1 Chronicles 9:17 - 1 Chronicles 23
Today we move from reading about names to understanding about individuals. We've already read a little bit about Saul, David and the other kings from our study of First and Second Kings. Now we reconfirm what we know and learn a little new stuff as well.
The part I found interesting was in Chapter 21 we see David taking account of the numbers of fighting men he has around him. Verse 1 records, "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." I began wondering, why would taking a census be attributed to Satan, rather than just a good practice of leadership? I read and re-read this verse and then backed up to read this in context and the paragraphs preceding it are titled in my Bible as "War with the Philistines." So I found myself wondering.... could it be that David took a census out of fear?
Back up with me to how David even became chosen as king. Samuel had already anointed him, but after his defeat of Goliath, the people started realizing his gifting. God had already shown David from his early days of being a shepherd that as long as God was fighting with Him, no strength of the enemy could hold them back. Yet, here we now see David taking a defensive posture and counting the size of his army versus the size of the opponent.
Reading on in 1 Chron 21:3 we see Joab trying to talk David out of it, but David pushed ahead. And then finally in verse 6 we read that God chose to punish Israel because David's command was evil in the sight of God. Why was it evil? Ultimately, it comes back to pride. Can I win on my own? Who needs God if my army is stronger, bigger, faster, better looking, etc...
Identify with me today, where are you trying to count your army rather than relying on God for your strength. I know for one, I'm trying to do too much on my own without asking God for his strength and provision. Whether it be daily devotions with my kids or making decisions at work, either way, I ask God once and believe that is enough. Rather than continually trusting that He will provide.
I take my warning from 1 Chronicles 21:14... even after David had repented, God still enacted judgement on Israel. 70,000 men died in a plague because of David's pride. When I count for the purposes of proving my strength, God may choose to remove this source of strength to help me depend on Him anew. Please pray for me today, that I learn to rely on Him and not my own "numbers" for strength.
Followers
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
June 22, Day 29
1 Chronicles 1- 1 Chronicles 9:17
Ever have trouble concentrating? Surely I found myself there today as I was reading the list of names and genealogies. As it does often, my mind started to wander to "what is the purpose of this? and What is God trying to teach me here?"
This is what I came up with... we each matter to God? In order for us to know who we are we have to know whose we are. God's promise to the Israelites was that they would be His chosen people. This genealogy clearly shows how God has preserved and recorded their lineage. They could look back and then see where they came from. Additionally, we also know God has made some big promises already... and peeking ahead in the prophets, we know He is going to make some bigger promises to come. So knowing that Jesus is the Messiah and that many people would challenge this in the future, it is important for God to record the lineage of His chosen people in advance, so they can see how improbable it is that just anyone could be the Messiah in the future. Rejoice with me today, that God knows your name. He knows where you've come from and what (or whom) will come after you. Do you know Him? Is your name written down in His book?
On an earthly note, do you tell your children where you've come from? Do you share with them the stories of their ancestry? I didn't grow up with many of those stories, but I was fortunate to grow up with family close in proximity to us. So I what I didn't hear, I could observe. Yet, I often wish I would know more about where our family came from and the personal issues that those before me struggled with. Did they follow God? Would they have done anything differently about their life? Friends, today, I promise to be more transparent with my children so they will know not only who they are... but whose they are!
Ever have trouble concentrating? Surely I found myself there today as I was reading the list of names and genealogies. As it does often, my mind started to wander to "what is the purpose of this? and What is God trying to teach me here?"
This is what I came up with... we each matter to God? In order for us to know who we are we have to know whose we are. God's promise to the Israelites was that they would be His chosen people. This genealogy clearly shows how God has preserved and recorded their lineage. They could look back and then see where they came from. Additionally, we also know God has made some big promises already... and peeking ahead in the prophets, we know He is going to make some bigger promises to come. So knowing that Jesus is the Messiah and that many people would challenge this in the future, it is important for God to record the lineage of His chosen people in advance, so they can see how improbable it is that just anyone could be the Messiah in the future. Rejoice with me today, that God knows your name. He knows where you've come from and what (or whom) will come after you. Do you know Him? Is your name written down in His book?
On an earthly note, do you tell your children where you've come from? Do you share with them the stories of their ancestry? I didn't grow up with many of those stories, but I was fortunate to grow up with family close in proximity to us. So I what I didn't hear, I could observe. Yet, I often wish I would know more about where our family came from and the personal issues that those before me struggled with. Did they follow God? Would they have done anything differently about their life? Friends, today, I promise to be more transparent with my children so they will know not only who they are... but whose they are!
at
2:47 PM
Saturday, June 21, 2008
June 21; Day 28
2 Kings 15-2 Kings 25:30
One step forward and two steps back. A good king then three or four bad kings. Then maybe two good kings and another one or two bad ones... but the cycle never stops. There is never a continual run of good kings... nor is there a continual run of bad kings. Why is this? I found myself pondering this question. Why wouldn't God just let the nation slide into oblivion if that is what they want so badly? OR if they were His chosen people, why wouldn't he just continue to raise up godly leaders to follow him and lead his people towards him? Think about this for a moment. It makes my head hurt when I ponder it. We know God had given us free will... we see it exercised many times when a king chooses to do something contrary to God's plans. So if we are evil at heart and can't do right on our own... how are people able to make good Godly choices in a fallen world? On the other hand, if God really wanted Israel to prosper, why wouldn't he have just intervened on their behalf? I don't know that I have an answer... but it is clear from reading this history, that there was an ebb and a flow to Israel's obedience and consequential blessings (or curses.)
Two things hit me here as I ponder this... the call for unity... and God's discipleship of his people.
First the call for unity. Perhaps it is so difficult to gain forward momentum because everyone in Israel was shooting at a different goal. Some were trying to follow the Lord, and others were trying to do whatever they could to avoid following Him. So occasionally a leader would surface who would be able to get more people following the Lord than not and blessings would result... but there is still were those who were distracting their efforts and so full blessing was not realized. Then there were leaders who - intentional or not - encouraged the people to fall away from God's plan. Obviously God couldn't bless this. Now fast forward to today. God has protected and preserved a remnant on this earth. Those people who are called by God to serve and worship Him. Through them, His Word has been preserved through the ages and His work is being accomplished on this earth. Yet there are those who remain "outside" of the remnant. And either intentional or not - they are distracting God's work from being accomplished. We're all not firing in the same direction and of course it is difficult to gain forward momentum when this is the case. Even within the Church we can't agree to serve Him in unison. We're so concerned about our own individual ways.... and serving Him in our own unique way - that sometimes we're even shooting over the church next door in our efforts. There will always be evil in this fallen world. In order to shine God's light brighter, we need to be unified to gain forward momentum against the enemy of this World.
Secondly, God's discipleship of his people. I remember talking to a mentor once in my office. It was soon after I started my career and he was giving me advice. His advice was to view the challenges in the workplace as a way to develop "heart wood." What he was doing was comparing developing as a person to the way a young tree develops. As a tree grows it is often susceptible to the winds and the weather. If the wind blows too hard the tree is in jeopardy of blowing over or breaking. But there is a certain amount of stress necessary for the tree to develop strength. If the tree never faces any resistance, it will topple under its own weight as it grows, because it never developed any heart wood.
As I read about the struggles of the nation of Israel and feel the "two steps forward and one steps back" push and pull occur, I realize that perhaps God is disciplining His people to develop heart wood. Making them stronger now, so that as they grow and are prospered, they will not topple under their own weight. There is a certain amount of challenge they need to be able to realize their dependence on God. They need to know He is God and they are not. Likewise, they need to realize that their actions have consequences - both good and bad.
Have we learned these lessons today? Are we developing heart wood? Perhaps the remnant God has preserved is growing stronger. I see that every day. Some of the Christians I know are getting deeper and deeper in their relationship with the Lord. Yet, as a whole, I see less and less of us truly depending on God. When times are tough, it seems we have to have a "fall guy" to take the blame for anything. Why are gas prices high? Who's fault is it that the middle east is in turmoil? Who is going to lose their job because of the sub-prime lending crisis? Rather than repenting as a nation, we blame individuals and sink further and further into our individualistic world. Until we realize were all interconnected and one's decisions have implications for more than just themselves; and until we realize that God's discipleship process is not easy, we are not likely to see more than "one step forward and two steps back."
One step forward and two steps back. A good king then three or four bad kings. Then maybe two good kings and another one or two bad ones... but the cycle never stops. There is never a continual run of good kings... nor is there a continual run of bad kings. Why is this? I found myself pondering this question. Why wouldn't God just let the nation slide into oblivion if that is what they want so badly? OR if they were His chosen people, why wouldn't he just continue to raise up godly leaders to follow him and lead his people towards him? Think about this for a moment. It makes my head hurt when I ponder it. We know God had given us free will... we see it exercised many times when a king chooses to do something contrary to God's plans. So if we are evil at heart and can't do right on our own... how are people able to make good Godly choices in a fallen world? On the other hand, if God really wanted Israel to prosper, why wouldn't he have just intervened on their behalf? I don't know that I have an answer... but it is clear from reading this history, that there was an ebb and a flow to Israel's obedience and consequential blessings (or curses.)
Two things hit me here as I ponder this... the call for unity... and God's discipleship of his people.
First the call for unity. Perhaps it is so difficult to gain forward momentum because everyone in Israel was shooting at a different goal. Some were trying to follow the Lord, and others were trying to do whatever they could to avoid following Him. So occasionally a leader would surface who would be able to get more people following the Lord than not and blessings would result... but there is still were those who were distracting their efforts and so full blessing was not realized. Then there were leaders who - intentional or not - encouraged the people to fall away from God's plan. Obviously God couldn't bless this. Now fast forward to today. God has protected and preserved a remnant on this earth. Those people who are called by God to serve and worship Him. Through them, His Word has been preserved through the ages and His work is being accomplished on this earth. Yet there are those who remain "outside" of the remnant. And either intentional or not - they are distracting God's work from being accomplished. We're all not firing in the same direction and of course it is difficult to gain forward momentum when this is the case. Even within the Church we can't agree to serve Him in unison. We're so concerned about our own individual ways.... and serving Him in our own unique way - that sometimes we're even shooting over the church next door in our efforts. There will always be evil in this fallen world. In order to shine God's light brighter, we need to be unified to gain forward momentum against the enemy of this World.
Secondly, God's discipleship of his people. I remember talking to a mentor once in my office. It was soon after I started my career and he was giving me advice. His advice was to view the challenges in the workplace as a way to develop "heart wood." What he was doing was comparing developing as a person to the way a young tree develops. As a tree grows it is often susceptible to the winds and the weather. If the wind blows too hard the tree is in jeopardy of blowing over or breaking. But there is a certain amount of stress necessary for the tree to develop strength. If the tree never faces any resistance, it will topple under its own weight as it grows, because it never developed any heart wood.
As I read about the struggles of the nation of Israel and feel the "two steps forward and one steps back" push and pull occur, I realize that perhaps God is disciplining His people to develop heart wood. Making them stronger now, so that as they grow and are prospered, they will not topple under their own weight. There is a certain amount of challenge they need to be able to realize their dependence on God. They need to know He is God and they are not. Likewise, they need to realize that their actions have consequences - both good and bad.
Have we learned these lessons today? Are we developing heart wood? Perhaps the remnant God has preserved is growing stronger. I see that every day. Some of the Christians I know are getting deeper and deeper in their relationship with the Lord. Yet, as a whole, I see less and less of us truly depending on God. When times are tough, it seems we have to have a "fall guy" to take the blame for anything. Why are gas prices high? Who's fault is it that the middle east is in turmoil? Who is going to lose their job because of the sub-prime lending crisis? Rather than repenting as a nation, we blame individuals and sink further and further into our individualistic world. Until we realize were all interconnected and one's decisions have implications for more than just themselves; and until we realize that God's discipleship process is not easy, we are not likely to see more than "one step forward and two steps back."
at
4:51 PM
Friday, June 20, 2008
June 20; Day 27
2 Kings 4:8 - 2 Kings 14
Doing and believing are two separate things. As I read over the parts of the various kings I find myself always asking, why is one King good and the next king so bad? In many cases they are even father and son. Though their genetics are related, their actions really aren't. And then interspersed with the kings, the Bible records the acts of the "man of God." We see in some cases God blessing the nation because of its leadership and in other cases, God curses the nation because of its leadership.
As I read and contrast these various kings and prophets, I conclude that doing what is right by God does not always imply that you know who God is. In many cases, these kings knew what God's commands were and chose not to follow them. Of course this is disobedience and God cannot bless disobedience. In other cases they knew what God's commands were and followed them - or at least attempted to follow them - but there is never any mention about their relationship with God. The Bible doesn't record any conversation or prayer between these leaders and God. So God can appreciate the actions they took, but with out a relationship with Him, He cannot fully bless them either. In other cases - such as the case with Elisha - it records not only was he obedient (and walked in the ways of the Lord) but also his ongoing conversations and dialogues with God. We see he had a relationship.... and for this God was fully able to bless Elisha's actions and obedience.
So as I apply this to my life, in what way am I posing and pretending to know God? Am I simply being obedient to God's commands or is there on-going relationship and dialogue with God? Is he able to fully pour out his blessings on the "nation" that I'm leading because I'm doing more than complying with his laws? Simply following God's laws gets tiring. There are many times when I'm tempted to give in... to just be like the rest of the world. Yet, in those quiet moments when I take time to listen to God, he renews my strength to continue. He helps pull me back to reality and shows me the traps I'm about to walk into. HE helps me see what I would give up to gain a few moments of breaking the rules.
Help me do more than obey your commands... Help me know your heart and anticipate your ways.
Doing and believing are two separate things. As I read over the parts of the various kings I find myself always asking, why is one King good and the next king so bad? In many cases they are even father and son. Though their genetics are related, their actions really aren't. And then interspersed with the kings, the Bible records the acts of the "man of God." We see in some cases God blessing the nation because of its leadership and in other cases, God curses the nation because of its leadership.
As I read and contrast these various kings and prophets, I conclude that doing what is right by God does not always imply that you know who God is. In many cases, these kings knew what God's commands were and chose not to follow them. Of course this is disobedience and God cannot bless disobedience. In other cases they knew what God's commands were and followed them - or at least attempted to follow them - but there is never any mention about their relationship with God. The Bible doesn't record any conversation or prayer between these leaders and God. So God can appreciate the actions they took, but with out a relationship with Him, He cannot fully bless them either. In other cases - such as the case with Elisha - it records not only was he obedient (and walked in the ways of the Lord) but also his ongoing conversations and dialogues with God. We see he had a relationship.... and for this God was fully able to bless Elisha's actions and obedience.
So as I apply this to my life, in what way am I posing and pretending to know God? Am I simply being obedient to God's commands or is there on-going relationship and dialogue with God? Is he able to fully pour out his blessings on the "nation" that I'm leading because I'm doing more than complying with his laws? Simply following God's laws gets tiring. There are many times when I'm tempted to give in... to just be like the rest of the world. Yet, in those quiet moments when I take time to listen to God, he renews my strength to continue. He helps pull me back to reality and shows me the traps I'm about to walk into. HE helps me see what I would give up to gain a few moments of breaking the rules.
Help me do more than obey your commands... Help me know your heart and anticipate your ways.
at
4:35 PM
Thursday, June 19, 2008
June 19 Day 26 - Postlogue
I wanted to add on to my post but thought it worthy of another posting rather than an addition to the previous one for today
You see, I have a dear friend who is in a bit of a crisis lately. This friend and I had a chance to talk today and I've walked away from that conversation burdened. You see, life has not been easy for this friend. There have been some things happening in life that could not be controlled by this friend. Yet how this friend has chosen to act on these circumstances can be controlled and unfortunately this friend made some poor choices. Recently after making some repeated wrong choices my friend went to speak with a church representative. Yet this pastor in an attempt to help ended up hurting. The pastor told my friend to view these choices as normal struggles and recognize that the struggle is common to most people. Yet what this pastor didn't do, was call sin by its rightful name. It doesn't matter how normal sin is. It never excuses it because others are doing it as well. What does matter is that sin keeps us from understanding and feeling the complete love of God our creator and our Abba Father. By encouraging my friend to see these poor choices as normal, this man of God missed the chance to help someone repent and seek forgiveness. While I don't know this pastor personally I certainly don't want to rush to judgement. This pastor may very well have a vibrant relationship with the Lord and may be producing great fruit for the kingdom. Yet, I know in this one instance, this pastor missed an opportunity. I might speculate that his decision was driven out of popularity and not out of compassion. Calling sin, sin is not popular. To tell someone they are living in sin is not going to gain you a lot of friends and it certainly might chase a few people away from your church in today's post-modern culture. But yet, that is exactly what our friends need to hear today. Too few of our "leaders" are willing to believe in absolute truth let alone calling sin by its rightful name. If our leaders won't do it, and our churches aren't preaching it, where are we to hear it. . . other than in God's Word. But you see, those of us that are caught up in our sin don't want to read God's Word and if we do, we can't hear Him correctly unless we repent. Don't you see the irony in all of this???
So today on the phone with my friend, whom I love closer than a family member, I had to speak the truth in love. There were many times when I was speaking out of my mouth but praying in my soul that my words would be His words. There were awkward silences when I needed to seek God in micro-seconds that seemed like macro hours. And I know - by my friends long pauses and pained silences - that what I was saying was about as palatable as a sandwich of glass shards. Yet, because I love my friend so much I had to help this friend understand how passionate God is about a relationship with them. I had to help show that sin is sin... it is ugly and it is common... but it is never right. But there is no sin that Jesus didn't die for and that He can't defeat. The presence of sin in our life - whatever the reason or cause - is always a result of a poor choice. You and I can chose how we react to life and the sin around us... please don't let that reaction be by sinning yourself.
So what does this have to do with today's reading... I recognized that some of the "bad kings" were bad because they ignored God. But some of them were bad, because they believed God and didn't do anything to purify the land around them. Some of them refused to remove the idols or places of idol worship around them. And the result of these actions may not have been devastation but they were certainly never God's richest blessings being poured out on the land around them. When the kings wouldn't do it, God sent Elijah and Elisha to point out Israel's sin. It couldn't have been easy for Elijah and Elisha to do this. Elijah helped show who the true God of Israel was by challenging the prophets of Baal to show down and winning! Yet the expense of this was that people called him a troublemaker. Jezebel threatened to put Elijah to death for defaming her god and her prophets. What God had called Elijah to couldn't have been comfortable and it certainly couldn't have been popular. I know this in a new sense today, because I feel a little like Elijah today... tired of calling sin a sin... in fear of losing a friendship... but totally feeling obedient to God. The hope I have is that God was so pleased with Elijah's obedience that we read about how Elijah never died... he was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. I don't expect this, but I do know that obedience to God sometimes means you aren't real popular with the world.
Friend, if you're reading this today, know that I love you more than a brother... so much so I cannot allow you to continue to give up the richest blessings God wants to pour out on you for the sake of a few poor (temporal) choices that will leave eternal scars.
You see, I have a dear friend who is in a bit of a crisis lately. This friend and I had a chance to talk today and I've walked away from that conversation burdened. You see, life has not been easy for this friend. There have been some things happening in life that could not be controlled by this friend. Yet how this friend has chosen to act on these circumstances can be controlled and unfortunately this friend made some poor choices. Recently after making some repeated wrong choices my friend went to speak with a church representative. Yet this pastor in an attempt to help ended up hurting. The pastor told my friend to view these choices as normal struggles and recognize that the struggle is common to most people. Yet what this pastor didn't do, was call sin by its rightful name. It doesn't matter how normal sin is. It never excuses it because others are doing it as well. What does matter is that sin keeps us from understanding and feeling the complete love of God our creator and our Abba Father. By encouraging my friend to see these poor choices as normal, this man of God missed the chance to help someone repent and seek forgiveness. While I don't know this pastor personally I certainly don't want to rush to judgement. This pastor may very well have a vibrant relationship with the Lord and may be producing great fruit for the kingdom. Yet, I know in this one instance, this pastor missed an opportunity. I might speculate that his decision was driven out of popularity and not out of compassion. Calling sin, sin is not popular. To tell someone they are living in sin is not going to gain you a lot of friends and it certainly might chase a few people away from your church in today's post-modern culture. But yet, that is exactly what our friends need to hear today. Too few of our "leaders" are willing to believe in absolute truth let alone calling sin by its rightful name. If our leaders won't do it, and our churches aren't preaching it, where are we to hear it. . . other than in God's Word. But you see, those of us that are caught up in our sin don't want to read God's Word and if we do, we can't hear Him correctly unless we repent. Don't you see the irony in all of this???
So today on the phone with my friend, whom I love closer than a family member, I had to speak the truth in love. There were many times when I was speaking out of my mouth but praying in my soul that my words would be His words. There were awkward silences when I needed to seek God in micro-seconds that seemed like macro hours. And I know - by my friends long pauses and pained silences - that what I was saying was about as palatable as a sandwich of glass shards. Yet, because I love my friend so much I had to help this friend understand how passionate God is about a relationship with them. I had to help show that sin is sin... it is ugly and it is common... but it is never right. But there is no sin that Jesus didn't die for and that He can't defeat. The presence of sin in our life - whatever the reason or cause - is always a result of a poor choice. You and I can chose how we react to life and the sin around us... please don't let that reaction be by sinning yourself.
So what does this have to do with today's reading... I recognized that some of the "bad kings" were bad because they ignored God. But some of them were bad, because they believed God and didn't do anything to purify the land around them. Some of them refused to remove the idols or places of idol worship around them. And the result of these actions may not have been devastation but they were certainly never God's richest blessings being poured out on the land around them. When the kings wouldn't do it, God sent Elijah and Elisha to point out Israel's sin. It couldn't have been easy for Elijah and Elisha to do this. Elijah helped show who the true God of Israel was by challenging the prophets of Baal to show down and winning! Yet the expense of this was that people called him a troublemaker. Jezebel threatened to put Elijah to death for defaming her god and her prophets. What God had called Elijah to couldn't have been comfortable and it certainly couldn't have been popular. I know this in a new sense today, because I feel a little like Elijah today... tired of calling sin a sin... in fear of losing a friendship... but totally feeling obedient to God. The hope I have is that God was so pleased with Elijah's obedience that we read about how Elijah never died... he was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. I don't expect this, but I do know that obedience to God sometimes means you aren't real popular with the world.
Friend, if you're reading this today, know that I love you more than a brother... so much so I cannot allow you to continue to give up the richest blessings God wants to pour out on you for the sake of a few poor (temporal) choices that will leave eternal scars.
at
2:06 PM
June 19, Day 26 - Part A
1 Kings 16 - 2 Kings 4:7
OK, so I get really confused when reading this. Who was a "good king" and followed God and who was a "bad" king and did evil in the Lord's sight? Not only that but were they the king of Israel or of Judah. Was their peace in the land at the time or not? Who was fighting whom and were they being judged for their rebellion or blessed because of their obedience? This is not easy stuff to relate to today... but yet it doesn't take too long for me to gain some application.
So there were kingdoms... they were ruled by kings. Kings were not God's idea in the first place... but yet because the people demanded a king like all other countries God gave them what they asked for. (Lesson #1 - be careful because He may give you what you ask for even if it is against your best interest.)
Good kings = following God, Bad kings = disobeying God (or worse yet, failing to recognize He even existed.) Following God yielded blessing and peace. Disobeying God resulted in being removed from power personally (perhaps even death) and also curses upon the people. (Lesson #2 - we best be careful who we elect as our "king" because their decisions have lasting implications on us)
In the middle of all of this we read in 1 Kings 17 about Elijah the Tishbite. We were reading about good kings and bad kings and here all the sudden we read about this guy whom "the Word of the Lord came upon" and birds fed. What is that all about? From here on we read more and more about Elijah (and later Elisha) and less and less about good kings and bad kings though they are still in the background. As I was reading this, I recognized this for myself all over again... God is sovereign and will use average people to spread His message and to help call others out of their sin. Surely God was using the Kings too to accomplish his purpose, but he was always using these prophets to remind people of who he was and what He desired for their life.
Today, I gain great comfort in that. We may be following the polls and electing the president of our country based on popular opinion. And God expects us to participate in this process. Yet, it is going to be the average people around us who likely won't get the TV time or the press time that is calling the world out of our sin and pointing the Lord's sovereignty out to us. Won't you thank your pastor, your neighbor, your accountability partner or any other of God's representatives around you today for helping you understand who God is?
OK, so I get really confused when reading this. Who was a "good king" and followed God and who was a "bad" king and did evil in the Lord's sight? Not only that but were they the king of Israel or of Judah. Was their peace in the land at the time or not? Who was fighting whom and were they being judged for their rebellion or blessed because of their obedience? This is not easy stuff to relate to today... but yet it doesn't take too long for me to gain some application.
So there were kingdoms... they were ruled by kings. Kings were not God's idea in the first place... but yet because the people demanded a king like all other countries God gave them what they asked for. (Lesson #1 - be careful because He may give you what you ask for even if it is against your best interest.)
Good kings = following God, Bad kings = disobeying God (or worse yet, failing to recognize He even existed.) Following God yielded blessing and peace. Disobeying God resulted in being removed from power personally (perhaps even death) and also curses upon the people. (Lesson #2 - we best be careful who we elect as our "king" because their decisions have lasting implications on us)
In the middle of all of this we read in 1 Kings 17 about Elijah the Tishbite. We were reading about good kings and bad kings and here all the sudden we read about this guy whom "the Word of the Lord came upon" and birds fed. What is that all about? From here on we read more and more about Elijah (and later Elisha) and less and less about good kings and bad kings though they are still in the background. As I was reading this, I recognized this for myself all over again... God is sovereign and will use average people to spread His message and to help call others out of their sin. Surely God was using the Kings too to accomplish his purpose, but he was always using these prophets to remind people of who he was and what He desired for their life.
Today, I gain great comfort in that. We may be following the polls and electing the president of our country based on popular opinion. And God expects us to participate in this process. Yet, it is going to be the average people around us who likely won't get the TV time or the press time that is calling the world out of our sin and pointing the Lord's sovereignty out to us. Won't you thank your pastor, your neighbor, your accountability partner or any other of God's representatives around you today for helping you understand who God is?
at
1:45 PM
June 18, Day 25
1 Kings 7:13 - 1 Kings 15:34
So I need to set a bit of context for this posting as it relates to current events. I have a habit in the morning of having my quiet time and Bible reading and then glancing at the headlines in the paper. However on this day, I decided I would go get the paper from the box first (and of course glance at the headlines) before I opened my Bible. So the current events focused my reading and though there was a lot in this reading, there was one glaring thing that popped out at me.
Currently in our country there is a huge "social experiment" going on. I've chosen to call it that despite what it really is -blatant defiance of God and His order. California has just "legalized" same sex marriage. and it just went into effect a few days ago. California doesn't have a residency requirement for someone to be wed there so essentially people from all over the country can come and be "married" and then go back to their home state. In essence it will be only a matter of time before they start demanding that other states recognize this marriage and provide the same benefits as traditional marriage. (Oh what a slippery slope we're on... but I can't focus on that right now.) In the paper the headline read, "Gays wed in California." I knew the day was coming as it had been talked about for several days. Yet, I also know God will not be mocked... and so I was wondering if God would intervene in any way to make Himself known or to stop this from happening. What I realized is we have a patient and long suffering God.
As I began reading today, I read how Solomon built the temple in its ornate fashion to workshop and "house" the Lord. Nothing was too opulent for the Lord's house. Then the ark of the covenant was brought into the Temple and God's presence filled the temple with a cloud of his Glory. While this was happening Solomon blessed the people with a prayer of praise and dedication. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon and acknowledged the prayer and plea Solomon had made (1 Kings 9:3)... in verse 6 is really what caught my attention....
"But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this Temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will become a byword and an object of ridicule among all people." (1 Kings 9:6-7)
This is a strong warning to the Israelites. They'd just sacrificed on God's behalf to build the temple. They - at the present time - were not completely rebelling against Him, yet He felt it necessary to warn them what would happen.
Are we not the same as Israel today here in the United States? Did God not bless us abundantly in the past because of our faithfulness as a people and our founding father's foresight to follow Him in establishing our republic? Should we not be as the Israelites, sacrificing on His behalf realizing our best still pales in comparison from His due worship? Yet, as we grow further and further into our post-modern age and we become less and less reliant on Him, we are worshiping other gods... gods of self, gods of material possessions, gods of work, etc... We are proclaiming ourselves to be above reproach or without need for God and His laws. California is thumbing their nose at God right now with this one action... but are we not all guilty?
The headlines in the paper were also reading about the record floods going on in the Midwest, the tornadoes that recently hit parts of the country and other events. There was even a quote from someone in Iowa who admittedly was an agnostic - but said "I think God is just telling us that He is in control and we are not." (loosely paraphrased from the original quote.) Is this not what is happening? God is trying to tell us we are not in control. He will allow us to make our own decisions - no matter how bad they are - but we must also suffer for the consequences.
To our detriment however, we see ourselves as Californians and Iowans... not as Americans. We don't recognize that the decisions that one of us makes affects the larger part of us all. And until we all cry out in repentance on behalf of some of the collective sins of our country, God will be long suffering in exacting total judgement - but He will always make Himself known... sometimes by using weather patterns and other times by being silent and letting us put the noose around our own neck....
Won't you join me in crying out on behalf of our country... "God shed your grace on thee!"
So I need to set a bit of context for this posting as it relates to current events. I have a habit in the morning of having my quiet time and Bible reading and then glancing at the headlines in the paper. However on this day, I decided I would go get the paper from the box first (and of course glance at the headlines) before I opened my Bible. So the current events focused my reading and though there was a lot in this reading, there was one glaring thing that popped out at me.
Currently in our country there is a huge "social experiment" going on. I've chosen to call it that despite what it really is -blatant defiance of God and His order. California has just "legalized" same sex marriage. and it just went into effect a few days ago. California doesn't have a residency requirement for someone to be wed there so essentially people from all over the country can come and be "married" and then go back to their home state. In essence it will be only a matter of time before they start demanding that other states recognize this marriage and provide the same benefits as traditional marriage. (Oh what a slippery slope we're on... but I can't focus on that right now.) In the paper the headline read, "Gays wed in California." I knew the day was coming as it had been talked about for several days. Yet, I also know God will not be mocked... and so I was wondering if God would intervene in any way to make Himself known or to stop this from happening. What I realized is we have a patient and long suffering God.
As I began reading today, I read how Solomon built the temple in its ornate fashion to workshop and "house" the Lord. Nothing was too opulent for the Lord's house. Then the ark of the covenant was brought into the Temple and God's presence filled the temple with a cloud of his Glory. While this was happening Solomon blessed the people with a prayer of praise and dedication. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon and acknowledged the prayer and plea Solomon had made (1 Kings 9:3)... in verse 6 is really what caught my attention....
"But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this Temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will become a byword and an object of ridicule among all people." (1 Kings 9:6-7)
This is a strong warning to the Israelites. They'd just sacrificed on God's behalf to build the temple. They - at the present time - were not completely rebelling against Him, yet He felt it necessary to warn them what would happen.
Are we not the same as Israel today here in the United States? Did God not bless us abundantly in the past because of our faithfulness as a people and our founding father's foresight to follow Him in establishing our republic? Should we not be as the Israelites, sacrificing on His behalf realizing our best still pales in comparison from His due worship? Yet, as we grow further and further into our post-modern age and we become less and less reliant on Him, we are worshiping other gods... gods of self, gods of material possessions, gods of work, etc... We are proclaiming ourselves to be above reproach or without need for God and His laws. California is thumbing their nose at God right now with this one action... but are we not all guilty?
The headlines in the paper were also reading about the record floods going on in the Midwest, the tornadoes that recently hit parts of the country and other events. There was even a quote from someone in Iowa who admittedly was an agnostic - but said "I think God is just telling us that He is in control and we are not." (loosely paraphrased from the original quote.) Is this not what is happening? God is trying to tell us we are not in control. He will allow us to make our own decisions - no matter how bad they are - but we must also suffer for the consequences.
To our detriment however, we see ourselves as Californians and Iowans... not as Americans. We don't recognize that the decisions that one of us makes affects the larger part of us all. And until we all cry out in repentance on behalf of some of the collective sins of our country, God will be long suffering in exacting total judgement - but He will always make Himself known... sometimes by using weather patterns and other times by being silent and letting us put the noose around our own neck....
Won't you join me in crying out on behalf of our country... "God shed your grace on thee!"
at
1:18 PM
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