SHCOC Daily Bible Reading

I was in first grade, we painted with real paints and art brushes. I had never done this before, it was fun! Then the jar of brown was empty! and my brush was drying! I pressed my brush down hard draining every drop of brown from the brush I could get! Well…that was the wrong thing to do. The teacher made me and my paint partner examples to the whole class. He had waited patiently for more paint while I had destroyed the brush. I had relied on myself alone, did not ask questions, and so in the time of need I had only an empty brush and empty head. Perhaps a little weighty an analysis to make of a 6 year old, but that same scene occurs over and over again at nearly any age. People who need wise answers, guidance for choices, look within themselves alone, only to come up with nothing.

Israel, the chosen, holy people of God, did not have the answers to all questions. Hard decisions had to be made about right and wrong, guilt and innocence. Who is a true prophet? How do I know who is telling the truth? In every generation these are hard questions.

God directs Israel to a few powerful principles in this journey of “How do I know?”

1. Listen to godly people. For Israel, the priests. Our application may be the elders of the church, and older Christians who have weathered the spiritual and moral storms of life who, themselves, have sought out the good and holy and right thing to do. We need to resort to them for help in the murky darkness of life. I have seen some very difficult and convoluted situations made straight by a godly Christian who helped find a path others missed.
2. Grow godly leaders. Israel would soon say, “Give us a king!” God directed that the king have ALWAYS at hand the Law, that he would meditate on His Law “day and night,” Psalms 1:1-3. The church needs men and women of spiritual strength who draw power and direction for daily life from God and His revealed word. Listen to the Bible speak to you each day as you read, listen to the wisdom of God as you see the lives of those around. Some come safely through storms by holiness and righteousness; some shipwreck because they have no direction, listen to no sound godliness for life. Encourage young people to know the Bible and listen to God. We need godly leaders in our country, too, men who listen to our Creator first, then decide on the direction and fates of man.
3. Get the evidence: “Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses…” Deuteronomy 19:15. Make sure your decisions are based on realities, facts, as far you can get them. What can we find out about a situation? What DOES the Bible say? Our emotional disposition on a matter cannot tell us what is true. Not every “holy man” tells the truth, either. Examine him, check out what he says. So many people can get on the radio, a TV show, or a blog and expound endlessly on what God has “told” them. Get the evidence, even in reading this blog!
4. Be merciful. Setup the six cities of refuge, because actions of honest, good meaning people can result in bad things accidentally. We need to receive mercy, I KNOW that I do. We need to be merciful, too. Matthew 5:7. One of the hard questions of life often comes, “What does grace cover, how can we ‘know’ when it seems we cannot know?” The cities of refuge help give a little insight: Live honestly, holy, godly, do the will of God, and let God handle that one.
5. Listen to The Prophet. Deuteronomy 18:15-18. When making choices in life make sure that you have been listening first to The Prophet, The Word of God. Acts 3:17-26, John 1:1, 14. It may well be that some people and schools and laws and philosophers and leaders can be good to hear, but only if first they and we have listened to Jesus the Christ.

Question: When making decisions, to whom do you listen?