Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Habakkuk chapter 2.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Habakkuk+2&version=NASB

I quote only the following verse.

“I will stand on my guard post
And station myself on the rampart;
And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me,
And how I may reply when I am reproved.

…

“4 “Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith.

…

20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth be silent before Him.”  Habakkuk 2:1 and 4 and 20.

———————-

Other doctrine is all about proud doing whether it be building up their own works, building up their own wisdom, or even building up their own alleged free-will.

But, like Habakkuk who waited for the LORD and lived by faith and urged others to be silent before the LORD, Reformed Doctrine waits for the LORD, lives by faith in all that the LORD will do for his salvation, and waits silently for the salvation of the LORD.

“7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret;  it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”  Psalm 37:7-11.

“23 O love the LORD, all you His godly ones!
The LORD preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.
24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD.”  Psalm 31:23-24.

“8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.”  Psalm 46:8-11.

“25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
26 It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the LORD.”  Lamentations 3:5-6.

Today’s devotion comes from Habakkuk chapter 1.  Thank you for your prayers.  We had a wonderful trip.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Habakkuk+1&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“5 “Look among the nations!  Observe!
Be astonished!  Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe if you were told.
6 “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
That fierce and impetuous people
Who march throughout the earth
To seize dwelling places which are not theirs.
7 “They are dreaded and feared;
Their justice and authority originate with themselves.
8 “Their horses are swifter than leopards
And keener than wolves in the evening.
Their horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
9 “All of them come for violence.
Their horde of faces moves forward.
They collect captives like sand.
10 “They mock at kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They laugh at every fortress
And heap up rubble to capture it.
11 “Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty,
They whose strength is their god.”

12 Are You not from everlasting,
O LORD, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge;
And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.”  Habakkuk 1:5-12.

————-

The LORD used the Chaldeans (rulers from part of Babylon) to punish Judah.

Although Habakkuk had questions of why the LORD used such a fierce, impetuous, and godless people, he recognized that the LORD did not approve of them.

“Your eyes are too pure to approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.  …”  Verse 13.

The LORD Himself declared that “… they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god.”  Verse 11.

Like Habakkuk, we too may have questions why the LORD does certain things that seem to only hurt us.

But, we can follow Habakkuk’s example, who despite such apparent chaos and hurt, recognized the LORD’s sovereignty and holiness and called the LORD “my God, my Holy One”.

We may physically die, but we will not spiritually die.  We can declare with Habakkuk:  “We will not die.”

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life;  he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.  …”  John 11:25-26.

“Are You not from everlasting,
O LORD, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die. …”  Verse 12.

Today’s devotion comes from Nahum chapter 3.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nahum+3&version=NASB

My next devotion, God willing, will be February 26, 2018.  I will be going to areas of Arizona to hike, including the Grand Canyon, with 8 Christian high school classmates.  We go every 3 years.  This is our sixth trip.  It is a great time of adventure and Christian fellowship.  Please keep us in your prayers.  Thank you.

I quote only the following verses.

“Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage;
Her prey never departs.
2 The noise of the whip,
The noise of the rattling of the wheel,
Galloping horses
And bounding chariots!
3 Horsemen charging,
Swords flashing, spears gleaming,
Many slain, a mass of corpses,
And countless dead bodies—
They stumble over the dead bodies!
4 All because of the many harlotries of the harlot,
The charming one, the mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations by her harlotries
And families by her sorceries.
5 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of hosts;
“And I will lift up your skirts over your face,
And show to the nations your nakedness
And to the kingdoms your disgrace.
6 “I will throw filth on you
And make you vile,
And set you up as a spectacle.
7 “And it will come about that all who see you
Will shrink from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated!
Who will grieve for her?’
Where will I seek comforters for you?”  Nahum 3:1-7.

———————-

“O LORD, You are my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have worked wonders,
Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
2 For You have made a city into a heap,
A fortified city into a ruin;
A palace of strangers is a city no more,
It will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore a strong people will glorify You;
Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
4 For You have been a defense for the helpless,
A defense for the needy in his distress,
A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall.
5 Like heat in drought, You subdue the uproar of aliens;
Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.”  Isaiah 25:1-5.

Today’s devotion comes from Nahum chapter 2.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nahum+2&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“2 For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob
Like the splendor of Israel,
Even though devastators have devastated them
And destroyed their vine branches.

…

8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,
Now they are fleeing;
“Stop, stop,”
But no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
For there is no limit to the treasure—
Wealth from every kind of desirable object.
10 She is emptied!  Yes, she is desolate and waste!
Hearts are melting and knees knocking!
Also anguish is in the whole body
And all their faces are grown pale!
11 Where is the den of the lions
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion, lioness and lion’s cub prowled,
With nothing to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs,
Killed enough for his lionesses,
And filled his lairs with prey
And his dens with torn flesh.

13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts.  “I will burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions;  I will cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”  Nahum 2:2 and 8-13.

———————

“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who do iniquity
And save me from men of bloodshed.”  Psalm 59:1-2.

“6 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD.
7 Let them flow away like water that runs off;
When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts.
8 Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along,
Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.

10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”  Psalm 58:6-11.

“7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
9 For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.”  Psalm 91:7-9.

“My God in His lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.”  Psalm 59:10.

“2 A jealous and avenging God is the LORD;
The LORD is avenging and wrathful.
The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
In whirlwind and storm is His way,
And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
He dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
The blossoms of Lebanon wither.
5 Mountains quake because of Him
And the hills dissolve;
Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,
The world and all the inhabitants in it.
6 Who can stand before His indignation?
Who can endure the burning of His anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire
And the rocks are broken up by Him.”  Nahum 1:2-6.

—————————

“3 Fire goes before Him
And burns up His adversaries round about.
4 His lightnings lit up the world;
The earth saw and trembled.
5 The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.”  Psalm 97:3-5.

“But I will warn you whom to fear:  fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell;  yes, I tell you, fear Him!”  Luke 12:5.

And yet, how many so foolishly treat the LORD without respect, even with contempt!  They rebel against Him.

But, “The LORD is avenging and wrathful.
The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
… the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.”  Verses 2-3.

“2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”  Psalm 2:2-6.

“10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the LORD with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”  Psalm 2:10-12.

Today’s devotion comes from Micah chapter 7.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah+7&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in unchanging love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
He will tread our iniquities under foot.
Yes, You will cast all their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob
And unchanging love to Abraham,
Which You swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.”  Micah 7:18-19.

——————–

The theme of today’s devotion is God’s “unchanging love” that we see twice in the above quote.

Indeed, who is like our God Who even delights in His “unchanging love”?!

Not the god of other doctrine who only reacts to man and changes his love in granting it or withholding it based on whether or not man is worthy to receive it.

But, the God of Reformed Doctrine initiates His love for those whom He elects for salvation, not based on whether or not man is worthy to receive it, because no man is worthy to receive it, but rather based on His own purpose.  “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 9:15-16.  “… so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”  Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  Romans 9:11-13.

“Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.”  Deuteronomy 10:15.

And for God’s elect whom He loves, God does not change His love because man sins.

“For I, the LORD, do not change;  therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.'”  Malachi 3:6.

And for God’s elect whom He loves, God does everything that they need for their salvation.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-8.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:4-7.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:28-30.

Today’s devotion comes from Micah chapter 6.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah+6&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Hear now what the LORD is saying,
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the LORD,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,
Because the LORD has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will dispute.
3 “My people, what have I done to you,
And how have I wearied you?  Answer Me.
4 “Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
5 “My people, remember now
What Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from Shittim to Gilgal,
So that you might know the righteous acts of the LORD.”

6 With what shall I come to the LORD
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?”  Micah 6:1-8.

———————-

In today’s chapter, the LORD justifies His indictment and punishment of Israel.

“Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the LORD,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,
Because the LORD has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will dispute.”  Verse 2.

Despite all the good that the LORD did for Israel, Israel acted wickedly.

The LORD did not require that Israel do many complex things for Him. “Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? …” Verse 7.

Rather, the LORD required a few simple things, namely “to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God”.  Verse 8.

These were not burdensome things to do, but they were good, simple, decent, and reasonable things to do that the LORD had every right to expect Israel to do in any event, but especially considering all the goodness shown to Israel.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:29-30.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;  for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.  …  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;  against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:16-18 and 22-23.

Today’s devotion comes from Micah chapter 4.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah+4&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the house of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
And the peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD
And to the house of the God of Jacob,
That He may teach us about His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For from Zion will go forth the law,
Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they train for war.
4 Each of them will sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid,
For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.”  Micah 4:1-4.

———————–

We read similar Scripture in Isaiah 2:1-4.

There is one type of fulfillment when the remnant of Judah was rescued by God and returned home from their exile and captivity in Babylon.

“10 “Writhe and labor to give birth,
Daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in childbirth;
For now you will go out of the city,
Dwell in the field,
And go to Babylon.
There you will be rescued;
There the LORD will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.”  Verse 10.

But, there is another type of fulfillment, a much broader and much richer and final fulfillment, that all of God’s people will experience in heaven.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth;  for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes;  and there will no longer be any death;  there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;  the first things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:1-4.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;  who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”  Philippians 3:20-21.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope;  for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”  Romans 8:18-25.

Today’s devotion comes from Micah chapter 3.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah+3&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“And I said,

“Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to know justice?

…

9 Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
Her priests instruct for a price
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the LORD saying,
“Is not the LORD in our midst?
Calamity will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
Zion will be plowed as a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.”  Micah 3:1 and 9-12.

———————-

“Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My nation;
For a law will go forth from Me,
And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples.”  Isaiah 51:4.

Justice is based on God’s law, and a summary of God’s law as it relates to man’s relationship to man is contained in the following commandments.

“13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:13-17.

A fundamental principle in the administration of justice is to be impartial.

“You shall not show partiality in judgment;  you shall hear the small and the great alike.  You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. …”  Deuteronomy 1:17.

“You shall not distort justice;  you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.  Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”  Deuteronomy 16:19-20.

Rulers should not be partial in judgment to the rich, powerful, or popular.  But, rulers should also not even be partial to the poor:  “nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute.”  Exodus 23:3.

But, the biggest tendency and danger is to be partial to the rich, powerful, and popular, and so much more is written in Scripture about justice protecting the poor.

“6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute.  7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.

8 “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.

9 “You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.”  Exodus 23:6-9.

“God takes His stand in His own congregation;
He judges in the midst of the rulers.
2 How long will you judge unjustly
And show partiality to the wicked?  Selah.
3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and needy;
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”  Psalm 82:1-4.