For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
2 Cor. 3
Look at v. 4-6. How has God made you competent to minister to Him and others? Do you feel competent? We do not need to be competent. We need to be bold. And we can be bold because we know “our competence comes from God.” (2 Cor. 3:5b). The effectiveness of the lives we live in Christ is based on the new covenant we have with God through Christ. God’s Spirit dwelling in us is far more powerful, far more glorious than the law, written on stone, given through Moses.
“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Cor. 3:16). This truth was symbolized by the tearing of the veil before the Holy of Holies in the Temple at Jesus’ death. The law no longer stands between us and God. And so God’s glory now shines through us as we boldly live in the sure hope of salvation through Christ. What a marvelous truth! May I truly grab hold of it and live my life boldly for Christ.
Judges 17-18
“In those days Israel had no king.” Why do you think the author included this commentary in the middle of this story? What events might have been different with a king in place? What does that tell you about leadership? When it says, “Israel had no king”, this is a pretty clear statement to me that Israel had turned from God. God was their king, but the stories indicate a complete rejection of everything God put in place. The truly sad part is that they believed they were still ‘serving’ God and receiving His blessing as they went their own way.
Micha’s mother thought she was giving back to God by making a silver idol for her son. Micah thought he was honoring God with his idol, shrine, ephod, and priest. The priest thought he was serving God by doing his priestly duties for Micha and his house. And then there were the Danites, who foolishly sought God’s guidance in a place where God was not present, then took an ‘inheritance’ from a quiet and peaceful people. This was not an inheritance given to them by God. They then established their ill-gotten city by stealing Micha’s little temple, priest and all, for themselves.
If there is anything worse than serving something other than God, it has got to be doing it in the very sadly mistaken belief that you are serving God in doing it. This is what it means to have no king. You set yourself as the standard and ‘serve’ in whatever way you desire. You allow your own flesh to rule your life while telling yourself and the world that God sees it as good. It is the same today as it was in the time of Judges. And it is a lie.
Ps. 49
This Psalm reveals the foolishness of trusting in wealth and, by extension, the foolishness of fearing those with wealth. Wealth is only a blessing if kept in proper perspective. Those who place their trust in it rather than in God, “will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.” (Ps. 49:19). We cannot buy redemption. For this same reason, we should not follow or place our trust in the wealthy. Redemption comes from only one. “But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; He will surely take me to Himself.” (Ps. 49:15).