January 31, 2009 (2 Kings 13-14, 2 Chronicles 24-25)

^{2 Kings 13:23} But the Lord was gracious and merciful to the people of Israel, and they were not totally destroyed. He pitied them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day he still has not completely destroyed them or banished them from his presence.

When I read this verse, I thought of us today. God is gracious and merciful to us, not because of our "goodness", but because of our relationship to Him through Christ. Does He bless us when we follow Him - yes. But ultimately, none of us can live the Christian life. Even after we are saved, we fail Him over and over. It is only Christ who was blameless and sin free, and it is because we are "in Him" that we are blessed. That is why praise to God should always be on our lips, because of His goodness to us through Christ.

Under the leadership of the priest, Jehoiada, the people restored the temple of God. The next section tells what happened after his death:

^{2 Chronicles 24:5} Jehoiada lived to a very old age, finally dying at 130. ¹⁶ He was buried among the kings in the City of David, because he had done so much good in Judah for God and his Temple. ¹⁷ But after Jehoiada’s death, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before King Joash and persuaded him to listen to their advice. ¹⁸ They decided to abandon the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead! Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Yet the Lord sent prophets to bring them back to him. The prophets warned them, but still the people would not listen.²⁰ Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!”²¹ Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. ²² That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty—by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were, “May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!”

When the godly voice died out, the people decided to come up with their own plans. I think this shows the importance of attending a God honoring church and of listening to godly counsel, as well as studying God's word. We must get God's perspective on things in order to know how to follow Him.


^{2 Chronicles 25:1} Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but not wholeheartedly.

⁵ Then Amaziah organized the army, assigning generals and captains for all Judah and Benjamin. He took a census and found that he had an army of 300,000 select troops, twenty years old and older, all trained in the use of spear and shield. ⁶ He also paid about 7,500 pounds of silver to hire 100,000 experienced fighting men from Israel.⁷ But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, do not hire troops from Israel, for the Lord is not with Israel. He will not help those people of Ephraim! ⁸ If you let them go with your troops into battle, you will be defeated by the enemy no matter how well you fight. God will overthrow you, for he has the power to help you or to trip you up.”

So King Amaziah listened to that counsel and sent the troops he had hired away and God gave him the victory. But after that, this was how he responded:

^{2 Chronicles 25:14-16} When King Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down in front of them, and offered sacrifices to them! ¹⁵ This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask, “Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?” ¹⁶ But the king interrupted him and said, “Since when have I made you the king’s counselor? Be quiet now before I have you killed!” So the prophet stopped with this warning: “I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have done this and have refused to accept my counsel.”

Over and over in scripture God warns us about not following Him wholeheartedly. The only thing we have to look forward to is punishment if we don't.

January 30, 2010 (2 Kings 1-11)

Our friend, David Hames, has still not been found in the rubble of the Hotel Montana in Haiti. It is in reading passages like these that give me hope that he could still be pulled out alive. God can do ANYTHING! Anything at all. Here is a recap of some of the things done by God through His prophets Elijah and Elisha:

2 Kings 1 -

Elijah called down fire from heaven to kill a captain and his 50 men.

“If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.

Elijah did that a second time.

¹¹ So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.”¹² Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.

Chapter 2 -

Elijah folds up his cloak, strikes the Jordan River and it parts:

⁸ Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!

Followed by two more miracles:

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹² Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.¹³ Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. ¹⁴ He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across.

Another:

¹⁹ One day the leaders of the town of Jericho visited Elisha. “We have a problem, my lord,” they told him. “This town is located in pleasant surroundings, as you can see. But the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.”²⁰ Elisha said, “Bring me a new bowl with salt in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with water and threw the salt into it. And he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility.” ²² And the water has remained pure ever since, just as Elisha said.

Now, one of my favorites, in a sick sort of way:

²³ Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” ²⁴ Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.

From Chapter 3:

They were pursuing the King of Moab and went through the wilderness. They were 7 days in, and discovered there was not water for them or their animals. They sent for Elisha.

“This is what the Lord says: This dry valley will be filled with pools of water! ¹⁷ You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water. You will have plenty for yourselves and your cattle and other animals. ¹⁸ But this is only a simple thing for the Lord, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab!

²⁰ The next day at about the time when the morning sacrifice was offered, water suddenly appeared! It was flowing from the direction of Edom, and soon there was water everywhere.

Chapter 4:

A widow had nothing but a little olive oil, and creditors were going to come take her sons as payment. She came to Elisha for help and this is what he told her to do:

³ And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. ⁴⁵ So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. ⁶ Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.⁷ When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.” Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”

There was a wealthy woman who lived in Shunem and every time Elisha would come through, she and her husband would take them in. Elisha wanted to repay her, and knowing she didn't have any children here was his prediction:

Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”¹⁵ “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, ¹⁶ “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.” ¹⁷ But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.

Next, the boy ends up dying, and they laid him on Elisha's bed and went to find Elisha. She finally found him and brought him back. (It doesn't say how long this took her.)

³² When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed. ³³ He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again! ³⁵ Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!³⁶ Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!” ³⁷ She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.

Next, some prophets made some stew, but put some poisonous gourds in it. When they realized what had happened, Elisha sprinkled in some flour, and it was edible.

Chapter 5 -

Naaman was cured of leprosy.

Elisha's servant, Gehazi, lied to Elisha and so he and his family was cursed with leprosy. And as soon as Gehazi left the room, his skin was as white as snow with leprosy.

Chapter 6 -

They were chopping wood at the Jordan River and someone's ax head fell into the river.

⁶ “Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. ⁷ “Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.

The King of Aram wanted to capture Elisha. Here is the account:

¹⁴ So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.¹⁶ “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. ¹⁸ As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. ¹⁹ Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria.

Chapter 7

This next account is quite long, but here is the summary. There was a great famine in the land and the Aramean army had surrounded the city and was about to attack. But this is what God did to save the city:

But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! ⁶ For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. ⁷ So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.

So, those are the highlights, but these chapters are filled with predictions from God that came true, and other accounts where you can see God's hand at work. God brought back to life the boy that died, and in the New Testament, He brought Lazarus back to life. So, I know He is ABLE to allow David Hames to be found alive, even today. He CAN, but here's the tension - we don't know if He WILL. So we continue to pray and wait.

January 29, 2010 (2 Chronicles 19-23, Obadiah 1, Psalm 82-83)

Today there were only a couple of verses that stopped me in my tracks. Here's the first one:

^{2 Chronicles 20:32} Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the ways of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. ³³ During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people never fully committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors.

That bolded portion made me think of my own life. What does it mean to fully commit yourself to follow God? I think I am, but am I really? Am I daily dying to myself and my desires and asking God what His will is for me? Am I really seeking Him? I pondered this after I had done all the days readings and my Bible was open to the Psalms. Psalm 86 was not part of today's reading, but as I was praying about and thinking about this, my eyes caught the following Psalm:

¹ Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
answer me, for I need your help.
² Protect me, for I am devoted to you.
Save me, for I serve you and trust you.
You are my God.
³ Be merciful to me, O Lord,
for I am calling on you constantly.
⁴ Give me happiness, O Lord,
for I give myself to you.
⁵ O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,
so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
⁶ Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord;
hear my urgent cry.
⁷ I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,
and you will answer me.

⁸ No pagan god is like you, O Lord.
None can do what you do!
⁹ All the nations you made
will come and bow before you, Lord;
they will praise your holy name.
¹⁰ For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.
You alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.
¹² With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
I will give glory to your name forever,
¹³ for your love for me is very great.
You have rescued me from the depths of death.
¹⁵ But you, O Lord,
are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Look down and have mercy on me.
Give your strength to your servant;
save me, the son of your servant.
¹⁷ Send me a sign of your favor.
Then those who hate me will be put to shame,
for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.

This is a long Psalm, but I am going to work on committing it to memory. I think that will help in my quest to be fully committed to Him.

The other "haunting" verse was this one:

^{2 Chronicles 21:20} Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. No one was sorry when he died. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.

No one was sorry when he died....may we live in such a way that that would never be said about us.

2 Chronicles 8-18, I Kings 9-22, Ecclesiastes

Well, being out of town killed my routine. I wasn't disciplined enough to keep up with my reading, but I've now caught up. Because I read so much, I'll just choose a few verses that I thought were the highlights....

Even though Solomon was the wisest of all men, he still fell into sin. He wasn't wise enough to completely follow what God had told him:

^{1 Kings 11:1} Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. ² The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. ³ He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord. ⁴ In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.

⁹ The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. ¹⁰ He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. ¹¹ So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants.

What has God specifically told us, yet we insist on going our own way anyway? This is a warning to all of us as to what happens if God speaks to us and we don't listen.

God responds when we humble ourselves and admit our sins:

^{2 Chronicles 12:1} But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord, and all Israel followed him in this sin. ² Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign.
⁶ Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is right in doing this to us!”

⁷ When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem. ⁸ But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.”

¹² Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger was turned away, and he did not destroy him completely. There were still some good things in the land of Judah.

King Asa was a good king, following the Lord most of his life. But at the end, he turned and asked for help from another king, instead of asking for God's help.

^{2 Chronicles 16:1} In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah.

² Asa responded by removing the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace. He sent it to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:

³ “Let there be a treaty between you and me like the one between your father and my father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”

⁴ Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all the store cities in Naphtali. ⁵ As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and stopped all work on it. ⁶ Then King Asa called out all the men of Judah to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the towns of Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. ⁸ Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers? At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. ⁹ The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”

Words to the wise are below.....

^{I Kings 18:21} Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.

Ecclesiastes is a 'funny' book. It is thought that Solomon was the author, and he goes back and forth, all the time saying that life is meaningless. But chapter 12 gives his final thoughts:

Ecclesiastes 12:¹ Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
⁶ Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. ⁷ For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

⁹ Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. ¹⁰ The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.

¹¹ The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.

¹² But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.

¹³ That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. ¹⁴ God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

January 21, 2009 (2 Chronicles 1-7, I Kings 1-8, Song of Songs)

My reading yesterday was Song of Songs....fitting since I'll be meeting up with my hubby in a couple of days. The analysis of this book in the beginning of my Bible says : "The Song is a bold and positive endorsement by God of marital love in all it's physical and emotional beauty. This interpretation does not mean that the book has no spiritual illustrations and applications. It certainly illustrates God's love for his covenant people Israel, and it anticipates Christ's love for his bride, the church. Some of my favorite verses are:

^8:6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
its jealousy as enduring as the grave.
Love flashes like fire,
the brightest kind of flame.
⁷ Many waters cannot quench love,
nor can rivers drown it.
If a man tried to buy love
with all his wealth,
his offer would be utterly scorned.

The Chronicles and Kings passages begin with the building of the temple and all the tremendous resources required for that. After it is all done Solomon prayed a long prayer to God in which he basically asks God for forgiveness for when they sin. But not just when they sin, but when the people recognize their sin and pray to God, asking for His forgiveness. It reminds me of a verse in I John -

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".

Does that mean if we don't confess we aren't forgiven? I don't think so. I think the lesson God wants us to take from that is, if we don't confess, we don't acknowledge our own sin, and therefore we don't turn from it. If Cooper does something that he knows offends me, he could say "Forgive me for all I've ever done", or he could say "I'm sorry that I disobeyed you mom. Please forgive me." Which do you think I would prefer to hear? I think God is the same way.

And then we come to this passage in 2 Chronicles, chapter 7:

¹² Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. ¹³ At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. ¹⁴ Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. ¹⁵ My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. ¹⁶ For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.

The verse in bold is the one that I've heard over and over, and it is true. But the thing that caught my eye this morning is that last verse, and thinking to the New Testament where we are told that WE are the temple of God. He doesn't dwell in a physical building anymore, but in the hearts of those who have surrendered their lives to Him. We are dear to His heart. Great thought....

January 19, 2010 (Psalm 119: 1-176)

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible. I reread the whole thing this morning, even though I had read the first half a couple of days ago. It seems my mind has been 'consumed' with thoughts of our friend David, still buried in the rubble in Haiti.

This Psalm is one of my favorites, even though it is so long. It tells of my heart's cry...

⁴ You have charged us
to keep your commandments carefully.
⁵ Oh, that my actions would consistently
reflect your decrees!

And how do we keep ourselves pure?

⁹ How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word.
¹⁰ I have tried hard to find you—
don’t let me wander from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

By hiding His word in our hearts. By memorizing. This past week has been a reminder of how important that is. I will renew my efforts to memorize.

I wonder how much David Hames has memorized, as I'm sure he has needed reminders of God's protection and faithfulness. When we can't open God's word to receive His promises and comfort, it's important to have His word hidden in our hearts.

²⁵ I lie in the dust;
revive me by your word.
²⁸ I weep with sorrow;
encourage me by your word.
⁴⁹ Remember your promise to me;
it is my only hope.
⁵⁰ Your promise revives me;
it comforts me in all my troubles.
⁵² I meditate on your age-old regulations;
O Lord, they comfort me.
⁸¹ I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word.
⁸² My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.
When will you comfort me?
⁸⁸ In your unfailing love, spare my life;
then I can continue to obey your laws.
⁹² If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy,
I would have died in my misery.
⁹³ I will never forget your commandments,
for by them you give me life.
⁹⁴ I am yours; rescue me!
For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments.
⁹⁷ Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
⁹⁸ Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are my constant guide.
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
¹⁰⁶ I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again:
I will obey your righteous regulations.
¹⁰⁷ I have suffered much, O Lord;
restore my life again as you promised.
¹⁰⁸ Lord, accept my offering of praise,
and teach me your regulations.
¹⁰⁹ My life constantly hangs in the balance,
but I will not stop obeying your instructions.
¹¹⁶ Lord, sustain me as you promised, that I may live!
Do not let my hope be crushed.
¹¹⁷ Sustain me, and I will be rescued;
then I will meditate continually on your decrees.
¹²³ My eyes strain to see your rescue,
to see the truth of your promise fulfilled.
¹²⁴ I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love,
and teach me your decrees.
¹³² Come and show me your mercy,
as you do for all who love your name.
¹⁴⁰ Your promises have been thoroughly tested;
that is why I love them so much.
¹⁴¹ I am insignificant and despised,
but I don’t forget your commandments.
¹⁴² Your justice is eternal,
and your instructions are perfectly true.
¹⁴³ As pressure and stress bear down on me,
I find joy in your commands.
¹⁴⁵ I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord!
I will obey your decrees.
¹⁴⁶ I cry out to you; rescue me,
that I may obey your laws.
¹⁴⁷ I rise early, before the sun is up;
I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.
¹⁴⁸ I stay awake through the night,
thinking about your promise.
¹⁴⁹ In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry;
¹⁵³ Look upon my suffering and rescue me,
for I have not forgotten your instructions.
¹⁵⁴ Argue my case; take my side!
¹⁵⁹ See how I love your commandments, Lord.
Give back my life because of your unfailing love.
¹⁶⁶ I long for your rescue, Lord,
so I have obeyed your commands.
¹⁶⁷ I have obeyed your laws,
for I love them very much.
¹⁶⁸ Yes, I obey your commandments and laws
because you know everything I do.
¹⁶⁹ O Lord, listen to my cry;
give me the discerning mind you promised.
¹⁷⁰ Listen to my prayer;
rescue me as you promised.
¹⁷¹ Let praise flow from my lips,
for you have taught me your decrees.
¹⁷² Let my tongue sing about your word,
for all your commands are right.
¹⁷³ Give me a helping hand,
for I have chosen to follow your commandments.
¹⁷⁴ O Lord, I have longed for your rescue,
and your instructions are my delight.
¹⁷⁵ Let me live so I can praise you,
and may your regulations help me.

Those are just a few of the verses that are so applicable to this situation. Call me stupid but I know, even after a week, God is able to sustain and keep David alive. He can give supernatural sustenance. There are examples in the Old Testament of people going without food and water for 40 days. Lazarus was dead for three days, and yet Jesus called him from the grave and he walked out alive. We love and serve an amazing God. I continue to hope and pray for a miracle.

January 17, 2010 (1 Kings 1-4, 2 Chronicles 1, Psalm 37, 71, 72, 94, 119:1-88

In this first section of reading I of thought of Chris, and realized he and King David have a lot in common. I'm sure if Chris' advisors gave him this plan when he was old, he would be accepting of it as well....


^{1 Kings 1:1} King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm. ² So his advisers told him, “Let us find a young virgin to wait on you and look after you, my lord. She will lie in your arms and keep you warm.”

³ So they searched throughout the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. ⁴ The girl was very beautiful, and she looked after the king and took care of him. But the king had no sexual relations with her.

OK, now for the serious stuff! Below we get a glimpse of David's parenting skills. We saw this briefly from before, but here is another revelation. Maybe he had too many kids by too many wives and knew he couldn't keep them all happy, so just decided to ignore everything.

⁵ About that time David’s son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, “I will make myself king.” So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front of him. ⁶ Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?”

I Kings goes on to tell us that David got wind of what Adonijah was doing and 'beat him to the punch' to annoint his son Solomon as the next king. When Adonijah found out what had happened he feared for his life, because he knew that Solomon had found out about his plan to be crowned king instead. Solomon called for him told him that if he proved himself to be loyal, not a hair on his head would be touched. Well, some time later, he had a request for King Solomon, and that request was to be allowed to marry Abishag (the beautiful virgin that had kept King David warm). This made Solomon so angry, that he ordered him to be executed. I thought it was because of Solomon's desire for women (which will be brought out later), but the footnote of my Bible says 'claiming a deceased king's harem was equivalent to claiming his kingdom'. I still think it was because Solomon wanted her instead.

This next section gives us two pictures. 1) that Solomon went against what he knew he should do by marrying foreign wives and 2) knowing he was incapable of doing the job he was given, without God's help

1 Kings 3:1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace and the Temple of the Lord and the wall around the city. ² At that time the people of Israel sacrificed their offerings at local places of worship, for a temple honoring the name of the Lord had not yet been built.

³ Solomon loved the Lord and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. ⁴ The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings. ⁵ That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

⁶ Solomon replied, “You showed faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued your faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.

⁷ “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. ⁸ And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! ⁹ Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. ¹¹ So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—¹² I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! ¹³ And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! ¹⁴ And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”

The thing that confuses me about the above is that God gave him a wise and understanding heart. So if He gave that to him, why does Solomon allow his desire for women to lead him astray? I guess it shows that even though God gives us the ability to know right from wrong, we are still presented with choices, and we can choose to go against what we know deep down is right. I guess it's by making these right choices that God knows He has first place in our lives.

A verse from the Psalms that caught my attention today:

^{Psalm 37:34} Don't be impatient for the Lord to act!
Travel steadily along his path.

Travel steadily along His path....I got the picture of just plugging away, trusting Him, keeping moving and not stopping along the way.

And then, as we continue to wait upon news as to whether our friend from church is still alive underneath the rubble, this verse caught my eye. I am sure David's wife, Renee, is clinging to God and His word for comfort during this time.

^{Psalm 119:81} I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word.
⁸² My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.
When will you comfort me?

January 15, 2010 (the rest of 2 Samuel, I Chronicles and lots of Psalms)

Well, with my back injury, I've been reading but not feeling like posting, and to be honest, not getting much out of my reading. It could be the drugs I was on, it could be my mental state. But whatever 'the funk', I must renew my trust in God and His love and faithfulness to me, regardless of how I feel. We are to live this life in the realm of faith.

In the final chapters of 2 Samuel, David once again made some foolish decisions - one being to take a census of the people. I guess God was angry with that, because David was trying to see the strength of his military, thereby showing that he was trusting in his military might rather than in God.

In the final chapters of 1 Chronicles we see that God told David that because he was a man of 'war and bloodshed', he would not be the one to build the temple, but that his son Solomon would. But David still made preparations for his son. Which is what we need to do - we need to make preparations for our kids, for them to have every advantage for them to fulfill God's plan. And I think most of those preparations come in the 'spiritual realm' - walking with God ourselves and showing them what that looks like. I've copied below some of David's most memorable words:


^{1 Chronicles 28:6} He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father. ⁷ And if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.’

⁸ “So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the Lord’s assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance.

⁹ “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”

²⁰ Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.

And then David's closing words, recognizing the majesty of God:

^{1 Chronicles 29:10} Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! ¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. ¹² Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
¹³ “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! ¹⁵ We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
¹⁶ “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! ¹⁷ I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
¹⁸ “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. ¹⁹ Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”

²⁰ Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.

January 12, 2009 (2 Samuel 13-18, Psalm 3-4, 12-13, 26, 28, 40, 55, 58, 61-62, 64)

Well, I have a lot of catching up to do today. With all the pain meds I was taking I just couldn't concentrate to have any insights...

The 2 Samuel reading listed above is pretty sad....dysfunctional families at their best! David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister, Tamar, that her half-brother Amnon raped. Here was how king David and Absalom handled it:

^{2 Samuel 13:21} When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry.²² And though Absalom never spoke to Amnon about this, he hated Amnon deeply because of what he had done to his sister.

So instead of confronting what happened head on, they both pretty much 'ignored' it, hoping it would work itself out. Well, it didn't work itself out..Absalom ended up killing Amnon and stirring up a rebellion against David. The short story is that Absalom ended up being killed against David's wishes, even though he was trying to overthrow and kill king David. That's pretty much where Chapter 18 ends...the king mourning the loss of his son Absalom, which demoralized his army.

What is the lesson in all of this for us? Don't sweep things under the rug, but work them out. If not, they will come back to haunt you.

And now for a Psalm that I will cling to as I continue to ask God for healing for my back:

Psalm 40

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
³ He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
⁵ O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

⁶ You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
⁸ I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

⁹ I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
¹⁰ I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

¹¹ Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles surround me—
too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost all courage.

¹³ Please, Lord, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.

¹⁶ But may all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
¹⁷ As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord is thinking about me right now.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay.

January 10, 2010 (2 Samuel 11-12, I Chronicles 20, Psalm 32, 51, 86, 122)

Chapter 11 is "the beginning of the end". Here is how it starts...

^{2Samuel 11:1} In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

David sent Joab, but didn't go himself.....here's my take on it. David was struggling spiritually. I think of the verse "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose". I know from personal experience that when I am tired and lose focus spiritually, that I also lose focus on all the other areas, especially keeping my eating under control. David should have gone to war with his men. He should have pushed through the 'emotions' of not 'wanting' to go, and just done what he knew he should. But because he didn't, he was open to temptation. The footnote of my Bible says 'How much better if David had gone with his army into the fields! Idleness opens the door to temptation.' And here is the rest of the story:

² Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. ³ He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. ⁵ Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.”

"After his midday rest...do you think his men on the battlefield had a 'midday rest'? I'll summarize what happens next. David sends for her husband, Uriah, under the pretext that he wants to find out how the war is going. After talking with him, he tells him to go home, assuming that Uriah will sleep with her, and folks will think it is his baby she is pregnant with. But here's what happened instead:

⁹ But Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.

¹⁰ When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?”

¹¹ Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”

I would imagine that Uriah's answer should have been a "kick in the pants" to David. This is the mentality that David should have had, and should have gone to war with his men in the first place. Here's more interjection from me, but here was an opportunity for David to repent. This should have been his wake up call. But again, I think his heart was hard and he was blinded by his sin. So instead of repenting, he gets Uriah drunk, in the hopes that now he will go home. But he didn't. So this is what David did next:

¹⁴ So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. ¹⁵ The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” ¹⁶ So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. ¹⁷ And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.

Joab knew that when David heard the report of their skirmish, he would be angry because they were so foolish to go so close to the wall.

¹⁸ Then Joab sent a battle report to David. ¹⁹ He told his messenger, “Report all the news of the battle to the king. ²⁰ But he might get angry and ask, ‘Why did the troops go so close to the city? Didn’t they know there would be shooting from the walls? ²¹ Wasn’t Abimelech son of Gideon killed at Thebez by a woman who threw a millstone down on him from the wall? Why would you get so close to the wall?’ Then tell him, ‘Uriah the Hittite was killed, too.’”

When David gets the report, here is his calloused answer:

²⁵ “Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged,” David said. “The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!”

The sword devours one today and one tomorrow....no big deal. Just fight harder next time. Internally, I think he was relieved to know Uriah was dead and now his troubles were over. But throughout all this ordeal, he forgot about one person... God.

²⁶ When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done.

Chapter 12 tells of Nathan the prophet, confronting David by telling 'a parable', using a fictional story to point out what David had done. When David heard the story, he didn't realize Nathan was talking about him. Again, I think his sin had blinded him to the truth, until Nathan told him plainly:

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. ⁸ I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. ⁹ Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. ¹⁰ From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.

¹¹ “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. ¹² You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”

And then, this is what sets David apart. The moment of reckoning. David doesn't deny it and doesn't make excuses. He makes a confession:

¹³ Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. ¹⁴Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”

Even though we are forgiven, there are consequences for our sin. David experienced not only the death of this child that was conceived in adultery, but later on, verses 11 and 12 above came true as well.

Psalm 51 was penned during this time in David's life.

Psalm 51

A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
² Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
³ For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
⁴ Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
⁵ For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
⁶ But you desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.

⁷ Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
⁹ Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
¹³ Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
and they will return to you.
¹⁴ Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
¹⁵ Unseal my lips, O Lord,
that my mouth may praise you.

¹⁶ You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
¹⁷ The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
¹⁸ Look with favor on Zion and help her;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

And then, from Psalm 32, I think he realized he was forgiven:

Psalm 32

A psalm of David.

¹ Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
² Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
³ When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
⁴ Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

⁵ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

⁶ Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
⁷ For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory.

⁸ The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
⁹ Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

¹⁰ Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
¹¹ So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

The part that stuck me was the line "whose lives are lived in complete honesty" - and I thought to myself, 'who in the world can say that, and most certainly, David can't'. But God must have revealed to him what He clearly tells us in the New Testament, that when we confess our sins, because of the cleansing blood of Christ, we are cleansed from all sin. David himself penned these words from Psalm 103:

¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

God spells it out in Romans 3 for us:

²⁴ Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

There is some great truth to be learned from these passages. We are totally cleansed from sin through the blood of Christ. We are no longer to live under condemnation, even when we fail. God has forgiven us and He wants us to live lives of praise to Him for His goodness to us.