Are you willing to defend your faith? To what extent are you willing to obey God’s commandments? Who do you defend when there is injustice? In 2 Chronicles 23 and 24 Jehoiada secures the rule of Judah for Joash who was just a child of seven. The Levites gathered to protect this young ruler from anything that could harm him. These Levites stood alert and ready to react to anyone who would seek to enter the Temple to harm Joash. Is there a parallel to our relationship to Jesus Christ found in the story of Jehoiada, Joash, and the Levites? Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Faith
Foreshadowing of Jesus Christ in the defense of a child: 2 Chronicles 23 and 24
Life on the road of faithfulness and failure: 2 Chronicles 13 and 14
“But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priests, and the Levites attend to their work. Every morning and evening they burn to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. Now behold, God is with us at our head and His priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.” 2 Chronicles 13:10-12
The history of the kingdom of Judah given in 2 Chronicles is more encouraging than the history of the kingdom of Israel. In 2 Chronicles 13 and 14 the kingdom of Judah clings to God and seeks their strength from Him. God is fulfilling His promise that He made to Solomon; the kingdom of Judah remained faithful to God and were blessed by Him while the kingdom of Israel was sent off in captivity. Continue Reading…
Exile from everything held dear: 2 Kings 25
In 2 Kings 25 the exile for the sons of Israel has come to fulfillment. For generations the people drifted away from worshiping God and the kingdom of Babylon comes to carry off the people of Judah into exile just as Isaiah told Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:17,18. The city of Jerusalem was rased and all the wealth of the city was carried off into Babylon. Will good come from the Israelites being taken away into exile in Babylon? Can you imagine being taken away from the comfortable life you have known to be placed in a foreign land? How would you view life if everything you knew and held dear were stripped away from you? How does the adversity that we endure change out lives? Continue Reading…
Tears shed in troubled times: 2 Kings 19 and 20
In the moments when your world is crashing down upon you and the outlook for life is bleak how do your reactions and actions portray you? What moments have you faced in life that made your whole world come to a halt? Where did you turn? How did you act? The way we act in the midst of trouble, trial, and tribulation will show who we truly are and what we believe. Do your actions point towards an almighty God who is the wellspring of hope or do your actions lash out against fate and destiny in remorse over your lot in life?
At the end of 2 Kings 18 the Assyrians besiege Judah and Hezekiah the king of Judah found himself in the midst of a moment where he was unsure of the future and hope was dwindling. In the midst of this troubled time Hezekiah seeks out God and He proves himself faithful to Judah by turning away the army of Assyria. Continue Reading…
What kind of example does your life portray: 2 Kings 11 and 12
What kind of influence does a person’s upbringing have on them? Do the actions of parents and guardians matter when a child is raised? The question of how a God fearing legacy is instilled from generation to generation was brought to mind again as I read 2 Kings 11 and 12. In the midst of all the idolatry happening in both Israel and Judah were there children raised who feared God?
After Ahaziah the king of Judah was killed by Jehu Athaliah proclaimed herself queen. In order to make herself queen Athaliah sought to kill all of the royal offspring but Joash the son of Ahaziah was hidden in the house of the Lord for six years and kept safe from her. How did growing up in the house of the Lord impact the life of Joash? Continue Reading…
Rekindling the reverence, awe, and wonder of God: 2 Kings 1 and 2
How do you want to be remembered when you finally die? Who do you know that would be faithful enough to follow you wherever you go? When we seek out God in prayer do we actually expect God to listen and respond to our request? Is there a relation between Baal-zebub in 2 Kings and Beelzebul in Matthew? These are the questions that I asked as I read about two moments in Elijah’s life related in 2 Kings 1 and 2. The first moment we see is Elijah telling Ahaziah that he would die for honoring pagan gods above the one true God and the second moment Elisha replaces Elijah as prophet. Continue Reading…
The Lord He is God and His power reigns over idolatry: 1 Kings 17 and 18
In 1 Kings 17 Elijah a prophet of the Lord proclaims to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 1 Kings 17:1 After these words Elijah follows heads away from Ahab and hides in the wilderness. Was Elijah concerned about having his needs met since he just prophesied a drought in the land? Did Elijah have the faith to trust that God was going to supply his needs. God proves Himself faithful as he sends ravens to bring Elijah bread and meat twice daily. Can God supply your needs? Do you need a road map to take a step of faith? Elijah didn’t know what was going to happen next but he trusted that God would supply for his needs as he followed Him. Continue Reading…
Abiding in lust becomes a snare and trap: 1 Kings 11 and 12
After reading through 1 Kings 11 and 12 I find that my heart is burdened with sadness. Anytime I read about how people fall away from God after seeing His faithfulness in great and mighty ways I am filled with remorse and grief. These stories of peoples wavering faith reminded me that humanity is destined to a life of unfaithfulness in sin apart from God’s intervention. Our inherent sinfulness as the seed of Adam is consistently luring us away from devotion to and desire for God. I am thankful for the moments like this where I find myself reflecting on am my own inability to make it through life because it exemplifies the truth that I need Jesus Christ. Continue Reading…
It was God at work yesterday, today, and forever: 1 Kings 3 and 4
Where is perfection truly found? Do you elevate the people in the Bible such as Moses, Ruth, Joshua, Hannah, Samuel, David, or Solomon to higher levels of respect, renown, and awe because of the amazing events they lived through, their actions, or their faith in God? As I have been reading through the old testament I have found myself easily feeling so lackluster compared to the people of faith in times past. Why do I feel so inferior compared to the people in the Bible? Continue Reading…
David’s parting words to Solomon before his Death: 1 Kings 1 and 2
“I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ ” 1 Kings 2:2-4 These words were spoken by David to his son Solomon before his death. What words would you speak to your son or daughter before your death? What words of wisdom gleaned from your life would you deem important enough to instill to the generations to come? If you were standing before your parent who was about to die what impact would their final words make on your life? Continue Reading…
