The reading today in 2 Chronicles 33 and 34 makes me ask wonder how the faith that we hold to with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength can be instilled into the lives of our posterity. In chapter 35 Manasseh succeeds as king of Judah after Hezekiah’s death. How did Manasseh stray so far from God? Why did he choose to undo the good and true things of his father that glorified God? The Temple of the Lord was defiled by Manasseh of which God had said, “In this House and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses.” 2 Chronicles 33:7,8 The people of Judah were led by Manasseh to set their hearts towards Great evil. What can help in moments when we are so far from our first love of God? Continue Reading…
Hope rises as the heart transforms and renews: 2 Chronicles 33 and 34
God is never blind to the actions of mankind: 2 Chronicles 27 and 28
In 2 Chronicles 27 why did Jotham not enter the temple of the Lord? Do the corrupt actions of the Israelites result from a lack of spiritual leadership from Jotham? Chapter 27 recounts Jotham’s life and that he ordered his life towards God. Why is the human race so obstinate and headstrong? We so readily run off and seek out idols and whatever else seemingly meets our needs and desires to only realize our failure when we are ensnared in the grip of sin.
Did the wickedness of Ahaz, who ruled Judah after Jotham, stem from the perverse wickedness of the people of Judah during the reign of Jotham? When Ahaz wholeheartedly turned away from God what effect did it have on the nation of Judah? The protection and blessing of God was removed from Judah as they were invaded by Israel. God will ordain or allow difficult moments in our lives to remind us of our dependance upon Him. Continue Reading…
How leadership handles failure: 1 Chronicles 21 and 22
Why do we find temptation so tempting as we easily fall into the snares of Satan repeatedly? In 1 Chronicles 21:1 Satan tempted David to number the people Israel. Who’s fault was it that David chose to sin by numbering the people of Israel without God’s approval? Who’s fault is it when you choose to disregard God and sin? The actions David made were his responsibility alone because he viewed the benefits of sin of greater worth than obeying God. How does temptation so easily entangle us? Satan has spent many years perfecting his craft and we are inherently sinful so we are destined to fail when we look at our inherent inability.Where can hope be found to live in this world plagued by sin? When we acknowledge our sinfulness and trust in God’s forgiveness because of Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross we have the hope that we crave. 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 is learned in exile from all you know: 2 Kings 17 and 18
Why is Israel besieged and taken captive in 2 Kings chapter 17? What does captivity mean for the people within Israel? Does the captivity of Israel mean that God has turned His back on Israel? What lesson can be learned from Israel’s disobedience? These people who were led into captivity had no regard for God because generation after generation they had done what we fitting in their own eyes without care for God. They worshiped the gods of the inhabitants of the promised land, which they were consistently warned about not doing. Was it easy for the people to turn away from God because they made one sinful choice after another which led them far from God? Continue Reading…
Idolatry leads toward unfaithfulness and death: 1 Kings 13 and 14
What power is there in the idols of your life? Can you find true and lasting fulfillment in your iPhone, does Facebook satisfy the deep desire for fellowship that you have, can the joy you find in your family and friends carry you through the difficult moments of life, does the money you earn working incessantly form the foundation of who you are, or will the praise and adoration of men give you a sense of fulfillment on your death bed that you can die confident of what lies ahead? What is the driving motivation in your life? The state of our sinful inclination has not changed since the time of the old testament. We live in a sex saturated world that seeks to satisfy all the needs we have in an instant but the one true need we have for fulfillment can only be satisfied in God. 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…
Mighty men and their mighty leader David: 2 Samuel 23 and 24
When your epitaph is written how do you want people to remember you? I love how David is described in 2 Samuel 23:1, “David the son of Jesse, declares, the man who was raised on high declares, the anointed of the God of Jacob declares, and the sweet psalmist of Israel.” After your life is spent will you live with regret over the life that you lived? I want to be remembered as David was for his relationship with God because nothing else that can be said would mean anything apart from my faith in God. When the end of life comes your strength and physical prowess will mean absolutely nothing. All the knowledge you have accumulated throughout your life will be foolishness when it cannot bring you help. In the end when life meets death the only factor that will bring hope and assurance will be your faith and foundation in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. Continue Reading…
Choices show the quality of relationship with God: 1 Samuel Summary
The book 1 Samuel in its most simplistic form is the fulfillment of the words spoken by Moses and Joseph to the Israelites encouraging everyone to cling to God and to love Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. The continued lack of regard for God that was evident in the book of Judges is continuing in the book of 1 Samuel with people choosing to whatever they want to the point of rejecting God as king over Israel. The blessing that was bestowed upon Israel has been removed and they are under the curse that God promised would follow if they did not follow all of His statutes. The Philistine occupation of Israel is a direct result of the Israelites inability and lack of desire to drive out the nations from within the promised land. It is critical to remember that 1 Samuel directly ties into the story that is present through out scripture of God working to redeem humanity. Continue Reading…
Lack of regard for God leads to the demise of many: 1 Samuel 5 and 6
When the Israelites brought the Ark into battle with the Philistines they were expecting to have victory just as in the stories of Joshua but instead they were met with defeat at the hands of the Philistines resulting in the Ark of the Lord being captured. The Israelites replaced their devotion to God with idolatry where they valued the things around them, such as the Ark, in greater standing than God. In 1 Samuel chapters 5 and 6 we are given the details of what happened to the Ark during the 7 months that it was in the possessions of the Philistines and how it was brought back to the Israelites. Continue Reading…
