Today’s Reading: Lam 1:1–2:22, Rom 15:8–21, Prov 30:1–33
Today’s Theme: Christ our Hope
Jesus is the great hope of Israel and the nations of the world, He is the one who was promised and has come to confirm God’s word and make good on God’s promises. We can have true hope in Jesus, He is the only way to salvation, joy and peace.
Lamentations 1:1–2:22
Consider the future
Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her future; therefore her fall is terrible; she has no comforter. “O Lord, behold my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!”(Lamentations 1:9, ESV)
Lord, help us to always consider our future in everything we do. What we do today has an effect on what happens tomorrow. You cannot sin and win.
The yoke of sin
“My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hand they were fastened together; they were set upon my neck; he caused my strength to fail; the Lord gave me into the hands of those whom I cannot withstand.(Lamentations 1:14, ESV)
Our own transgressions become a yoke around our neck and go on to be our conqueror and slave master. This is why we thank God for the freedom from sin found in the cross.
Don’t rebel against God’s word
“The Lord is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; but hear, all you peoples, and see my suffering; my young women and my young men have gone into captivity.(Lamentations 1:18, ESV)
The Lord is right to Judge those who stand against His word. The lesson is clear, don’t resist but accept and uphold God’s word.
The word restores
Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.(Lamentations 2:14, ESV)
When we expose ourselves to the Word of God, we can be restored.
Romans 15:8–21
Actual promise confirmed
For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,(Romans 15:8, ESV)
The promises made to the Hebrew Patriarchs was not some mystical, allegorical promise, these were actual promises given by God and fulfilled in Jesus.
God confirms His word
and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”(Romans 15:9, ESV)
When we as Gentiles see that God fulfilled His word to the Jews, we are comforted that He will confirm His word for us too, and glorify Him for His mercy.
The hope of the nations
And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”(Romans 15:12, ESV)
This and the previous three promises show where God’s plan and heart has always been concerning the nations of the world. Jesus is the hope of the nations as well as the hope of Israel.
Abound in hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.(Romans 15:13, ESV)
In order for us to abound in hope we must be filled with Joy and Peace in our faith, how can we have hope if we are miserable?… Rejoice.
The Holy Spirit at work
For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;(Romans 15:18–19, ESV)
Paul had a full ministry that went beyond words, it was marked by deeds and the power of the Holy Spirit at work.
A holy ambition
and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,(Romans 15:20, ESV)
This is a holy ambition, to reach the unreached with the gospel of God.
Proverbs 30:1–33
God our shield
Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.(Proverbs 30:5, ESV)
He is not a shield to everyone, just to those who take refuge in Him.
Don’t add to the bible
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.(Proverbs 30:6, ESV)
This applies to what God is saying in the bible too, there are traditions and translations that add the apocryphal books to the bible, which is adding to God’s word, which is a sin.
We see those who try to change and reinterpret the word of God today, in the so called liberal movement. They have done away with miracles, do not believe that Jesus is the son of God or that salvation is needed, they believe the bible is just the words of men and not the divinely inspired and inerrant word of God.
We stand against these lies and attacks of the enemy and affirm that God has divinely inspired and preserved His holy word. We cover this in The Gospel video made by WWMF Media, where we demonstrate that no other ancient book has anywhere near as many close to original manuscripts to rely on as the bible does.
Give and give
The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”:(Proverbs 30:15, ESV)
This seems to be the spirit of the age we are in now, it is the insatiable greed of capitalism and materialism. We are instead called to lives of contentment and generosity.
Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.
Additional resources
Desiring God on Romans 15