Daily Bible Notes: November, 22nd
The following daily bible notes for every day of the year, are taken from six public domain sources:
- "Morning and Evening" by Charles H.Spurgeon
- "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by John H.Jowett
- "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
- "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by Charles H.Spurgeon
- "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan
- An Evening Meditation from "Searchlights from the Word" by G. Campbell Morgan
1. "Morning and Evening" by C.H.Spurgeon
Morning
Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
Hosea 12:12
Jacob, while expostulating with Laban, thus describes his own toil, "This twenty years have I been with thee. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee: I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes." Even more toilsome than this was the life of our Saviour here below. He watched over all His sheep till He gave in as His last account, "Of all those whom Thou hast given me I have lost none." His hair was wet with dew, and His locks with the drops of the night. Sleep departed from His eyes, for all night He was in prayer wrestling for His people.
One night Peter must be pleaded for; anon, another claims His tearful intercession. No shepherd sitting beneath the cold skies, looking up to the stars, could ever utter such complaints because of the hardness of his toil as Jesus Christ might have brought, if He had chosen to do so, because of the sternness of His service in order to procure His spouse - "Cold mountains and the midnight air, Witnessed the fervour of His prayer; The desert His temptations knew, His conflict and His victory too."
It is sweet to dwell upon the spiritual parallel of Laban having required all the sheep at Jacob’s hand. If they were torn of beasts, Jacob must make it good; if any of them died, he must stand as surety for the whole. Was not the toil of Jesus for His Church the toil of one who was under suretiship obligations to bring every believing one safe to the hand of Him who had committed them to His charge? Look upon toiling Jacob, and you see a representation of Him of whom we read, "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd."
Evening
The power of His resurrection.
Philippians 3:10
The doctrine of a risen Saviour is exceedingly precious. The resurrection is the corner-stone of the entire building of Christianity. It is the key-stone of the arch of our salvation. It would take a volume to set forth all the streams of living water which flow from this one sacred source, the resurrection of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; but to know that He has risen, and to have fellowship with Him as such - communing with the risen Saviour by possessing a risen life - seeing Him leave the tomb by leaving the tomb of worldliness ourselves, this is even still more precious. The doctrine is the basis of the experience, but as the flower is more lovely than the root, so is the experience of fellowship with the risen Saviour more lovely than the doctrine itself. I would have you believe that Christ rose from the dead so as to sing of it, and derive all the consolation which it is possible for you to extract from this well-ascertained and well-witnessed fact; but I beseech you, rest not contented even there.
Though you cannot, like the disciples, see Him visibly, yet I bid you aspire to see Christ Jesus by the eye of faith; and though, like Mary Magdalene, you may not "touch" Him, yet may you be privileged to converse with Him, and to know that He is risen, you yourselves being risen in Him to newness of life. To know a crucified Saviour as having crucified all my sins, is a high degree of knowledge; but to know a risen Saviour as having justified me, and to realize that He has bestowed upon me new life, having given me to be a new creature through His own newness of life, this is a noble style of experience: short of it, none ought to rest satisfied. May you both "know Him, and the power of His resurrection." Why should souls who are quickened with Jesus, wear the grave-clothes of worldliness and unbelief? Rise, for the Lord is risen.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
1 Kings 8:22-36
22 Solomon stood before the LORD's altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands towards heaven;
23 and he said, "LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keeps covenant and loving kindness with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart;
24 who has kept with your servant David my father that which you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today.
25 Now therefore, may LORD, the God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that which you have promised him, saying, 'There shall not fail from you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children take heed to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.'
26 "Now therefore, God of Israel, please let your word be verified, which you spoke to your servant David my father.
27 But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can't contain you; how much less this house that I have built!
28 Yet have respect for the prayer of your servant, and for his supplication, LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you today;
29 that your eyes may be open towards this house night and day, even towards the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there;' to listen to the prayer which your servant prays towards this place.
30 Listen to the supplication of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they pray towards this place. Yes, hear in heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.
31 "If a man sins against his neighbour, and an oath is laid on him to cause him to swear, and he comes and swears before your altar in this house;
32 then hear in heaven, and act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
33 "When your people Israel are struck down before the enemy, because they have sinned against you; if they turn again to you, and confess your name, and pray and make supplication to you in this house;
34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them again to the land which you gave to their fathers.
35 "When the sky is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you; if they pray towards this place, and confess your name, and turn from their sin, when you afflict them,
36 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, and of your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on your land, which you have given to your people for an inheritance.
RECOVERING LOST STRENGTH
In this portion of this great prayer I discern the unalterable mode in which nations and individuals recover their moral health and strength.
How do they lose it? Two words tell the story. They "sin" and are "smitten." It is an inevitable sequence. Every sin is the minister of disease. Sometimes we can see it, when the disease flaunts its flags in the flesh; lust and drunkenness have glaring placards, and we know what is going on within. But even when sin makes no visible mark the wasting process is at work. It is as true of falsehood as of drunkenness, of treachery as of lust. "Evil shall slay the wicked."
And how do we recover our lost estate? There are three words which tell the story. "Turn!" "Confess!" "Make supplication!" The words need no exposition. I must turn my face to my despised and neglected Lord; I must tell them all about my miserable revolt, and I must humbly crave for His restoring grace.
And the answer is sure. Such humble exercise sets the joy-bells ringing, and the rich forgiveness of the Lord fills the soul with peace. "O taste and see how gracious the Lord is."
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
November 22nd.
God of power, wilt Thou endow me for the fight to-day? May I not be defeated in the first battle!
May the place of trial be the place of triumph! May I be more than conqueror through Christ! Help me to win trophies on every field.
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they
shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
Jeremiah 50:20
A glorious word indeed! What a perfect pardon is here promised to the sinful nations of Israel and Judah! Sin is to be so removed that it shall not be found, so blotted out that there shall be none. Glory be unto the God of pardons!
Satan seeks out sins wherewith to accuse us, our enemies seek them that they may lay them to our charge, and our own conscience seeks them even with a morbid eagerness. But when the Lord applies the precious blood of Jesus, we fear no form of search, for "there shall be none," "they shall not be found." The Lord hath caused the sins of his people to cease to be: he hath finished transgression, and made an end of sin. The sacrifice of Jesus has cast our sins into the depths of the sea. This makes us dance for joy.
The reason for the obliteration of sin lies in the fact that Jehovah himself pardons his chosen ones. His word of grace is not only royal, but divine. He speaks absolution, and we are absolved. He applies the atonement, and from that hour his people are beyond all fear of condemnation. Blessed be the name of the sin-annihilating God!
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Prayer is the voice of man in his need speaking to God: prophecy is the voice of God in His power speaking to man.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Clouds and darkness are round about Him; righteousness and judgement are the foundation of His throne.
Psalms 97:2
Again the keynote of the praise is struck in the opening declaration of this song: "Jehovah reigneth." Than this fact, there is none other to bring real joy to men. But in the assurance that this is so, there is rest and hope, and therefore song. In the course of this series of songs for worship, perhaps there are no words more full of comfort than those which I have emphasized. This is so because they recognize the mystery of which we are so often conscious, and at the same time declare the truths which enable us to endure. Clouds and darkness are round about Him. His way is constantly hidden from us. The mystery of His thought, and of His method, is often beyond our apprehension. The darkness of which we are conscious is often due to excess of light; and the clouds are often the beneficent instrument which guard that light so that it does not harm us. Yet we are perplexed and fearful, until we remember that "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne." However deep the darkness, however thick and threatening the clouds, which hide from us, for the moment, the method and the meaning of God, we know that in His government there can be no departure from righteousness, no deflection of justice. This is the secret of our confidence, and should be the inspiration of perpetual songs, of ceaseless worship.
Note: To the best of our knowledge we are of the understanding that the above material, all published before 1926 and freely available elsewhere on the internet in various formats, is in the public domain.