Category: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: Ecclesiastes 7:10

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“Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” since it is not wise of you to ask this.” (CSB – Read the chapter)‬‬

I get a variety of daily newsletters in my email inbox. Some are just collections of headlines with links to read the full articles. Others include all the news right there. Because I don’t watch any news on TV or subscribe to any newspapers or get any news through social media, these newsletters along with a handful of podcasts are my way of staying engaged with what’s going on in the world around me. The best newsletters, though, don’t just give the news. They also include a variety of other items the writers think might be of interest to their readers. One of these caught my eye the other day. It was a synopsis of an article about a group who tried to figure out exactly when the “good old days” actually were. If you’ve ever wondered that yourself, read on with me for just a bit.

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Morning Musing: Psalm 19:1-2

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“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Some things, once you see them, are hard to imagine not seeing. Consider the average optical illusion. When you look at some of them, they initially look like nothing or else perhaps something totally other than they actually are. Once you have learned to see them for what they truly are, though, you can’t not them that way even if you try. Knowing things works the same way. Some truths, once you learn them, shape your view of the world so profoundly that you literally can’t fathom not knowing them any longer. I was reminded of this yesterday while checking out a bunch of bees. Let me tell you about it.

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Morning Musing: John 15:13

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“No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul remarks on how unusual it is for someone to die for someone else. Life is precious. We know that inherently. Because of that, we tend to guard our own life pretty jealously. The idea that we might give up our life for anyone or anything is an awfully tall order. Echoing this same idea, Jesus said that such an act represents the greatest gift of love a person could possibly give. Well, today is the day our nation pauses each year to reflect on love lived out. Let’s reflect on that for just a few moments together.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 23:29-31

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“I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animal would multiply against you. I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous and take possession of the land. I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

My oldest is learning how to drive. As his most regular passenger, I can say with authority that he is doing great. He’s a very comfortable driver. There are a few situations, though, where he has not yet driven. He’ll get there just fine, but before he does, we’ll get him some experience under our watchful eyes. One of these experiences is driving downtown. Downtown driving, especially when you are used to small town driving, is different from driving around where we live. It’s more crowded, more stressful, has less room for error, and so on. If I were to throw him right into that kind of a situation before he’s ready for it, things would likely not go well. First, we’ll get him very comfortable driving in general, and then we’ll start exposing him to more. This is all kind of like what God told the Israelites He was going to do with them when it came to their entrance into the Promised Land. Let’s explore what’s going on here.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 23:20-22

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“I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to him. Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for my name is in him. But if you will carefully obey him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The idea of angels is a pretty rich and varied one in human religious history. Nearly every culture has stories of angels in some form or fashion. Angels themselves are portrayed in all sorts of ways. And indeed, the Scriptures present angels in several different forms. Each kind seems to have a different role in the administration of God’s kingdom. Here, in the concluding statement on the first block of law, we find God’s telling the people about an angel that will serve as His representative as they go from Sinai to the Promised land. Let’s talk about a couple of ideas regarding the identity of this angel and the authority God has given to him.

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