Remember the instruction of father            verse 1- 3 

My son – keep my words

and lay up my commandments with you

Keep my commandments – and live

and my law as the apple of thine eye

Bind them upon your fingers

write them upon the table of  your heart 

Love wisdom which prevents sin                  verse 4- 5 

Say to wisdom

You are my sister

and call understanding your kinswoman

      that they may keep you

from the strange woman

from the stranger

which flatters with her words 

Simple walking in wrong area                      verse 6- 9 

For at the window of my house I looked

through my casement

And beheld among the simple ones – I discerned among the youths

a young man void of understanding

Passing through the street near her corner

and he went the way to her house

In the twilight – in the evening

            in the black and dark night 

Religious harlot approached simple individual      verse 10- 14 

And behold – there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot

and subtle of heart

(She is loud and stubborn – her feet abide not in her house

now is she without – now in the streets

and lies in wait at every corner)

So she caught him – and kissed him

and with an impudent face said unto him

I have peace offerings with me – this day have I paid my vows 

Harlot flatters simple individual                  verse 15- 18 

THEREFORE came I forth to meet you

diligently to seek your face 

and I have found you

I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry

with carved works – with fine linen of Egypt

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh – aloe

cinnamon

Come – let us take our fill of love until the morning

let us solace ourselves with loves 

Harlot states that husband is away              verse 19- 20 

For the goodman is not at home – he is gone a long journey

he hath taken a bag of money with him

                        and will come home at the day appointed 

Simple one falls into trap of harlot              verse 21- 23 

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield

with the flattering of her lips she forced him

He goes after her straightway – as an ox goes to the slaughter

or as a fool to the correction of the stocks                                         

Till a dart strike through his liver – as a bird haste to the snare

and knows not that it is for his life     

Father warns son not to fall into her trap  verse 24- 27 

Hearken unto me now therefore – O ye children

and attend to the words of my mouth

Let not your heart decline to her ways

go not astray in her paths

For she hath cast down many wounded – yea

many strong men have been slain by her

Her house is the way to hell

and going down to the chambers of death 

 

COMMENTARY:        

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 3        Bind them on your fingers, write them on the table of your heart. (7194 “bind” [qashar] means to fasten or secure with a rope,  string or cord, league together, conspire, to be bound together, be allied together, be joined, closely associate, or to confederate oneself with others)

DEVOTION: Solomon was giving his son instructions regarding how to live his life in a way that would please the LORD. He wanted his sons to be in good standing with the LORD, so that, they would receive the blessings the LORD wanted to give to those who were obedient to HIS commandments.

Solomon started out right but at the end of this life he was influenced by his many wives from other nations that brought their false gods with them to the nation of Israel. It was a good part of the downfall of the nation.

God wants to be not only first but only God that HIS people worship, in order, to receive HIS blessings. HE doesn’t want HIS people to be halfway servicing HIM and halfway serving self or the devil.

The only way that we or his sons could be obedient to the LORD was to be fully committed to the commands of the LORD. Here he states that this can only happen if their fingers understood the meaning of the commands and only practiced what they meant. HE also wanted them on their inside of their heart, so that, it was in their nature to want to please the LORD.

The only way that the LORD gives blessing is when HIS people obey HIM in spirit and in truth from not only their external actions but also the actions of their internal heart.

CHALLENGE: Are we obeying the LORD from our heart? Does our obedience show in our actions each day? Our goal should be to fasten HIS commands to our life, so that, both our internal and external thoughts are ones of obedience.

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 7        And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man, void of understanding. (2638 “void” [chacer] means in need of, lacking, needy, destitute or in want of. 

DEVOTION: These last three chapters of Proverbs is warning against women who are unfaithful to their husbands and acting as woman of the street. Part of the warning is that men get too close to places where they hang out.

Men can be so gullible in their relationship to woman. Woman can be so gullible in their relationship to men. Solomon is trying to get across the point that any man who yields to her is lacking any understanding.  That man is destitute of any understanding. That man has to watch out where his eyes are looking and where he is walking.

This world doesn’t want a man to stay faithful to his wife; in fact, it doesn’t want a woman to stay faithful to her husband. The only way that a marriage can stay together is for both partners to daily receive wisdom from the Word of God.

The Holy Spirit is the only PERSON who can give us discernment. We need to ask HIM for this discernment or understanding. This is a daily battle for married couples.

Are we fighting the battle with all our strength? The LORD is the one who gives us strength to fight. Remember those who give into these temptations are considered fools in the eyes of the LORD. They must realize that they are heading in the wrong direction. It is a direction that can lead to hell.

CHALLENGE: Encourage others without flattery. Pray for all the marriages in your church and family.

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: 14      I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows. (5088 “vows” [neder] means promised gift, binding promise, or votive offering.

DEVOTION: There are people who use religion for a reason to sin. There were times in history when people promised something that they were not able to pay to the LORD. Then they used it as an excuse to do something wrong. Samson seemed to be one who would practice this habit. He needed something to pay for a harlot and asked the LORD for help. He used his strength given to him because of a vow of a Nazarite.

Jephthah was another one who promised God something that he was not supposed to if he would give him a battle. He promised a human sacrifice which was against the law of God.

Here we have a woman who is trying to entice a man that was not her husband by saying that she needed the money she would earn as a harlot to pay a promise she had made to God.

She used any means possible to entice this simple one. She told him that her husband was away on a trip. She told him how greatly she wanted him by words of flattery. She lied through her teeth. She said she did it to honor God.

The simple one believed her. He went in to her and it was the path to hell. It was the path to death. Solomon warned his son about such a woman. He wanted his son to never fall for her lies.

Today we sometimes think we are safe in church. The problem is that there are as many divorces in church as there are in society. The church sometimes is a place where we can let our guard down and then a woman flatters a man and something starts that ends in tragedy. The same can be done in reverse with a man flattering a woman. God warns us in HIS Word that these things happen if we take our eyes off the LORD.

Finally, there is a warning that money earned by prostitution was not to be brought as an offering to the LORD in Deuteronomy 23: 17, 18.

CHALLENGE: Don’t fall for the flattery even from fellow believers. Always give God the glory for any gift or talent you have to use in the worship of the LORD.

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 19      For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey. (376 “goodman” [‘iysh] means man, husband, person, human being, or a woman’s partner in marriage.

DEVOTION: In Solomon’s day it seemed that it was mostly women who acted as prostitutes. Here we have a married woman acting as a prostitute. She is watching the street for someone who looks gullible. She speaks to him about her need for money to paid her vow. She tells him that her husband is away for a long period of time and so they can make love without any interruptions. 

She convinces the young man that she is religious by offering peace offerings. So we find in the days of Solomon that there were even those in Israel who pretended to follow the LORD but in reality they were only thinking of themselves.

Today we find that both men and women are acting this way in our society. There are married men and women who are looking for someone else to have sexual relations with without concern for their spouse.

The standards in our world have not changed from the time of Solomon. There are gullible people even today who will believe the lie of someone, no matter the gender, who wants to have extramarital sex for either fun or money.

The temptations are just as real today as they were in the days of Solomon. We have to warn our children of the type of world we live in. It is not easy to resist the temptations of this world but we can overcome with the help of the Holy Spirit and good advice from parents as they train their children while they are young.

The Bible wants one man to be married to one woman for their lifetime. It is not an easy way but it is a Biblical way. We need to encourage one another to love their spouse for their lifetime.

Are we warning our children about the proper sexual relationships the LORD teaches in HIS Word for every believer? Are we setting a good example for our children to follow? If we fail to we also tell our children that we have failed to live up to the standard the LORD has set for us as believers?

CHALLENGE: We need to live and teach Biblical truth to our children regarding proper relationships with the opposite sex.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

Peace offerings                                                                      verse 14

Paid vows                                                                               verse 14 

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible) 

Commandments                                                                   verse 1, 2

Law                                                                                        verse 2 

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Son                                                                                          verse 1

Sister                                                                                       verse 4

Kinswoman                                                                            verse 4

Simple ones                                                                            verse 7

Egypt                                                                                      verse 16

Goodman (husband)                                                             verse 19

Children                                                                                 verse 24 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Keep away from strange woman                                         verse 5

Listening to flatter of strange woman                                 verse 5, 21

Void of understanding                                                          verse 7

Going into house of strange woman                                    verse 8

Harlot (attire of)                                                                    verse 10

Harlot was subtle of heart                                                    verse 10

Harlot loud and stubborn                                                    verse 11

Strange woman (wife) not satisfied with marriage            verse 11

Woman who didn’t stay at with own husband                  verse 11

Woman who waits on corner for other men                      verse 12

Impudent face                                                                       verse 13

Woman who has prepared her bed for other men              verse 16- 18

Fill of love with someone not spouse                                   verse 18- 20

Fair speech                                                                             verse 21

Flattering with her lips                                                         verse 21

Fool                                                                                         verse 22

Sin leads to death                                                                  verse 23 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Write down God’s law                                                          verse 3

Wisdom                                                                                  verse 4

Understanding                                                                       verse 4

Listen to advice of parents                                                   verse 24

Don’t hearken to evil woman                                              verse 24- 27 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

      Solomon                                                                                verse 1- 27

                  Talking to his son

                              keep my words

                              lay up my commandments with you

                              keep commandments as apple of their eye

                              keep them on their fingers

                              write them on table of their heart

                              say to wisdom = you are my sister

                              call understanding  = your kinswoman

                              watch out for woman whose goodman

                                          is not home

                              going with strange woman is like going

                                          with an ox going to the slaughter                             

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

Sin leads to death                                                                  verse 23

Way of hell                                                                             verse 27

Chambers of death                                                                verse 27 

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org.  Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method.  Thank you. 

QUOTES regarding passage

13–15 The steps in the seduction are carefully calculated to ensnare the inexperienced youth. First, she boldly grabs him and kisses him (v. 13). This is followed, in the second step, by her flattering invitation (vv. 14–15), in which she explains that she has “fellowship” offerings at home and came out especially looking for him (only a fool would believe that she was that interested in him). These fellowship offerings refer to the meat leftover from the votive offerings made in the sanctuary (see Lev 7:11–21). Apparently the sacrificial worship meant as little to her spiritually as does Christmas to modern hypocrites who follow in her pattern. By expressing that she has fellowship offerings, she could be saying nothing more than that she has fresh meat for a meal or that she is ceremonially clean, perhaps after her period. At any rate, it is all probably a ruse for winning a customer.

….

19–20 The final step is the adulteress’s disarming reassurance. She explains that “the man” (i.e., “my husband,” as the LXX actually interprets it) is not at home. He conveniently is gone on a journey; and judging from his taking a money bag and staying till the next full moon, they would be perfectly safe in their escapade (he might even be gone for a fortnight, if a comparison of v. 9 and v. 20 can give clues to the chronology). At any rate, her appeal is bold, exciting, and apparently safe. It would take someone with the wisdom and integrity of a Joseph to resist such an appeal (cf. the important motifs in Gen 39, esp. v. 8). (Ross, A. P. (1991). Proverbs. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 941). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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This leads to an alternative interpretation, that the woman is claiming she has vows yet to fulfill and needs money to pay for the peace offerings that are part of the vows. “Today I fulfilled my vows” can be rendered, “Today I am fulfilling my vows.” The idea is that her vows are already due and she needs the money now. Also her claim in v. 20 that her husband has gone off with the moneybag may not be just an assurance that he will not be back soon but also a further claim that she has no money and needs it for the vow. The prohibition in Deut 23:17–18 against using money earned by prostitution for paying vows implies that such did in fact occur. Otherwise the reference to her vows is strange because in v. 14 she is not so much offering something to the man as describing her own religious duties.

Her claim to need money for a vow, however, is a lie. She uses the pretext of religious devotion in order to assuage the young man’s conscience about going to her.¹⁴³ Having dealt with his moral qualms, she devotes the rest of her seduction to a promise of a night of luxurious lovemaking (vv. 15–20). At last the man yields. He is both docile, like the ox going to slaughter, and stupid, like a deer or bird going into a trap (vv. 21–23). He is about to pay the full fee for her services—his life. (Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs (Vol. 14, pp. 103–104). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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c. The tactics (13–21). First, comes shock treatment (13); second, a circumstantial story—it is a special day, a celebration; it would be unthinkable to refuse (14). Third, flattery: he is the very one she had to find (15); fourth, sensuous appeal (16–18; in 16, read with rsv, coloured spreads, for av’s carved works); fifth, reassurance (19, 20). The whole is pressed home with a flood of words. (Kidner, D. (1964). Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 17, pp. 71–72). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

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The reverent student of this solemn portion of the word of God will see at once how apt an illustration this religious-appearing woman is of the false, apostate church. Loud and stubborn, moveable too have been her ways, so that she might ensnare those who otherwise would never seek association with her. The vision of Rev. 17 may well be studied in connection with this chapter. (Ironside, H. A. (1908). Notes on the Book of Proverbs (p. 75). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Bros.)

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The story focuses on her method of seduction, described in a vivid word-picture (6–21). The teacher’s observation from behind lace curtains (6–7) illustrates how wisdom proceeds by learning lessons from observation and experience, other people’s as well as one’s own. There are several ways to read the story. Perhaps the woman is simply someone who engages in prostitution when she has opportunity through her husband being away, though vs 10–12 may only mean she is dressed in a provocative way and inclined to sexual adventure. Perhaps she is the devotee of an alien religion who needs a man to make love to as part of her religious obligation, as vs 14–18 might imply (for v 14 in particular, cf. Lv. 7:15–16). Or perhaps the two of them are already in love; she has been looking out for him in particular, and he has been walking her way in the hope that her husband may be away. The teacher will not mind which of these corresponds to the facts of the story. That is not the point. Whatever type of affair it is, it is stupid. What her charm makes the young man think is the way of love is the way of death. As we have noted before, the seduction scene also needs to be viewed from a woman’s angle so that she may resist a married man’s fatal charm. (Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 591). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press)

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FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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Enough!

How much is enough?

Is achieving the “Great American Dream” enough?

Jesus taught that we should not lay up treasures on earth because they all rot away. His advice is that we lay up treasures in Heaven that will last for eternity.

Many of us claim to be followers of Jesus. Maybe we just don’t want to follow Him enough.   (by Wayne Speed – a good friend in the LORD)

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Paul informs the Thessalonians regarding the Lord Jesus Christ’s second coming.
INSIGHT

Death is a mysterious, unavoidable experience. For the most part a fearful and foreboding process, death is a common factor in human experience: We live to die. Understandably, the most profound question human beings ask is: What happens when we die? Death is fully addressed in the Scriptures – and the answer is one of the most satisfying answers in the Bible: “The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (vv. 16-17). (QuietWalk)

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THE ULTIMATE TEST

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. 1 John 4:2

The most important test is conformity to scriptural teaching. “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” How do I know that this is a spiritual test? All I know about Him, I put up to the test of Scripture. Indeed, you get exactly the same thing in the sixth verse of 1 John 4 where John says, speaking of himself and the other apostles, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” The first thing to ask about a man who claims to be filled with the Spirit and to be an unusual teacher is, does his teaching conform to Scripture? Is it in conformity with the apostolic message? Does he base it all upon this Word? Is he willing to submit to it? That is the great test.
Another test is the readiness to listen to scriptural teaching; to abide by it is always a characteristic of the true prophet. You will find that the other man rather tends to dismiss it. “Ah yes,” he says, “but you are legalistic, you are just a theologian. I have experience, I have felt, and I have produced this and that.” The tendency is not to abide by the teaching of Scripture but to be almost contemptuous of it; that has always been the characteristic of those who have tended to go astray. Read the history of the Quakers, and you will find that such an attitude became a prominent feature: the inner light rather than the objective teaching of Scripture itself.
A Thought to Ponder: The most important test is conformity to scriptural teaching, (From The Love of God, pp. 23-24, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Daily Hope

                                      Today’s Scripture
                                      Deuteronomy 11-13

 

It is almost every parent’s dream to have their children grow up and be obedient and lead lives that are useful and productive. From a very young age, children are trained and educated to grow to maturity with values, standards, and ethics gleaned from their families and culture.

The nation of Israel was to live by the standard of the Ten Commandments God had given them. God reiterates instructions to Moses which he was to teach and implement to this new generation. The first and foremost command was to love the Lord always. God in His power and majesty would not tolerate His children failing to recognize and acknowledge Him.

The people were to continually train their children about the power and presence of God in their daily lives. God sent annual rains, grass for the cattle, fruit from the trees and safety from enemies throughout the years of their lives. The adults were to always teach of God’s daily activities to their children whether lying down, sitting or walking (11:14-15,19).

The place of worship was to be carefully observed. The Lord would select a place where the people of Israel could gather to worship Him once they were established in the land. The people of Israel were not to worship where the nations before them had offered sacrifices to idols and pagan gods. The mountain top centers and places of sacrifices were to be destroyed and a central place of worship established. A blessing or a curse was pronounced to the people of Israel based upon their obedience to the Lord’s teachings.

Proper training within the family combined with careful worship allowed the people of God to maintain a close and intimate relationship with the Lord. It also ensured a barrier was established which would identify and remove false teachings or worship of idolatry which continually plagued the nation.

Christian families and a godly body of believers still constitute a good hedge to protect and instruct our young people today! When parents instill the same biblical principles and doctrinal instructions as the church, young people are better able to endure the temptations that arise from the culture and external education. Take time to read, pray, and discuss issues with family from a biblical perspective and if you are unsure of the answer, ask your Pastor, Elder, Deacon, or Sunday School teacher for assistance.

With an Expectant Hope,   Pastor Miller

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THE CROSS AND OURSELVES

The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10
The first thing the cross does is to show us to ourselves. Of course, we always defend ourselves, do we not? It isn’t my fault, we say, it is his. If only he understood. Or take husbands and wives, when they separate from one another. You listen to the story of the husband: “This woman is impossible!” Then you listen to the woman: “This man of mine—I could not live with him. He is an impossible man!” It is always somebody else, is it not? We are never wrong—we are very wonderful. If only we could be understood. It is always somebody else, always that other person.
Do you know what the gospel does, what the cross does? It shows you to yourself. And nothing else in the whole world does that but the cross. There is nothing that will ever humble a man or a nation but the cross of Christ. The cross tells us the simple, plain truth about ourselves.
Think of it like this. Why did the Son of God ever come into this world? Why did He leave the courts of glory? Why was He born as a little babe? Why did He take unto Him human nature? There is only one answer. He came because man could not save himself. He said that. “The Son of man,” he says, “is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And when I look at the cross and see Him dying there, what He tells me is this: You have nothing whereof to boast. The cross tells me that I am a complete failure, and that I am such a failure that He had to come from heaven not merely to teach and preach in this world, but to die on that cross. Nothing else could save us.
A Thought to Ponder
And when I look at the cross and see Him dying there, what He tells me is this: You have nothing whereof to boast. (From The Cross, pp. 143-144, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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OUR DAILY BREAD

And It Was Night”

As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. John 13:30

Elie Wiesel’s book Night starkly confronts us with the horrors of the Holocaust. Based on his own experiences in Nazi death camps, Wiesel’s account flips the biblical story of the Exodus. While Moses and the Israelites escaped slavery at the first Passover (Exodus 12), Wiesel tells of the Nazis arresting Jewish leaders following Passover.

Lest we criticize Wiesel and his dark irony, consider that the Bible contains a similar plot twist. On the night of Passover, Jesus, expected to free God’s people from suffering, instead permits Himself to be arrested by those who would kill Him.

John ushers us into the holy scene before Jesus’ arrest. “Troubled in spirit” over what awaited Him, at the Last Supper Jesus predicted His betrayal (John 13:21). Then, in an act we can scarcely comprehend, Christ served His betrayer bread. The account reads: “As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night” (v. 30). History’s greatest injustice was underway, yet Jesus declared, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him” (v. 31). In a few hours, the disciples would experience panic, defeat, and dejection. But Jesus saw God’s plan unfolding as it should.

When it seems as though the darkness is winning, we can recall that God faced His dark night and defeated it. He walks with us. It won’t always be night. (By Tim Gustafson)

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