May 26, 2022
1SAMUEL 15:
Jonathan saved the day! He and his faithful
armor bearer kind of took a leaf out of Gideon's play book and
agreed on a sign that would show what God wanted them to do—
although they didn't ask for confirmation like Gideon did. They
took the adventure God set before them and won an amazing victory,
and God worked with them by causing panic among the Philistines.
After lapses and dithering at the beginning, Saul went on to be a
great military leader. Note that Ahijah, the priest, is Eli's
grandson.
PSALM 99:
Take
off your sandals, because this ground is holy! Enjoy this psalm
proclaiming God’s majesty and holiness.
ROMANS 5—6:4:
God’s ways are always counter-intuitive for
humans. One would think that if one is right with God and at peace
with him, that everything would be smooth sailing from then on,
with health, wealth, and prosperity. God shows his love for us by
treating us like sons and heirs— meaning, He gives us problems and
trials to cause us to grow and better reflect his glory. There is a
wonderful side to Christ's dying for us and being resurrected: He
lives now and is deeply involved in continuing to help us. At the
end of the chapter Paul draws important comparisons and contrasts
between Adam and Christ.
GNT Translation notes:
[I have modified the GNT so that this whole
psalm will be understood as speaking to God, as does the
CEV.]
Ps. 99:1 [You, Lord, are king//The Lord is
king],
and the people
tremble.
[You
sit on your//He sits on his] throne above the winged
creatures,
and the earth
shakes.
2
[You, O Lord, are//The Lord is] mighty in Zion;
[You
are//he is] supreme over all the nations.
3
Everyone will praise [your//his] great and majestic
name.
[You are holy!//Holy is he!]
…
6
Moses and Aaron were [your//his] priests,
and Samuel was one who prayed to
[You//him];
they called
to [You, Lord, and You//the Lord, and he] answered
them.
7 [You//He] spoke to them from the pillar of
cloud;
hey obeyed the
laws and commands that [You//he] gave them.
====
Rom.
5:1 Now that we have been put right with God through
[believing//faith], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
2 He has brought us by [means if
our believing//faith] into this experience of God's grace, in which
we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God's
glory!
20 Law was introduced [in order
that people might realize how greatly they have sinned//in order to
increase [mankind’s awareness of] wrongdoing]; [But as people
sinned more and more, God's grace became even more abundant.//but
where sin increased, God's grace increased much more. ]
21 [NLT So just as sin ruled
over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful
grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and
resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.//So then,
just as sin ruled by means of death, so also God's grace rules by
means of righteousness, leading us to eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.