TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Colossians 3:9-10
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TODAY IN THE WORD
The man who developed the U-2 spy plane for the Central Intelligence Agency tells of what happened after the famous 1960 incident in which U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down by the Soviets. Not knowing Powers was alive, the American government issued its pre-planned cover story: the downed U-2 was on a weather flight and had merely strayed over Soviet territory. But a week later Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gleefully produced Powers, and the Eisenhower administration was caught in an obvious lie.

The prospect of getting caught is one good reason not to lie. Even the most practiced and skillful liar gets caught eventually. But even if he seems to get away with it, God knows the truth and the liar can be sure his sin will find him out (Num. 32:23). It doesn't matter if the lie is told on the spur of the moment or carefully planned ahead of time. In God's eyes, there are no big or little lies.

The nature of God Himself provides us with an even better reason not to lie. Lying is an offense against God, who is consummate truth. It is also a betrayal of our position as His children, for we are being remade in His image (Col. 3:10).

Back on February 19 we talked about the need to ""clothe"" ourselves with humility. The same language is used here in Colossians 3 to describe the old nature we took off and the new nature we ""put on"" when we trusted Christ.

""Taking off"" the old nature doesn't mean we are now perfect and incapable of sin. Instead, the idea is that we are no longer under the authority or domination of our sinful nature. We have been freed from its rule, freed to obey God's righteous commands.

Our old nature is totally corrupted by sin, but God's work in our lives pushes us in the direction of His holiness. If you want to see exactly how corrupt the old nature is, read the verses that precede today's text. Colossians 3:5-8 presents a disgusting litany of the sins that characterize the unsaved world.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Integrity has been a ""hot button"" issue in the public square, especially during last fall's Presidential campaign and election. Our thinking, though, has a long way to go to catch up with Scripture.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: James 5:9; Philippians 2:14-16
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TODAY IN THE WORD
As the classic story, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, begins, Scrooge's nephew stops by his uncle's office to offer a warm Christmas greeting. ""Bah, humbug!"" Scrooge replies. Nevertheless, the nephew invites the old man to eat dinner with his family. Scrooge declines. Later that day, men stop by the office, raising funds to provide food and clothing for the city's poor. Scrooge tells them that the poor are not his problem.

In this early part of the story, before his transformation, Scrooge grumbles nearly continuously about everything from holidays to the price of coal. And whom does his complaining spirit harm the most? Himself!

When we, like Scrooge, grumble against other people, we likewise harm ourselves, forfeiting the good we might have had. The apostle's reference to the grumbler being judged calls to mind an incident in Numbers 14, when the children of Israel griped so furiously at Moses that they almost stoned him (Num. 14:10).

Then an angry God showed up (vv. 11-12). He was ready to destroy the people and start over with Moses, but Moses made his case for sparing the nation God had brought out of Egypt by His mighty power (vv. 13-19).

In 1 Corinthians 10:10, Paul referred to another account of Israel's grumbling (Num. 16:41-50) to warn us against doing the same.

Why does God deal so firmly with complaining among His people? In Numbers 14, God says the people's griping was a slap in the face in light of His provision of their needs. In Numbers 16, the Israelites questioned God's justice.

In other words, grumbling insults God, who deserves our wholehearted gratitude. And it hinders God's work when the members of Christ's body pick at one another. The context surrounding James 5:9 gives one clear example of this problem. With the Lord's coming at hand (v. 7), we have more important things to do than to complain!


TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you have a gripe against a brother or a sister at your church, or perhaps someone at home?

The Bible is not telling us to overlook legitimate problems or neglect concerns that need attention. We are talking about a critical, negative spirit that majors on minor irritations.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: James 5:13-16
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Not long after David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband Uriah to be killed in battle, the prophet Nathan paid the king a visit (2 Sam. 12). Nathan told him a story of a rich man who had stolen a poor man's sheep.

As he listened, David became infuriated: ""Surely the man who has done this deserves to die!"" Imagine how humbling it was for David when he realized the rich man in the story symbolized himself. Though there were consequences for him and his household, David confessed and was forgiven (see Psalm 51).

If we confess our sins, as David did, God will not let them stand as obstacles between Himself and us. He has provided a continual cleansing and forgiveness for sin through Christ's blood (1 John 1:9). But the Bible also tells us to confess our sins to one another and to pray for one another--and it links healing with these acts.

Today's text has produced a library of commentary by Bible scholars trying to figure out what James meant. We won't settle the questions today, but several things are clear.

First, if the cause of a believer's illness is sin, confession brings God's forgiveness (v. 15). Does it also bring healing from the sickness? The text suggests so.

A second truth that is clear from these verses is that our prayers for one another have power with God. We can take encouragement from the example of Elijah (vv. 17-18). The prophet seems high above most of us spiritually; but when it comes to moving God's hand in prayer, we have the same access to heaven that Elijah had.

Most believers are comfortable with the command to pray for one another, but what about mutual confession?
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Confession of sin to others is a serious step that we need to take under the Holy Spirit's guidance.

Here are some guidelines you can use the next time the issue of confession to fellow believers comes up. First, James says the person needing to confess should initiate the meeting. That may not happen if a person refuses to admit to sin that is open knowledge, but it's the ideal situation.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 5:19-26
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TODAY IN THE WORD
The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon was keenly aware of the dangers of pride. After his sermon one Sunday, Spurgeon was met by a woman who exclaimed, ""Oh, Mr. Spurgeon, that was wonderful.""

""Yes, madam,"" Spurgeon replied, ""so the devil whispered in my ear as I came down the steps of the pulpit.""

Spurgeon had it right. Genuine compliments are no sin, but he knew that puffing God's people up with pride is one of Satan's favorite tactics. One reason the enemy uses this trick so often is that it is so successful.

Our final ""one another"" text is one of only five we have considered that is stated in the negative. Some strong correction was evidently needed for the Galatian believers, who were ""biting and devouring each other"" (Gal. 5:15).

Notice the two-pronged problem--provoking and envying--that pride produces (v. 26). A person who is arrogant and boastful provokes that same reaction in others, only compounding the problem. Since God's work in us is not finished, we know that we have enough of the old nature for us to rear up when someone else starts ""strutting his stuff.""

A second problem that conceit produces in the body of Christ is envy. Nothing deflates a proud person more than finding out that someone else has done the same or better. Pride doesn't allow for rivals, so people are moved to envy one another when conceit is at work.

There's no doubt that pride is one of the acts of the sinful nature that fight against God's work in us (vv. 19-21). One Bible commentator says very succinctly: ""God does not approve of windbags.""
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
There's no common ground between the two lists in Galatians 5. We dare not miss the warning at the end of verse 21 that those who practice the deeds of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God.

As we prepare to wrap up this month's study, is it possible that you realize you have never trusted Christ for salvation? If you have any doubt at all, we encourage you to admit your sin (Rom. 3:23), believe that Jesus died for your sin on the cross (Rom. 5:, and cry out to Him in faith for salvation (Rom. 10:13).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 22:34-40
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Someone has said that there are two kinds of people in the church: risktakers and caretakers. If the risktakers in the church are ruled by the caretakers, they will all go to the undertaker with little to show for their lives. Playwright Neil Simon said, ""If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor.""

As you have studied with us throughout this month, you may have concluded that a lifestyle of obeying ""one another"" commands may be risky business. It is!

For example, if you show love to someone else, that person may reject or take advantage of you. Decide to prefer another before yourself, and you may get left behind. Choose to honor another person above yourself, and that individual may grab credit for something you did.

The risks of seriously obeying these ""one another"" commands in the body of Christ may be real, but so are the rewards. God always rewards our obedience--and we need to recall that with just one or two exceptions, every ""one another"" text in the New Testament is a command.

This is the way God expects His children to treat one another. Today's text reminds us that loving one another the way we love ourselves is the second greatest commandment of Scripture.

Whatever risks we may take by reaching out to one another in love and service, the alternative is unthinkable for people who call themselves Christians. Withdrawing from other people into our own small world will not serve the needs of the church. And it won't do anything for our witness to a lost world.

We have focused this month on your side of the biblical ""one another"" equation. But that doesn't negate the truth that you are as much a candidate to receive these blessings as you are to bestow them on someone else.


TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It's likely that as we have moved through these studies, you have found some of the commands easier to obey than others.

Before we close out February and begin a new study tomorrow, why not celebrate your strengths and determine to work on your weaknesses?

First, jot down two or three ""one anothers"" that you feel you are obeying in a way that pleases God. Thank Him for these footprints of His grace in your life.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Chronicles 29:21-25
They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the Lord that day. - 1 Chronicles 29:22
TODAY IN THE WORD
At the end of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn, the hidden king, returned in triumph to the city of Gondor. Frodo, the hobbit Ringbearer, brought to him an ancient crown that Gandalf placed on his head, saying, “Now come the days of the King, and may they be blessed while the thrones of the Valar endure!” Wrote Tolkien: “[W]isdom sat upon his brow, and strength and healing were in his hands, and a light was about him. And then Faramir cried: ”˜Behold the King!'”

The coronation of Solomon is found in today's reading, on the day following David's charge to him and the freewill offerings for the temple. It was a day filled with sacrifices, feasting, joy, and abundance. We sometimes get the idea that the Law was a rather grim set of duties, but this pairing of celebration and worship is found in many places (e.g., Deut. 14:22-26). So Paul's comment on eating and drinking to the glory of God was not a throwaway line, but rich in meaning within Jewish culture (v. 22; 1 Cor. 10:31). Perhaps that American standby, the church fellowship potluck, isn't such a new idea after all!

On the same day as Solomon's anointing, Zadok was anointed as priest, showing the harmony between politics and religion as well as the submission of the king before God. The army pledged loyalty, and the people acknowledged and acclaimed all that was done. As verse 25 makes clear—a summary that is also a preview for 2 Chronicles—this was a golden age of God's blessing.

In this one day, we see many of the overall themes of 1 Chronicles. In trust, the nation sought the Lord and worshiped Him. Safe from their enemies, they enjoyed peace and prosperity with a spirit of rejoicing, understanding as well the importance of obedience. Central to all was the reality of their always faithful, covenant-keeping God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Party! Today plan a worship feast like the one at Solomon's coronation—we say “party” to make sure you get a feeling of joy and celebration. It should, as so many church bulletin announcements have said, include food, fun, and fellowship, but treat these as starting points rather than a complete plan. Invite those people that you associate with good times, laughter, relaxation, and pleasure. Celebrate God's “abundant goodness” together (Ps. 145:7). Our God is not grim and gloomy—He delights in our celebrations for His glory!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 14:1-3
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TODAY IN THE WORD
For anyone who has visited Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, the encounter there with America's beginnings is unforgettable. But Colonial Williamsburg did not suddenly appear as it is today. The town is the result of a massive building project, an effort of restoration and preservation that took more than six decades and involved the restoration or reconstruction of more than 500 buildings.

As we read in today's Scripture passage, Jesus Christ has undertaken an extensive, heavenly ""building project"" on our behalf; and it is truly a labor of love. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus reassured His distressed disciples that even though He was about to leave them, they would be with Him again one day.

In reassuring the disciples, Jesus told them He was returning to heaven, which He called ""my Father's house"" (v. 2), to prepare it for them--and for us! As we begin our study this month, a look at what the Bible says about heaven, hell and eternal destiny, we do well to remember our Lord's comforting promise.

In the first half of this month, we will consider some fascinating and enlightening passages from the Old and New Testaments concerning heaven. We will also study some other biblical names for heaven, a description of our future home, and the activities of heaven.

Since God's Word balances the reality of heaven with the reality of hell, we also need to understand what the Bible teaches about hell. To do that, we will examine key texts which teach a truth that many people have chosen to ignore: the fact of eternal punishment for those who refuse Christ.

Then during the final week of March, leading into Easter, we will return to the subject of heaven, focusing on the glorious future God has for those who love Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Most homes have a favorite room--the place where the family always seems to gather for good times and conversation.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 24:7-10; Isaiah 66:1-2
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TODAY IN THE WORD
""The largest land empire the world has ever seen"" is the way one writer describes the vast area across Asia that was conquered by the Mongol hordes of the early thirteenth century. Riding out of their homeland, these huge armies swept east and south to conquer everything in their path. They were led by a remarkable ruler who was given the title Genghis Khan, which means ""universal ruler.""

Every earthly empire, it seems, tries to extend its borders as far as warfare, diplomacy or economics will permit. And every empire seeks to elevate its leaders by giving them exalted titles that suggest absolute power and authority.

But there is only one all-encompassing throne, and only one universal Ruler. ""The Lord Almighty--He is the King of glory"" declares the psalmist (Ps. 24:10). One of the most important truths we need to know about heaven is that above all else, heaven is the exalted place from which God rules over His creation.

The Bible does not give us an exact location for heaven. But biblical language makes it clear that by any standard of measurement, heaven is far above the earth. That truth is clearly evident in the incredible word-picture God gives us in Isaiah 66.

To the Lord the earth is a ""footstool,"" a place, speaking metaphorically, on which to prop His feet. This imagery doesn't suggest that God is indifferent or callous toward earth and its inhabitants, as if He were an inattentive monarch. Instead, the picture is one of rulership and majesty.

In fact, as we will see next Sunday, God is anything but an uninvolved ruler. He inhabits heaven's throne not only as King, but also as Judge. God is ever watchful over His subjects, both those who are in rebellion against Him and those who obey Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The fact that heaven is God's throne as well as our future home should comfort us when things seem out of control.

When you have a need or a worry, who better to bring it to than the King of heaven? In Philippians 4:6, Paul urges us to bring our requests to God in a spirit of thanksgiving.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Isaiah 6:1-7
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TODAY IN THE WORD
According to a report on the history of the automobile, the boom in the fast food industry may be explained largely by the car's entrance into American daily life. The first ""carhops"" appeared in the 1930s, allowing people to eat without leaving their cars. Then in the 1970s some restaurants tested the idea of ""drive-through"" service. The new service was a big hit with people who were too busy to park and eat, let alone sit at a table.

Drive-through service, cell phones, beepers and other time-saving devices say a lot about a culture that always seems to be in a hurry. Unfortunately, as Dr. Tony Evans points out, this ""hurry up and get it"" mentality has invaded the church.

The result is that many Christians want their worship the way they want their hamburgers. They want to drive up to church, grab an hour of worship, and drive off--what Dr. Evans calls ""drive-through worship.""

Nothing could be more opposed to this mentality than the awe-inspiring heavenly scene before us today. The vision Isaiah saw would bring the busiest ""drive-through worshiper"" screeching to a halt. In Isaiah 6, the curtain is pulled back on the never-ending worship of God that fills heaven.

There is a lot happening in this chapter of Scripture. One purpose of Isaiah's vision was to commission him for service (see vv. 8-13). Another purpose was to reveal God's holiness and worthiness to be worshiped. Today, we want to step back and take in the incredible scene the prophet describes.

We learn much about heaven in these few verses. For instance, God's throne is in the heavenly temple, which, as we will learn later this month, served as the pattern for the earthly temple. We also catch a glimpse of the ceaseless worship that the angels of heaven render to God (v. 3, cf. Rev. 4:, and we can almost feel the ""doorposts and thresholds"" of the temple shaking.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Is your worship being offered to God on His terms and timetable, or has it become a ""drive-through experience""?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Kings 8:22-27
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Government officials in China are tired of construction companies using names that promise features their buildings don't deliver. For instance, Beijing officials want developers to stop calling their apartment buildings ""gardens"" when there are no plants in sight. A complex that wants to call itself a ""plaza"" must now have an open area of at least 2ꯠ square meters that can be considered a plaza. And in a big city, a building must have at least 18 floors before it can use the name ""tower.""

The Chinese are attempting to enforce ""truth in advertising,"" a difficult task indeed. Marketing concerns aside, there's something to be said for accuracy and clarity when it comes to naming one's creations. God was very accurate and clear when He labeled His universe.

The Bible distinguishes between ""heaven"" and ""the heavens,"" the atmosphere around us and the regions of interstellar space. In his great prayer at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, Solomon drew on this distinction when he said that neither ""the heavens"" nor the ""highest heaven"" could contain God (v. 27).

The apostle Paul made a similar distinction when he described a man's experience (probably his own) of being caught up in a vision and shown the glories of the ""third heaven"" (2 Cor. 12:2). Without a doubt, what Paul saw was heaven, the dwelling place of God (cf. 1 Kings 8:39). Nothing else could fit Paul's description of scenes too wonderful to tell.

If God's dwelling place is the ""third heaven,"" what are the other two heavens that Paul's statement assumes? Bible teachers are generally agreed that the writers of Scripture considered the earthly sky as the first heaven, while the recesses of space make up the second heaven.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Since our great God fills heaven and earth and everything in between, you are never separated from His presence.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, that truth ought to be an encouragement to you today. Saying you are in God's presence is another way of saying you are the object of His continual care and concern.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Revelation 4:1-11
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TODAY IN THE WORD
When a teenager named David Thompson first arrived in western Canada in 1784, few had explored the region. The map was largely a blank.

Thompson learned surveying from a mentor at the Hudson Bay Company, and the local Indians taught him wilderness survival. Years later, those skills became critical to Thompson as he set out on foot, by canoe, and on horseback to map out western Canada, an immense piece of work for which he traveled more than 80ꯠ miles and kept meticulous journals.

No one else has ""mapped out"" heaven as thoroughly as did the apostle John in the book of Revelation. And nowhere in that book was his description of heaven more detailed than in the great vision recorded in today's text.

Here in one chapter is an unparalleled ""look behind the door"" of heaven (v. 1). Once again we find that the center of heaven's attention and worship is the throne and the One seated on it.

John did not name this One, but we know that only God is worthy of the titles and worship given here. John describes what he sees in terms of the colors and appearances of precious stones, suggesting the majesty and glory of God.

In Isaiah 6 we saw that an order of angels called ""seraphs"" worship God. Here we meet two more groups of heavenly beings, the ""twenty-four elders"" and the ""four living creatures."" Since John does not identify them further, we cannot be precise about their origin; but their function is clear--they are created to worship God.

John's report of lightning and thunder coming from the throne reminds us of the awesome and holy, even terrifying, presence of God. This scene is reminiscent of the giving of the Law, when God came down to Mount Sinai to meet with Moses (Exod. 19:16-22).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you getting the picture that we serve a holy God? No sin of any kind will be allowed to defile His heaven.

Holiness is God's will for us too (1 Pet. 1:15-16). We can be holy because our God has credited the holiness of Jesus Christ to our account and because we have the Holy Spirit living within us to empower us for holy living.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; Philippians 1:21-2
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's lesson reminds us of the ""great cloud of witnesses"" cheering us on from heaven's grandstand (Heb. 12:1).

We are not told precisely what these heavenly witnesses know of earth's activities, or in what way they urge us on. But the point is clear. The knowledge that others have run the Christian race before us should give us renewed energy for our race.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Hebrews 12:22-24; Job 38:1-7
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TODAY IN THE WORD
More than forty years after the most famous martyrdom in modern missionary history, the full story of the deaths of five young missionaries in Ecuador in 1956 has come to light.

From the Huaorani (Auca) attackers themselves and other missionaries comes an incredible story of how Jim Elliott, Nate Saint, and three others died trying to bring the gospel to a savage people. Three Huaorani women who were there say they heard strange music and saw bright figures above the trees as the killings took place. All of those who participated that day saw what Steve Saint, Nate's son, describes as ""a bright multitude in the sky.""

Did God send angels from heaven to witness the death of His servants? We know that the death of His saints is precious in God's sight (Ps. 116:15). We also know that He has a vast army of angels in heaven who do His bidding.

We have already seen that heaven is the dwelling place of saints who have died and of heavenly beings such as the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures. But other than God Himself, the most familiar inhabitants of heaven are the angels.

From Genesis to Revelation, angels are prominent in the Bible. We are not told when they were created, but Job 38 indicates that they were present at the creation of the earth and shouted with joyful praise at God's handiwork. Perhaps this is why of all the created inhabitants of heaven, angels are uniquely involved with people and events on earth, particularly with God's people.

Angels warned Abraham of Sodom's destruction (Gen. 18), protected Elisha the prophet from the Syrians (2 Kings 6:16-17), announced the birth of Jesus (Luke 1), ministered to Him in the wilderness (Matt. 4), and released Peter from prison (Acts 12).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The ministry of angels reminds us of a truth we too often forget. As someone has put it, ""Man proposes, but God disposes.""

In other words, what goes on around us every day is not the whole story. Heaven has the final word on what happens on earth, including the plans we make. Think about that for a minute, and you'll find yourself praising God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Revelation 21:1-4
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TODAY IN THE WORD
When legendary professional golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias was dying of cancer, her husband, George, unable to control his emotions, began to cry at her bedside. ""Now, honey,"" Babe said to him, ""don't take on so. While I've been in the hospital, I have learned one thing. A moment of happiness is a lifetime, and I have had a lot of happiness.""

Sometimes it seems that the only happiness this life affords us is momentary. From the perspective of heaven, we would have to say this is true. Thankfully, it is also true that our trials and afflictions are ""light and momentary"" compared to the ""eternal glory that far outweighs them all"" (2 Cor. 4:17).

Everything about this life is brief and fleeting compared to the endless ages we will enjoy in heaven. It's good to step aside from our daily routine once in a while to refresh our memory about the joys awaiting us in heaven.

What the apostle John saw and heard, as recorded in Revelation 21, has comforted and energized God's people throughout the history of the church. In these wonderful verses, John includes just about every kind of circumstance and setback that can cause us grief here on earth. We know that heaven is a place of indescribable joy and peace, but sometimes we need to let that truth sink down into our souls.

Does focusing on heaven, however, make us just starry-eyed, heavenly-minded saints who aren't much earthly good? Paul didn't seem to think so. The knowledge of eternal glory ahead gave Paul the strength and courage to keep on going for Christ (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

More importantly, God does not seem to be ""worried"" about spoiling us for earth by showing us heaven. In Revelation 21:5, He exclaimed with joy, ""I am making everything new!"" Then He commanded John, ""Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.""
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Here on earth, when we recover from tears or pain, we expect to experience them again at some point. ""That's life,"" we say.

It may be ""life,"" but it's not ""Life."" When God wipes away tears and removes pain, He will do so eternally! Best of all, heaven will be the full realization of the believer's ultimate joy: unending fellowship with God (Rev. 21:3).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 11:4-7
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TODAY IN THE WORD
King James I of England, the monarch whose name is linked to the King James Version of the Bible, once tried his hand at being a judge. But after hearing both sides in one case, James was so perplexed that he gave up his ""career"" in despair. ""I could get on very well hearing one side only,"" he said. ""But when both sides have been heard, by my soul, I know not which is right.""

King James is not alone in his perplexity. We often don't know who's right and who's wrong, or which side in a dispute is telling the truth. Just ask any parent quizzing two children who take turns insisting, ""Did too!""...""Did not!""

There are two very good reasons that human judgment is often faulty. We are not absolutely holy or just, and we lack perfect knowledge in any situation. But heaven's Judge possesses both of these qualifications. From His heavenly throne, God ""observes the sons of men"" (v. 4). He examines hearts and discerns motives and judges accordingly.

According to verse 5, God examines the righteous. Since He is righteous and loves justice, those who are upright before Him will see His face (v. 7).

But because nothing escapes the sight of heaven's Judge, the wicked will not escape His justice (vv. 5-6). As we will see later this month, the psalmist's use of ""burning sulfur"" to describe God's judgment on the wicked is suggestive of the punishment of hell.

Psalm 11 presents a stark contrast to the idea that God sits impassively in the heavens, watching but not getting involved with the events of earth. This psalm also opposes the false idea of ancient cultures that the gods shared all the vices and idiosyncrasies of human beings.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Although we are imperfect, God has given us His revelation, the Bible, to guide us in living lives of righteousness that please Him.