April 6, 2011 (Obadiah 1, Psalm 82-83, 2 Kings 1-4)

Things haven't changed, in all these years:

^{Psalm 83:1} O God, do not be silent!
      Do not be deaf.
      Do not be quiet, O God.
 ² Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?
      Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?
 ³ They devise crafty schemes against your people;
      they conspire against your precious ones.
 ⁴ “Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.
      We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”
 ⁵ Yes, this was their unanimous decision.
      They signed a treaty as allies against you—

But in the midst of turmoil, God was doing miracles, and still does them today. Perhaps not on the scale of these, but who's to say? We only have a little glimpse of Him in our circle of influence.

^{2 Kings 2:11} 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.
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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.
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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.
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^3:16 “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!
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^4:3 And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. ⁴ 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.”

 ⁵ 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.

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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.

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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!
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³⁹ One of the young men went out into the field to gather herbs and came back with a pocketful of wild gourds. He shredded them and put them into the pot without realizing they were poisonous. ⁴⁰ Some of the stew was served to the men. But after they had eaten a bite or two they cried out, “Man of God, there’s poison in this stew!” So they would not eat it.

 ⁴¹ Elisha said, “Bring me some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now it’s all right; go ahead and eat.” And then it did not harm them.

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⁴² One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought the man of God a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread made from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”

 ⁴³ “What?” his servant exclaimed. “Feed a hundred people with only this?”

   But Elisha repeated, “Give it to the people so they can eat, for this is what the Lord says: Everyone will eat, and there will even be some left over!” ⁴⁴ And when they gave it to the people, there was plenty for all and some left over, just as the Lord had promised.

I think of the above story of the woman who had no money to pay her debts, so she was going to sell her sons. Elisha told her to do something that humanly didn't make sense. She had one flask of olive oil. He told her to find as many jars as she could and fill them up. It doesn't make sense! Any 'sane' person would argue with him - tell him it was a waste of time. But the reason she was able to see the miracle was because of the faith she had in what 'the man of God' told her.  We limit God because of our lack of faith. It's what Jesus was trying to get across to the people as well:

^{Matthew 13:57} And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

   Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” ⁵⁸And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.

^{Mark 6:4} Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” ⁵ And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ And he was amazed at their unbelief.

We have to take God at His word. Faith comes by hearing God's word, and applying it.

April 3, 2011 (2 Chronicles 18-23, I Kings 22)

King Jehoshaphat entered into an alliance with wicked King Ahab. As he returned from war he was met by a prophet that told him God was angry with him. But he was also told 'there was some good in him' as he had removed the Asherah poles and he had committed himself to seeking God. It seems that was his 'wake up call' because after that he went through the land giving them these instructions:

^19:7 Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.”

 ⁸ In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests and clan leaders in Israel to serve as judges for cases involving the Lord’s regulations and for civil disputes. ⁹ These were his instructions to them: “You must always act in the fear of the Lord, with faithfulness and an undivided heart.

After this, neighboring armies declared war on him. It says 'He was alarmed by this news and sought the Lord for guidance'. He called the people to fast and pray, and then stood before the people and prayed a long prayer that ended with:

^20:12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

And then a prophet stood and gave God's answer:

^20:15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

Then the King and all his people bowed in worship. Early the next morning he and his army departed. On the way he stopped and said:

²⁰ Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

I think he did this to remind them of what they had heard the previous day. In the daylight, on the way to battle, I would imagine some were wondering if they 'got it right' - If they really did hear that God would deliver them. He reminded them to believe what they had heard.

I love this next section. It really ties AGAIN with the book I am reading - thankfulness precedes the miracle.

²¹ After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:

   “Give thanks to the Lord;
      his faithful love endures forever!”

 ²² At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. ²³ The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. ²⁴ So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.

After the victory the people praised and thanked the Lord in the "Valley of Blessing" - so named because of their gratefulness to God.

And again, I see that Jehoshaphat did not finish well.

 ³⁵ Some time later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who was very wicked.

Was it because of this?

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.

It really seems as if you have to be 'all in' in order to finish well. I want to finish well. Am I really "all in"?

April 2, 2011 (2 Chronicles 17, I Kings 15-21)

Elijah was a  man that saw God do some incredible things.  Here are a few snippets of how he saw himself in his relationship with God:

“As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—...”
“I swear by the Lord Almighty, in whose presence I stand, ...”

And God proved Himself to Elijah in many miraculous ways:

Bringing ravens to feed him morning and evening
Allowing the flour and oil jars to always have just enough for another meal
Bringing the widow's son back to life
Destroying the sacrifice, even after it had been drenched in water
Running ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way back to Jezreel

And then, when wicked Jezebel said she would kill him, what does he do? Runs for his life. What happened to him? Was it isolation? He thought he was the only prophet of the Lord left. Was it because he was exhausted? Emotionally spent? Whatever it was, here were his words of discouragement:

^19:4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

And then this is what happened:

 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” ⁶ He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

 ⁷ Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

 ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.

   But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

And I love those words from God: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  Just a simple question - What the heck are you doing? Examine your life and tell me, what are you doing?

And Elijah then states his case - how he zealously served God, and how he was the only one left.  And this is how God responded:

¹¹ “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

   And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

And when God asks the question again, he answers the exact same way as he did before.  And this time, God gives him a specific mission:

¹⁵ Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. ¹⁶ Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. ¹⁷ Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! ¹⁸ Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

I think of this story in relation to my own life. There are times when I am 'on fire' for God - where I see Him using me and seem filled with His strength. And then there are times when like Elijah, I am discouraged. But what was it with Elijah? Was it because he thought too highly of himself (I am the only one left, when in reality there were 7000 who had never bowed to Baal)? Was it because he needed rest (the angel came and fed him and he slept)? Or was it because he had stopped hearing God's voice? He had seen some pretty amazing things. But when he was threatened with his life, the Bible says he ran. He never consulted God about it. He never considered God's provision and care for him. He just listened to the voices around him and stopped listening to God. I think I know why. Because it's easier. It's much easier to seek the counsel of others instead of truly seeking God. But God is looking for those whose hearts are completely committed to Him. And I keep seeing myself as one who is trying to be one of those. Don't give up on me God.

April 1, 2011 (2 Chronicles 13-16, I Kings 15:1-24)

As I read these chapters today, the first thing that I saw was this one verse...

^13:11 They present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and evening. They place the Bread of the Presence on the holy table, and they light the gold lampstand every evening. We are following the instructions of the Lord our God, but you have abandoned him. 

It reminded me that we are really to think of and pursue God always - not just in the morning during our 'quiet time', but we should honor Him morning, noon and night. I was reminded again that I 'compartmentalize' God too much. I truly desire to seek Him and see Him in all things. But that takes discipline on my part. I want to honor Him in the evening as well, and will now have to show that I am willing to follow through on what He has shown me.

Asa was a king who followed God....at least at first. The other thing I'm seeing is that somehow it seems much easier to follow God at first, but then it seems that most stray away. These chapters tell the story of an Ethiopian attacking Judah with a million men - far outnumbering them. So this is what King Asa did:

^14:11 Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lordour God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”

 ¹² So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled. 

Although I'm not sure when all that took place (I'm thinking it was early in his reign), this next story takes place in the 36th year of his reign.  He took money out of the temple treasury to pay another King to destroy one of his enemies. This was the response he got from one of God's prophets:

^16:7 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.”

 ¹⁰ Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. At that time Asa also began to oppress some of his people.

This prophet reminded him of the unbelievable odds he had been up against before, and how when he had relied upon God, he was delivered. But instead of King Asa seeing the truth of his words and repenting, he became angry. We see his heart had turned away.

This verse is now my prayer today:

God, as Your eyes search the earth today, may my heart be fully committed to You, and may You strengthen it.

March 31, 2011 (2 Chronicles 10-12)

As I'm in the Old Testament now, I continue to get 'depressed'. God's word is true - and it applies to the past as well as the present. Because of the 'political correctness' of our day, which includes an exclusion of God from pretty much everywhere, we really have no hope of peace, and only oppression from our enemies. Here's the story from chapter 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. ³ He came with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horses, and a countless army of foot soldiers, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians. ⁴ Shishak conquered Judah’s fortified towns and then advanced to attack Jerusalem.

But then, God sent a prophet to confront them and explain the situation:

⁵ The prophet Shemaiah then met with Rehoboam and Judah’s leaders, who had all fled to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah told them, “This is what the Lord says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak.”

 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.”

The thing I was struck with was that when they repented, God gave them SOME relief, but He still allowed them to become Shishak's subjects. There are always consequences for sin. Even though God has given us His word and examples from the past, we still are unfaithful to Him. May He continue to give us consequences for our sin so that we learn to obey, love and honor Him.

March 30, 2011 (Ecclesiastes)

This is such a strange book - it's kind of like Solomon 'talking to himself' - trying to figure out life.  And in this verse it seems he is echoing the message of the book I am reading - seeing God's goodness in everything:

^2:24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?

God is unfathomable. He can never be truly known, even though He has given us a glimpse of Him:

^3:11 ... He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 

This next set of verses should be the motto for Life Groups:

^4:9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. ¹⁰ If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. ¹¹ Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? ¹² A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

I really liked this little section (and not because of the glass of wine part!) -

^5:18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, and enjoy their work - whatever they do under the sun - for however long God lets them live. ¹⁹ And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. ²⁰ God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

I don't remember reading this one before - and this one I DON'T like:

^7:27 “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. ²⁸ Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! ²⁹ But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”

And how does Solomon, the wisest man that ever was end his book?

 12:9 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.

March 28, 2011 (I Kings 12-14)

It's amazing what we will do to rationalize our sin. After Solomon's death, Jeroboam became king of ten tribes of Israel. Here is the story as it relates to him, as spoken by God:

³⁴ “‘But I will not take the entire kingdom from Solomon at this time. For the sake of my servant David, the one whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees, I will keep Solomon as leader for the rest of his life. ³⁵ But I will take the kingdom away from his son and give ten of the tribes to you. ³⁶ His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name. ³⁷ And I will place you on the throne of Israel, and you will rule over all that your heart desires. ³⁸ If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey my decrees and commands, as my servant David did, then I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you. 

So he was promised that God would establish an enduring dynasty with him, as long as he obeyed. We fast forward to the end of chapter 12, and we see Jeroboam's thoughts:

²⁶ Jeroboam thought to himself, “Unless I am careful, the kingdom will return to the dynasty of David. ²⁷ When these people go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple of the Lord, they will again give their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and make him their king instead.”

 ²⁸ So on the advice of his counselors, the king made two gold calves. He said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. Look, Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!”

 ²⁹ He placed these calf idols in Bethel and in Dan—at either end of his kingdom. ³⁰ But this became a great sin, for the people worshiped the idols, traveling as far north as Dan to worship the one there.

He forgot what God had specifically told and promised him. He was afraid that if the people returned to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, they would be 'wooed' to give their allegiance to King Rehoboam. Because of that, he decided to build altars at the northern and southern end of his territory, to offer sacrifices there and to appoint priests that were not from the tribe of Levi.

Fear can cause you to disobey God. The only fear God wants us to have is reverential fear of Him.

The end of this story is that he never repented. And God ripped the kingdom away from him and his family.