“If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” Esther 7:3,4  Did King Ahasuerus’ love for Esther compel him to act to save the Jews? God orchestrated Esther’s life so that in this moment the king of Persia, who had all he desired by worldly standards, found that his desire for his queen was the greatest desire of his life.

Who loves you wholeheartedly? Who will run to rescue you regardless of the cost because of their love for you? God loves you so much that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. Hope for the future is found in the love of God that was expressed on the cross of Calvary. This love is the greatest love you can ever know. This love of God gave hope to the people of Israel all throughout Persia. Can you imagine how the sorrow and grief fled from the Jews the moment they heard the decree written by Mordecai? Will you let the Love of God impact your life?

Many men of renown rise up to lead Judah faithfully as they set their hearts towards God. You have the wisdom of Solomon who builds the Temple in Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat set his heart on following God and despite his failures he continually sought God. Joash set his heart toward God and rebuilt the Temple after his fathers defiling it with idols. You have Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham who despite their inherent weakness still strove to honor and follow God. Hezekiah reigned over Judah and restored the Temple, the Passover celebration and the idols were torn down. The passionate devotion of Josiah ends the reign of the good kings of Judah as he saw the sinfulness surrounding him and wept bitterly. All of these men ruled Judah as they sought to follow God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

We will never be truly faithful. The men of renown found in 2 Chronicles had great moments of faithfulness but in the end they were all limited by their sinful nature. As I look back on these great leaders of Judah who were good men but still failed I feel a hopelessness for mankind. What hope can be found in the failure of Judah. It is necessary that we see our own inability because it is only in that moment that we can truly know and trust in what Jesus Christ did on the cross. The story of Judah points to a need for a deliverer through the repeated failure of men. The deliver Jesus Christ has come into this great story God to meet the need we have.

God continually sought to bring the hearts of the people of Judah back to Him through His messengers and prophets. How does a persons heart become so hardened against God that they have no respect, thought, or desire for Him? “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He has compasstion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy.” 2 Chronicles 36:15,16 What is the wrath of the Lord? Can this wrath be an expression of God’s love? God desired to maintain fellowship with us so much that He executed His full wrath over our sin upon Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. This is the true extent of the love that brings hope.

When the people of Judah are taken away into exile in Babylon all the treasures that occupied their hearts were removed or destroyed. “All the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles.” 2 Chronicles 36:18,19  When the things that clutter our hearts desires are removed what will happen? When 2 Chronicles 36:16 said that there was no remedy what does that mean?

The exile of Judah in Babylon would last seventy years. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years before God allowed them to inherit the promised land. The exile in Babylon and in the wilderness allowed for the generations that hardened their hearts towards God to pass away allowing the new generations to be raised up in a situation where they will be looking for God and his deliverance. God has continually worked this way throughout the Old Testament with people who are stubborn and resolutely set against Him. Does God work in this way today? Does the grace of God expressed upon the cross of Jesus Christ effect how God works today? Does God still place His people in exile to turn their hearts back to Him? What is the state of your heart today? If you find that you have become callous towards God I implore you to turn back to Him and away from the idols that you are clinging to.

In the midst of our striving after idols we will only seek after God when we are so removed from the things we cling to allowing us to truly see that our only hope is in God alone. In 2 Chronicles 33:10 Manasseh and the people of Judah pay no attention to God? They were so filled with their idols that they had no room in their hears for God. Can God’s love be expressed through His anger?  Did God love Manasseh so much that he sent the armies of Assyria to remove him from Judah and all he held dear to heart so that his heart would again seek out the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? As Manasseh was captive in Babylon his heart turned back to God. Manasseh was brought back to Jerusalem by God and he sought to remove the idols that he had brought into Israel. An amazing transformation occurred in the heart of Manasseh from a man who would not listen to God to a man who acknowledged that the Lord was God.

How does our stubbornness play into our dependance upon God? How long are you willing to live in whatever way you want before you will acknowledge that the Lord, He is God? Do not harden your heart and cling to the idols and ways of the world. You will never find satisfaction apart from God. Remove the things of this life that are cluttering your heart and let God fill your heart, mind, soul and strength the way only He can. Let go of this world and cling to the Lord your God.

Do you wonder how you are to seek to love God? Do you think you have gone too far into the pits of idolatry to ever see the hopeful light of God’s love? In 2 Chronicles 35 you can find hope that will be refreshing water for your weary soul. When Josiah became king over Judah he was only eight years old. By the age of sixteen Josiah was seeking the God of his father David and by the age of twenty four he was radically purging the evil from within Judah. As Josiah sought to know God he became aware of how far Judah strayed from God. When we see the black and white truth of God’s word illuminating the deeds of our life we will meet a crisis point where we need to choose to seek God or our selfish sinfulness.

Josiah choose to seek God and was blessed because of his tender heart, ‘ “Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.” ‘ 2 Chronicles 34:27,28  God honored how Josiah set his heart toward Him when he saw the sinfulness around him. Sin has consequences and Judah would reap the reward for their actions in seeking the gods of the land in their idolatry. Today we live in a world full of gods that promise hope and fulfillment but they are only snares that lead to death. What do you worship? When we as Josiah realize our sinfulness, humble our hearts,and set our heart, mind, soul and strength toward God alone we will be spared from the coming wrath. The wrath that is coming upon this world is an eternity in hell but by God’s grace Jesus Christ took that burden of our sin upon himself when He died on the cross. We can just as Josiah find rest in our days and be taken to our fathers in peace. Where will you find your hope? Look to Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins for your hope.

Can our actions ever be truly secret? The sin in our lives will easily convince us that we are always the only stakeholder in our actions and that no one will ever know what we do. When Ahab and Jezebel brought about the stoning and death of Naboth did they feel free to live on because of their status as king and queen? Would life be worth living without justice? If wicked people were able to live on in their wickedness taking advantage of people what hope would there be? Thankfully God is the one who holds all of creation together and He brings us hope and justice. God was not unaware of the evil done by Ahab and Jezebel because Elijah is sent to Ahab telling of God’s anger against him and of the future downfall of Israel and his family.

How would you have acted towards Ahab after Elijah spoke to him? I would have most likely written him off thinking that justice would be quickly carried out. “It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.” 1 Kings 21:27  Serves him right, doesn’t it? The beauty of God’s faithfulness is evident in His response to Ahab’s humility. God looked upon Ahab as he humbled himself and withheld the calamity from happening in his lifetime.

How often do we need a second chance from God? God looked upon the humbled heart of Ahab after the life he led and still had compassion. What a marvelous God we can cling to and find encouragement in His compassion? Does this compassion God had for Ahab mean that life can be lived how ever we choose to be able to get off without consequences? Can I choose to live a life of sin and still get into Heaven? Ahab was killed in a way that could only be attributed to God and His ordaining the death because it was no random arrow, fired from a random man, randomly striking a joint in the armor. God, in His sovereignty, allowed Ahab to be killed according to His word spoken through Elijah displaying His is faithfulness.

The choices made throughout our life will always need to be accounted for because wether good or bad the choices were ours alone. We can strive to hide from the justice of God as Ahab’s did but his death is proof that we cannot avoid God. Our true hope can only be found in Jesus Christ where the total insurmountable sufficiency of His sacrifice on the cross takes the burden of our sins from us. Has Jesus Christ taken the burden of your sins from you?

Why was David not in battle with his commanders and men but instead he was found on the roof of his own house? Was he bored and looking around around for something to occupy his time since he was not out in battle? Did the quietness of the city make David feel more bold in his actions? Was it normal for people to bathe on the roof of their house in Jerusalem? Was it a habit of Bathsheba to bathe on her roof? Did David previously notice Bathsheba on the roof bathing and keep looking out for her? Did Bathsheba’s actions reflect the household leadership of her husband Uriah? Was Uriah aware of the practice of Bathsheba bathing on the roof? Was Bathsheba a promiscuous woman who was looking for attention by bathing for the city to see? Why did no one stand up against David as he was searching out Bathsheba? Why did David’s servants not ask why he was asking for a married woman to be brought to him? How many people did David use to enable his sinful behavior?

What do you do out of sight? The false sense of security what is felt when you are alone is the exactly the same feeling that David felt when he looked upon Bathsheba from his rooftop. David could not resist asking about the woman he saw nude on her roof top and his inquery about her may have been able to be rationalized but that knowledge  of who she was led to him having her brought before him. After Bathsheba was brought before David they ended up having sex and she became pregnant. Since Uriah was out with the army in battle is was a problem that Bathsheba was pregnant without her husband. David attempts to have Uriah come home to sleep with his wife but Uriah proves to be too faithful to take a privlege that the men in battle cannot have.

David finally gave up trying to have Uriah sleep with his wife to hid the adulterous act and he writes a letter to Joab instructing him that Uriah should be placed on the front line where he will be killed. What did Joab think of this order from David? Did Joab question what was happening because the letter was delivered by the hand of the man that was to die? How far will you run away from the responsibility for your actions? After the death of Uriah what did people think when Bathsheba getting married David so quickly and then a baby being born? Did people gossip about the kings actions?

Uriah was dedicated to David and his men. He should have been held in honor by David for his faithfulness but sin tainted David’s thinking and he was able to rationalize sinful actions to obtain his own desires. Did David believed all of his actions were hidden and he had gotten away with his sin but when Nathan confronts him David learned how wrong he was?

There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.

2 Samuel 12:1-4 NASB

After Nathan confronted David telling him the story of deception and stealing what did he think when he realized that he was the man Nathan talked about? There is a sickening feeling when your sin is brought before you by someone else but there is also healing that takes place when you no longer need to worry about hiding it. Is this how David felt when confronted by Nathan about his sin? God told David that it was He alone that helped, blessed, and gave him everything he needed and if what He had already given David was not enough more would have been given. David took one moment of sinful pleasure through his own strength instead of waiting on God to provide what he needed.

David truly saw the sin that he committed and he knew that it was before God that he had sinnes but the beauty found in the grace of God is seen here in the Old Testament when in 2 Samuel 12:13 Nathan tells David that his sin was taken away from him and he would not die. God continued to prove Himself faithful even after the sin of David. It is truly by the grace of God that His faithfulness and goodness to humanity is not based upon our actions. It is through Jesus Christ that we can have assurance to live life and when we sin we have an advocate in Jesus Christ to stand before God on our behalf. Due to David’s actions God did not allow the child from the sinful union to live but God used David and Bathsheba for good despite of their sin because Solomon was born to them at the end of chapter 12. I will always marvel at how God can used our sin tainted life to work in great ways.

How are the actions of David and Bathsheba similar to our lives? Sin is a snare that entices us throughout our daily lives. Have you ever used sinful acts to coverup another sin trying in whatever way possible to cover up your actions so that the people in your life will not find out? The more you attempt to cover up your sin the greater pain it will cause when it come to light. David relentlessly pursued Uriah to evade the consequences of his actions ending in his having Uriah killed. He was charged with shepherding the people of Israel and he sent one to be killed because of his own sinfulness.

What lesson can be learned from 2 Samuel 11 and 12? Sin cannot be overcome by anything we can do? The only fruit our actions will bear is sin apart from God and it is He alone that can forgive and heal us from the taint of sin in our lives. Be careful in moments where you start to head down the road to sin’s door because your actions will always known by God and your sin will effect more people than you know. I am thankful that the grace God which was extended to David is the same grace that is extended to me through Jesus Christ. Reading these two chapters can bring hope for you if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation but if you are unsure of your relationship with Jesus Christ I pray that the story of David and Bathsheba’s sin will make you seek out assurance for yourself through Jesus Christ.

The reports of the scouts were tailored by 10 of the 12 men to instill fear of the land and doubt of God’s power into the hearts of the Israelites. Only Joshua and Caleb encouraged the people to enter the promised land to take hold of the promise that God had given. In the end the fear and disbelief of the people overcame the people and they wished they had died in the wilderness or were back in Egypt instead of having to fight their way into the promised land. God became angered with the people and He said that anyone who was counted in the census 20 years or older would not enter the promised land. He would grant their wish to die in the wilderness just as they had grumbled. God removed His blessing to enter the promised land from everyone except Joshua and Caleb who were faithful to God.

This story has direct impact on our lives. Are you living a life of blessing right now in a promised land or are you in a wilderness? Is sin ruling your life? God wants to direct you into a life of freedom and blessing but when we look at our life we sometimes like the bondage to sin in Egypt was more alluring and easy or we see how difficult the promised land seems to conquer and we wish for death. The Israelites lacked faith to trust that God was able to make a way where there seemed to be no way. They grumbled and complained and sought to solve their problems themselves. There is power that is given to believers today because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Will you take hold of that promise and start the journey to enter your “promised life”? It means leaving behind sin and lust. It means learning to trust in Jesus Christ when the way seems impossible. It mean seeking to bring God glory in every aspect of your life. I pray that you can life your life under the blessing that God has given you. Start today by seeking out a daily relationship with Jesus Christ. Take time to read about the Truth in the Bible. When we know who Jesus Christ is we can have freedom.

Chapter 27 sets out the rule for which bondservants, animals, houses, and land were to be valued when sold. When something needed to be valued that was not listed specifically the item was shown to the priest and he would value it. When the priest valued an item was it recorded?

Chapter 27 sure seems to not apply to my life at this moment in time but as I think about it it does apply. It is so funny how eager I can be to say that a piece of scripture in the Old Testament can’t apply to my life today so just move along to something fun and more exciting. In this chapter God is setting a standard for fair practices when selling and trading items. These values were important because a person could restore a sold item by paying back the amount plus and extra fifth to the person currently in possession. A bond servant could by back their freedom and know the exact price needed. In my daily life I interact with people at stores and sometimes I may see an incorrectly priced item. It may be tempting to take advantage of the price but I know that God will be honored if I acknowledge the error and desire to pay the correct amount. Do I desire to live my life as honoring to God? Do you? In every action I make in life there are moments where I can give glory to God. Will I strive to bring that glory and honor to God? Lord I pray you grant me the ability to honor you.

I was inherently an harlot because of the sin that was rotting at my core. I easily chose to prostitute myself out to the desires of my flesh, the world, and I choose my own path. Unlike the people of Leviticus 27 who choose to become bondservants I was born as bondservant to sin and there was no way for me to pay the price of restoration. My valuation was shown by God through the cross. My bonds to sin were cut and my freedom from a life of sin because of Jesus Christ’s death for me on the cross. This is the grace that frees me to live. I am thankful.

Can we really appreciate the gravity of what Christ’s death on the cross means without seeing our own inability laid bare? Looking at all of the rules laid down for the people of Israel I find myself fully inadequate. The weight of sin’s burden is felt in the old testament but there is a foreshadowing of one who would lift that burden from us. Jesus Christ is the reason that we can stand under the weight of our sin because he took the entirety of all our sin past, present, and future upon Himself on the cross. That expression of Grace is humbling.

Another thought that came to my mind while reading Exodus 29 and 30 was how much the term aroma was used. I wonder what does God smell? I have never thought about the senses that God has but to think that something had a pleasing aroma to God is very interesting. I wonder what the oils and incense smelled like.

I have found that reading through the Bible at a slow pace has really allowed me to look at all the stories and see details I would typically pass over all too quickly. It is quite enjoyable.