Tag Archives: godly devotion

Psalms 38-44

“O Jehovah, do not withhold your mercy from me.
May your loyal love and your truth constantly safeguard me.”
~Psalm 40:11

David, our Biblical poet, felt his ‘errors loom over his head; like a heavy burden, they were too much for him to bear,’ (Ps. 38:4).
For this reason, he ‘walked around sad all day long,’ (Ps. 38:6).
He could say nothing in his own defense (Ps. 38:14).
Still, he relied on Jehovah’s forgiveness, and prayed:

“Turn your harsh gaze away from me so that I may cheer up
Before I pass away and I am gone,” (Ps. 39:13).

Although David felt abandoned by his family and friends, burdened by his own mistakes and the weight of Jehovah’s discipline, he waited on Jehovah.
He knew that with Jehovah’s forgiveness, he could overcome his depression and once again experience the joy of serving Him.
Did his patience pay off?

“You answered me, O Jehovah my God,” (Ps. 38:15).

Jehovah answers our pleas for peace of mind when we seek refuge in the truth of His word and by giving us the strength to carry on (Ps. 138:3; John 17:17).

Psalms 11-18

“You wrongdoers try to frustrate the plans of the lowly one,
But Jehovah is his refuge.”
~Psalm 14:6

Should we find that we will not be able to reach the goals we have set for ourselves in God’s service, we should not become discouraged.
Circumstances change and no one has full control over their own situation.
Not only are we susceptible to our own sinful inclinations, but we may find ourselves to be victims of the wrongdoings of others (Rom. 3:23).
While these factors may have a negative impact in our service to God, they do not impede our being loyal to Him.
Therefore we should continue serving God zealously alongside His congregation to our fullest capacity, because He will continue being our Protector, giving us all we need to be happy (Ps. 37:28; Ps. 145:16; Heb. 6:10-12).

Job, chapters 33-37

“But take care that rage does not lead you into spitefulness […] Beware that you do not turn to wrongdoing, choosing this instead of affliction.”
~Job 36:18, 21

Job’s young wise friend Elihu had a profound understanding of human nature.
Instead of questioning Job’s loyalty toward God, he analyzed the resentment Job seemed to be harboring against their Creator.
In his confusion and pain, Job had blindly gone along with his critics’ assumption that his suffering originated in God (Job 34:5).
This led him to adopt a defensive attitude instead of a humble one (Eccl. 7:7).
Elihu saw through this and patiently corrected Job, admonishing him of the dangers of such an attitude.
The Supreme Judge “never violates his justice and abundant righteousness,” (Job 37:23).
When facing trials in which it is difficult to distinguish right from wrong, it is important ‘not to become wise in my own eyes,’ (Prov. 3:7).
A human’s line of reasoning cannot be above God’s (Job 36:26).
Therefore, it would be completely illogical to lose faith in Him or to lose patience with his congregation.
Such an attitude might lead me to indifferently commit sins which I might then try to justify.
While it may not always be easy to explain my own suffering, Jehovah promises to ‘rescue me during my affliction, […] to draw me away from the brink of distress to a broad space, free of restriction’ (Job 36:15, 16).
Only with God’s blessing could someone ever find such a place, free of all suffering.
“Therefore, people should fear him. For he does not favor any who think that they are wise,” (Job 37:24).

Nehemiah, chapters 12 & 13

“So I reprimanded them and called down a curse on them and struck some of the men and pulled out their hair and made them swear by God: ‘You should not give your daughters to their sons, and you should not accept any of their daughters for your sons or yourselves.'”
~Nehemiah 13:25

Was Nehemiah’s reprimand toward the Jewish men who had married pagan women a cruel overreaction?
To answer this question, let’s look at other Bible passages that warned the Jews against this practice.
“But if you […] form marriage alliances with them […] They will become a trap and a snare and a scourge on your flanks and thorns in your eyes until you have perished from this good land […]”(Josh. 23:12,13).
“For they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods; then Jehovah’s anger will blaze against you, and he will swiftly annihilate you.”(De. 7:4).
Because the Jews could not count on God’s protecting them as a People if they married pagan women, obedience to this particular mandate was a matter of life or death.
It implied the survival of the nation to which the Messiah would eventually be born (Luke 12:48).
This is why Nehemiah deemed it necessary to urgently carry out a form of discipline common to their day: corporal punishment.
“If the wicked one deserves to be beaten, the judge will have him lie down prostrate, and he will be beaten in his presence. The number of strokes should correspond to the wickedness of his deed,” (De. 25:2).
“Bruises and wounds purge away evil, and beatings cleanse one’s innermost being,” (Prov. 20:30).
“And everyone who does not observe the Law of your God and the law of the king should have judgment executed on him promptly, whether it is death, banishment, a fine, or imprisonment,” (Ezra 7:26).
Though this is definitely not an exercise in supporting corporal punishment toward one’s neighbor, one can understand how Nehemiah’s actions as governor of the Jews would not have been seen as extreme as a reader may find them today.
Jehovah promptly corrected His People through Nehemiah because he loved them (Heb. 12:6).
Their lifestyle would have otherwise brought about His disapproval and as a result, their own annihilation.

Nehemiah, chapters 9-11

“[…] They sinned against your regulations, by which a man will live if he observes them.”
~Nehemiah 9:29

It is important to participate with zeal in the ministry work, sharing God’s “regulations” with others, for they mean life to those who listen.
Not all will appreciate or understand God’s message, but some will respond to the “sayings of everlasting life,” (John 6:68).
Furthermore, when God’s principles guide our own choices, we can enjoy being alive in a spiritual sense (Lev. 18:5).
A healthy relationship with God can in turn bring us true happiness and is a glimmer of “the real life” Christians anticipate, a future life without pain or injustice of any sort (1 Tim. 6:19).
Jehovah God extended this opportunity to His People, giving them “righteous judgments, laws of truth, good regulations and commandments” that they could fully rely on to find peace and happiness (Neh. 9:13).
However, His people continuously rejected these by sinning, repenting and then returning to their sinful practices (Neh. 9:16-35).
Let us never show such a lack of appreciation for God’s undeserved kindness (2 Cor. 6:1).
Instead, let us live by observing His word.

Ezra, chapters 1-5

“So they set the altar up on its former site, despite their fear of the peoples of the surrounding lands, and they began offering up burnt sacrifices to Jehovah on it […]”
~Ezra 3:3

When remnants of the tribe of Judah were sent back to their motherland to rebuild Jerusalem, it was not without opposition.
Their neighbors in Samaria, to the north, were particularly aggressive in their effort to stop the reconstruction (Ezra 4:1-6).
However, the Jews were ready to embrace their religious customs despite their fear.
We may have the legal right to practice our beliefs, but often we must do so in divided households or among neighbors who openly criticize us.
In other places, our brothers’ practices are openly being shut down by government entities.
God’s people have successfully faced religious oppression time after time, so it is possible to stand up to one’s fear of man and do what is right.

2 Chronicles, chapters 33-36

“[The king of the Chaldeans]
carried off captive to Babylon those who escaped the sword, […] to fulfill Jehovah’s word spoken by Jeremiah […].”
~2 Chronicles 36:20, 21

In chapter 36 we witness the rapid declive of Judah’s dynasty.
After King Josiah died in 629 b.C.E. there were no more good kings (2 Chron. 35:23-25).
Jeremiah, the prophet, was gradually subjected to worse and worse treatment as the kingdom became less and less reverent of Jehovah God (Jer. 36:26; 38:7-13).
Yet he never gave in.
He never stopped preaching the dire future that awaited those who did not repent (Jer 35:13-17).
He survived the destruction of the Holy City in 607 b.C.E. and kept serving as a prophet to his people (Jer. 40:5,6).
His determination to carry out his calling in such deteriorated circumstances serves as an inspiration to all of us struggling to actively take part in the kingdom witnessing work in a morally disintegrating world.

Learn more about Jeremiah through this free audio book.

2 Chronicles, chapters 6-9

Solomon also brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said: “Although she is my wife, she should not dwell in the house of King David of Israel, for the places to which the Ark of Jehovah has come are holy.”
~2 Chronicles 8:11

At the beginning of his reign, King Solomon had a clear view of how to keep true worship uncontaminated from false religion.
He understood that his wife’s traditions were not just incompatible with Mosaic Law, but they diametrically opposed it.
At the risk of offending her, he removed her from within the Holy City and built her a separate house next to his own.
We should also hold true worship in high esteem and avoid contaminating it with antibiblical traditions, even when this may stress close relationships (Matt. 10:36,37; 2 Co. 6:14).

1 Chronicles, chapters 26-29

The chief of the third group assigned to serve during the third month was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada the chief priest, and 24,000 were in his division.
~1 Chronicles 27:5

The reader may recall from previous passages the story of Benaiah and his loyalty toward King David’s reign (2Sa 23:20-23; 1Ki 1:8, 2:29).
He was one of David’s few confidants who did not betray him even after his death.
What I had not personally reflected upon was his family’s namesake.
His father was “the leader of the sons of Aaron,” that is to say, the Levite priests (1Ch 12:27).
Benaiah did not live off of his father’s spiritual reputation.
He made his own name before God and followed his own career in sacred service, unrelated to priestly duties.
What this teaches me is that even if my mother or father or grandparents are well known in the community for their ministry work, I still need to make my own name before God as an individual.
It is not enough to inherit values; they must also be put to good use.

1 Chronicles, chapters 8-11

Have you ever felt eager to volunteer but then in practice, felt out of place, as if you could be doing more in a different capacity?

First Chronicles chapter nine, verses 22-34 explains how the Levites were divided into sub-groups to perform specific duties.
There were the temple gatekeepers, there were those in charge of the temple utensils, those in charge of the bread, and the singers.
These duties were assigned by genealogy and all those assigned had to live in Jerusalem.
It did not matter if one of the Levites wanted to be a gatekeeper instead of preparing balsam oil. They accepted their assignment as privilege and their responsibility as heads of household.

They are a good example of humility and cooperation for those of us wishing to offer ourselves up to God for greater service within his organization.
We should not be picky when it comes to realizing assigned tasks, but see our “job” as an honor and do it whole-heartedly.