Day 110 Bible Reading - Luke 19: 45-46 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 31: 30, Deuteronomy 32, Luke 19: 45-48, Luke 20: 1-26, Psalm 62

Luke 19: 45-46 (ESV)

“And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

Verses 45 to 46 from Luke 19 depict the well-known scene of Jesus thrashing the money changers and other vendors who were doing business in the Gentile court of the temple. While reading some bible commentaries on these verses, I found out that the money changers and other folks doing their business were also cheating people by as much as 20 times with the cooperation of the priests of the temple. No wonder Jesus was so angry. I always thought this scene was about the vendors doing their business and not allowing the Gentiles who wanted to worship in the temple to pray. Christ was angry at not only sellers, but the buyers as well since they were participating in the trading spirit and turning the Temple into a marketplace. The Temple priests who allowed these activities took place completely disrespected the Gentile. Why even build a place for Gentiles to pray in the Temple, and then allow the area to disintegrate? Could not the money changers and the people selling the sacrificial animals have done their business outside of the temple? Scholars have said the Jesus’ actions did not cause any lasting reform, because the people carried on as usual the next day. These verses stand out today as a stark reminder to the people who follow Christ to not let their churches become places where believers cannot worship in peace and/or be cheated.

Day 109 Bible Reading - Psalm 61: 1-3 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 30: 11-20, Deuteronomy 31: 1-29, Luke 19: 11-44, Psalm 61

Psalm 61: 1-3 (ESV)

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”

Verses 1 to 3 from Psalm 61 remind us that when our hearts are troubled, we need to remember that God is our rock and save us drowning in our melancholy. We also need to remember that God has been faithful to us and has answered our prayers in the past. He has been a refuge and often a “strong tower” when we were filled with fear. I love Psalms of David. I love to read them when I feel sad and overwhelmed and need encouragement. David was always praying to God for help when he needed it. Even if he doubted God in the beginning of a Psalm, he would always remind himself of God’s faithfulness to him and his trust in God was restored. David is great example of someone who was favored by God, but still needed to constantly pray to him for favor, when he was afraid, for everything it seems. David was not afraid to pray to God for everything in his life, and his prayer most likely increased his favor with God. I think sometimes when I feel favored by God, I forget to pray and I know this has been a mistake. Prayer to God keeps him in the forefront of my mind, so I never forget his faithfulness.

Day 108 Bible Reading - Deuteronomy 29: 29 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 29, Deuteronomy 30: 1-10, Luke 18: 31-43, Luke 19: 1-10, Psalm 60: 5-12

Deuteronomy 29: 29 (ESV)

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

I was struck by verse 29 from Deuteronomy 29. Some bible commentaries have said that Moses was describing how God speaks to us in this verse. God has secrets and will always have them because he is God, and therefore God never declares everything to us. But God is not silent, and when he does reveal some things to us, we must pay attention. Whatever God does reveal to us, there is a meaning for us. Moses is indirectly saying God doesn’t just speak to us to make conversation. When God speaks there is always a message for us, although we might not understand it at the time. God’s words were not just for Moses and his people but for all the generations which follow. God’s messages for us are eternal and they last forever. They are forever relevant. Lastly, whatever God reveals to us must matter to us because he has spoken to us to affect the way we live. We must follow his words and obey them.

What I love most about this verse is God has secrets and he need not reveal them to us. God has such an amazing plan for the whole world, and he has so many things to keep track of and balance out. I’m not sure we would we even understand it if God did reveal everything to us. It would simply blow our minds because I’m sure it would be like the most complicated puzzle, with so many twists and turns, like a giant “what if” diagram. We need to have trust and faith in God that he has our backs, and we will not be forgotten in this giant puzzle of life.

Day 107 Bible Reading - Luke 18: 11-14 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 28: 15-68, Luke 18: 1-30, Psalm 60: 1-4

Luke 18: 11-14 (ESV)

“The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Verses 11 through 14 from Luke 18 is from the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, where it is said Jesus told this parable to those who thought of themselves as righteous and treated others with contempt. The Pharisee prays to God, but it sounds like a litany of all the things the man is proud of compared to other people. He seems to be propping himself up to God at the expense of putting down those around him especially the Tax Collector. The Tax Collector in his prayer to God had no such pretensions. He knew he was a sinner, and he felt so guilty that he could not even lift his eyes to heaven. The Tax Collector prayed to God for mercy, while the Pharisee prayed to God to praise him because he needed nothing from God and thought of himself as without sin. But the Pharisee was not sinless; he had the sin of pride in his prayer. Some might say the Pharisee also had the sin of ignorance, since he did not seem to know or act like pride was a sin. The Tax Collector knew he was full of sin and prayed to God to forgive him. No wonder God looked more kindly upon the Tax Collector than the Pharisee. We cannot be too self-righteous when we pray to God. We cannot assume that we are without sin even if we do all the right things. We must always pray to God to forgive our sins because we have a nature that always sins, whether we are aware of it or not. In a small way, I do admire the Pharisee because he was so self-confident in himself. But his self-confidence turned into the sin of pride, which made him look down on others who weren’t like him.

Day 106 Bible Reading - Luke 17: 32-33 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 26-27, Deuteronomy 28: 1-14, Luke 17: 11-37, Psalm 59: 13-17

Luke 17: 32-33 (ESV)

“Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

Verses 32 through 33 from Luke 17 are about Jesus telling his disciples to not be like Lot’s wife when the world ends. I’ve always felt bad for Lot’s wife. Whether out of morbid curiosity or because she so regretted leaving her home, she looked back when the angel told her not to and was turned into a pillar of stone. I think there is that regret in anyone when they are forced to give up their way of life. You look back with longing and regret at what you lost, and these feelings prevent you from moving on from your old life and being happy about your new life. Having these feelings of regret can become a literal or metaphorical death. Looking back at your old life while running from it can be dangerous in terms of slowing you down or making you unaware of your dangerous physical surroundings. But looking back can also represent a metaphorical death because the loss of familiar surroundings means you can feel like you are losing a part of your identity. That loss will feel like death. Christ is saying if you can willing give up your old life, you will be better off in the long run because you will be able to make a smoother transition into your new life. But like anything Jesus says, giving anything up takes great faith. Faith that Christ is leading you to a better life. Faith that tells you God will provide and take care of you in your new life. Lot’s wife didn’t have this kind of faith, and she paid a price for it. Christ tells us we must total faith in him when he comes back to the world, and that our faith will be rewarded in the end.