1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36, Romans 1:18-32, Psalms 10:1-15, Proverb 19:6-7
Today is the 13th day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s wonderful to be together around the Global Campfire today as we continue to move forward together on our adventure through the Bible. This week we are reading from the New Living Translation and working our way through the book of first Chronicles in the Old Testament, and we’ve just gotten started in the letter to the Romans in the New Testament. And, so, we will pick up the story there when we get there, but first, first Chronicles chapter 15 verse 1 through 16, verse 36.
Commentary:
Okay. Let’s talk a little bit about what is going on in the book of first Chronicles. And of course, this should sound somewhat familiar because we have been through some of these stories before. And, so, today we have the telling of the Ark of the Covenant being brought into the city of David. As we know from here in first Chronicles but also in the story that was told in second Samuel, that the ark was loaded onto an ox cart and carried toward the city of David and the oxen stumbled along the way and a man named Uzzah reached out to steady the cart and he died, touched the Ark of the Covenant and died, which brought fear into David and everybody else. We see here in today’s reading that they kinda figured it out. The Ark of the Covenant wasn’t to be carried on an ox cart or any sort of cart. The Ark of the Covenant as specified in the Mosaic law was to be carried by polls on the shoulders of the Levites. And once they did that, they were successful in bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the city of David. And it’s easy enough to read it and go like, who cares, you know lime we’re just kinda moving through this story, this historical account of bringing the Ark of the Covenant back into the city of David, who cares about this? But they cared about it. And as we look a little bit deeper here we should care about it to because God cared about it. And as we look spiritually into our own lives from the Scriptures, this isn’t unlike the story that we read, remember of Ballam and Balak the king of Moab when the children of Israel were still on their wilderness journey and the Moabites were freaking out and so they got Ballam to come and curse Jacob, Israel. But he couldn’t because God was not cursing them. And remember the king saying, well, come over here and look at it from this angle and maybe you can curse them from there. And, so, they built an altar, and he couldn’t curse them from there. Well come over here and look at it from this angle. And we talked about that from the perspective of our own lives, how we have a propensity to do stuff like that. We want something, we want to invoke God into getting this thing, we’re moving in this direction and maybe we’re feeling a check in our spirit or some resistance and so we just want to look at it from another angle until we can get the answer that we want. The story that we read today isn’t dissimilar. How the Ark of the Covenant was to be transported had been incorporated into the law. It was clearly established how this was supposed to be. But then thinking, well, we’re bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the holy city, so however we get it there let’s just get it there in one piece and let’s put it on this cart and carry it ended up being in disobedience to God, which allows us to look into our own lives and see the ways in which we want to invoke God and then do it our own way and then blame God if it doesn’t work out right. But it seems safe enough to say that in this story we learn a lesson that we can’t really invoke God if we’re not going to obey God. And if we would think on that for a while, slow down and invite the Holy Spirit and examine the directions that we have taken we may learn a lot about ourselves in the process. Because if we’re going to invoke God and not obey God, then we’re using God. We’re inviting God to be a character or a participant in our story and not the other way around. And the Bible teaches us many many things but one of the things that it teaches us is how backward we can get and still think that were going forward. And, so, it’s an opportunity for some self-reflection today and examination and inviting God, not only to give us clear and specific direction, but also whether or not we are living our lives doing our duty and serving God or whether we’re inviting God to obey our whims and wishes. One of those ways is backward and it’s probably apparent and it’s just a matter of which way are we going.
Prayer:
Father, we invite You into that because this is an opportunity for course correction. This is an opportunity for us to sit down and see where we’re going and how we got there and how we’ve invoked You in this process and whether or not we are actually in obedience to You or simply expecting You to do what we want You to do. So, come Holy Spirit into that as we consider it today and as we look at where were going. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Announcements:
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hi DAB family I’m calling because my car was broken into and my purse was stolen and it’s just really upsetting, sad really. And I can empathize with the trucker whose identification was stolen. And I pray that your situation is going alright, and no one used your information in any dishonest or malicious way. You know and that’s what I hope for myself too. And, so, if you all would just pray. I wanted to pray for whoever it was that did steal. Heavenly Father I just lift up whoever it was that…that broke into my car and took my…my things. I just pray that whatever their need is Lord that You would meet it, that You would meet them where they are and that that person would find You and…and that You would provide all their needs, that they would come to a place of repentance. And I’m really hoping that my things would be returned. But either way my identity is in You God and I know that You will make away and I know that You will make something good of this all. But I do lift up that person that would just be upon them and bless them with whatever they need if they were in that desperate of a situation to take from someone. And I just pray that Lord, You would help me to put my full confidence in You always and not in people or the things of this world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hey DAB family it’s Travis from Alberta Canada. You know, I woke up from a deep sleep and it’s three o'clock in the morning and this feeling of…of depression and anxiety and, you know, the feeling of not really knowing who I am anymore in a lot of ways came over me. And when depression and all that hits, anxiety hits, I usually go to my journal I just start writing. I start writing these feelings out. And I was like, you know what, I’m just gonna go and put on the DAB and just spend time with God. And, you know, it’s funny the…the feeling of I don’t even know who I am anymore, that question God answered real quick when I just got into the presence of my Father. And the answer was simply God just saying you are my son and you come alive in my presence. That’s the truth. Family, these moments with the Lord wherever it may be, be it 3:00 o'clock in the morning or 9:00 o'clock in the morning or 9:00 o'clock at night these are the moments we come alive. These moments don’t let them slip by. You are all loved. Bye family.
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening DAB family wherever you are in the world. This is Matthew from the UK. Please family I would love that you stand with me in prayers because I feel like I am under attack at the moment, and I have an eye problem. My better half has just recently been diagnosed with diabetes. My son was supposed to graduate…have his BSE. This summer has __. I have a water leak in the house and though that has been fixed I have rat infestation. I just believe that all of this is an attack of the enemy and though I know that when the enemy comes in the flood the Lord God almighty will raise and stand up against him. And, so, please family I want you to join me in prayers against the attack of the enemy. Thank you so much for all your prayers in the past and I lift up all members of DAB family before God almighty, those who have laid their problems at the throne of God, that God in His infinite mercy will grant your request in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Brian for this podcast. It’s been…it’s been a source…a source of encouragement to all that listen to it. Keep up the good work. Thank you, Blind Tony for all your poems I find you very encouraging. May God bless this family. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Slave of Jesus in North Carolina I heard what you said at the end of your…your message on the…I think it was the 10th of July’s readings and I…I needed to hear that, what you said about your wife and about just the words of faith you spoke saying that you were so confident and so assured that God would…that God will reach her, maybe not through you but that God has a definite plan and that God is…is going for her. Man, that was, I…I so desperately hope that same thing for…for not just you guys but for so many people in my life, so many people I love very dearly who are not believers but…but also for myself even. And yeah, just…just hearing that was…it hit really hard. So, thank you for calling in and sharing those words. I hope that is the case for so so many of us. So, thank you.
Hey everyone my name is Jezz this is the first time I’m hopping on here and the Daily Audio Bible has been a really awesome resource for me personally helping me grow in my walk with the Lord and it’s also really awesome to see that we have a community page and community here that lifts up each other, encourages one another and prays for one another in what…through ever situation as we ought to as the body of Christ. With that said I’m just asking that you keep me and my friends in your prayers. One of my friends that I’ve been renting an apartment with for about a year has been unemployed for about four months now. So, it’s been making, you know, things difficult financially for us trying to stay on top of all of our bills. And it has been a little stressful on my end since I’m the only one working right now. So, I just asked that you…you guys pray, agree with us that he will find a good job soon. And also, prayers for provision in general. We’re at the end of our lease and we’re actually getting ready to move into a house with another friend of ours and it’s really…that’s a whole testimony for another time that I will definitely share. But we’re just all believing that this transition will be smooth, and that God will provide everything we need financially and otherwise. So, we’d really appreciate if you guys agree with us in that. And other than that, I thank you guys for taking the time to listen. And I just pray Lord that whatever we all may be going through in this season that we remember you will provide. Thank you.