TAKE TIME: Week 105 Assignment

Introduction:  This week we conclude the major portion of the Old Testament chronology and segue into reading any poetical literature not previously covered. This includes most of the Psalms and all chapters of Proverbs. There were a few psalms that were covered in their chronological context and those will not be repeated. (Check the index.) I do not consider it improper to study a psalm or proverb outside of the original chronology since these were used by the Hebrew people very much like Christians sing "Amazing Grace" now, a hymn penned by John Newton in approximately 1779. Can you imagine how fervently the post-exilic Hebrews sang the Psalms of Degrees written many years prior by David as they traveled to Jerusalem? Having the opportunity to attend feasts and holy days once more must have been a poignant experience indeed for those who had returned to the land after 70 years of captivity!

 Assignment:

• Monday - Nehemiah chapter 12
• Tuesday - Nehemiah chapter 13
• Wednesday - Psalms 1 and 2
• Thursday - Psalms 3 and 4
• Friday - Psalms 5 and 6
• Saturday - Psalms 7 and 8

Memory Verse

 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 1:1


Prayer Journal (ACTS)

• Adoration - Praise God for being the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even the psalms declare the distinctions of this awesome 3-in-1!
• Confession - Ask God to reveal hidden sin in your life and then confess it.
• Thanksgiving - Thank God for any answers to your prayers.
• Supplication - What are your prayer requests this week? List them for future reference so that you can see how God answers.

Search the Scriptures

Look for references for each of the following:

• Promises that God made and to whom He made them. Do they apply to you?
• References that either refer to or infer something about future events.
• What does this passage teach about Jesus?
• Commandments that God made and to whom He made them. Do they apply to you?

Putting the Word into Action
The psalms open with the word "blessed" or happy. Specifically, a man is blessed if he does not walk after ungodly counsel or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful. (See the progression? First we walk in the way of bad counsel. The next thing we know we're standing with the rebellious know-it-all crowd and finally we find ourselves sitting there with our arms folded across our chests looking down our noses at all those "ignorant people who don't know any better.") This week's assignment is a "spiritual map-check."  Have you taken ungodly counsel and have found yourself walking in it? (Usually you'll find yourself trying to justify something the Bible clearly says is wrong.) Are you finding comfort in the company you keep? (We tend to want to find others to help us justify our sinful behaviors or beliefs) Or have you already firmly planted yourself upon a seat where your opinions determine your attitude and actions? (We tend to argue incessantly for our "right" to do, think, believe something, etc. etc. etc. even if it specifically goes against the Word of God.

Check your map. Then change course if necessary.