7.
Peter Cresswell
v.2,3 - We cannot remind ourselves of these things too often. However we feel, our vulnerability is overridden if we have faith in statements such as these. We, like David, should make it a regular part of our daily prayers, morning noon and night, to praise God and thus remind ourselves that he is our strength and our salvation.
Peter Cresswell
This chapter is found as Psalm 18. Notice that the title of the Psalm is verse 1 in the historical account. This parallel shows us two things.
1] Psalm 18 was written after the death of Absalom.
2] The Psalm titles are part of the inspired account.
By placing Psalms in their historical context as we can understand what prompted the Psalm to be written and better understand both the language of the Psalm and the mind of the Psalmist a that time. In so doing we will be able to apply the Psalms more meaningfully in our lives as we identify with the circumstances which prompted the Psalm.
Peter Forbes
22:1 The mention of deliverance from the hand of Saul right at the end of David's life possibly indicates that the problems with the house of Saul and the Benjamites really was a problem all through his reign even though there is little mention of this in the historical record.
Peter Forbes
There may be some who question whether the titles of the Psalms are part of Scripture. This chapter proves that they are for the title of the Psalm forms the first verse of the chapter.
Peter Forbes
ACTION FROM GOD

It would be interesting to write a Psalm like this for ourselves. This song of David tells of the impact God has had on David's life and records for us many of the ways God had moved to give him strength or ability when and where David needed it. David describes the LORD as his Rock, his Fortress, Deliverer, Stronghold, Lamp and Shield. He describes God as having done many things for him, having had a direct impact on David's life.

David says that God rescued him from the hands of his enemies, God gave David rewards, he turned darkness into light, he gave David the strength to advance against a troop, to scale walls, to fight, to be nimble and stable, and to win the battles he fought. The LORD our God was an awesome God to David, and David showed that he appreciated it by recording these acts of the LORD and praising him for them.

We need to think about the ways God has impacted our lives too. God has not stopped working in the lives of his servants - you and me included! So let's spend a moment thinking about what he means to us, how he has worked in our lives and what we can praise him for. We may find that we could write a psalm like David's, that is just as full of action from God.
Robert Prins

Reading 2 - Jeremiah 25

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v.3 - the phrase 'rising early' carries more with it than simply getting out of bed with plenty of time to spare. An examination of the usage of the word 07925 in the rest of scripture shows that it is used invariably of times when the task for the day was unsavoury but had to be done. Here are a few of the 65 examples: Gen.20:8, 21:14, 22:3, Exo.8:20, 9:13, 34:4, Num.14:40.
Peter Cresswell
v.15-17 is a repetition ofthe idea already expressed in ch.13:12-14. The message clearly needed repeating, though it was all to no avail.
Peter Cresswell
v.3,4 - When the prophet speaks of 'rising early' [Jeremiah 11:7 25:3,4 35:14 44:4] he is showing us how we should respond to the work of the Truth. Abraham, when called to offer Isaac, rose early [Genesis 22:3] and marks the way of the faithful. We should not delay doing those things we know to be right just because they are difficult.
Peter Forbes
25:12 Amidst all the doom and gloom associated with the going into captivity of Godless Judah there are words of comfort. Israel's God is compassionate and desires to save them - He desires to save us - His children by faith - also.
Peter Forbes
We have already noticed (Chapter 9) that the words of Ecclesiastes 12 are used by Jeremiah. Here are some more:
mirth and the voice of gladness
Ecclesiastes 12:4
sound of the millstone
Ecclesiastes 12:3
Whilst the words are not exactly the same the ideas are. Jeremiah is speaking of the desolation that will come to Jerusalem because of her sinfulness. Ecclesiastes 12 is speaking of the effects of this apostasy upon the way that the people will appear in that day.
Peter Forbes
CAREFUL READING
It was about 60-something years later when Daniel was reading this prophecy and another in chapter 29, that he realized that the Babylonian kingdom was about to come to an end. God, thorough Jeremiah had said that after 70 years from the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, that he would punish the King of Babylon, his nation and his land for their guilt. Daniel had the book of Jeremiah and he must have carefully read it and tried to understand it to have seen and taken notice of these small prophecies in the midst of a large book.
The question that arises from this is how carefully do we read the Bible? If we were in Daniel's place would we have even read the words of this prophecy? If we had, would we have read them carefully? Would we have read them more than once? Would we have noticed this prophecy?
There is so much more in the Word of God that relates to our days before the return of Christ, than there was for Daniel. So we, like Daniel, must read God's word and read it carefully and diligently so that we can be prepared for what God has said will happen. God reveals the future to his servants - but to see it, we must look for it.
Robert Prins

Reading 3 - Romans 13 & 14

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Summary of the Book Old Testament References
14 v.8-9 - Life and death are both the same in Christ - we do both unto the Lord, following the example of our leader. It is a simple truth, but one that is hard to come to terms with. John 21:19, Acts 13:36, 20:24, 21:13.
Peter Cresswell

13 v.12 - 'lay aside' is a powerful Biblical injunction. It is more than a casual putting aside. It is an active dissociation from evil. Isaiah 2:20 Ezekiel 18:31 Romans 13:12 Ephesians 4:22 Colossians 3:5,8 Hebrews 12:1 1 Peter 2:1 James 1:21 Once we have 'put off' we must replace that which has been left behind so we must 'put on' Galatians 3:27 Ephesians 4:24 6:11 Colossians 3:10,12,14

14 v.4 - Paul in Romans 14:4,10,13 Show us that a servant stands or falls before his own master. James picks up that exhortation James 4:11 to show us that evil words against our brother is the same as judging him and therefore should not be part of how we think.
Peter Forbes
13:1 In calling God's servants to 'be subject …' which is seen again :7 'render … dues' we are presented with one of the most difficult aspects of being 'living sacrifices'. We see that the way in which we respond to those in authority in the country in which we live is a demonstration of the degree to which we understand and apply the gospel in our lives.

14:10 -11 Whilst it is easy to fault our brethren and sisters, in day to day life, when we see them living in ways of which we do not approve we have to recognise that those brethren and sisters are God's, not our, servants. Notice also that despite what we might think of them 14:4 God is able make them stand.
Peter Forbes

The apostle Paul says in 14v14 that nothing is unclean, and in v20 that this is dependent on your own concience, and in v23 it is dependent on faith. Why then, having said that all things are clean, does he say that it depends on faith? And why does he say that "whatever is not from faith is sin."? (v23)

1 John 5v4-5 tells us that it is our faith that overcomes the world, our faith that Jesus Christ who overcame the world, is the son of God. Paul in Romans has been reminding us that it is through the grace of God brought to us by Christ that we are saved, and not through works. If these things are true, then actually the only barrier to the kingdom for us is our own belief in Christ, or the lack of it. If we believe we are forgiven in Christ, then we will be forgiven.

It is in this context that Paul is writing in this chapter of Romans. In v14 he tells us that nothing is "unclean" anymore for those who are in Christ, yet if we have trouble in believing that, then it is better for us to abstain. If we abstain then we do not have to struggle with that lack of belief. The example he uses is the eating of meats offered to idols, which in the law of moses it was wrong to eat. The brother strong in faith can eat these without a problem, because he believes strongly enough that the law is now of non effect in Christ. Yet another brother, weaker in faith, may have slight doubts about it. If he were to eat of the meat then he would doubt whether he could be forgiven. In this case, it would be better for that brother to avoid eating the meat, because if he doubts then it is sin (v23). The advice of Paul to those who do have faith, is to eat the meat only when the weaker ones aren't there (v22), lest the weaker one is caused to doubt in the grace of Christ by seeing his brother eat (v21).

I find it wonderful that Jesus legislated so well for those who have a lack of faith. He showed that he would never condemn those who are weak. When Peter wavered in his faith and sunk in the sea, he immediately stretched out his hand and caught him. (Matt 14v31) In Hebrews 10v22-23 Paul sums this all up beautifully for us, and gives us the advice:

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)."
Robin de Jongh