In today’s Old Testament reading, the Philistines misinterpreted their victory over the nation of Israel. Since they didn’t understand God’s sovereignty, they presumptuously thought their god Dagon had defeated Israel’s God. When God responded clearly to their false assumptions, they came up with an elaborate, though foolish, plan to make amends. It involved an offering of “golden tumors,” among other things. Though our attempts may look different, we often believe that we need to offer God our own “golden tumors” or some other act of contrition. But what is it He actually wants?
And in today’s New Testament reading, Jesus reminds us that we need to be ready and watching for His return. So, how can we know if we are ready?
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day,” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here or subscribe on YouTube.
Today’s Readings:
1 Samuel 6 & 7
Psalm 55.1-8
Proverbs 15.14
Luke 21.20-38
Golden Tumors & Contrite Hearts
1 Samuel 6 & 7:
Golden Tumors
In yesterday’s reading, God had allowed the Philistines to defeat the nation of Israel and capture the ark of God. The Philistines mistakenly thought their god Dagon was responsible for the victory and that he had defeated the God of Israel, but they soon learned differently.
When they placed the ark in Dagon’s temple, they came back to find the statue of Dagon had fallen over. When they put it back in its place, it happened again but this time its head and hands were broken off. And when they moved the ark, the people themselves were plagued with tumors and death.
They soon realized they needed to return it to Israel! So they made an elaborate plan to do so. Part of the plan included a sacrifice of five golden tumors and five golden rats as a representation of and payment for their sin.
Can you imagine having to announce your sin to everyone? It reminded me of the woman in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel The Scarlet Letter. She had to wear a giant scarlet “A” sewn to her dress so everyone would know she was an adulteress.
Our Sacrifices, Contrite Hearts
Aren’t you glad God made a provision for us to humbly come to Him and confess our sins, instead of commanding us to display golden images of our “tumors” (1 Jn. 1.9)? Jesus allowed Himself to be publicly displayed and humiliated so we don’t have to be.
There are times when we do need to confess our sins to others and rare times when our sin has affected a larger group and we need to go “public” with our confession and repentance, but the only sacrifices required are contrite hearts (Ps. 51.17).
Merely saying “I’m sorry” isn’t enough, though. We must humbly ask God and those we have hurt to forgive us. Then we are to bear the fruit of repentance (Matt. 3.8; Lk. 3.8)—make the changes necessary to demonstrate a changed heart!
Luke 21.20-38:
He’s Coming Back … Are You Ready?
Here in our New Testament reading, verses 25-33 talk about the importance of watching for Christ’s return.
And verse 34 says:
But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
It’s important that we understand the balance between truth and grace in our lives. While we do live in an age of grace where God has offered the free gift of forgiveness through faith in His Son, and where we can trust the truthfulness of verses like 1 John 1.9, we should not live as if there will not be a day when Jesus will come back as the Righteous Judge.
At Christ’s second coming, there will be many who say:
‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then [He] will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matt. 7.22-23).
If we are truly His, there should be a desire to live a righteous life, to grow and change, to fellowship with His people, and an excitement about His return. Paul told the Corinthians:
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (2 Cor. 13.5).
The test is fruitfulness. Though no amount of good works can save us, nor can any amount of “golden tumors” pay the debt we owe for our sin, if we are truly saved, we will live a changed life (Eph. 2.8-10)!
Are You Ready?
Don’t let pride or fear keep you from that assurance and risk hearing those words, “I never knew you!”
Talk to a pastor or someone you know who is a faithful follower of Christ. Or you can check out one of the following posts:
“Could You Be a Christian in Name Only?”
“Do You Live with a Sense of Guilt?”
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 55.1-8:
Get Me Out of This Mess!
David prayed, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest” (v. 6).
Have you ever prayed, “Lord, please deliver me from this,” or “Lord, just get me out of this mess and I’ll never do _______ again”?
Just as in David’s life, there are times when He answers those prayers quickly and powerfully and other times when we must wait. Either way, we can know that He will be with us in every situation and use them for good (Rom. 8.28-29). He promises He will not allow any trial to be more than we can handle without sinning if we keep our eyes on Him and respond His way (Jn. 16.33; 1 Cor. 10.13).
Proverbs 15.14:
The Wise in Heart
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge …
When it comes to biblical truth and wisdom, ignorance is not bliss!
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about responding when you feel like you have let God down or when you feel like you continue to fight the same spiritual battle over and over and how to tell the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow.
I hope you’ll join us and if this post spoke to you, please share it on your favorite social media platform.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
What Is Your Plan to Grow Spiritually This Year?
I hope you’re reading through the Bible with me or you have another reading plan in place. If not, you can sign up for my daily email or subscribe here for the YouTube version.
Following along with me can help you stay on track. And I believe you’ll benefit from the additional information I share and grow as you learn to apply God’s Word to your own life.
Another way that we grow in our Bible knowledge and our ability to share our faith is through discipleship. I’ve linked our latest discipleship lesson, today’s Bible in a Year video, and the first lesson in a course my husband is teaching on YouTube called “Self-Confrontation.” If you’re not familiar with it, consider checking it out. It was life-changing for us when we first took the course 25 years ago, and it continues to impact our lives.
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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