Lifespring! Media All Shows Steve Webb

Podcast Introduction







Our reading today Proverbs 20-21. After the reading, I’ll have some comments for you. I’m calling today’s episode “Avoiding Strife.”  







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Comments on Proverbs 20-21







Just a few comments today. Most of the verses, or proverbs, speak for themselves. They just need to be rolled over in our minds and made a part of who we are.







Comments on Proverbs 20







My wife, the lovely lady LeeAnn, has been in the car business for several years now, and God has blessed her. She is the director for the internet sales department at her dealership, and every month she’s almost always the top sales person because she treats her clients openly and honestly. Verse 14 of Proverbs 20 makes me think of the sales process that so many people seem to want to go through. “Bad, bad," says the buyer, But when he goes his way, then he boasts.” It’s the give and take of, not just the car business, but any financial transaction where negotiating is involved. The buyer points out the problems with the merchandise, the seller extolls the virtues. If the process is done properly, both parties are winners. The buyer comes away feeling like he’s gotten a good deal, and the seller makes a reasonable profit. 







And Verse 24 says, “Man's steps are ordained by the Lord, How then can man understand his way?” That last part is better translated, “How can a man understand his *own* way?” It’s true. Our lives are in God’s hand. He knows where He wants us and what He wants us to do and be. We sometimes think we are planning and running our lives. And to a certain extent we are, since we do have the freedom to choose. But God’s ultimate, overarching plan for creation will be accomplished. Doesn’t it seem foolish to think that we can challenge God? Doesn’t it seem wiser to acknowledge His lordship and follow Him one step at a time, and allow ourselves to be in harmony with His plan? If our plan is in conflict with His, all our planning will be for nothing. There’s an old Jewish proverb, non-Biblical and somewhat cynical that says, “Man makes his plan, and God laughs.” I would much rather give myself to Him and have the assurance that my life will have meant something when I stand before Him at the judgement. I’ve told you many times that my ultimate goal is to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”







Thoughts on Proverbs 21







I’m sure you noticed Solomon’s comments about living with a disagreeable woman. In some circles this is fodder for the fallacy that the Bible is anti-woman. I disagree, and here’s why.







Proverbs was written by Solomon, a man who was a king with not only great wisdom and great wealth, but he also had a large amount of concubines. (And yet he is still credited with having wisdom. Haha!) I’m sure that he was well acquainted with what it was like to live with easy-to-get-along with women and some who were not so much.







The purpose of this book is what? To impart wisdom. Why? Because with wisdom comes many things, one of which is peace. 







Solomon was writing from a man’s perspective, so he talked about marital peace from that vantage point. So he wrote about living with a quarrelsome woman, and the disruption of peace that causes.







One could just say, “Better to live on a corner of a roof than to share a home with a quarreling mate.” Do I hear an amen from the women? Haha. I thought so. This scripture doesn’t give men the right to be quarrelsome. And it doesn’t denigrate women. 







How do I know that the Bible is not anti-woman? There are many reasons,

Associate Producer







John from Canada.







Podcast Introduction







Our reading today Psalms 102-104. I’ll have a brief introduction to each chapter, then after we read all three, I’ll have some comments for you.







I’m calling today’s episode “Through It All.”  







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Comments on Psalms 102 and 104







Psalm 102







Psalm 102 reminded me of a song by the great Andrae’ Crouch. It’s called “Through It All.” I’ll have a video on the show notes page if you’d like to hear it.  Verse three is especially good. 









https://youtu.be/iB2pPCydEjs









I can’t listen to this song without joining Andrae in praising the Lord. It’s so good. It’ll be on the show notes page at /s12e238. If you want to have a time of praise, go listen. 







Psalm 104







When I was a young man, I did quite a lot of hiking and backpacking and rock climbing. One of the greatest trips I took was in the High Sierra. Some friends of mine and I hiked from the area around Mammoth Mountain, where a couple of years later I became a professional ski patrolman, to Yosemite Valley, truly one of the most beautiful places on Earth. As the crow flies, the distance is about 35 miles. Our hike was about 70 miles. We took 10 days to make the trip, because we took some days exploring the area around our camps and fishing.







Why am I telling you this? Because I really love seeing God's creation, and I get how some people can look at it and worship the creation instead of the creator. I get it, but I feel sorry for people who do that. To see the beauty of a sunrise over a mountain meadow, or hear the trickling of a stream teeming with brook trout, or to gaze upon majestic mountain peaks, or hear the thundering of crashing waves on the shore, and fail to acknowledge the awesome Creator of these wonders and all there is, is tragic in my eyes.







I have often wondered how people fail to realize that all of these things come from God, but then I remember that it is Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith. And Jesus said that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them to Him. So beloved, people can't know that the beauty we see was created by God unless He reveals Himself to them. 







Knowing this compels me to do at least two things. Number one: I must praise God for calling me to Himself. It is not because I'm so smart that I love Him, it is because He revealed Himself to me, and He gave me the faith to believe. And number two, I have tell others about Him. Because Romans 10:17 tells us that Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It is our job to plant the seeds of faith by telling others the Good News, and it is God who takes it from there. 







God gave us a beautiful world to live in that illustrates His creative and mighty and orderly nature. Praise HIM, the Creator, for that, not the creation.







Today's Bible Translation







Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 102 NIRV; Ch. 103-104 CEV







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The Team

Podcast Introduction







Our reading today 1 Chronicles 10-14, after which I’ll have some comments, and I have a very important clarification of my comments on Numbers chapter 5 from yesterday’s reading.







I’m calling today’s episode “What’s In Your Heart?”







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Comments on 1 Chronicles 13







Because of what God does to Uzzah in chapter 13, I’m going to rerun my comments from s12e127, which was titled “Follow the Directions”, where we read about this same event in 2 Samuel chapter 6. If you were with me then, please bear with me. It doesn’t hurt to review sometimes, and new Lifespring Family members might not have heard it. It’s important, I think, to have a better understanding of why God reacted as He did.







This can be a difficult story for some people. Why would God kill Uzzah for merely reaching out to steady the Ark of the Covenant (or Covenant Box in the Good News Translation that we read today), to keep it from falling off the cart? Let's dig into this a bit.







To some, God’s reaction to Uzzah’s actions here seems to be extreme, to say the least. David thought so, since we’re told that he became angry at God.







So what happened? Why did God do this?







Here are the thoughts of scholars.







First off, when God gave His instructions to the Israelites on how they were to build the Ark, he was very clear about the most minute detail, including how it was to be transported, who was allowed to move it and who was allowed to touch it. It was never to be put onto a cart, but it was to be carried by Kohathites only. There were two poles that went through two loops on each side of the Ark, and these poles were to be placed on the Kohathite’s shoulders, bearing the Ark between them.







No one but a priest was to touch the Ark, because the Ark had the very presence of God upon it. Remember, this all happened before the Messiah had come, and only the priests had direct access to God and only priests could perform the sacrifices that could cover the sins of the people. The Ark represented a holy and awesome (in the very real sense of that word) God, and God had made it very clear how it was to be honored, because it was a reflection on how they were to honor God Himself.







So by putting the Ark on the ox drawn cart, they were guilty of transgressing God’s direct instructions. But why was Uzzah killed?







Touching the Ark was a direct violation of God’s clear instruction. It could be that God saw the condition of Uzzah’s heart, that he didn’t have the proper attitude toward it. It had been in Uzzah's house, after all for some time, and he might have become indifferent to it. We must not become indifferent to God. He. Is. God. The creator of all that is. The One who gives us life and sustains us.







It could be that Uzzah had a cavalier attitude regarding God’s Word. He didn’t think it was important to sweat the details.







Maybe his reaching out to steady the Ark reflected a lack of faith on Uzzah's part, that God somehow needed his help.







What we might want to draw from this is that we need to pay attention to what God says, and we should do all we can to be obedient to Him. Yes, He is loving and He is merciful. But He is also Holy, and it is important that we never forget that. It is His holiness and justice that requires payment for sin. It is His love that made a way for me and you to not have to make the payment for our sins. It is His holiness and justice and love that required the sacrifice of His Son in my place and yours. Because of His holy and just nature,

Podcast Introduction







Today we will read Numbers 5-8. I’ll have some comments after the reading, and I’m calling today’s episode “God’s Benediction.”







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Comments on Numbers 5 and 6







Thoughts on Numbers 5







In chapter 5, the Lord began preparing His people for the journey to Canaan, the Promised Land. Part of that process was to deal with the effects of sin among the people. He told Moses to send people who were unclean, the lepers, those who had a discharge, and those who had touched a dead body, out of the camp. Each of these conditions is a reminder of what sin does.







Why did this have to be done? Remember what God is doing with His people. He is preparing them to go into the Promised Land. He wanted to remind them that they must separate themselves from sin in order to accomplish this task. 







Notice also that in giving this command, He said, "send them away so that the camp where I am living among you will not be made unclean.” God would not dwell where there were any of sin's effects. 







The Lord gave Moses instructions on confessing sin and making restitution, and He had a lot to say about how to deal with jealous husbands and their wives. 







Why did He spend so much time on this? 







One reason, I believe, is that the marriage between a husband and wife is representative of the relationship between God and His people. We learned last week when we read Numbers that God looked at His chosen people as an unfaithful wife. 







Another reason for God spending time on this is that jealousy, whether founded or not, can destroy a marriage, and God’s plan for marriage is that it should be a lifetime commitment.  God's instructions here in chapter 5 when carried out, would reveal the guilt or innocence of the wife. The truth, once revealed, would then allow the husband and wife to take appropriate actions. It is clear that God does not want husbands and wives to endure the turmoil that jealousy brings. 







And since it appears that the ceremony seems to be a public, this was another way for the Lord to teach the people about staying faithful. To each other and to God.







Please note that there are different kinds of jealousy. Remember, God says, "I am a jealous God."







If my neighbor gets a shiny new sports car, and I'm jealous because he got it instead of me, that's sin. I am coveting. 







If my neighbor is flirting with my wife, the jealousy I might feel is because he has no right to flirt with her. She is my wife. Only I have the right to flirt with her. 







If I give my worship to someone or something other than God, He is jealous, because only God is worthy of worship.







So being jealous for something that rightly belongs to you is right, but being jealous for something that does not belong to you is wrong. 







So this passage in Numbers dealing with a husband's jealousy shows how they were to determine whether the jealousy was right or wrong, and as I said, they could deal with the consequences from there. 







One last thing. The fact that jealous wives' jealousy about suspected infidelities of husbands was not addressed does not necessarily mean that it never happened or that husbands got a free pass. It is entirely possible that this sort of ceremony could be employed in this case.







Thoughts on Numbers 6







Beloved, I want to go back to chapter 6 and the blessing with which God told ...

Podcast Introduction







Today we will read 1 Timothy 4-6. I’ll have some comments after the reading, and I’m calling today’s episode “Fitness.”  







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Comments on 1 Timothy 4









Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come. This is a statement that can be trusted and deserves complete acceptance. Certainly, we work hard and struggle to live a godly life, because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

1 Timothy 4:8-10 God's Word Translation







Paul was, as you remember, advising the younger Timothy, who was pastoring the church at Ephesus, which had  become infiltrated with many false teachings.







In verse 8 Paul is addressing the idea that was held by many in the Greek and Roman culture that put a great deal of value in physical training. We know that taking care of our body is good, but let's face it, the benefits are strictly temporary. They don't last. Eventually, given enough time, we all grow old and our bodies deteriorate. 







I started swimming competitively when I was about eight years old. By the time I graduated high school, I had swum the equivalent of nearly the distance from Los Angeles to New York. I was in great shape! A couple of years after graduating, I was a professional ski patrolman. After that I was an apprentice carpenter. All through these years, I maintained a very high level of fitness. But here in my late 60s, my body is definitely showing signs of age. Even if I had continued to exercise at the level I did in my youth, my body would not have been able to stop the aging process. Physical discipline can't stop the march of time. And one day, my body will die. No one gets outta here alive.







But on the spiritual level, I am in the best shape of my life. My walk with God has made me better able to deal with the challenges of life here and now, and the spiritual discipline I have practiced over the years also produces eternal benefits. When my body stops, I will enjoy the eternal benefit of my faith in Christ. 









I assure you, and there are thousands of my brethren who can affirm the same, that after having tried the ways of sin, we infinitely prefer the ways of righteousness for their own pleasure’s sake even here, and we would not change with ungodly men even if we had to die like dogs. With all the sorrow and care which Christian life is supposed to bring, we would prefer it to any other form of life beneath the stars.

Charles Spurgeon







Verse 10: "Certainly, we work hard and struggle to live a godly life, because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe."







"He is the Savior of all people..." There is a belief among some people that everyone will ultimately be saved. But that is not what Paul was saying here. The second half of Paul's sentence is "...especially of those who believe." 









What God intends for ALL, he actually gives to them that believe in Christ, who died for the sins of the world, and tasted death for every man. As all have been purchased by his blood so all may believe; and consequently all may be saved. Those that perish, perish through their own fault.

Adam Clarke







ALL are offered forgiveness if they place their faith in Jesus. No one who comes to Jesus will be rejected.









God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not di...

Podcast Introduction







Today we will read John 7-9. I’ll have some comments after the reading, and I’m calling today’s episode “Who Decides?”  







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Comments on John 7-9









But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.

John 7:13 NLT









Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”







When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.

John 7:31-32 NLT









 So the crowd was divided about him. Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.

John 7: 43-44 NLT









They asked his parents, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? Why can he see now?”







His parents replied, “We know that he’s our son and that he was born blind. But we don’t know how he got his sight or who gave it to him. You’ll have to ask him. He’s old enough to answer for himself.” (His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. The Jews had already agreed to put anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ out of the synagogue. That’s why his parents said, “You’ll have to ask him. He’s old enough.”)

John 19-23 NLT







So now I have a question for you. Do these passages sound familiar to you? Do they sound similar to anything that is happening today? 







“Cancel culture” is not new, is it? The Pharisees were used to being in control of the public narrative. People were afraid to voice their opinions, if they differed from what the Pharisees taught. The people could see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears what Jesus did and what He taught, and some believed that He was who He said He was, but many were afraid to support Him, lest they be thrown out of the synagogue.







But there was one in our reading today who had courage.









They asked the man who had been born blind another question: “What do you say about the man who gave you sight?”







The man answered, “He’s a prophet.”

John 9:17 GWT







At this point in the narrative, the Pharisees have the interview with his parents, which we have already read. As you know, they said, “He’s old enough, ask him yourselves.”









So once again the Jews called the man who had been blind. They told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man who gave you sight is a sinner.”







The man responded, “I don’t know if he’s a sinner or not. But I do know one thing. I used to be blind, but now I can see.”







The Jews asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he give you sight?”







The man replied, “I’ve already told you, but you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear the story again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”







The Jews yelled at him, “You’re his disciple, but we’re Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t know where this man came from.”







The man replied to them, “That’s amazing! You don’t know where he’s from. Yet, he gave me sight. 31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners. Instead, he listens to people who are devout and who do what he wants. 32Since the beginning of time, no one has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God,