JANUARY 4 "HOW QUICKLY WE DEGENERATE"

 It's interesting that in the book of Psalms we read about the wisdom of " not sinning by allowing anger to rule over you". There is a huge gap between the writing of the Psalms and the murder that was committed by Cain, by doing this very act, "allowing anger to rule over him". In chronological time, the gap is huge, but for us reading The one Year Bible it's just a couple of days. How fitting that just a couple of days after we read a verse that can give us the wisdom in not committing the same sin that we just read about a couple of days prior. Through out the year this is a common occurrence, that the wisdom of one book lends or compliments another. I wonder if when the Psalmist wrote the Psalm we read today if he ever knew it would be placed next to the horrible murder that Cain committed, which obviously the Psalmist was familiar with. It was very much part of their history. The answer is obviously "no" the Psalmist did not know, but God did. Paul, no doubt, a schooled Pharisee reaches back to this Psalm when writing Ephesians 4:26, "in your anger do not sin". Only the ignoramus claims the Bible is "full of contradictions" . I argue for the opposite, it is rather masterfully put together like a symphony, no matter how you read it. The greatest advantage in reading the One Year Bible is having it mixed up, but yet coming out in perfect harmony. The truth is, you cannot mix up the Bible because it is perfectly harmonious. It is interesting as you get to the end of the year and you are reading about Zechariah in the Old Testament and then reading Revelations in the N.T that you can easily get mixed up as to whether you are reading in Zechariah or Revelations because the Prophecy you read about in the O.T. is being played out as you turn to read your N.T. portion for the day. It's really quite amazing. I, as you, read just a couple of days ago about Cain's brutal murder and as that is still fresh in our minds today we get the wisdom to avoid repeating Cain's sin, "don't sin by allowing anger to control you". We all get angry, but as PAUL writes later, "be angry and sin not". Keep track this year how one book compliments another, it will amaze you!