September 21

September 21

Prayer

Pray that we may be subject and obedient to all those in authority, not just those whom we might favor, but even the unjust and harmful.

Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
(1 Peter 2:18)

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Question 7

Question 7 - What are the decrees of God?

The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, hereby, for his own glory, he hath fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass.

Reformational Reading

The Westminster Larger Catechism

Question 95

Question 95 - Of what use is the moral law to all men?

The moral law is of use to all men, to inform them of the holy nature and will of God, and of their duty, binding them to walk accordingly;to convince them of their disability to keep it, and of the sinful pollution of their nature, hearts, and lives; to humble them in the sense of their sin and misery, and thereby help them to a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and of the perfection of his obedience.

Private Reading

Ezekiel 24

1.  Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2.  Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
3.  And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:
4.  Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
5.  Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
6.  Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.
7.  For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
8.  That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
9.  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
10.  Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
11.  Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
12.  She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
13.  In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
14.  I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.
15.  Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
16.  Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
17.  Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
18.  So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
19.  And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
20.  Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
21.  Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.
22.  And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
23.  And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
24.  Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
25.  Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
26.  That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
27.  In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Commentary: Ezekiel 24

Vs. 1-14

The pot on the fire represented Jerusalem besieged by the Chaldeans: all orders and ranks were within the walls, prepared as a prey for the enemy. They ought to have put away their transgressions, as the scum, which rises by the heat of the fire, is taken from the top of the pot. But they grew worse, and their miseries increased. Jerusalem was to be leveled with the ground. The time appointed for the punishment of wicked men may seem to come slowly, but it will come surely. It is sad to think how many there are, on whom ordinances and providences are all lost.

Vs. 15-27

Though mourning for the dead is a duty, yet it must be kept under by religion and right reason: we must not sorrow as men that have no hope. Believers must not copy the language and expressions of those who know not God. The people asked the meaning of the sign. God takes from them all that was dearest to them. And as Ezekiel wept not for his affliction, so neither should they weep for theirs. Blessed be God, we need not pine away under our afflictions; for should all comforts fail, and all sorrows be united, yet the broken heart and the mourner’s prayer are always acceptable before God.

Psalm 72

1.  A Psalm for Solomon. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.
2.  He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
3.  The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
4.  He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5.  They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6.  He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7.  In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
8.  He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9.  They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10.  The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11.  Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
12.  For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
13.  He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
14.  He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15.  And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
16.  There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17.  His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
18.  Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
19.  And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
20.  The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

Commentary: Psalm 72

Vs. 1. This psalm belongs to Solomon in part, but to Christ more fully and clearly. Solomon was both the king and the king’s son, and his pious father desired that the wisdom of God might be in him, that his reign might be a remembrance of the kingdom of the Messiah. It is the prayer of a father for his child; a dying blessing. The best we can ask of God for our children is, that God would give them wisdom and grace to know and to do their duty.

Vs. 2-17

This is a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ; many passages in it cannot be applied to the reign of Solomon. There were righteousness and peace at first in the administration of his government; but, before the end of his reign, there were troubles and unrighteousness. The kingdom here spoken of is to last as long as the sun, but Solomon’s was soon at an end. Even the Jewish expositors understood it of the kingdom of the Messiah. Observe many great and precious promises here made, which were to have full accomplishment only in the kingdom of Christ. As far as his kingdom is set up, discord and contentions cease, in families, churches, and nations. The law of Christ, written in the heart, disposes men to be honest and just, and to render to all their due; it likewise disposes men to live in love, and so produces abundance of peace. Holiness and love shall be lasting in Christ’s kingdom. Through all the changes of the world, and all the changes of life, Christ’s kingdom will support itself. And he shall, by the graces and comforts of his Spirit, come down like rain upon the mown grass; not on that cut down, but that which is left growing, that it may spring again. His gospel has been, or shall be, preached to all nations. Though he needs not the services of any, yet he must be served with the best. Those that have the wealth of this world, must serve Christ with it, do good with it. Prayer shall be made through him, or for his sake; whatever we ask of the Father, should be in his name. Praises shall be offered to him: we are under the highest obligations to him. Christ only shall be feared throughout all generations. To the end of time, and to eternity, his name shall be praised. All nations shall call Him blessed.

Vs. 18-20

We are taught to bless God in Christ, for all he has done for us by him. David is earnest in prayer for the fulfillment of this prophecy and promise. It is sad to think how empty the earth is of the glory of God, how little service and honor he has from a world to which he is so bountiful. May we, like David, submit to Christ’s authority, and partake of his righteousness and peace. May we bless him for the wonders of redeeming love. May we spend our days, and end our lives, praying for the spread of his gospel.

Family Reading

2 Samuel 17

1.  Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:
2.  And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:
3.  And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.
4.  And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
5.  Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.
6.  And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou.
7.  And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time.
8.  For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
9.  Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.
10.  And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.
11.  Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
12.  So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.
13.  Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.
14.  And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
15.  Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.
16.  Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.
17.  Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and told king David.
18.  Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.
19.  And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.
20.  And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
21.  And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.
22.  Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.
23.  And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
24.  Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
25.  And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
26.  So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
27.  And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
28.  Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse,
29.  And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.

Commentary: 2 Samuel 17

Vs. 1-21

Here was a wonderful effect of Divine Providence blinding Absalom’s mind and influencing his heart, that he could not rest in Ahithophel’s counsel, and that he should desire Hushai’s advice. But there is no contending with that God who can arm a man against himself, and destroy him by his own mistakes and passions. Ahithophel’s former counsel was followed, for God intended to correct David; but his latter counsel was not followed, for God meant not to destroy him. He can overrule all counsels. Whatever wisdom or help any man employs or affords, the success is from God alone, who will not let his people perish.

Vs. 22-29

Ahithophel hanged himself for vexation that his counsel was not followed. That will break a proud man’s heart which will not break a humble man’s sleep. He thought himself in danger, concluding, that, because his counsel was not followed, Absalom’s cause would fail; and to prevent a possible public execution, he does justice upon himself. Thus the breath is stopped, and the head laid low, from which nothing could be expected but mischief. Absalom chased his father. But observe how God sometimes makes up to his people that comfort from strangers, which they are disappointed of in their own families. Our King needs not our help; but he assures us, that what we do for the least of his brethren, who are sick, poor, and destitute, shall be accepted and recompense as if done to himself.

2 Corinthians 10

1.  Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:
2.  But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3.  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4.  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5.  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6.  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
7.  Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.
8.  For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
9.  That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.
10.  For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
11.  Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.
12.  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
13.  But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.
14.  For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:
15.  Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,
16.  To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.
17.  But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
18.  For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Commentary: 2 Corinthians 10

Vs. 1-6

While others thought meanly, and spake scornfully of the apostle, he had low thoughts, and spake humbly of himself. We should be aware of our own infirmities, and think humbly of ourselves, even when men reproach us. The work of the ministry is a spiritual warfare with spiritual enemies, and for spiritual purposes. Outward force is not the method of the gospel, but strong persuasions, by the power of truth and the meekness of wisdom. Conscience is accountable to God only; and people must be persuaded to God and their duty, not driven by force. Thus the weapons of our warfare are very powerful; the evidence of truth is convincing. What opposition is made against the gospel, by the powers of sin and Satan in the hearts of men! But observe the conquest the word of God gains. The appointed means, however feeble they appear to some, will be mighty through God. And the preaching of the cross, by men of faith and prayer, has always been fatal to idolatry, impiety, and wickedness.

Vs. 7-11

In outward appearance, Paul was mean and despised in the eyes of some, but this was a false rule to judge by. We must not think that none outward appearance, as if the want of such things proved a man not to be a real Christian, or an able, faithful minister of the lowly Savior.

Vs. 12-18

If we would compare ourselves with others who excel us, this would be a good method to keep us humble. The apostle fixes a good rule for his conduct; namely, not to boast of things without his measure, which was the measure God had distributed to him. There is not a more fruitful source of error, than to judge of persons and opinions by our own prejudices. How common is it for persons to judge of their own religious character, by the opinions and maxims of the world around them! But how different is the rule of God’s word! And of all flattery, self-flattery is the worst. Therefore, instead of praising ourselves, we should strive to approve ourselves to God. In a word, let us glory in the Lord our salvation, and in all other things only as evidences of his love, or means of promoting his glory. Instead of praising ourselves, or seeking the praise of men, let us desire that honor which cometh from God only.

Prayer

Lord's Prayer

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Apostle's Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.

Amen.