Notas. Inglés y Español ⬇️

December 12: Don't be a stumbling block.

Psalm 106:28-48:
They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices made to the dead. Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stopped. And that was accounted to him for righteousness to all generations forevermore. They angered Him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses on account of them;
because they rebelled against His Spirit, so that he spoke rashly with his lips. They did not destroy the peoples, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them, but they mingled with the Gentiles and learned their works; they served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. Thus they were defiled by their own works, and played the harlot by their own deeds. Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people, so that He abhorred His own inheritance. And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles, and those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand. Many times He delivered them; but they rebelled in their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, when He heard their cry; and for their sake He remembered His covenant, and relented according to the multitude of His mercies. He also made them to be pitied by all those who carried them away captive. Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord!


This psalm is similar to yesterday's, the 105. This psalm continues the story of Israel's journey through the wilderness and shows us the occasions when God blessed them, gave them protection, and also shows the ways they were disobedient and rebellious before the Lord. They were weak in character, allowing themselves to be carried away by the false attractions of idols and the customs of other peoples.
The verse that leaves us with a teaching, to apply it to our lives and with our families, is the verse where it says: “So that it went ill with Moses on account of them; because they rebelled against His Spirit, so that he spoke rashly with his lips.”
It is important that we evaluate the way in which we treat each other among the members of our families. One of those ways is when we mistreat our partner or our children a lot with degrading words, which demean the person and devalue them constantly. Words such as: "Get out of here, you're useless, why are you so useless?, you're just as annoying as mother, you're just as lazy as your father, I don't like you, no one is going to love you, etc." are words that hurt continuously, until it reaches the point where your partner or your child fill their heart with despair and they begin to feel exasperated every time they interact with you. The harmful effect and the result of so many offensive words will cause the victim to become a bitter, harsh person. Their pain is reflected in their personality with drastic changes, they are no longer happy, they are not fun, and they will no longer want or want to be with you, they will distance themselves and they will no longer care what you think about him or her.
Indifference is worse than having a misunderstanding or an argument. Indifference will make the person begin to do improper things, challenging the authority imposed in the home, will practice things contrary to those established in the family and will even leave the ways of God.