Proverbs 28 ~ When the righteous triumph, there is great glory

Proverbs 28


The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long continue.
3 A poor man who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law strive against them.
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit
gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.
9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.
10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way
will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
17 If one is burdened with the blood of another,
he will be a fugitive until death;
let no one help him.
18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,
but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.
19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is not good,
but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
22 A stingy man hastens after wealth
and does not know that poverty will come upon him.
23 Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
than he who flatters with his tongue.
24 Whoever robs his father or his mother
and says, “That is no transgression,”
is a companion to a man who destroys.
25 A greedy man stirs up strife,
but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
28 When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.

Lucy did discover He is not a tame Lion

You have to love the Word of God. There is so much good soil for willing seeds to grow. Now the people who let life cover them up. Well, you have to wonder if they do meth, or crack their head a lot.

The Bible is like the Vineyard the Vinedresser told us about. You have to dig and you have to look with gratitude. 


Proverbs 28

The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.

To make changes in life - you have to be very honest about not accepting when things are not working for you. Putting up, with a little halo, can mean saying yes to paths better not traveled at all. 


For example,  a young wife works all the time and her husband lets her. I guarantee, in middle age, this solution has a well worn path unchanging and not accepted in middle age.
And a well taken care of wife is never, exactly, pleased with the luxury life affords her. In middle age, the wife keeps the house and the rest of the family lives more or less happily in an apartment.
We have to complain when we need change and press hard with prayer.
2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long continue.

Parents need to show respect for one another when this is good for the family. Not when children are told a bear will eat them.

3 A poor man who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.

In the United States, we are working harder and harder to be allowed to have fewer luxuries -  like houses our grandparents paid for in cash. Or a car. Or a college education. Currently, we have people so unhappy they blowup and kill people with guns and, here in Houston, with knives.  

Gun control, wake up. It's a farce. No one on earth could collect all the guns owned in the United States of America. It's the farce of  - we let you keep a Constitutional Amendment - yay - while the country sinks into what Pope Francis says the real conflict is - the United States sinks into a form of communism. Our country is becoming very poor.

4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law strive against them.

5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

Our Constitution allows State Legislators to propose Constitutional Amendments  for needed things like this - Term limits to those who make laws.  The Congress should follow the laws they give us. Line Item Veto. The laws should not 'Frequently' turn into the tangled mess President Ronald Reagan threw on the floor of Congress, during his State of the Union Address. Line Item Veto is needed; lobbyists destroy the law. Article Five of the Constitution.  

8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit
gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

Cornelius Vanderbilt knew this and it made him furious generations in advance.The Kennedy's live this today.

9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.

Where is our freedom of speech in prayer?

10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way
will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
Jesus Christ chose to come into the world, when the upright were not so upright. Strive for the goodly inheritance of giving mercy in a cynical world.

11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

 Confession is good for the soul. Open communication is Psalm 39. 
My heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue


14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

A hard heart is not pleasing to Father God. He is described in completion as a God of Love.

15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

Saul was and example. Then David continued to be merciful, even to the men who ran up to him only after he was king. He was a shepherd to them.

16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
17 If one is burdened with the blood of another,
he will be a fugitive until death;
let no one help him.
18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,
but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

A life lived with meaning creates more harmony and gives life abundantly. David lived this. Solomon was told to build the Temple. All the people of Scripture discovered the path of the godly has frustration. They 'just' overcame believing He would help them. Jesus loves faith. Jesus does miracles with faith.

19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

We have shortened the phrase to this and we smile. 
Play golf often enough, the luckier you get.
 
21 To show partiality is not good,
but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

We've seen this in our culture, people are killed for their tennis shoes.
 
22 A stingy man hastens after wealth
and does not know that poverty will come upon him.

Cat Stevens sang about this in the song, "Cat in the Cradle."

Ecclesiastes 11:1
Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.

Galatians 6:7-8
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.



 
23 Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
than he who flatters with his tongue.
24 Whoever robs his father or his mother
and says, “That is no transgression,”
is a companion to a man who destroys.

My brother, working in law enforcement as a Assistant District Attorney said many problems stem from parents telling their children constantly that bad behavior is excusable or dismissing punishment.
 
25 A greedy man stirs up strife,
but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
 26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
28 When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.

Sometimes in life, we are forced to turn the other cheek. Not as He would hope. And we learn to turn these things over to Him. Not is defeat, but in Victory. His.
 

1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

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Psalm 9 ~ he Lord has made Himself known; He has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Psalm 9

A Psalm of David.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13 Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah

17 The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah




The Word is important because we cannot know Father GOD without His Word.

Numbers 23:19
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

James 4:5
Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?


Many times when we look to Scripture, we are in difficulty in life. Sometimes we are awake in the middle of the night with things disturbing our peace. We want our lives to change. In HIS path, in His Good Will.

David sounds so sure in Psalm Nine. David is on a journey. We are seeing with David, in faith - He is interested. Events unfold in HIS plan, path, and His Will. David is about to tell us part of our determination and steps to see our lives in faith.

We begin at why we open the Scriptures....

1 Peter 4:12
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you

Acts 14:22
Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God



Do the Scriptures journey, giving us our lives as a road to walk along with Jesus? Will the concept hold up?

Deuteronomy 1:40
But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.

Deuteronomy 2:24
‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle.'

Judges 18:6
And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.”

1 Kings 19:4
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

1 Kings 19:7
And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”


We see God does know the Journey is gentle, encouraging, swift, fierce overwhelming and He understands.




And Jesus, did He journey? Did Father God see fit to record a journey?

Luke 2:44
But supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances




God says our prayer life is a journey.

Luke 11:5-10

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.



David is giving us basic steps to Journeying with the Lord. He leans upon the Lord. He trusts God to be his Father God. Whatever situation David comes upon on the run, living in caves, meeting kings, taking work, becoming almost king and being set aside for a concubine's son of Saul's. David is walking the adventure, doing as Paul said, "Seeing how it will go with me."

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart

I will recount (the Lord has not brought me this far to drop me on my head)

I will be glad and exult in You

I will sing praise

The Lord sits enthroned forever

He judges the world with righteousness




Acts 17:11
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Acts 17:28
For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’


John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

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Psalm 18:1-20 ~ I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies

Psalm 18:1-20

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.



This Psalm of David is rejoicing with an overflowing heart in the mercy of God. This passage remembers the deliverance of the children of Israel. Written 1,000 years before Jesus’ death, verses 8 to 14 describe the earthquake & events after Jesus forgave us and dismissed His Spirit. Because Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit, the psalm is about us, individually. In our day of trouble, we call out to Him and He saves us forever.

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1 Peter 4:7-11 ~ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:7-11

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.


The Scriptures are just like your beloved parent. The advice and lessons continue in a circular pattern, because we are so involved with our own lives - we need Father God to talk to us.


We sometimes wonder, in all different events in our lives, if God is interested. The Deist Theory of God - He gave us all this goodness and explains HE steps back very far. Nothing is farther than the Truth than this. God loves us dearly, and as we keep talking to HIM, our journey is like the song in "Godspell."

Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day

Luke 9:57
As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

As we journey the great adventure, taking disciples in all places, we begin to see HIM more apparently.

Is God interested? Is GOD Interested!!!

Psalm 139
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.


Romans 8:27
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.

Genesis 16:13
She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."

Psalm 33:11
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Psalm 40:5
Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

1 Corinthians 14:40
But all things should be done decently and in order.

 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:10
These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

1 Corinthians 12:11
All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

1 Corinthians 14:1
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

Elisha asked of the LORD, for more of the Holy Spirit. He did Not say gift to me more blessings. The Lord understanding Elisha wanted more to proclaim HIS Glory, had the Holy Spirit increase. Let Your will be done on earth, asking Father God, please let me bring Heaven here in this life. David did this by going out of his way to let goodness and mercy be what his life brought others. Elisha knew these gifts not to be warm and fuzzy but His Path.

Elisha was willing to go farther. Helping Elijah who was sometimes irritable and overwhelming.

To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 6:17-20 The Message

13-18 When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!” Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.

18-20 We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.

Romans 15:5-6
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40:1
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God


Luke 4:16-19
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

There are many reasons to let the Word of God live, move and have the holiness dwell within.

Isaiah 66:13
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."

2 Corinthians 7:4
I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

2 Thessalonians 2:14-17
To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
  
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

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Psalm 12 ~ O Lord, you will keep us safe

Psalm 12

1 Help, LORD, for the godly are no more;

the faithful have vanished from among men.
2 Everyone lies to his neighbor;

their flattering lips speak with deception.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips

and every boastful tongue
4 that says, "We will triumph with our tongues;

we own our lips —who is our master?"
5 "Because of the oppression of the weak

and the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise," says the LORD.

"I will protect them from those who malign them."

6 And the words of the LORD are flawless,

like silver refined in a furnace of clay,

purified seven times.

7 O LORD, you will keep us safe

and protect us from such people forever.
8 The wicked freely strut about

when what is vile is honored among men.

1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Here are some of the encouraging words:

Matthew 27: 50
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Flavius Josephus (37 - 100 AD) Jewish general and member of the Jewish priestly aristocracy, turned to the Roman Empire during the destruction of Jerusalem 70 AD. Josephus moved to Rome as historian to three caesars. 1 Antiquities, Book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3 (translated from 4th century Arabic manuscript). An even more phenomenal Greek version of this text exists 325 AD, which some scholars declare was doctored. It is the sole portion of Josephus' work to be questioned and the critics also claim Jesus is a myth. "Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day. "

The text in 93 AD is undisputed, the book Jewish Antiquities by Josephus. It contains at least one reference to "James, the brother of Jesus called the Christ." Josephus records the death of James in this description ~ it is significant that the most reliable and famous historian of world history in this time period writes as an independent historian & is a man raised as aristocracy in the second temple in Jerusalem.

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Psalm 78:1-39 ~ forgot His works and the wonders that He had shown them

Ipuwer Papyrus

Psalm 78:1-39

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.

5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow,
turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's covenant,
but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot his works
and the wonders that he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders
in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters stand like a heap.
14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a fiery light.
15 He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of the rock
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?”

21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
22 because they did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven,
24 and he rained down on them manna to eat
and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of the angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained meat on them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 he let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29 And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
30 But before they had satisfied their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed the strongest of them
and laid low the young men of Israel.

32 In spite of all this, they still sinned;
despite his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in terror.
34 When he killed them, they sought him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being compassionate,
atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes and comes not again.


Jeremiah 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great things, and difficult, which thou knowest not.

Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Galatians 3:6,7
Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

~ 11 They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.

Numbers 1:46 How many people in the Exodus
all those listed were 603,550.

According to the Exodus, the people of faith grumbled during the 10 plagues and doubted Moses, but believed much sooner than the Pharaoh. The Ipuwer Papyrus, the papyrus in the Leiden Museum in Holland, an eyewitness Egyptian angrily saw the 10 plagues as a human failure of government to control the environment.

The Egyptian writing Ipuwer was angry enough to catalog the disasters, perhaps to insure future disasters should be better regulated, and the response more sure. In typical dynastic empowerment, the Pharaoh’s name is obliterated in the Ipuwer, but the events were terrible enough to keep the reminder. Egyptians wanted to remember.

The children of Israel forgot Father God’s power every time trouble came to them. But God tells them He has not forgotten them, many future generations will hear of His help and His love.



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Psalm 91 ~ Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge —

Matthew 17:20
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”



Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge —
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

My grandmother Anita surprised all of us, the trip we took her to Vicksburg, Mississippi. She was about ninety years old, she ran up and down the steep slopes waving her arms and out talking the guide who rode in the car with us. She explained monuments I'd seen for years.

We have several books on Vicksburg. The stunningly manicured yards in the photos show bombardment and death. We also have my great,great grandmother's dining room wallpaper used for the last Vicksburg newspaper produced on dining room wall paper. The Daily Citizen. Thursday, July 2nd, 1863. The title starts out, "No longer will southerns dine on fricasseed kitten and fried mule". The kitten mentioned belonged to great-great grandmother Sarah. (Talk about your lack of forgiveness, my grandmother said she never said the word Yankee without Damn in front if it; swearing you'd have to get her to celebrate July 4th in Heaven before she would celebrate that.)

Psalm 91 conjures up imaginations of emotions evoked. Seeing people around you fall in a hail of lead bullets. Being trapped in fox holes.

The longing for protection. For dawns' early light.

There are many times in life battles like these occurred. We own several Roman early A.D. coins from ebay; soldiers took coins, buried them before battle, there were not banks nearby, and never returned to them.

And because the Scriptures repeat as the Lord explains to us again, we have several times this shield, these promises are repeated.

John 14:12-14
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Psalm 61:3
For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

Proverbs 14:26
Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.

When daylight comes and life resumes, one would be shocked. And like the Children of Israel, in the Exodus, wonder how they would be continually sustained. The journey is discovering the Lord is not just a physical shield, but a lifter of heads. God is like that. He does not blow His own trumpet. Instead He allows us the joy of discovering the mysteries in life.

The Gospel. The Bible. The Scriptures. Are the Word of God. The unfolding mystery is for us to live in hope, faith and love. His Word is good. His promises are sure. Jesus Christ the LORD saves and redeems us.

The only gift we can return to HIM is gratitude. With goodness, mercy, the willingness to pray when we have a quiet moment or driving down the road. Because in Him  - we live, move and have our being.

Psalm 40

A Psalm of David.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.

4 Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.

6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

9 I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.

11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!


Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

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John 17:20-26 ~ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:20-26

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”


For those who will believe in me through their word.


Matthew 10:32
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven

Luke 15:10
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Revelation 3:5
The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Evidently, God thinks our words are important.

1 Corinthians 14:2-4
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

Hebrews 6:18
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.



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