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Ten Day 15 Insatiable

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 20:17
Deuteronomy 5:28-33
Matthew 5:27-30
Romans 13:8-14
Hebrews 13:1-6

Ten, Day 15

Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20:17 CSB

From His very first words when God spoke the world into existence, His heartbeat has been to point us always to our need for salvation. Our natural tendency is to grab hold of the specifics of the Law and the ten commandments, and miss the purpose of the entire thing. Mankind always has been and always will be incapable of upholding every facet of the Law; there has only ever been One Who could fulfill it, and His Name is Jesus Christ. That being said, the ten commandments and the Law illuminate our inescapable need for a Savior, and the sin which so easily entangles us. Each individual commandment serves a purpose: to slice through our will and perspective and shine the light of God’s absolute truth.

Every commandment is aimed at illuminating our heart posture, but most speak specifically to certain behaviours or outward expressions of obedience. To covet someone or something, however, is a different matter entirely. Merriam Webster defines “covet” as to wish for something earnestly, or to feel an inordinate desire for what belongs to another. This is sin which takes place primarily in the mind and heart. In other words, it’s mostly a secret sin.

The biblical language found in the Scripture above may at first make it fairly easy to shrug off conviction. Most of those things are pretty far removed from our current culture, after all.

But what if we look at this commandment in a different light? 

Here’s how I read it: Do not feel an immoderate desire for the things others possess. Do not be desirous of their spouse, or their children, or their financial situation. Do not wish earnestly for their abilities, or career, or gifts, or sense of humor, or health, or physique, or skin, or marriage, or family, or influence, or opportunities, or any other thing that I have allowed them to possess.

Woo. Ouch. It hurts because I’ve been guilty. I have been guilty of worshipping the idol of Self. I’ve fallen prey to the temptation to compare the details of my life with another.

Maybe you have, too.

Maybe you’ve experienced feelings of envy when a friend posts pictures of their new home.
Or wished your children could be as polite and well-behaved as hers.
Or wondered why you can’t have a marriage as steady as theirs.
Or dutifully listened to wedding plans, while longing for a relationship of your own.
Or sorted out how to praise God for their joy, while wrestling with why you are facing such loss.
Or listened to a friend’s testimony of healing, and wondered why He hasn’t done the same for you.

It’s not so easy to shrug off when we lean in closer, is it? And it’s multi-layered. Our culture is absolutely obsessed with feelings and self. Yet the Bible tells us that He clearly calls us to bring our feelings into alignment and instead be ruled only by our King, rather than by those feelings.

So how do we do that? If the ten commandments serve to illuminate sin and our need for a savior, how can we cooperate with what the Lord is revealing to us in each commandment? 

The short answer is…we can’t. No amount of our own willpower, self-discovery, or any other thing in our own strength will enable us to eradicate sin from our own lives. We are absolutely incapable of cleaning our hearts and lives from sin. Only Jesus can do that, through the power of the Holy Spirit in a fully surrendered life.

Beloved, THIS is the Gospel.

But what does that mean? How do we live a fully surrendered life?

Day by day. Hour by hour. Choice by choice.
And every one of those choices must flow from a personal, repentant relationship with Jesus Christ. If we surrender ourselves to Him, turn from our sin and acknowledge His righteousness, He will place His Spirit inside of us and equip us to follow Him the rest of our days.

As the Holy Spirit convicts us of individual, personal sins, we will each find ourselves at a crossroads. We will be at a moment of choice. We can either choose to walk in life: to acknowledge the sin He is highlighting, repent, and align ourselves with His Word, or we can choose death: to continue sinning.

May we each always choose life!

Father, You alone are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Your majesty is unmatched, Your love unceasing. I confess that I have coveted what You have given to others. I have compared what You have given me to what they have and have desired what does not belong to me. Forgive me, and cleanse my heart and mind. I don’t want to be ruled by my emotions and feelings any more. I want to be in alignment with You and what You are doing and saying. My life and all I have are Yours. In Jesus’ Name, amen. 

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Ten Day 12 The Deceit Of Not Enough: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Deceit Of Not Enough!

The Questions

1) How does the knowledge of the Lord’s salvation comfort the psalmist David? (verse 1)

2) Do these verses indicate that God will protect us from experiencing any and all trouble? (verses 2 and 5)

3) What did the David focus on when trouble surrounded him? (verse 4)

4) How do God’s commandments in Exodus relate to David’s feelings in this psalm?

Psalm 27:1-5

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—whom should I dread? 2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident. 4 I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. 5 For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.

Original Intent

1) How does the knowledge of the Lord’s salvation comfort the psalmist David? (verse 1)
Most Bible commentators and scholars state it is difficult to emphatically state the period in David’s life of this particular psalm. Like much of David’s writing, this psalm speaks of danger from enemies, foes, murderers, and battle. This situation seems to be common to his life. Here specifically, David is comforted by the thought that the Lord will keep him safe. If you have done much reading of David’s psalms, you will find a trend of his emotions riding a roller coaster. This is important to remember as you study his writings because David’s comfort often came from speaking truth over himself. He reminds his soul of certain unchanging realities about God. (Psalms 42-43, Psalm 103) It is his knowledge about God’s character that reassures his fearful heart and mind. David had been rescued by God before, and he trusted God would continue to save him. The wonderful picture here is that though he seems to be surrounded by trouble, he is able to be focused on his strong God. It is this experiential understanding of unshakeable truth that helps David rehearse and remember that the Lord is greater than his circumstances. Even if those circumstances include harmful outcomes.

2) Do these verses indicate that God will protect us from experiencing any and all trouble? (verses 2 and 5)
If we read these verses pulled away from other psalms and Scriptures, we may conclude the Lord promises His children protection from all harm and victory over every enemy. This would be an incorrect Scriptural conclusion. We learn from the apostle Paul’s encouragement to his friend, Timothy, that it is crucial for the Bible student to study all Scripture to discover who God is and what He is teaching. (2 Timothy 3:14-17) We do so because “whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.” (Romans 15:4). The psalms are reliable and useful because like many other Bible passages, they are marked by honesty. I tend to go to the New Testament for my doctrinal lessons and I overlook the gospel message God sprinkled through the pages of the Old. Yet, Old Testament passages like these, speak of God “humbly and artfully—poetically—because the divine mystery dwells beyond all language” and it speaks of the Lord “in mercy and judgment so as to free the world of sin and injustice.” (Old Testament professor Brent Strawn) The psalmist believed the Lord was his salvation. This went beyond his temporary circumstances.

3) What did the David focus on when trouble surrounded him? (verse 4)
David was a skillful warrior and had some impressive victories in his history. However, he looked to the Lord as the strength of his life. Bible commentator David Guzik said, “If we rarely know what it is to have God be the strength of our life, perhaps it is because we trust in so many other things for strength. We find it easy to trust in our wisdom, our experience, our friends, and our resources. David knew a strength greater than all of those.” (enduringword.com) As a poet would, David uses picturesque words to describe his confidence in God. When he thinks about the darkness around him, he recalls the Lord is light. When he considers his enemies, he rehearses his salvation and reminds his soul about the One who is the stronghold of his life. When he remembers how God had proven Himself reliable in the past, he speaks truth to his own heart about Him. Although there are psalms revealing David’s fear, these verses tell us he was confident that no one had the power to take his life apart from the authority of His good and gracious God. God alone was his stronghold despite his circumstances.

4) How do God’s commandments in Exodus relate to David’s feelings in this psalm?
In the Old Testament story of the exodus of the people of Israel, God gives the nation ten major laws. These laws were to instruct the Israelites how to obey and please God. The Bible tells us God Himself spoke to Moses and wrote with His own finger on tablets of stone. (Exodus 31:18) These commandments summarized the 600+ commandments included in the Law. David had learned the importance of rehearsing God’s commands to himself. (1 Kings 15:5) We know by reading his words throughout the psalms that even though David was not immune to anxiety, his knowledge of God’s commands encouraged him. Throughout Israel’s history, the people misunderstood the purpose of these commands. When God appointed David’s son as the king of Israel, Solomon asked God for wisdom. God granted his noble request. In the book of Proverbs, we have many of his wise principles guiding us on how to apply God’s commands and how they affect all the areas of our lives. (Proverbs 4:20-27) Although Solomon took the hard road and eventually rebelled against God, his conclusion on life gives insight into how God intended His commandments to guide us to depend on Him. (Ecclesiastes 12:12-14)

Everyday Application

1) How does the knowledge of the Lord’s salvation comfort the psalmist David? (verse 1)
Commentator Guzik said, “David’s confidence in God was battle-tested. He did not have fair-weather faith that lived in always-easy circumstances. This isn’t the joy of a man in a comfortable monastery; this is the song of a man who knew God’s goodness even in danger and despair.” This is the God I have come to know for myself! When I fear, when I doubt, when I fail, I recall God’s faithfulness. He comforts, He assures, and He forgives. The psalmist reminds us that those who trust in the Lord will be saved to an abundant way of living. “The righteous one will not fear bad news; their heart is confident, trusting in the Lord. their heart is assured; they will not fear. In the end they will look in triumph on their foes.” (Psalm 112:6-8) The apostle Paul believed this truth and declared, “I will continue to rejoice because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Philippians 1:19-20)

2) Do these verses indicate that God will protect us from experiencing any and all trouble? (verses 2 and 5)
The psalms of David are filled with adoration to God as his protector (Psalms 18, 54, 138). God protected and spared the life of Job also. (Job 1–3). Even though at times, both David and Job could not see God working behind the scenes for them, both came to understand God’s presence is sure and faithful because He promises His people, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) However, God’s promise and power to deliver us does not always mean our physical lives will be spared. Protecting us from trials is not always beneficial to us. Since “we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28), we our called to trust Him. Solomon’s wealth was a reward for his request for wisdom. But when wisdom and wealth became his idol, the blessings he had enjoyed became sorrows. Sister, God is for you. He is not bothered by our cries to Him for protection. I am thankful, though, that the essence of God’s protection is the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is always with us to help us trust and obey in our daily lives.

3) What did the David focus on when trouble surrounded him? (verse 4)
Commentator Albert Barnes said “though engaged in other things, and though there were other objects of interest in the world, [David] felt it would be supreme pleasure on earth to dwell always in the temple of God, and to be employed in its sacred services, preparatory to an eternal residence in the temple above. To him the service of God upon earth was not burdensome, nor did he anticipate that he would ever become weary of praising his Maker. How can a man be prepared for an eternal heaven who finds the worship of God on earth irksome and tedious?” In this psalm, David exemplifies where to place our focus amid trouble. Trials will come. We will be tempted to fear and let anxiety win. Yet, God is near. He remains our confidence. “Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now; He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now.” (Hymn by John H Stockton)

4) How do God’s commandments in Exodus relate to David’s feelings in this psalm?
Randy Alcorn said, “Our pleasure is won in the ‘Aha!’ moments of discovering firsthand why God’s ways really are best. The more we discover His ways and experience the goodness of His holiness, the less we will try to find happiness apart from Him.” By turning toward the Lord, David often found protection from his enemies. More than that, he was reminded of God’s faithfulness. The temple was the place David worshipped the One who created and sustained him. God’s presence is our comfort too. It is also our power. The psalmists found their delight in God’s presence and they found joy in His commandments. “Better a day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than live in the tents of wicked people. For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord grants favor and honor; He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity. Happy is the person who trusts in You, Lord of Armies!” (Psalm 84:10-12) “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction! Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart.” (Psalm 119:1-2)

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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