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.

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.

When Israel was dealing a heavy blow against Judah God sent the prophet Oded to give them the a warning. “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached heaven. Now you are proposing to subjugate for yourselves the people of Judah and Jerusalem for male and female slaves. Surely, do you not have transgressions of your own against the Lord your God? Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives whom you captured from your brothers, for the burning anger of the Lord is against you.” 2 Chronicles 28:9-11  What can we glean from the words of Oded? What do these words proclaim about God and His faithfulness?

In the midst of His anger against Judah God was not ignorant of what was happening. He knew the pain that was inflicted upon Judah by Israel. In the midst of Israel’s rebellion and their rage against Judah God reminds them that He is watching them and aware of all that happens. No matter what you are doing in life whether: good or bad, helping or hurting, caring or uncaring God is always watching what you do. Seek to set your heart towards God in all that you do. We will never obtain perfection this side of heaven but God judges our hearts and intentions today so seek to cling to him with all your being.

In the midst of God passing judgement upon Israel by sending the angel of the Lord upon Israel we are given a glimpse of the heart of David through his response. “Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.” 1 Chronicles 21:17  David looked upon the people of Israel as sheep that God had given him be shepherd over. The sin was committed by David alone and he desired that God place the burden upon him alone for his actions to spare the sheep that we under his care. The responsibility that David claims is an encouragement and exhortation to all leaders to stand up and take responsibility for past actions and to seek out God as the plans for the future are made. What sheep are under your care? What choice do you make that will have an effect on those sheep for good or bad?

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. Again the Assyrian besiege Judah and again God delivers Judah. Why did God deliver Judah? God remembered His servant David and was faithful to the people of Judah. Is that the only reason that God helped Hezekiah? The people of Assyria were proud of their accomplishments and believed that there was nothing that could stand in their way. The pride and arrogance of the Assyrians to claim that God was powerless before them led to the the kindling of God’s anger against them. The words spoken by the Assyrians are reminiscent of the lies of Satan telling the world that God cannot be trusted. If we give in to the lie that God is impotent we will find ourselves falling away from true worship of God only to find ourselves worshiping upon an altar made by our own strength to worship ourselves.

How do we so easily presume that we have greater power and importance than God? We so easily lay claim that what we are doing is so innovative and that no one else could have accomplished the feat. God is all powerful and we are completely unable to grasp the truth that He is so much greater than our feeble accomplishments. Do you feel insignificant in light of God’s greatness? How do we endure when He is so great? Why does he care about me? How much does God love us?

In 2 Kings 20:1-11 God tells Hezekiah that he will die from his current ailment. How would you feel if God sent word to you that you were going to die? A multitude of emotions flood to mind if I were faced with my death: anger, fear, doubt, worry, and anguish. What was Hezekiah’s response? “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.” 2 Kings 20:3   Following this prayer Hezekiah bitterly wept. Was Hezekiah a perfect man? Did he live a sinless life? No man is capable of living a life because we are all under the curse of sin. What does it mean that Hezekiah walked before God in truth with a whole heart? Hezekiah kept his eyes focused upon God and desired to follow Him more than anything else. Hezekiah was weeping over His impending death as Isaiah was walking away and before Isaiah left God sent word to Hezekiah, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you…” 2 Kings 20:5 God had compassion upon His servant Hezekiah and heal him. I love how scripture often tells of God sees our tears and acknowledging out pain. Take comfort in the midst of every painful moment knowing that God acknowledge our grief. “You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” Psalm 56:8 God knows your pain.

In 2 Kings 17:20-23 the language used is insightful in understanding the story, “The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunders, until He  had cast them out of His sight. When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and made them commit a great sin. The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Azzyria until this day.” What does it mean that God rejected the descendants of Israel? Why are people so blinded by their sin and unwilling to walk away from it? Did God use Jeroboam to cast Israel out of his sight? The exile of the people of Israel from their homes and everything they hold dear will help them remember God and seek Him alone. It is just as Moses said when the people learned the song about how they will turn away from God and be taken into lands that they do not know.

Throughout the Old Testament it is evident that God will not abide the wickedness and depravity of men. Only Noah and his family survived as a remnant after God destroyed the earth with the flood. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of the wickedness found in the city. God used the Israelites who entered the promised land to destroy the wicked people who lived in the land. God is the God of justice, purity, holiness, and truth. The people of Israel were above God’s standards and when they turned their hearts to wickedness His anger was kindled. The exile of Israel into Assyria is a direct result of the sinfulness of the people and their lack of regard for God but in this exile they will remember God. It is beautiful how God uses difficult situations to remind us how much we truly need Him.

In 2 Kings chapter 18 Hezekiah becomes king over Judah. Hezekiah’s followed God wholeheartedly, “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among al the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.” 2 Kings 18:5  What was different about Hezekiah? He tore down the idols that the people worshiped the high places, the sacred pillars, the Asherah, and the bronze serpent of Moses. What was life in Judah like after Hezekiah threw down all the idols? Was there renewed passion for God?

Why are the things of God foolishness to some people? Assyria sets it’s eye of conquest on Judah after Israel was taken captive. They view the idols destruction as a weakness of Hezekiah and the king of Assyria calls to the people of Judah to turn their backs on God and seek their deliverance from Assyria. It is interesting how similar the words spoken by the Assyrian are similar to what God spoke to the Israelites in Egypt and in the wilderness. Will some people want to believe the Assyrian king? How will Hezekiah answer this foe that faces Judah? Will he continue to cling to God when life becomes full of difficulty?

After reading 1 Kings 13 and 14 it was difficult to digest why I should care about a time in Israel when such debauchery was the status quo. I was deceiving myself when I thought that today was different from the wanton lust filled lives lived by people living in Israel and Judah. When our hearts are turned away from God we will spiral deeper into our depravity. Jeroboam the king of Israel and Rehoboam the king of Judah are both seeking their own desires as they fight each other striving to ensure the survival of kingdoms without concern for God. The nations of Israel and Judah are running to the gods idolized and worshiped by the native inhabitants of the land and falling further and further away from worshiping God.

The picture of depravity found in 1 Kings is a mirror image of the state of the world today. Everyone is seeking their own way with no regard for who is hurt in the process. The world is decaying from the effect of sin and we are decaying along with the world. We become so proud of our prowess and abilities but we are truly and hopelessly lost. When the outlook for life is so dim what do you do? Where is hope found?

The unfaithfulness of the Israelites and people living today is exasperated by the general lack of dependance upon God. The story that has been woven throughout the old testament from Genesis to 1 Kings shows the cycle of people falling away from God. When the Israelites were in the wilderness they were dependent upon God for their daily sustenance in the provision of manna and quail. The old testament consistently repeats the absolute necessity that people need to love God above any other thing in this world with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. We need to seek out our daily nourishment from God just as the people of Israel did with all of our being because as we consistently come to God to seek fulfillment we can endure the temptations of life that would otherwise cause us to fall.

The idols that we surround ourselves with will never fully satisfy our desires and needs in life. The idols that we have collected need to be cast aside as we turn and run back to God. We need to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus Christ alone without straying to the left or the right. I challenge you today before God alone to look at your life and see the areas that you have worshiped the idols of this world.  Ask God for the strength to leave them behind and seek out Him alone for the fulfillment you desire.

How can we go from praising God one moment to wallowing in the cesspool of our sinful desires? How do we continue to endure through our consistent failure clinging to God? For all the wisdom that Solomon was blessed with he was not able to escape the lustful desires of his flesh. How does a man have over one thousand wives? I laugh at the number of women Solomon loved but it is truly no laughing matter because these women were catalysts that when enabled by Solomon’s lust lead to his downfall. Was Solomon searching for fulfillment in life through these women? All of the wisdom Solomon had was not able bring true and lasting happiness to his life. We have a need for acceptance and fulfillment in life that can only be fully satisfied by God and whenever we seek out our own solutions we will bring ourselves to ruin.

For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on you sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

Joshua 23:12,13

As Solomon sought out all of these women to love he was sinning against God because he was taking wives from the original inhabitants of the promised land, which the Israelites were instructed to not marry. When the people of God chose to intermarry with the people inhabiting the promised land they were drawn away from God and towards the gods of these people. We are unable to maintain our own relationship with God so it is completely impossible for any follower of God to presume that they can lift a person out from their sinful state even driven out of love or friendship.

When Solomon turned away from God to the gods of the inhabitants of the land the stage was set for division and downfall in Israel. The people of Judah and the people of Israel split the nation apart and the kings that rule the individual nations wholly sought their own ways apart from God. The time of peace, prosperity, and building that Solomon accomplished within Israel was a direct reflection of his relationship with and blessing from God. How often are we disillusioned by our sinful desires and find ourselves caught in bondage to sin which held such an allure only to turn into an evil taskmaster.

Where do we find hope? How do we continue through life knowing we are so inherently sinful that we can do nothing? First every person needs to decide who Jesus Christ is and what He has done. Without a foundation built upon the cross of Jesus Christ it will be impossible to find hope. After the sojourning with Jesus Christ begins we need to love him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. How do we learn to love God? How do you grow to love a person? When you consistently spend time with a person you can grow to love them as you know them. As you spend time reading through the Scripture you will grow to love God as you learn who he is. It is so simple yet so difficult to grasp the beauty of a personal relationship with God that develops as time is spent learning about Him through the Bible.

Through the rest of 2 Samuel 23:8-39 the mighty men of David are listed along with some of their accomplishments. There are two men who in particular who stand out in the lest of the mens accomplishments. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada stands out for his actions. He kills the two sons of Ariel of Moab, a lion in pit on a snowy day, and an Egyptian warrior. What motivated Benaiah to accomplish there amazing feats? Was David’s leadership and dependance upon God part of the reason that these men were so mighty? What kind of power is present in us once we have placed out faith and hope in Jesus Christ? Do we live in that power today? The second man who stood out to me from the list of mighty men was Joab. He doesn’t appear in the list of the thirty mighty men of David. The two brothers of Joab, Abishai and Asahel, appear in the list of mighty men of David but he is not listed among them. What differentiated one man from another with respect to the mighty men of David? Was it only based on skill and strength or was the man’s relationship with God more important? Throughout the story woven throughout the old testament the strength that a person has was of little importance compared to the strength and power that God choose to display through them. I desire that my true strength is consistently rooted in who God is and never in who I am.

In 2 Samuel 24 David is incited by God’s anger to take a census of all the people in Israel. Why was David incited by the anger of the Lord? What was God angry about? The thought that God’s anger was unfair toward the people of Israel may seem unfair but the truth that God is sovereign should be enough of an answer for you. Can you fully trust that God is sovereign? If you are not at a point where you trust that all God does if for good no matter how it may be perceived through human eyes you cannot fully appreciate how love is expressed through trials that we go through. I believe that whatever happens in the lives of men is for the ultimate good and glory of God. In moments when it seems that life is full of trials and tribulation it will only be when the veil of sin’s curse is lifted that we can see the beautiful orchestration in God’s ultimate plan and how He is using us.

I am amazed at the message that God gives David through the prophet Gad, “Thus the Lord says, ‘I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you,’ So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee for three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” 2 Samuel 24:12,13  Can you image the terror of knowing that you have the choice of three punishments from God. How do you make a choice about a type of curse that will happen for you. It is easy to choose a flavor of ice cream or color of a new shirt but to have a choice about a punishment sounds very difficult. David chooses to have the pestilence come upon Israel for three days. Seventy thousand people perish in three days during the plague of pestilence.

How did David feel seeing this pain inflicted upon the people of Israel? Was there anything that David could do to help the people? What did David see when he say the angel of the Lord at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite? Was it terrifying to see the angel of the Lord inflicting the destruction upon the people around you. David stands out again when he confronts the angel and takes responsibility for the sin and seeks to take the burden off of the people. He then proceeds to offer God a sacrifice at the threshing floor where he prays to God. It says in 2 Samuel 24:25 that the Lord was moved by the prayer for the land andGod relents and He holds back the plague from the people of Israel. How does prayer effect our lives and the lives of the people around us? When trouble swirls all around you will you have the confidence to make a stand? Will you stand in the gap and pray for those around you? Will you plead before God asking for deliverance? Lord grant me a heart like David’s where I will seek out the best for others around me and grant me that faith to follow after you.

The stories that unfold and are woven into a fine tapestry within 1 Samuel are many and diverse. The faith and tender heart of the barren Hannah as she pleads to God for a son sets the stage for Samuel, the last judge of Israel. Samuel judges the people of Israel for many years traveling from city to city but unrest builds and the Israelites desire a king to rule over them just as their surrounding neighbors. Even as God is rejected as king over Israel He provides Saul as the first king of Israel. Saul rallies the people of Israel under the Philistine oppression so that they fight and start to reclaim some of their land but the praise of men becomes more alluring to Saul than honoring God and another David is chosen as a king after God’s own heart. The story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz ties into the story of 1 Samuel because Ruth’s son Obed was the father of Jesse who was the father of David. Each of these people interacted and made critical choices that formed their character for both good and bad as they journeyed through life.

God consistently took the weak and unassuming to make the biggest impact throughout 1 Samuel such as Samuel being born from the once barren Hannah, David being anointed as king, or David killing Goliath. It is easy to look at all of these men and stand amazed of what God did through them but it is just as important to remember Ruth’s faithfulness that led to the birth of Obed, Hannah’s brokenness that birthed Samuel, and Abigail’s faithfulness that spared the lives of many in her household. I find great encouragement in the story of these women who clung to God in the midst of insurmountable foes.

What does 1 Samuel impart to people today? It is easy to read the story but not make a connection about how our lives are impacted. Just as the simplistic view of 1 Samuel points to the fulfillment of God’s promise the complex tapestry shows how we need to live our lives today. What is the motivation of our lives? What type of character do we have and what is its foundation? Where will you find your hope for tomorrow? These questions all revolve around our character and wether we will cling to God or our own strength to make it through life: Saul chose to seek out the approval of men and strength in his own prowess, Hannah was broken over her barrenness when she turned to God for strength, David stood his ground before Goliath knowing that it was God alone who granted victory, and Abigail quickly made amends for the foolishness of her husband Nabal. When you are faced with a despairing situation what will you do? Will you find your strength in yourself or will you turn to God for your strength? When you are buffeted by the ways of the world that are contrary to the ways of God I encourage you just as Moses and Joshua did to cling to God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

The renown of the God of Israel was known far and wide through out the promised land. The Philistines must have had a strong desire to possess the Ark of the Lord as a trophy signifying their victory over the Israelites. The Ark is captured and taken to the Philistine city of Ashdod. The Ark was placed before Dagon, the god of the Ashdodites. While the Ark was in the presence of the statue of Dagon the statue kept falling over eventually breaking. God did not tolerate idolatry in His presence in the land of the Philistines and He doesn’t tolerate it today. What idol are you clinging to within your heart thinking it can coexist with God? It is folly to try and live a life devoted to God when you cannot commit wholly to Him because you are clinging to your idols. The Ark of the Lord was transfered between cities within the land of Philistine but wherever it went peril and dismay for the people followed with tumors and discord in the city.

What do you do when you have the Ark of the Lord which you have taken from the Israelites and wish to return it? This is the dilemma that faced the lords of the Philistines who sought to rid themselves of the curse they were under. The priests and diviners of Philistine were the ones to instruct their lords that the Ark must be returned to the Israelites along with a guilt offering, “So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravaged the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps he will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land.” 1 Samuel 6:5  These words were spoken by the priests and diviners of the gods of the Philistines. Did the Philistines at this moment have a greater fear of God than the Israelites? It is amazing to hear that these people who didn’t follow God knew they needed to honor and glorify Him if they were to survive. Do you remember to glorify God in the midst of your day?

The Ark of the Lord and the gold guilt offering was placed in a new cart pulled by milch cows which have never been yoked in preparation to send back to Israel. I love how the cart with the Ark is released in a way that would point to the source of the problem for the Philistines; if the cart went to Israel they would know that God was causing their calamity because of their taking of the Ark. The scripture points out that the cart by all human reasoning should never head to Israel. The cows chosen to pull the cart had never been yoked so it would be unlikely that the pair would work in unison. These cows were also giving milk to their calfs which they were separated from.Wouldn’t the natural instinct of these two cows be to stay near their offspring? All doubt left the Philistines when the pair of cows made straight for Israel not turning to the left or the right. It is amazing to see how God works to glorify Himself through the diverse events that encompass the Israelites.

What were the Israelites thinking during the absence of the Ark of the Lord from them? Did they reflect upon their wrong doing? The people of Beth-shemesh were working in the fields when they noticed the Ark coming to them on the cart. The people were at a low point with a deep sadness because of the Ark being taken. How much joy was express at the sight of the Ark coming back to Israel? The men of Beth-shemesh used the wood of the cart and the two cows in a sacrifice to God but even in this moment some people disobeyed God by looking inside the Ark and they died. The Israelites needed to be reminded that the Ark was not just a figure piece to itself be worshiped but a holy item of God that has to be respected and handled just as God told Moses to instruct the Levites. In the end 50,070 men of Beth-shemesh were struck dead because of their lack of respect for God and In what ways do we disrespect god today? Will the death of all these people who disregarded God’s commands be a catalyst for change? In what ways do we trivialize our faith in God as the people of Beth-shemesh did? Do we respect the Bible as the word of God to man or is it just something that we carry to and from church on the weekend? It is absolutely necessary that faith becomes an active and integral part of our lives so that we will inherently cling to God in the midst of the troublesome times of life.