Women in the Word

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9/26/2014 12:00 pm  #1


Psalms

Scripture
Psalms 1:1-4
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
 
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
 
Observation
Our pastor pointed out that this man is first walking, then standing, then sitting with the wicked.  So at each step he becomes more enmeshed with them. This person is also seeking “counsel” from wicked.
 
Those who delight in God’s word will be blessed (not blessed with material possessions the word in the Hebrew dictionary is “happiness” so “how happy”) and fruitful, and will flourish. Those who are ungodly, will have lives that don’t produce anything worthwhile but are just blown away like leftover husks in the wind.
 
I did a word search on the Hebrew words here.

Walk - continually, be conversant
Wicked – ungodly, morally wrong
Stands - (literal and figurative) abide , confirm, continue, dwell,
Sits - properly to sit down; by implication to dwell, to remain; causative to settle
Seat – abode, assembly
Scoffers - have in derision, make a mock
 
Blessed – happiness, how happy
Delight - pleasure; desire; a valuable thing;
 
Application
We should not get counsel, guidance and advice from those who do not have godly morals and values.  This means we should not use the world’s standards to inform our actions and decisions.  The world’s values and people who embrace those values should not be where we turn for advice and should not be evaluating our decisions and behavior based on those standards.
 
We should not be hanging out extensively (abiding) with those who want to engage in sinful behavior.  I am not saying we should not be friends with people who are unbelievers or those who may be involved in a sinful behavior, because we all still sin.  We do not need to be trying to sniff out who is sinning, but spend time worrying about purifying ourselves of our own sin.  But, this passage does seem to indicate that we should be careful in abiding and dwelling, with people who are actively engaging in rebellious sinful behavior and how want to tear down and mock God.
 
We will have happiness and have meaningful lives that are fruitful and prosperous and flourish if we keep from abiding with the wicked and if the source of our pleasure, our desire, what we find valuable
is the Word of God and if keep it on our minds throughout the day.  I am trying to be thoughtful of a scripture or of a principle that I study throughout the day.  If we do so we will not wither under the falleness of this world.
 
Pray
Father, thank you for Your Word and for Your beautiful promises to me, to sustain me, to fill me with your joy, and to help beautiful things to come from my life and my heart.  Help me to love you more deeply and more fully.  Help me to desire Your Word as I desire a cool drink on a hot day. I want to just long for Your Word and I want to find joy in learning more about You.  Thank you for Your goodness and promises. In Christ’s name.

 

9/26/2014 4:05 pm  #2


Re: Psalms

TBG wrote:

Scripture
Psalms 1:1-4
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
 
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
 
Observation
Our pastor pointed out that this man is first walking, then standing, then sitting with the wicked.  So at each step he becomes more enmeshed with them. This person is also seeking “counsel” from wicked.
 
Those who delight in God’s word will be blessed (not blessed with material possessions the word in the Hebrew dictionary is “happiness” so “how happy”) and fruitful, and will flourish. Those who are ungodly, will have lives that don’t produce anything worthwhile but are just blown away like leftover husks in the wind.
 
I did a word search on the Hebrew words here.

Walk - continually, be conversant
Wicked – ungodly, morally wrong
Stands - (literal and figurative) abide , confirm, continue, dwell,
Sits - properly to sit down; by implication to dwell, to remain; causative to settle
Seat – abode, assembly
Scoffers - have in derision, make a mock
 
Blessed – happiness, how happy
Delight - pleasure; desire; a valuable thing;
 
Application
We should not get counsel, guidance and advice from those who do not have godly morals and values.  This means we should not use the world’s standards to inform our actions and decisions.  The world’s values and people who embrace those values should not be where we turn for advice and should not be evaluating our decisions and behavior based on those standards.
 
We should not be hanging out extensively (abiding) with those who want to engage in sinful behavior.  I am not saying we should not be friends with people who are unbelievers or those who may be involved in a sinful behavior, because we all still sin.  We do not need to be trying to sniff out who is sinning, but spend time worrying about purifying ourselves of our own sin.  But, this passage does seem to indicate that we should be careful in abiding and dwelling, with people who are actively engaging in rebellious sinful behavior and how want to tear down and mock God.
 
We will have happiness and have meaningful lives that are fruitful and prosperous and flourish if we keep from abiding with the wicked and if the source of our pleasure, our desire, what we find valuable
is the Word of God and if keep it on our minds throughout the day.  I am trying to be thoughtful of a scripture or of a principle that I study throughout the day.  If we do so we will not wither under the falleness of this world.
 
Pray
Father, thank you for Your Word and for Your beautiful promises to me, to sustain me, to fill me with your joy, and to help beautiful things to come from my life and my heart.  Help me to love you more deeply and more fully.  Help me to desire Your Word as I desire a cool drink on a hot day. I want to just long for Your Word and I want to find joy in learning more about You.  Thank you for Your goodness and promises. In Christ’s name.

WOW, that is deep.. walking, standing then sitting as that is the normal process if you are with someone and they say something of interest (have your attention), you may be walking with them, then you stand and probably ponder and if it's really interested you may sit. love that insight.
 

 

9/26/2014 4:06 pm  #3


Re: Psalms

Loving this book already and the way the righteous is compared to the unrighteous.

My hope is that I am living the life and I am seen as the righteous by others. I know I still have a lot of work but I hope each day all see a little bit more of Jesus in my walk.

I will not walk in the counsel of ungodly, not stand in the paths of sinners and not sits in the seat of the scornful. Now what does that really mean to me and how do I apply that to my life so that I will be blessed.  I will not listen to what is said by the ungodly, I will read, study, practice and mediate on the word for myself. I will not stand in the paths of sinners. I will not take the road that is traveled by those that are sinners, I will wait for The Lord to direct my path and follow the path of my savior, which may sometimes be the road less traveled.  I will not sit in the seat of the scornful. I'm not sure what (sit) really means here but I'm going to take it to mean to sit around and do things, anything that is not of GOD like ridicule others or cause any type of pain to other.

Thanks.

 

9/27/2014 1:51 am  #4


Re: Psalms

Psalm 2

So funny how people wanted to be free from the chains of God. There is nothing to be free from because everything God asks of us always makes us happier in the long run than doing as the world does, and God has given us so much power within. We just need to tap into it through prayer, meditation and reading his word.

 

9/27/2014 7:40 pm  #5


Re: Psalms

Psalm 2

The first and last verses spoke to me.  The nation rages at the Lord and his anointed are being opposed, yet instead of worrying (as we do), God looks at how they are raging, plotting against him and laugh…lol. He does not get upset, he just laughs and sits in the heavens and laughs.. oh how sweet it is.. and in closing he says, blessed are those who put their trust in Him. We need to depend on God, put our trust in God so we can be blessed (joy, happy, fortunate).

Lord, teach me how to depend on you more.

 

9/28/2014 7:14 pm  #6


Re: Psalms

itsjenniferrose and NLWnMD,

I loved how you two focused on the futility of the world trying to thwart God's purposes
and to be free from God's authority in their lives.  So true, this world does want to be free from any authority and check to their own fleshly desires and they do rage against God's standards.
 

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9/28/2014 7:14 pm  #7


Re: Psalms

Psalms 2
 
vs 11-12
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. 
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
 
Kiss the Son:
      - Embrace discipline (Septuagint and Vulgate)
      - Receive instruction (Targum)
      - Symbolic act indicating allegiance and submission (John MacArthur)
      - Submit to God’s royal Son (NLT)
 
Put trust in Him
     - find protection in Him (NLT)
     - take refuge in Him (ESV, NIV)
 
Serve the Lord with reverent fear and rejoice with trembling.  Embrace discipline, receive instruction, give allegiance, and submit to God’s royal Son.  Blessed are all those whose hope is in Him, whose trust is in Him, who find protection in Him, who take refuge in Him.
 
Prayer
Lord, help me to put my hope in You – to focus on You as my source for everything I will ever want, desire, or need for now or in the future – to look to you as my source of life, as my best chance, as my salvation.
Help me to trust in Your plan and path for my life.  Help me to submit to You as sovereign King and ruler in my life and ruler of my heart’s desires.  Help me to embrace your discipline and listen to Your instructions, to be humble and willing to learn from your rebuke and not to push back against things that seem distasteful to me

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11/25/2014 8:46 am  #8


Re: Psalms

Psalms 3

Scripture
Verse 3: But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

Observation
-  God is our source of honor and the center of our hope.  (Bible notes)
-  God is the one who holds our head up and sustains us.

Application
1 Peter 2:23  When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to Him who judges justly.
 
When things seem to be going against us, we can know that we don’t need to lift ourselves up because God is the one we want to have the honor and that God will be the one to hold us up.
 
When it is difficult, we can remember that we can trust ourselves to Him who judges justly.

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11/25/2014 8:49 am  #9


Re: Psalms

Psalms 4

Verse 2: How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood?
Do we as believers turn God’s glory into shame by the way we live?  Do we love those things that are worthless?
 
Verse 3: But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
We are to be set apart (exclusively dedicated) to God and to live godly lives.
 
Verse 5: Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
We can think we are doing such a good job serving God because we are running here and there involved in various Church programs and ministries, but are we living a righteous life and are we holy in our heart attitudes and thoughts.  God wants the sacrifices of our righteous lives, not our external religious activities.
 
Psalm 51:16-17:
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.
 

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11/28/2014 8:59 am  #10


Re: Psalms

Psalms 5 

Scripture
Verses 1-3
Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.  Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You do I pray.  O LORD, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch.  [My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. (NKJV)]
 
Observation
I see someone whose deepest desires are for the Lord.  The first thoughts of the day are for God and for a longing to know and be known by God.  The writer directs his heart and mind towards God and sets his eyes and hope on God as he waits for God.
 
Application
It is not only OK, it is real relationship to cry out honestly to God in our despair.
 
Even if we don’t do our devotional, reading, or study first thing, it is still good to have the first thoughts of our morning turn to God even before we raise from our beds, our thoughts go towards the Lord.  Do we really long for God?  Are our hearts and minds set on looking to Him?  Do we look to God and place our patient hope in Him each day?  Do we long to call out to God and meet Him, and know Him? Is that our greatest longing when we open our eyes, to know God and to be in His presence?
 
Prayer
Oh Lord give me a heart for You.  Cultivate in me a desire for only You.  Give me a sweet time of intimacy and fellowship each morning as I remind myself of You majesty, presence, love and truth in my life.  May I walk uprightly before you.
 
Scripture
Verse 4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.
Verse 7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
 
Observation
Evil and unrighteousness cannot come before God.  But regardless of our sins and unworthiness, we can come confidently before the Lord because of His great mercy in covering and atoning for our sins and reckoning us as righteous in Him.  Praise God.

Hebrews 4:14-16
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
 
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. (NLT)
 
Application
May we live worshipful and serve Him in reverent awe.

Last edited by TBG (11/28/2014 9:07 am)

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