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July 12

Reading 1 - 1Samuel 25

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v.25 - Nabal, whose name means 'Foolish', is here providing a lesson for us all. Not only is he described as 'churlish and evil in his doings' [v.3] but he failed to recognise and respect the Lord's Anointed. The same fate [v.38] awaits all who do the same [v.26].
Peter Cresswell
v.1 - Ramah means 'high place'. Samuel lived in a place which was called by the very thing he spent his life fighting - the desire of men to worship in their own high places. This gives a new insight also into Jer.31:15
Peter Cresswell
v.28 - the 'sure house' draws on what God said to Eli [1 Samuel 2:35] which indicates that others knew what had been said about the overthrow of the house of Eli. Further it indicates that not only did Abigail know this but that the information mattered to her as well. She doubtless knew also that David had been anointed king because she makes reference to the time when David would be ruler [1 Samuel 25:30]. So we wonder how widespread knowledge about Eli's house and David's anointing was.
Peter Forbes
25:25 Nabal - the fool - provided Jesus with the example (Luke 12:20) in the parable of the man who made the bigger barns. Just as the man in the parable was not rich toward God Nabal was not rich toward God's anointed.
Peter Forbes
:23 For a woman to light off her ass before making a request seems to have been etiquette - see Judges 1:14
Peter Forbes

Reading 2 - Jeremiah 2

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v.13 - Water, as an essential for life, is often used by God to show his care for us. Let us make sure that the containers we accept for the storage of this water for use, might be made of that which lasts for ever, that we might enjoy the provision of God for our thirst evermore. Psa.36:9, John 4:14, 7:37, Rev.21:6, 22:1,17.
Peter Cresswell
v.7,8 - The age old problem exists here and can so easily do so for us. Most of us live in greater comfort and blessing than has ever been known - in a material sense, that is. How easy it is to forget the source of all this good in our enjoyment of it.
Peter Cresswell
v.30 - The warning that Jerusalem would not receive correction is seen in the two contemporary prophets. [Jeremiah 2:30 5:3 7:28 Zephaniah 3:2] Thus the Babylonian invasion came.
Peter Forbes
:13 The two errors are equally bad. The rejection of the saving hand of God is one. Men doing this are left without hope. The second - 'hewing out cisterns' is equated with developing their own religion. So they not only had no hope but through their own imagination had devised a system which, they thought, brought hope. In such a position they would not see any need to return to God. Likewise we, if we replace the gospel with our own ideas will see no need for God.
Peter Forbes
:3 The comment that Israel 'was holiness unto the Lord' quotes the inscription upon the mitre of the high priest (Exodus 28:36) Israel should have looked at the mitre and seen a call to holiness. Rather they just ignored the call of God.
Peter Forbes
THE DEVOTION OF YOUR YOUTH
Think back to the time you first gave your life to the Lord. Joy filled your life, you were devoted to Him with all your heart. You loved him. You were determined that you would live your life without sinning, pure and righteous before him. You knew you would serve him for the rest of your life - no matter what happened. You were full of enthusiasm and the desire to offer to the world all that God had given to you.
God's message to Israel asked them what had happened to their devotion. He said, "I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me..." and so on. Then he asks why they had left him, forsaken him, strayed from him and turned to idols. It seems that the people of Israel and Judah didn't even miss God when they turned away from him.
We may not have missed God from our lives either. So let us also take stock. How do we compare with the devotion of our youth?
Robert Prins

Reading 3 - Matthew 13

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v.9 - This phrase is repeated so many times in scripture that we really must bear in mind its importance for us in our lives. We must not just listen, but we must hear. It is obvious from the usage of this phrase here and elsewhere, that there are going to be some that hear and some that don't, and those open-minded enough to hear what is being said will find the truth. This observation may appear oversimplified, but it is a profound and important scriptural principle. Rev.2:7,11,17, 3:6,13,22, 13:8-9.
Peter Cresswell
v.10-17 - What Jesus has to say here is crucial because it provides the reason for all the parables that Jesus speaks. The parables are not presented as 'earthly stories with a heavenly meaning' as one sometimes hears. Nor are they presented so that the message can be easily understood. They are presented so that if anyone wants to understand the message he has to enquire carefully about what is being said. The parables sort out the diligent seeker from the one who is dull of hearing. Therefore we must appreciate that the parables are given, not so as we can easily understand the message but rather that those who seek can enquire further.
Peter Forbes
13:44 The 'treasure hid' (quoting Proverbs 2:4) shows that Jesus, in the parable, is not speaking of material wealth. Rather he is speaking of the treasures found in the Scripture - and how those treasures can change one's way of thinking.
Peter Forbes
:53 'And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended …' is a recurring phrase in Matthew.
7:28, 11:1, 19:1, 26:1
Peter Forbes
THORNS

"Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants." (verse 7)
"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." (verse 22).

For any of us who have been a Christian for some time, the most likely challenge to our faith that we will face from the parable of the sower, is the challenge of the thorns. When a plant is small, the weeds do not affect it so much, because they are a shelter for it. But as the small plant grows and needs more of the space, nutrients, and water, the weeds and thorns begin to take their toll. It is this way so often with us. Gradually the influence of the world around us can distract us from the real purpose in life. It might not seem like it, but all our nutrients, water and space to grow, are being withheld from us as we spend more time away from the light of the Lord, worrying about things that he would normally take care of if we sought his kingdom and righteousness first. The philosophy that Riches equals Security, takes over from God equals Security. It happens so gradually that we don't notice it - just the way a weed grows.

So let us take a few minutes to evaluate ourselves. Have we forfeited the calling of our Lord for thorns?
Robert Prins
I had always thought that the parable of the sower was all about whether we store the word of God in our hearts or not. I have just had a look at it more closely, and surprisingly this is not the case! In fact, the man who stores the word in his heart is the man in v19. The wicked one snatches it away.... because he doesn't understand it. v.23 tells us that the seed falling on good ground is he who hears and understands it.

So the point of the parable isn't to do with the heart, as I had always thought, but with the understanding. No wonder Solomon wrote "..in all your getting, get understanding!" (Sol 4v7). This brings out a very simple difference in the parable between the fruitful and the unfruitful seed. The fruitful did something about the knowledge they gained. They sought to understand it. Jesus is saying in this chapter that those who listen to his words must seek to understand them, or else they will be like those who had closed their eyes (v15). Jesus's refrain "he who has ears to hear, let him hear!" is a call to all of us to put effort in to opening our ears. Sometimes understanding is just a prayer away, because "whoever asks receives" (Matt 7v8).
Robin de Jongh