PSALM 97
LORD is king verse 1
The LORD reigns – let the earth rejoice
let the multitude of isles be glad thereof
Description: Dark clouds verse 2
Clouds and darkness are round about HIM
righteousness and judgment
are the habitation of HIS throne
Description: Fire verse 3
A fire goes before HIM – and burns up HIS enemies round about
Description: Lightning verse 4
HIS lightning enlightened the world – the earth saw – and trembled
Description: Hills verse 5
The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD
at the presence of the LORD of the whole earth
Description: Heaven verse 6
The heavens declare HIS righteousness
and all the people see HIS glory
Description: Exalted God verse 7- 9
Confounded be all they that serve graven images
that boast themselves of idols – worship HIM – all you gods
Zion heard and was glad
and the daughter of Judah
rejoiced because of YOUR judgments
O LORD
For YOU – LORD – are high above all the earth
YOU are exalted far above all gods
LORD protects HIS people verse 10- 11
You that love the LORD – hate evil
HE preserves the souls of HIS saints
HE delivers them out of the hand of the wicked
light is sown for the righteous
and gladness for the upright in heart
Rejoice in the LORD verse 12
Rejoice in the LORD – you righteous
and give thanks at the remembrance of HIS holiness
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 “The LORD reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be
glad!” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). Rejoice – 1523 גִּיל [giyl, guwl /gheel/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 346; GK 1635; 44 occurrences; AV translates as “rejoice” 27 times, “glad” 10 times, “joyful” four times, “joy” twice, and “delight” once. 1 to rejoice, exult, be glad. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to rejoice. 1A2 to tremble (from fear). James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: How is your vision? Is it 20/20 or do you have glasses and have to depend on the man-made devices in order to see? It is difficult to properly navigate without my glasses, everything is kind of fuzzy and unclear. I can see some things but nothing is real distinct until I put on my prescription frames. The psalmist is seeking to clear up the vision of his readers and ensure that they see clearly the Sovereign Lord! From the heaven to the smallest isles the world joins together to rejoice at the truth of God’s reign on earth.
From the first verse to verse twelve the psalmist desires for the people to rejoice in their worship of the king. During this Easter celebration will you be drawn in to worship and praise the Lord at the remembrance of His name?
CHALLENGE: The Lord reigns, you and I need to rejoice at the truth of this statement! “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen…” (Revelation 1:18) (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 The heaven declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. (7200 “see” [ra’ah] means advise self, appear, approve, behold, discern, enjoy, gaze, take heed, perceive, regard, or respect.
DEVOTION: There are two types of revelation of God. The first one is called Creation. Creation lets every human being know that there is a God that created this wonderful world. Those who reject the LORD are without excuse when they stand before the LORD on the day of judgment of the wicked. At the Great White Throne the LORD will open the books and show each rejecting individual all the opportunities they had to become a follower of the LORD.
The second form of revelation that there is a God is the Bible. The Bible gives those who are believers insight into who and what God is. Only those who are believers understand the Word of God because they have spiritual discernment given to them by the Holy Spirit.
There are those that are righteous in this world. There are the wicked in this world. The two are as different as night and day. Those who are not righteous are wicked. They are blinded to the truth of the word of God. They run around accusing those who know the LORD of wrongdoing. They are enemies of the LORD.
The LORD is going to deal with them in HIS time. Those who are righteous need to love the LORD. They need to trust the LORD in all circumstances. It seems like the enemy is winning. The LORD is preserving the souls of those who love HIM. HE can deliver them out of the hands of the wicked.
Too often we lose perspective. Our responsibility is to rejoice in the LORD during all the storms of life. We are to give thanks as we remember HIS holiness. We are declared holy because of what Christ did on the cross for us. We are called saints for a reason. HE has set us apart for HIS service.
Will that service always be easy? NO!! Will HE always be by our side to encourage and help us? YES!! When we look at creation, we can behold the world HE has made. The stars tell us there is a God. The sunrise tells us there is a God. A walk in the woods reveals to us that there is a God. The seasons tell us there is a God.
All of world tells us that there was a creator and HE is doing things RIGHT. No one has an excuse when they stand before God and try to tell HIM they didn’t know HE existed. We gaze upon HIS glory daily. Praise HIS name.
Where are we gazing today? Are our eyes fixed on Jesus or our circumstances? IF our eyes are fixed on HIM, we will not be looking at our circumstances. Are we gazing into the glory of the LORD???
CHALLENGE: Everywhere we look we can see the work of the LORD. Give HIM credit each time you talk with others. Help them to see your joy in following HIM.
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: 7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship HIM, all you gods. (954 “Confounded be” [buwsh] means to be ashamed, to put to shame, to be or become characterized by feelings of shame, guilt, embarrassment, or remorse, or disconcerted.)
DEVOTION: The worship of false gods is something that has been going on since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve wanted to be like God instead of worshiping HIM alone. The devil used this trick on them and they fell for it.
Today we don’t seem to understand what it means to genuinely worship only the God of the Bible. We have a habit of making God in our own image rather than what the Bible tells us HE is like.
Most people who go to Bible believing churches are not worshiping graven images in their homes like the heathens do in other countries but we still are not getting a correct image of HIM in our daily life.
We think HE is there to just please us instead of us being here to please HIM. We are to look at the Word of God and see what pleases HIM and then practice that on a daily basis. It is not easy because we keep falling into the trap that we are in control rather then HIM being in control.
We need to worship HIM in spirit and in truth every moment of every day and that takes work. We need to study the Bible each day to understand who HE is and want HE expects of us.
It is so easy to sometimes to just go through a day without thinking what we should be doing for HIM. We need to be a witness to what HIS Son did on the cross for us. We need to help fellow believers understand what they need to do each day to reach those who are not believers with the gospel, so that, they can go to heaven too.
CHALLENGE: We need to not be ashamed of HIM and tell those we meet about HIM and what HE means to us.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 10 You that love the LORD hate evil: HE preserves the souls of HIS saints; HE delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. (157 “love” [‘ahab] means human love for or to God, beloved, to breath after, to have a great affection or care for or loyalty towards, or to endear.)
DEVOTION: It is sometimes not easy to understand the meaning of love. It is not easy to understand what it means to love another person.
Here we have a human being loving the LORD and hating evil. We have to define what is evil which is anything that is against God in our life. We have to understand that we are naturally prone to sin. We sin easily but we don’t love as easily.
God wants us to love HIM and that takes work on our part because we only know God through HIS Word the Bible. HE is someone who sent HIS son to die on the cross for our sins. HE is someone who is willing to help us go things right in HIS eyes. HE is someone who has communicated with us through HIS prophets in the Old Testament and through HIS disciples in the New Testament.
We have to study the Bible to really get to know HIM and what HE is doing for us and what we are supports to be doing for HIM each day.
It is easier to sin than it is to live a righteous life. It takes work to love HIM every moment of every day. HE gives us the Holy Spirit to help us do that on a regular basis.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can know the difference between sin and acting like a saint. Each day we need to start our day with a study of the Word of God and prayer.
Once we have done those two things, we need to call on HIM regularly regarding our thoughts and actions. Our love causes us to want to please HIM.
CHALLENGE: As a saint we need to constantly asking HIM for guidance in all that we do and say,. How are you and I doing in this area today?
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:11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
(3477 “upright” [yashar] means right, righteous, correct, pleasing, straight, level, or just)
DEVOTION: The LORD sheds HIS light on us because we are one of HIS children through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Old Testament saints looked forward to the coming of the Messiah while we look back at it. Our eyes are to be focused on what we have in Christ.
If our eyes are focused, we can be walking in the right path toward the LORD. We are not in darkness like the rest of the world that does not have Jesus in their life. They might be religious but not right with God.
Only those who are right with God can see the light and follow the light as Christ is the Light of the World to those who are willing to look for HIM. With the light comes gladness.
There are many days when those who are believers are tested with troubles and trials according to the Word of God but in spite of the trials and troubles there can be gladness because we know we are on the right path heading toward heaven for eternity.
CHALLENGE: Are we doing things that are pleasing to the LORD on a daily basis? Do people see the gladness in our lives that makes them wonder what we have in Christ in spite of our trials and troubles? If they don’t, we can change what we are presently doing and give God the glory by our actions. Walk the walk!!! Be on the level.
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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)
Rejoice verse 1, 8
Glad verse 1, 8
Worship verse 7
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD- Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 5, 8- 10, 12
Reigns verse 1
Righteous verse 2, 6
Judge verse 2
King verse 2
Fire goes forth verse 3
Lightnings enlightened the world verse 4
Presence of the LORD verse 5
Heavens declare HIS righteousness verse 6
Glory of the LORD verse 6
Judgments of the LORD verse 8
High above all the earth verse 9
Exalted above all gods verse 9
Preserves the souls of HIS saints verse 10
Holy verse 12
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)
Enemies verse 3
Earth saw and trembled verse 4
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Confounded verse 7
Serve false gods (graven images) verse 7, 9
Idol worship verse 7
Evil verse 10
Wicked verse 10
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Rejoice verse 1, 8, 12
Glad verse 1, 8, 11
Worship verse 7
Love the LORD verse 10
Hate evil verse 10
Saints verse 10
Deliverance verse 10
Righteous: light is sown verse 11, 12
Upright: gladness for the upright in heart verse 11
Rejoice in the LORD verse 12
Give thanks verse 12
Remembrance of God’s holiness verse 12
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zion heard and was glad verse 8
Daughters of Judah verse 8
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
11–12 The godly will enjoy the benefits of the rule of God: “light” and “joy” (v. 11). Light signifies the blessed state of redemption and victory (cf. Isa 60:1–3). The “righteous” and “upright in heart” (i.e., the godly; cf. 32:11) will enjoy the new age of restoration as the dawning of light (cf. Isa 58:8, 10; Mal 4:2). The exhortation to rejoice (v. 12) anticipates the Lord’s coming with his blessings. He renews his people. They already experience some evidences of his kingship here on earth but eagerly await the fullness of his kingdom, even while praising him. His “name” (zēḵer lit., “remembrance,” as in Exod 3:15) signifies all the promises of the Lord, as fulfilled in the history of redemption, as well as those to be accomplished in the future. The godly rejoice in his past acts, his present rule, and his blessings, as well as in the eschatological beatific vision of God’s reign on earth. The last verse ties in with the first, where the nations were invited to rejoice (ś-m-ḥ). The “righteous” are God’s light to the Gentiles (Isa 42:6). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 626). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Ver. 11.—Light is sown for the righteous (comp. Ps. 112:4, “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness”). God sheds the rays of his grace on the path of the righteous man, enlightens his understanding, and illumines his spirit perpetually. And gladness for the upright in heart. Together with “light,” he sheds abroad “gladness,” the irrepressible joy which comes from a sense of his favour and protection. (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Psalms (Vol. 2, p. 330). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
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97:11 Light is sown. This is a poetic way of describing the ultimate triumph of righteousness and the righteous (cf. Is 58:8, 10; 60:19, 20; Mal 4:2). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 97:11). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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11. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Darkness is often an emblem of all evil, natural and moral; so light represents all good, temporal and spiritual. Here it is put for comfort and happiness, interpreted in the last clause as gladness. Dark days may come to good men, but they shall not last always. Light is sown for them, that is, it is scattered far and wide, and may spring up in a gourd as to Jonah, in a lion’s den as to Daniel, in a dungeon as to Paul and Silas, from a raven as to Elijah, from a long-lost son as to Jacob, from a crucified Redeemer as to all Christians. The light that is sown will bring a great harvest, a rich return. In this verse the word righteous is singular, and upright plural. If this variation in number means anything, it is that God’s people shall both individually and collectively be cared for and blessed. (Plumer, W. S. (1872). Studies in the Book of Psalms: Being a Critical and Expository Commentary, with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks on the Entire Psalter (p. 885). Philadelphia; Edinburgh: J. B. Lippincott Company; A & C Black.)
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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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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Job 35-37
What a wonderful God we serve as we live in the creation that demonstrates His glory and power. To look at the stars and to behold the mountains standing majestically above the fruitful plains speaks repeatedly of God’s power!
It is dangerous to make a statement that promotes a position that places any man equal with God. The audacity that would allow you to say that man has the capacity or ability to position and maintain creation is beyond my comprehension. Some may be able to say they understand the science of how the universe and planetary systems work, but to be able to establish and maintain them is completely another matter.
Elihu challenges the perception that Job could have an equal standing with God and calls it a prideful and arrogant attitude (37: 14-18). As you read this section of Job be aware of Elihu’s desire to present God as patient, just, mighty, majestic and powerful! He ends the long dialogue by asking Job to consider the works of God and then to teach the truths of God’s character and person.
May we who know the Lord take time to contemplate anew the greatness of God and proclaim it to those who may be confused or angry with their present situations. Even when the circumstances confound our rationale and nothing makes sense, still God is God, and we must proclaim Him!
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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IN CHRIST
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:22
Paul draws a contrast between the union of the unbeliever with Adam and the union of the believer with Christ. This is the greater argument in Romans 5, which is repeated in 1 Corinthians 15:22,49. In Romans 5 the whole argument is that death passed on to all people because of Adam. Why? Because of their relationship to Adam; that is the whole doctrine of original sin. We are all condemned in Adam because of Adam’s sin. He was our representative, he was our federal head; and not only that, we are bound to him, we were in the loins of Adam when he fell. In Adam all died. In Christ all shall be made alive again. That is it. The relationship of the believer to Christ is the same sort of union and relationship as that old relationship of the whole of Adam’s posterity to Adam. We are all born in Adam, and we are related, we are joined in that way. Yes, but being born again, we are in the same sort of relationship to Christ.
Regeneration and union must never be separated. You cannot be born again without being in Christ; you are born again because you are in Christ. The moment you are in Him you are born again, and you cannot regard your regeneration as something separate and think that union is something you will eventually arrive at. Not at all! Regeneration and union must always be considered together and at the same time because the one depends upon the other and leads to the other; they are mutually self-supporting.
There is nothing that so strengthens my faith and fills me with a longing to be pure as He is pure and to live even as He did in this world as the realization of what I am and who I am because I am a Christian. I am a child of God, and I am in Christ.
A Thought to Ponder
Regeneration and union must never be separated.
From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 104-105. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones)
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Genesis 40
Joseph is confined in prison.
INSIGHT
Joseph is one of the finest examples in the Bible of faithfulness in the face of tribulation. Wherever he was, Joseph lived for the glory of God. He demonstrated that he could be trusted in the tough times, thereby making himself eligible for God to use him in other settings. Joseph was faithful over small things, so God was able to set him over large things.
Most of our failures come with the small things. It rarely occurs to us that the challenge of the moment is to demonstrate ourselves faithful at that point. Then — and only then — will we be trusted in the greater things. Joseph is a good reminder. (Quiet Walk)
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A VITAL UNION
And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.
John 1:16
We are joined to Christ in a union with Him by means of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. It is a vital union because our spiritual life is drawn directly from the Lord Jesus Christ. We are sustained by Him through the indwelling Holy Spirit. There is nothing more important in the Christian life than to realize that our union with Christ is a vital one. It is a living thing. It is not something mechanical or conceptual; it is not a thought or an idea; it is really a vital, spiritual union.
“And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16). That says it all. That is our relationship to Him, says John; something of His fullness and of His life is passing into us, and we are receiving it.
The trouble with all of us is that we do not realize the truth of these things. But this is the truth given by the Lord Himself. It is His prayer for His people that they may know the meaning of this vital, spiritual relationship. And He does not hesitate to compare it with the relationship that subsists between the Father and Himself: As the Father is in Him, so He is in us, and we are in Him. But consider the statement of this truth that is made by the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” There is nothing greater than that, and what it does teach is that this is a life-giving relationship; it is a union of life. “Not I, but Christ liveth in me.” And then Paul goes on to say, “And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
A Thought to Ponder
Our union with Christ is a vital, spiritual union.
(From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 108-109, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Jacob’s Plain Life
“Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.” (Genesis 25:27)
Jacob has often been given a bad reputation for his deception of Isaac. He is branded a liar and worse, while the Scriptures describe him very differently. To begin with, the Hebrew word translated “plain” in our text is tam, everywhere else rendered as “perfect” or “upright.”
The same word is used most often by God Himself of Job—a “perfect” and “upright” man (Job 1:8). All other references in the Bible where tam is used verify this upright and undefiled character. The deception is not rebuked by God, and Jacob is honored by God far more than Isaac. In fact, Jacob is renamed “Israel” by God—hardly a punishment for a bad life, but rather a recognition of a great life (Genesis 32:28).
The sin of Isaac and Esau is infinitely greater. Esau has “sold” and “despised” the birthright (Genesis 25:33-34). Isaac would have given that blessing to Esau (Genesis 27:1-4) in spite of God’s plan (Genesis 25:23). The intention of Jacob and Rebecca was to prevent a horrible disobedience and catastrophe.
Jacob’s action gave him no temporal advantage and was taken at great personal risk. Jacob spent 20 years in exile and servitude to his wicked uncle Laban, 14 of them for Rachel and Leah (Genesis 29:20-29). While there, he endured the awful trickery of Laban, but God gave him 12 sons and at least one daughter (Genesis 29:31–30:24).
God’s intervention and Jacob’s careful attention to detail brought wealth and a growing confidence that God had turned his life around, providing the leadership his family needed to leave suddenly and go with confidence back to the land of Abraham (Genesis 31), having received personal assurance from God (Genesis 32:24-30).
May we all have the reputation of a “plain” life.
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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A German bank employee was in the middle of transferring 62.40 euros from a customer’s bank account when he accidentally took a power nap at his desk. He dozed off while his finger was on the “2” key, resulting in a 222 million euro (300 million dollar) transfer into the customer’s account. The fallout from the mistake included the firing of the employee’s colleague who verified the transfer. Although the mistake was caught and corrected, because he hadn’t been watchful, the sleepy employee’s lapse almost became a nightmare for the bank.
Jesus warned His disciples that if they didn’t remain alert, they too would make a costly mistake. He took them to a place called Gethsemane to spend some time in prayer. As He prayed, Jesus experienced a grief and sadness such as He’d never known in His earthly life. He asked Peter, James, and John to stay awake to pray and “keep watch” with Him (Matthew 26:38), but they fell asleep (vv. 40–41). Their failure to watch and pray would leave them defenseless when the real temptation of denying Him came calling. In the hour of Christ’s greatest need, the disciples lacked spiritual vigilance.
May we heed Jesus’ words to remain spiritually awake by being more devoted to spending time with Him in prayer. As we do, He’ll strengthen us to resist all kinds of temptations and avoid the costly mistake of denying Jesus.
(By Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread)
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Theology professor and author Walter Brueggemann [liberal author] has said the psalms can be divided into three types – orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. (1) The first are songs of orientation, where we enjoy God and his creation and blessings, delight in his goodness, and enjoy a rich sense of well-being and joy in him. (2) The second are songs of disorientation, seasons of hurt, suffering, and dislocation, written when the bottom falls out and we wonder what is happening. This is the confusing in-between, when we so often feel doubts, resentment, isolation, and despair. (3) Third are psalms of reorientation, when God breaks in and does something new. This is when joy breaks through our despair. (Peter Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church, p. 172)
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When a person makes a mistake and has to be forgiven, the shadow may hang over him or her because it is hard for other people to forget. But when God forgives, He begins the new page right there, and then the devil runs up and says, “What about this person’s past?” God replies: “What past? There is no past. We started out fresh when he
came to Me and I forgave him!” (A.W. Tozer, Faith Beyond Reason, 112)
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3. Their final blessedness: “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” Beautiful figure! this life is often a time of darkness, but it is the seed-time of light. When the believer is sowing dark tears, sighs, sorrows, trials, temptations, all is cheerless; but these are seeds of light. “Light is sown for him,” it will come up, it will shine forth by and by, it may be a long winter, and a backward spring, and even harvest time may be cheerless, but it will come at last! (See Ps. 30:5, and John 16:20–22.) (Jones, W. (1892). Psalm 88–109. In Psalms 88–150 (Vol. 2, p. 96). London; Toronto; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
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Thankfulness is the attitude that perfectly displaces my sinful tendency to complain and thereby release joy and blessing into my life. (p. 45, LORD, CHANGE My Attitude (Before It’s Too Late by James MacDonald)
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U.S. Army chaplain is facing a dereliction of duty charge and potentially six months in a military prison after not accepting a same-sex couple in a marriage retreat, even though he ensured the two women they could take part in the next scheduled retreat with a different chaplain, according to his attorney.
U.S. Army Chaplain Maj. Scott Squires – who is Southern Baptist – faces the charge on a technicality. The Army report says the lesbian soldier who requested attendance at the Strong Bonds marriage retreat was “denied a service due to her sexual orientation.” But the same Army report says the charge is not for denying her a service but instead for not following Army policy in accommodating her until after a complaint was filed.
Squires, though, said he followed Army policy. As a chaplain endorsed by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, he is prohibited from endorsing same-sex relationships. His chaplain assistant, SSG Kacie Griffin, faces a similar charge by the Army.
First Liberty is representing Squires.
“The United States Army, acting under the command of Major General Sonntag, is threatening to punish one of its chaplains because he followed the rules,” said Mike Berry of First Liberty. “The Army, or Congress, must hold Major General Sonntag accountable for allowing this aggressive anti-religious hostility against its military chaplains to occur under his command.”
First Liberty contends Squires complied with Army and Southern Baptist Convention rules when he “promptly rescheduled the marriage retreat with a new chaplain within three business days for the sole purpose of ensuring the same-sex couple could attend.”
Squires said he did “what I’m required to do under Army regulations and my endorser’s rules.”
“I am shocked that I would even be investigated, let alone threatened with punishment, for following the rules,” he said.
Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), who also is a military chaplain, spoke out in favor of Squires.
“The case of Chaplain Scott Squires highlights how imperative it is that we protect freedom of conscience for every individual in the U.S. military—including the chaplains who minister to them as they carry out the military’s mission together,” Collins said. “The process surrounding this investigation remains extremely concerning, and Army officials now have the opportunity to deliver a swift, fair resolution after months of prolonging the case.”
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
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Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, chooses Israelite captives to be trained to serve him.
INSIGHT
Moral courage. It is the resolve to do what is right–even if no one knows. Regardless of the consequences. Even when you are weary. Even when there are extenuating circumstances and when everyone would understand if you “caved in.” Daniel is a man of moral courage. The food he is offered probably violates the dietary restrictions in the Law of Moses. Note the words: “Daniel purposed in his heart” (1:8). Then God brings Daniel into favor. He gives him skill; He gives him a healthy glow. When faced with moral challenges, we must do our part–be obedient from the heart. And then trust God to do His part. (Quiet Walk)
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