Day 11/10 – Keeping Score

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Keeping Score
Day Three Hundred Fourteen

“And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

The follower of Christ can easily make the mistake of trying to keep score by the wrong set of rules. A friend said that he decided he would go no further in the corporation, for he felt that he could not maintain his biblical priorities and give any more of himself to the company; each advancement cost him more time and energy. One year after making the commitment, he was passed over for promotion. It greatly bothered him. He said, “I don’t mind not having the job; I had already determined that I wouldn’t take it if they offered it. What bothered me was, they didn’t offer.” He did not want to compete in the world’s system of success, but did want the world to know that they were fortunate, for if he did compete he would win.

The world recognizes at least two kinds of power: economic and political. These are the two primary arenas in which people keep score. You can see this in the person who periodically looks over his net worth saying, “Money is not important to me; I just want to see how I am doing.” If God loves you, like the person passed over by his company, He will force a confrontation: “Choose this day whom you will serve.” You cannot try to keep score in life by two sets of rules and find favor with God. He calls such behavior double-mindedness.398

398 cf. James 1:5-8

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Jeremiah 48-49 Hebrews 7 (New King James Version)

Jeremiah 48-49
Judgment on Moab
48 Against Moab.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Woe to Nebo!
For it is plundered,
Kirjathaim is shamed and taken;
[a]The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
2
No more praise of Moab.
In Heshbon they have devised evil against her:
‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’
You also shall be cut down, O Madmen![b]
The sword shall pursue you;
3
A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim:
‘Plundering and great destruction!’
4
“Moab is destroyed;
[c]Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
5
For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
6
“Flee, save your lives!
And be like [d]the juniper in the wilderness.
7
For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures,
You also shall be taken.
And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His priests and his princes together.
8
And the plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the Lord has spoken.
9
“Give wings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
10
Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
11
“Moab has been at ease from [e]his youth;
He has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.
12
“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I shall send him [f]wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
13
Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh,
As the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
14
“How can you say, ‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
15
Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter,” says the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16
“The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
17
Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, ‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’
18
“O daughter inhabiting Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
19
O inhabitant of Aroer,
Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
20
Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
Wail and cry!
Tell it in Arnon, that Moab is plundered.
21
“And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
22
On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23
On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24
On Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
25
The [g]horn of Moab is cut off,
And his arm is broken,” says the Lord.
26
“Make him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
27
For was not Israel a derision to you?
Was he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in scorn.
28
You who dwell in Moab,
Leave the cities and dwell in the rock,
And be like the dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave’s mouth.
29
“We have heard the pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”
30
“I know his wrath,” says the Lord,
“But it is not right;
His [h]lies have made nothing right.
31
Therefore I will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
[i]I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32
O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazer.
Your plants have gone over the sea,
They reach to the sea of Jazer.
The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.
33
Joy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to [j]fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!
34
“From the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
From Zoar to Horonaim,
Like [k]a three-year-old heifer;
For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.
35
“Moreover,” says the Lord,
“I will cause to cease in Moab
The one who offers sacrifices in the [l]high places
And burns incense to his gods.
36
Therefore My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore the riches they have acquired have perished.
37
“For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth—
38
A general lamentation
On all the housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.
39
“They shall wail:
‘How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!’
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her.”
40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, one shall fly like an eagle,
And spread his wings over Moab.
41
Kerioth is taken,
And the strongholds are surprised;
The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
42
And Moab shall be destroyed as a people,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
43
Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.
44
“He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,
And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the snare.
For upon Moab, upon it I will bring
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.
45
“Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon
Because of exhaustion.
But a fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of Sihon,
And shall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
46
Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh perish;
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters captive.
47
“Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab
In the latter days,” says the Lord.
Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
Judgment on Ammon
49 Against the Ammonites.
Thus says the Lord:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then does [m]Milcom inherit Gad,
And his people dwell in its cities?
2
Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will cause to be heard an alarm of war
In Rabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall be a desolate mound,
And her [n]villages shall be burned with fire.
Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance,” says the Lord.
3
“Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is plundered!
Cry, you daughters of Rabbah,
Gird yourselves with sackcloth!
Lament and run to and fro by the walls;
For [o]Milcom shall go into captivity
With his priests and his princes together.
4
Why do you boast in the valleys,
[p]Your flowing valley, O backsliding daughter?
Who trusted in her treasures, saying,
‘Who will come against me?’
5
Behold, I will bring fear upon you,”
Says the Lord God of hosts,
“From all those who are around you;
You shall be driven out, everyone headlong,
And no one will gather those who wander off.
6
But afterward I will bring back
The captives of the people of Ammon,” says the Lord.
Judgment on Edom
7 Against Edom.
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Is wisdom no more in Teman?
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom vanished?
8
Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan!
For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,
The time that I will punish him.
9
If grape-gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves by night,
Would they not destroy until they have enough?
10
But I have made Esau bare;
I have uncovered his secret places,
And he shall not be able to hide himself.
His descendants are plundered,
His brethren and his neighbors,
And he is no more.
11
Leave your fatherless children,
I will preserve them alive;
And let your widows trust in Me.”
12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it. 13 For I have sworn by Myself,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a [q]waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual [r]wastes.”
14
I have heard a message from the Lord,
And an ambassador has been sent to the nations:
“Gather together, come against her,
And rise up to battle!
15
“For indeed, I will make you small among nations,
Despised among men.
16
Your fierceness has deceived you,
The pride of your heart,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Who hold the height of the hill!
Though you make your nest as high as the eagle,
I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.
17
“Edom also shall be an astonishment;
Everyone who goes by it will be astonished
And will hiss at all its plagues.
18
As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
And their neighbors,” says the Lord,
“No one shall remain there,
Nor shall a son of man dwell in it.
19
“Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the [s]floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will suddenly make him run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?”
20
Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Edom,
And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman:
Surely the least of the flock shall [t]draw them out;
Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them.
21
The earth shakes at the noise of their fall;
At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.
22
Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle,
And spread His wings over Bozrah;
The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
Judgment on Damascus
23 Against Damascus.
“Hamath and Arpad are shamed,
For they have heard bad news.
They are fainthearted;
There is [u]trouble on the sea;
It cannot be quiet.
24
Damascus has grown feeble;
She turns to flee,
And fear has seized her.
Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in [v]labor.
25
Why is the city of praise not deserted, the city of My joy?
26
Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets,
And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day,” says the Lord of hosts.
27
“I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”
Judgment on Kedar and Hazor
28 Against Kedar and against the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall strike.
Thus says the Lord:
“Arise, go up to Kedar,
And devastate the men of the East!
29
Their tents and their flocks they shall take away.
They shall take for themselves their curtains,
All their vessels and their camels;
And they shall cry out to them,
‘Fear is on every side!’
30
“Flee, get far away! Dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor!” says the Lord.
“For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,
And has conceived a plan against you.
31
“Arise, go up to the wealthy nation that dwells securely,” says the Lord,
“Which has neither gates nor bars,
Dwelling alone.
32
Their camels shall be for booty,
And the multitude of their cattle for plunder.
I will scatter to all winds those [w]in the farthest corners,
And I will bring their calamity from all its sides,” says the Lord.
33
“Hazor shall be a dwelling for jackals, a desolation forever;
No one shall reside there,
Nor son of man dwell in it.”
Judgment on Elam
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, 35 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Behold, I will break the [x]bow of Elam,
The foremost of their might.
36
Against Elam I will bring the four winds
From the four quarters of heaven,
And scatter them toward all those winds;
There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go.
37
For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies
And before those who seek their life.
I will bring disaster upon them,
My fierce anger,’ says the Lord;
‘And I will send the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38
I will set My throne in Elam,
And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the Lord.
39
‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days:
I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the Lord.”
Footnotes:
• Jeremiah 48:1 Heb. Misgab
• Jeremiah 48:2 A city of Moab
• Jeremiah 48:4 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX Proclaim it in Zoar
• Jeremiah 48:6 Or Aroer, a city of Moab
• Jeremiah 48:11 Heb. uses masc. and fem. pronouns interchangeably in this chapter.
• Jeremiah 48:12 Lit. tippers of wine bottles
• Jeremiah 48:25 Strength
• Jeremiah 48:30 idle talk
• Jeremiah 48:31 So with DSS, LXX, Vg.; MT He
• Jeremiah 48:33 cease
• Jeremiah 48:34 Or The Third Eglath, an unknown city, Is. 15:5
• Jeremiah 48:35 Places for pagan worship
• Jeremiah 49:1 Heb. Malcam, lit. their king; an Ammonite god, 1 Kin. 11:5; Molech, Lev. 18:21
• Jeremiah 49:2 Lit. daughters
• Jeremiah 49:3 See v. 1
• Jeremiah 49:4 Lit. Your valley is flowing
• Jeremiah 49:13 ruin
• Jeremiah 49:13 ruins
• Jeremiah 49:19 Or thicket
• Jeremiah 49:20 Or drag them away
• Jeremiah 49:23 anxiety
• Jeremiah 49:24 childbirth
• Jeremiah 49:32 Lit. cut off at the corner, Jer. 9:26; 25:23
• Jeremiah 49:35 Power

Hebrews 7
The King of Righteousness
7 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the [a]spoils. 5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
Need for a New Priesthood
11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has [b]officiated at the altar.
14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning [c]priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For [d]He testifies:
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, 19 for the law made nothing [e]perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
Greatness of the New Priest
20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:
“The Lord has sworn
And will not relent,
‘You are a priest [f]forever
According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”),
22 by so much more Jesus has become a [g]surety of a better covenant.
23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save [h]to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, [i]harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
Footnotes:
• Hebrews 7:4 plunder
• Hebrews 7:13 served
• Hebrews 7:14 NU priests
• Hebrews 7:17 NU it is testified
• Hebrews 7:19 complete
• Hebrews 7:21 NU ends the quotation after forever.
• Hebrews 7:22 guarantee
• Hebrews 7:25 completely or forever
• Hebrews 7:26 innocent