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June 13



Psalm 73-77

We are in the Wisdom stream and starting the 3rd of 5 books in the Psalms. We are reading from the New American Standard Bible this week.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God you certainly lead your children in triumph.  You are true to those who follow and obey you and you are terror to those who fight against you.  May we always be on YOUR side of righteousness; not self-righteous, not seeking approval from men, but seeking you for your sake alone.  Amen

Asaph wrote Psalms 73-83 (along with #50).  He was David’s song leader.  He was appointed to such position in I Chronicles 15:17.

 

73 – is his frustrated musing about the wicked prospering so and the righteous having struggles. These two scenarios contrasted against each other were troublesome.  The topic arises today as well.  And granted, the petition has merit.  All this grated against Asaph’s senses until he came and prayerfully sat with God in the sanctuary.  Asaph is transparent enough to strongly insinuate that his personal musing was only making things worse and it implies he should have never tortured himself with such thinking…i.e. and that he should have come into God’s house sooner.  God knows what to do with good people and He knows what to do with wicked people.  And He will!

 
74 – National disaster had struck and Asaph was writing in sheer despair. Some say it was during Shishak’s invasion from Egypt.  This would have been a few years after Solomon’s death and therefore Asaph would have been quite old at this time.  Nonetheless, Asaph is horribly distressed and calling on God to act fast instead of withdrawing his hand of retribution as the enemy attacks. His recalling all the faithful and mighty deeds of God on behalf of Israel, the natural wonders He has done – Asaph is virtually cheerleading, “hey God, you helped in the past, and uh, we need you again, –> now!”  His call in v. 22 is accurate to the bone: “Arise, O God, and plead your own cause;…”  He’s almost retreating and asking that if God won’t do what is needed for us, then do it for yourself and your own sake.  It’s certainly a fetching line.
 
75 – God is judge and will judge.  The wicked will be sifted through for destruction and the righteous will be cherished by God and exalted.  Yes the unfairness of this earth will tumble and juxtapose matters against what seems to be right and fair, but God is going to sort things aright in the end, [at times sooner], and permanently for certain.
 
76 – A great victory has been had in Judah.  The God of Israel has arisen again on behalf of His people.  It was a relief and a triumph.  The timing does not match to be in Asaph’s era, but some attribute this Psalm to be a response to learning that Sennacherib’s Army of Assyrians has been struck dead, all 185,000 of them [during I Kings 19].  The same phrasing could be sung as the Exodus was completed and Pharaoh’s army drowned in the sea. It is a Psalm of God meteing [sp?] out justice.  It is a warning to remain humble before Him and not be among the crass princes of the earth who have no regard for God.
 

77 – this and Psalm 78 are theologically linked but we will end this day with Psalm 77 and pick up with 78 next week.  77 is Asaph crying out to God for the people; longing for a reprieve from God – and no one else will do. There are sentiments of feeling forgotten by God, but regardless of how feelings fluctuate, remembering God’s deeds and meditating on what He has done plus His redemption for us brings us back to truth and anchors us.  He ends with illustrations of God leading His children amid natural and colossal wonders; the terrifying power of nature that God stirs and works amidst.

 
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June 12



I Kings 8-10

We are in the Nation Stream today and will attend the dedication of the Temple by King Solomon. What a treat! We are reading from the New American Standard Bible this week.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord, today is yet another reminder of the glory and wonders you are preparing for us.  Thank you and Amen.

 
8 – It is fascinating in this reading pattern that we are doing together that yesterday we read about Bezalel making the Ark of the Covenant. And today it is being brought into the finished Temple (not the Tabernacle/[tent] that was carried throughout Sinai. The two stone tablets inside the Ark and the Ark itself were made well over 500 years prior and today, in our reading, they are finally in place! Imagine the “it’s done!” sentiment that swept over the people after all these centuries.  Well they probably felt this way because God felt this way.  The Cloud, signified God’s Presence, and The Glory of God filled the house as soon as the Ark was in place.  I don’t know who else feels this way, but it sure would have been exhilarating to be there!
Solomon’s address to the people is historical!  The ceremony that followed was regal  – perhaps excessive, but it was for God (with a definite ‘touch of Solomon’) so let’s do it in a big way!  This initial dedication is not going to happen again.   Solomon’s prayer included remembering David, seeking God’s blessing, prayers and rituals of worship, dealing with sins, enemies and their related interaction, famine and pestilence, foreigners, and battles.  The blessing Solomon gave to the people was marvelous – it would have been good if Solomon had followed his own advice all his life.  but So it goes.  At any rate, the 14 day celebration was ‘one for the books!’
 
9 – This chapter is a continuation of ch. 4.  Note that ch’s 5-8 are a hiatus to describe the Temple, then 9 continues where 4 left off.  God opens with a promise for following Him and a warning against turning from Him.  It applied to Solomon AND his sons, btw.  They all must follow God in perpetuity.
The activity is impressive as Solomon and Hiram interchange and trade and gift eachother..  Solomon built cities, and rebuilt others.  He commissioned a staggering amount of workers. Solomon built a navy fleet of ships that sailed the Mediterranean, and others that sailed from the gulf to the south traversling into Arabia, India, and Africa.  In the last verse, did you perceive the size of the gold shipment loaded for Solomon from Ophir? It was 31,000+ lbs. of gold.  My math could be wrong, but in today’s rates, that is $665million.  It was a gift and it was simply loaded and taken to Solomon.  Holy Smoke, these folks are living a dream. AND, it was only part of what was brought to Solomon for that one year.  The gifts kept coming annually
 
10 – The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon and it too was an encounter fit for the history books; the real history books for that matter.  She marveled at his world, his acquisitions, his staff, his wisdom, knowledge, and insight. 10:5b is interesting, “…and there was no more spirit in her. ” [all her curiosities and questions were answered]  She was truly overwhelmed at what she saw.  She had heard of Solomon’s Kingdom, but amid all the telling, she had only heard “the half of it.”   She leaves him a gift of precious gems, spices that ranked as the best in the world, and 4+1/2 tons of gold (imagine that! and it was all brought by camel from Central Africa).  The chapters final phrase/phase ends with a tally of the splendor, riches, glory of Solomon’s Kingdom.  The immensity is almost too much to take in. If anyone is wondering, the horses that came from “Kue”… Kue is in AsiaMinor near where Apostle Paul was from in Tarsus; Remember “Saul of Tarsus”?  One very famous preacher shared his studies revealing that Solomon had more wealth as a single individual than the country of Canada has among it’s 35+ million people.  It’s hard to perceive such wealth all attached to one man.  y’ever wonder what he’s going to do with it all, or if he’s even going to keep it?
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June 11



Exodus 37:25-40:38

We are in the World Stream finishing the book of Exodus. We are reading from the New American Standard Bible this week.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God we thank you for visiting us and all who will prepare themselves to come into the Presence of You. Thank for availing yourself to us. To be with YOU is the blessing of all blessings.  Amen
 

37 – Bezalel made the ark of the covenant, the table for it, the lampstand, and the altar of incense.  Take a moment in your mind to transport back 33+ centuries and imagine yourself walking quietly up to Bezalel at work. “Bezalel, what are you making?”      “A box of acacia wood to be covered in gold to hold the X Commandments…”    “What’s the significance of this?”  To which Bezalel replies, “all society hinges upon what’s in this box for all time!  The governments who ignore these Commandments shall crumble, as will the nations, the states, the communities, neighborhoods and families and individuals. The opposite is more true…all who honor and follow these commands will become eternally blessed.  This box is not just a part of history, it IS history. In fact history pivots upon the contents of this box!”  After this conversation there is nothing left to do but walk away backward, in awe in the presence of the work of a holy God that is a consuming fire.

 
38 – Everything that was described a few chapters back is completed at this point. In 38 the Altar is the completed, and the laver, and the court; the gorgeous linen perimeter of the Tabernacle.  All contents for the Tabernacle were completed.  The mathematics of this are staggering.  It’s too much to sum up.  We will just leave you with this, however – there was over 2200 lbs. of gold involved in this endeavor.  This was the place where God would be met and consulted with, and sins forgiven, and direction received.  It had been over 2600 years since Adam/Eve were expelled from the garden. Religiously, a myriad of procedures had been experimented with the world over and nothing was working to solve the problem regarding the colossal gap between where we were and where God wanted us to be.  This Tabernacle was where God would be met.  It was gravely awesome to be near this place. … And it would be assembled soon.
 
39 – The ornate garments for the priests are made and completed.  They are far more decorative and costly than what we would label as “fit for a king.”  The details were tedious and numerous and the work was done fastidiously,  comprehensively, and perfectly.  Once this was complete, these garments, along with the rest of the items for the Tabernacle, were brought to Moses for examination by Moses. The work was done just as the Lord had commanded.  Moses blessed them and now it was time for the finale~ of the Book of Exodus.
 
40 – The Tabernacle is finally raised and assembled.  The anointing is completed, the lamps are lit, the offerings are placed, the washing is done.  And they entered the Tent of Meeting, did the finishings and all the work was done.  Then the miracle of God’s presence occurred.  The Cloud, symbolizing the Presence of God, settled upon the Tabernacle.  And for the next two generations that they would be in the Wilderness of Sinai and around, the Cloud would settle upon the Tabernacle to state that “God was IN”.  When He lifted, it was time to go, when he settled it was time to settle and wait.  There was cloud by day and fire by night.  And this was a blessing to witness for all the house of Israel, not just the priests and leaders.  What a marvel.