Psalm 112:1, 7 & 8

1.How blessed (happy!) is the person who:

• Respects, reveres, and lives in awe of Yahweh!

• Delights in & finds much pleasure in His Word!

So contrary to what the world may say, true, lasting happiness and joy is found in the Lord, not anywhere else.

2. The phrase “they will have no fear” is repeated twice in 2 verses (v7&8). It must be important!

How nice would it be to truly live without fear? To never be anxious; to never worry  about what’s coming; to never entertain the scary what-ifs??  A relationship with the Lord offers this. Why? How? (See #3 & 4 below)

3. Those who fear the Lord and delight in His commands have:

• Steadfast hearts that trust the Lord

The Hebrew word used here for steadfast (kun) describes something that is firmly established, stable, and secure. When our hearts are completely convinced that God is  who He says He is and will do what He says He will do, there is no leftover space for worry or fear. Even when things get shaky, our hearts stand firm. We trust, and He comes through. Might not be easy, but it’s extremely simple. 

4. Those who fear the Lord and delight in His commands have:

• Secure hearts that can be assured of victory

The Hebrew word used here for secure (samak) is an action word that means to lean or lay or rest on something solid in order to be supported or sustained. 

So those who revere God, love His Word, and totally trust Him are, in essence, leaning on Him for rest. They are relying on Him for support and sustenance. And they are continually being upheld by God. Whoa. I mean, who better to trust? Who better to lean on? 

And to top it all off, hearts that trust God to sustain them can be assured of victory, for there is no one like our God. There is no other Rock; I know not one. He cannot be shaken or stopped or defeated. (Whew! If that don’t light your fire, you’re wood’s wet!)

The bottom line is, those who fear the Lord have no fear. Sign me up!

The Sinful Census (2 Sam 24)

Ever read a passage in the Bible and think to yourself, “Wait. What? I don’t get it.” ?

I felt this just the other day when I was reading about King David’s life and reign in 2 Samuel 24. The chapter starts out saying:
1 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”

David’s lead commander obeys, but he’s obviously more than a little hesitant. And then later in chapter 24, verse 10 says:
David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

I had to stop reading and do some reaserach because I had so many questions! But the main thing I wondered was:

What is up with this census thing? Why did David’s commander try to talk him out of it? Why is counting people such a big deal? And why does David feel bad about it later?

So it turns out, back during the desert wandering years, Yahweh gave specific directions to the Israelites and their leaders about when and how to take a census. (See Exodus 30:12) Basically, a census only needed to be taken when God commanded it. And when taking a God-initiated census, an offering was made for each man counted. In the ancient near eastern culture of the Old Testament, a man only counted what belonged to him. If a man counted something or someone, it demonstrated his ownership of those things or people.

So the main thing is this: the Israelites belonged to God, not David. As King, David knew God’s commands (like the rules about census-taking), so he knew better than to take this census.

This particular counting of the people was sinful because:
- it was David’s idea & initiative, not God’s
- it treated the Israelites as David’s possession instead of God’s
- it stemmed from pride (David wanted to count the fighting men)
- it followed David’s policies & procedures, not God’s (David didn’t ask the people to follow through with the atonement offering)

Fortunately, David realizes his mistake and repents (which is a pattern in David’s life. He’s far from perfect, but when he’s confronted with his sin, he goes straight to God, humbles himself, and asks for forgiveness). However, despite David’s confession and apology, there are still consequences for him, his family, and the entire nation.

It’s a fascinating narrative. If you haven’ read it before, you should. It’s a great reminder that:
- knowing and obeying God’s commands can prevent tons of trouble and strife
- humility, confession & repentance are essential if we are to stay close to God as sinful people
- God’s gracious forgiveness does not make us exempt from consequences

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.