A Scripture for Today, November 23rd, 2023

According to Fred H. Wight, author of “Mannners and Customs of Bible Lands”, it was customary for the Jews in ancient times  to have a second prayer of thanks at the end of the meal. Their authority for this

was Deuteronomy 8:10. That is included in the Scripture for today.And this is an interesting passage.

“A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

 As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 8:9-20

A Scripture for Today, Thanksgiving Day 2022

I remember reading in a book about the manners and customs of Bible lands, that it was custom in Israel to pray and give thanks after a meal. They used the following Scripture for this reasoning.  There are dangers that come when we are full. And it is good to remember to thank the Lord.

“When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

 As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 8:10-20

A Scripture for Today, March 8th, 2022

“I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30

Day by Day

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

If God promised to supply all of our needs why doesn’t He give us an abundance of things?

“And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3

The Psalmist wrote, “[F]eed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Proverbs 30:7-9

A very real and sad truth is that if we are left to ourselves we tend to go our own way, and forget the Lord God who made us. When we get too much stuff we start depending on that and not on the Lord.

King  Nebuchadnezzar observing the kingdom of Babylon forgot it was the Lord who gave him all this.

“At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” Daniel 4:29-30

Ezekiel reads, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” Ezekiel 16:49-50

It is interesting to note that a cause of the fall of the Roman Empire is attributed to “bread and circuses” by historians and one of their own poets “Juvenal”.

When the Lord doesn’t give His people an abundance of things, He might be preserving us from destruction. Sometimes by not giving us an abundance the Lord is giving us what we need so that we don’t forget Him. When the Lord gives us day by day our bread we more readily realize that it is Him that gave it to us.

Deuteronomy chapter eight reads “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:  Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;  Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.” Deuteronomy 8:11-19

Reading these verses, makes me think of the fact that the Lord has done so much for America. We have so much to thank Him for. We have more than any nation in history, even our poor people. One thing the Pilgrims did when they came over is hold a feast of thanksgiving to the Lord for all that He did for them. More than ever it seems like we are forgetting what the Lord has done for us. Thanksgiving is a day set up specifically to remember and thank the Lord for what He has done for America, and at this time it seems especially fitting that we thank and praise the Lord Jesus for what He has given us and what He has done for us.

 

God bless you all this day.

 

 

 

“Precious Memories of Tremendous Blessings”: A Scripture for Today by Harold Cosby

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to become a member of a website called Cross-Connextions. There I made the acquaintance of Pastor Harold Cosby,  pastor of Harmony Baptist Church in Battlecreek Michigan.

He became one of the greatest blessings in my life, and he was a dear friend to me and my family.

He wrote shared this “scripture for today”, and spoke on thanksgiving, and shared memories from his past. There is so much to learn here, I urge you to read it.

This has been saved on my computer for a few years, and I am sharing it  today.

A Scripture For Today – November 29,. 2014
Published by: Harold Cosby GLBMA on 29th Nov 2014 

8   O that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

9   For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

10   Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;

11   Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12   Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.

13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

14   He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and brake their bands in sunder.

15   O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

– – Psalm 107:8-15

–   –   –

1   O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

2   For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin:  a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

3   Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.

4   For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

5   Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud:  the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

6   And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of winds on the lees well refined.

7   And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.

8   He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth:  for the LORD hath spoken it.

9   And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us:  this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

10   For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.

11   And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim:  and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.

12   And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.

– – Isaiah 25:1-12

COMMENT:

Today’s scripture readings calls for PRAISE  to the Lord for good  reason.  He is Good and He does good things toand for  us mortals–the children of men.

Do you ever think about the fact that the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are so often referred to as ‘the children of Israel?’

When obviously they included mostly adults, some of them very old in years.  Yet they were referred to as ‘children’.  Even when they had become a nation they were still referred to as ‘the children of Israel.’

Even today adults are sometimes referred to as children of their parents.  For example, we might say that Jim and Sarah have six childen.  Or when a parent passes away and leaves all his or her belongings to his or her children.  It has nothing to do with age.  It has to do with relationship.

One of the truths repeated frequently in prophecy, including today’s scripture, is the judgment against the enemies of God’s children.  Moab is the example in today’s lesson.

God cares for His own and will judge those who are their enemies.  It may not occur at the moment we might choose.  It will come when God knows it is best.

It is appropriate to refer to saved people of all ages as ‘the children of God.’  If you are saved ‘you’re His child and He cares for you.’

The reference to ‘children of men’ is similar in context.  We are but mortals.  Human beings.  We are creatures of God’s own making.

Being the ‘children of men’ does not in any way diminish God’s love for us.  Read John 3:16 and reflect that He’s talking about loving the children of men.

That does not make us worthy of, or entitle us to His blessings.  Yet He loves us and cares for us.

He is absolutely Good.  And in His goodness He does so much for us.  Homes we live in.  Clothing that we wear.  Food that we eat.

Compare the blessings we enjoy today with the few conveniences that the Pilgrims had on that first Thanksgiving 393 years ago.

Compare the advantages we have in life with what our parents, grandparents, or great grandparents had a little more than a  hundred years ago.

When I was growing up we had a neighbor who was about 6 years older than my Dad.  He told me of the first automobile that passed through the community.  He was a youngster then.  He said he ran a half mile just to see the tracks left by that car.

He didn’t see the car itself, as it passed through the community.  He only got to see the tracks it left in the dirt.

 Even that was a blessing!

Another friend, a deacon in the church where I grew up, said he got to see that first car in the community.

We have come to take so many things for granted that we forget how to appreciate them.

We don’t think much about how great electricity is and the conveniences it brings into our lives until the power goes off as the result of a storm, an accident, or some other unexpected event that breaks the power line or trips a safety switch.

The lights go out.  TV’s and refrigerators don’t work.  Then we wonder why.  And all too often our reaction is one of frustration or even anger instead of appreciation for what we are blessed with.

We don’t think to appreciate the vehicle in our driveway or garage until it won’t start, breaks down, or we have a flat tire.  Even then our first reaction is all to often irritation or anger instead of thanks for our blessings.

I have lived long enough that I recall seeing a wagon being pulled by oxen.  And my Dad was driving the oxen.  I was two years old.

I’ve ridden many miles in mule drawn, steel tired wagons.  A rubber tired wagon was a luxury only a few could afford.

When there were only a couple of people in a community of several miles who owned a car.  And no one I knew owned a truck.  It was a rare thing to have a motor vehicle pass by our home.  The roads were dirt roads.

Even progress does not at first seem to be a blessing to all.  Gravel on the roads became more common, and getting stuck in the mud was not as likely,  This progress made the ride rougher for those in steel tired wagons.  Harder on the feet or mules and horses,   And rougher on the feet of those who walked–especially if you were walking barefoot.  Not everyone could afford shoes the year round.

Neither of my grandparents ever owned a motor vehicle.  And they were in their 60’s before they ever had a radio in their homes.

My first remembrance of seeing an electric light is when I was about four years old.  And I was eight when we first lived in a house that had electric lights.  And for some time there were no electric appliances in the home.  The electric bill was $1.00 each month.

I was in high school before we ever had a refrigerator or a washing machine.  There was never a TV in the house until after I had moved away from home.
We have so many conveniences.  And so little appreciation.

But the comforts of the multitude of material things and conveniences are the least of our blessings.

God’s presence.  His love.  His mercy.  His grace.  The provision of a Saviour.  Personal salvation to any and all who repent and trust Him.
We also live in a land where we still have some freedoms that are greater than most if not all other people in the world have.

Free education in our public schools.  OH, I know we pay taxes.  Perhaps too many and too much.  And I’m sure a  lot of our tax monies could be better spent on things that would be more beneficial.  But we still get more than

The privilege of choosing which church to go to.  Freedom to worship as we believe God wants us to.   I remember when my parents bought our first Bible.  I was about six years old.  Not everyone could  afford to buy one.

There are still people in the world who don’t have the privilege of owning a Bible.

Look at what the messages are in today’s scriptures.

God judges and disciplines His children.  He blesses them with these.  There is hardly any conceivable blessing for ‘children’ greater than corrective discipline.  The folk proverb, ’Spare the rod and spoil the child’ is still true in principle.  Even if it is outlawed in most jurisdictions.

Men have tried to outlaw God.  But it doesn’t work very well.  He’s still God.  And His will is still more powerful than the will of man.

When the sinner repents (whether it’s a saved sinner or a lost sinner) there comes blessings that far exceed all our sins.

Verse 14 of Psalm 107 says, ‘He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death. . .’

How often do we stop and take time to remember this deliverance from hoplessness and condemnation.

Verse 8 of Isaiah 25 proclaims, ‘He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces;  and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth. . .’

We’ve observed it before, but it’s always worth repeating.

For God’s people, those who believe and trust in Him, there is a better time ahead.  Greater things in the future than anything we have or have had.

Don’t you agree that we really have much to praise Him for?

Praise Ye the LORD!  Great things He has done!  And  GREATER things He will do at the time that He has appointed.

The judgment of the Lord is not a negative thing for those who trust Him.
It’s only negative is to those who choose not to trust Him, but to reject Him, and to reject the better things that He offers.

It is so foolish to reject Him!  And to reject all that He has to give.  By  so doing they choose the negative.

What a joy to believe and know!

Those of us who know Him have had wonderful things to rejoice about already.  Precious memories of tremendous blessings.  How can we forget?

But still even greater and more wonderful blessings that we can only begin to imagine lie ahead.  Words of human understanding are inadequate to explain what God has in store for those who trust Him.

God bless and protect you through this holiday season!

And may He give you joy beyond belief!