Tag Archive | faith

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 181

Jun29

   Day 181—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue with the history of Israel.

 Day 181 – 2 Chronicles 19 – 23. (Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash reign in Judah.)

2 Chronicles 19 picks up just before 1 Kings ends with more about Jehoshaphat. Just as he returned to his southern kingdom of Judah after fighting the Syrians, the prophet Jehu came to visit him, scolding him for partnering with King Ahab in the Syrian battle. (He COULD have gotten himself killed!) However, God WAS happy with him, because he had set his heart to seek God. 

After that, Jehoshaphat stayed home and helped to lead the people of Judah back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges, special Levites, and priests and told them to remember that they would judge and hear cases for the LORD and not for man. “Let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with Him or with taking bribes.”

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In 2 Chronicles 20, war threatened Judah from the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites in the form of a great multitude from the east. Jehoshaphat was afraid.  Unlike Ahab, who called for human help, Jehoshaphat sought the LORD. He proclaimed a fast and asked the people of Judah to seek the LORD.  (This is part of the prayer Jehoshaphat prayed.)

“O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven?

You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.

In your hand are power and might so that none is able to withstand you.”   

“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them?

For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.

WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT OUR EYES ARE ON YOU.”

Then came the word of God through the Levite, Jahaziel.  “Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed at this great horde. The battle is not yours but God’s.”  “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm. Hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.  Do not be afraid or dismayed.”

The next day, the army went out, and Jehoshaphat encouraged them, “Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” Then he told those who he’d appointed to sing to the LORD to go before the army, singing, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his mercy endures forever.”

And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men who had come against Judah so that they were routed and destroyed each other. Judah did no fighting, only picked up the spoil.  And the armies and singers of Judah came home with joy, blessing, and praising their God. 

Unfortunately, Jehoshaphat’s last act was to make an alliance with Ahab’s son, Ahaziah, to build ships so they could trade in Tarshish (Spain). The LORD disapproved and sank them all. 

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2 Chronicles 21 describes the reign of Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, whom he married to one of Ahab & Jezebel’s daughters.  Not surprisingly, he “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”  First thing, he killed all his brothers and some princes in Israel as well. In his days, he made high places in the hills where the people could worship false Gods.  

Elijah, the prophet for Israel in the north, sent him a letter telling him how the LORD would bring a plague on his people, and Jehoram would get a severe sickness in his bowels (colon cancer??) and die. The LORD stirred the Philistines to invade. They carried away all his possessions, wives, and sons (except the youngest, Jehoahaz). Then he got the incurable bowel disease and died in great agony. They buried him, but not in the tombs of the kings. He departed with no one’s regret…… 

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2 Chronicles 22 describes Ahaziah’s reign. His mother was Athaliah (Ahab’s daughter). Ahaziah “walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. Ahaziah helped his uncle, the king of Israel, fight against Syria and visited him when he was wounded.

The LORD ordained that the downfall of Ahaziah would come through that visit to his wounded uncle.  Jehu, whom the LORD had appointed to destroy the house of Ahab, was busy doing that when Ahaziah arrived.  He, and his brothers attending him, were all killed as well.  AND….. the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom of Judah.

Guess what?  His mom, the evil daughter of Ahab, who was Ahaziah’s chief counselor, saw her son dead, so she destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah and became the FAKE QUEEN of Judah. 

However…. one very young boy, a toddler, was saved by Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada, the priest. She took him and hid him from the murdering Athaliah.  

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2 Chronicles 23.  In the seventh year, the priest staged a coup with the commanders of the army, the Levites, and heads of houses, and they crowned young Joash King of Judah. “Long live the king!”  When queen Athaliah heard the ruckus, she knew her end had come. Although she screamed, “TREASON! TREASON!” no one listened. The captains of the army, instructed by the priest, killed her with a sword at the horse gate. 

And, under the priest’s direction, Judah cleaned up their act. They tore down the house of Baal that was built and killed its priest, then began sacrifices and worship of the LORD. And they took 7-year-old Joash to the king’s house and set him on the royal throne. And all the people rejoiced.

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 138

May17

    Day 138—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading.   Are you loving God more each day? Are you reciting, praying, and singing the Psalms we’ve been reading?  Share in the comments section.

    Day 138 – Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61, 62, 64. – (Psalms of David during and after the calamity with Absalom)

Psalm 26. “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”

Psalm 40. “I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.”

“For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!”    “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.”

Psalm 58. David proclaims judgment on the wicked but contrasts the righteous. “Mankind will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges the earth!”

Psalm 61.  “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”

Psalm 62. “For God ALONE, my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He ONLY is my rock and my salvation, my fortress, I shall not be greatly shaken.     “For God ALONE, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”     “Trust in Him at ALL times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

Psalm 64.  “Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers…”     “Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him! Let all the upright in heart exult!,,”

#2024 GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 19

Jan19

Won’t you read the Bible with me this year?   It only takes a few minutes.  (You can also listen to an audio recording.)

   Day 19 – Genesis 22 – 24 (A sacrifice, a death, a marriage)

Chapter 22 begins with God testing Abraham with the words, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go…offer him as a burnt offering…” 

That isn’t any way that I’d like my day to begin!  But Abraham’s immediate response was obedience. There are no questions, complaints, or refusals. He gets up early with the boy, the wood and the fire, and heads to the place God will show him…. to kill his only son. He builds an alter, lays the wood on it, binds and places Isaac on top (the boy is about 20 years old!), raises the knife to kill him, and is micro-seconds away from plunging it into the “son he loves,” the son of the Covenant, through whom the Messiah would come.  Yet Abe is willing to do it.

Hebrews 11:17-19 gives us the bulwark of his faith.  He believed God would raise Isaac from the dead in order to fulfill His promise.  God’s promises are always YES! and AMEN!  God never changes. God later imputes “righteousness” to Abraham because of his faith.

1 Corinthians 10:13 — “No temptation (testing) has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted (tested) beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also PROVIDE the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.”

And this is what God did for His friend, Abraham. STOP!  Now I know that you fear God. (God knew this all the time of course. He’s omnicient. But now ABRAHAM knew it too.)  And Abraham immeditely saw a ram caught in the brambles. This animal became the sacrifice. And the place became know as “Tthe LORD provides.” And indeed it was on that very mount that God Almighty “provided” His only begotton Son to the world, as a sacrifice and payment for their sin. (John 3:16)

Oh my! God renews His promises and gives even more:

  • I will surely bless you
  • I will surely multiply your offspring (as the sand on the seashore)
  • Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies
  • In your Offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed

In chapter 23, Abraham’s faithful wife of 62 years dies. He negotiates with his long-time friends near Hebron to buy a burial ground, and he buries her there. (He, Isaac & Rebekah, and Jacob & Leah will all be buried there as well. It is the first concrete piece of the Promised Land that Abraham actually OWNS.)  

Isaac is 37 when his mother dieds and Abraham thinks it’s high-time that the “boy” is married. Through the 66 verses of chapter 24 we are treated with a remarkable love story.  Abe sends his faithful servant (who HAD BEEN in the line of inheritance) back to Haran where Abraham’s brother’s family still lived to acquire a wife for Isaac. (No Canaanite wife for the Son of Promise!)  

The story shows the sovereignty and plan of God in very wonderful ways as the 85-year-old faithful steward, Eliezer, travels the long distance, and relies solely on God to choose the woman whom he will take back to his master’s son.  Read it again. It’s beautiful.

And Isaac (40 years old now) sees the beautiful Rebekah and takes her as his wife. The last words of the chapter are, “So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

Isn’t love grand?

#2024 GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 11

Jan11

Won’t you read the Bible with me this year?  (You can also listen to an audio recording.) It only takes a few minutes and you will be blessed.

Day 11 – Job 29-31 (and then the words of Job ends)

 Today is the end of Job speaking until his confession in the last, short chapter. (Next up is the #4 “Friend” who waxes eloquent for four chapters!!!)

In chapter 29, Job remembers “the good old days” before all this tragedy fell on him.  It was the days when, “God watched over me,” when “the friendship with God was upon my tent,” when “my children were all around me,” and “my steps were washed with butter.”  WOW.

Job goes on to reminisce about when he was respected and honored, when, at his presence young men withdrew and aged rose and stood.  Ahhhh, those were the days, my friend; I thought they’d never end….. (You can almost hear him sigh.)

He lists all the good he did for neighbor and country. He bemoans the time when men “listened to me and waited and kept silence for my counsel.”

“But NOW… (in chapter 30 he tells how things have changed).  “now they laugh at me.”  “I have become their song, a byword to them.”  And even, “they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me.”  What a downfall, what a humbling: to see how it is when men forsake you.

But his anquish is worse when he turns to his God.  “God has cast me into the mire….”  “I cry to You for help and You do not answer me; I stand and you only look at me. You have turned cruel to me….”

Have you ever been in such dispair?  Have you wailed against your God?  I confess, I have not. I’ve complained and whined. God has sometimes seemed silent and distant to me. But never like Job.

Then in chapter 31, it’s as if he gathers himself, straightens up a little and begins to claim his righteousness, how he is undeserving of such a fate. Beginning with verse five, he lists a dozen or more  “if-then” scenarios.  If I had done such and such… then may such and such befall me.

At one point he says “Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)

Whoa, Job. Be careful what you wish!

Tomorrow we will endure Elihu (4th friend) going on and on. THEN…  God will speak.

#2024 GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 10

Jan10

Won’t you read the Bible with me this year?  (You can also listen to an audio recording.) It only takes a few minutes and you will be blessed.

   Day 10 – Job 24-28  (Whoa, 5 chapters today. Hang in there!)

Job begins with two “why” questions. I find myself asking those kinds of questions all the time. But if we really knew the “reason” for things that happen to us, would we be content? (see later in this post)  What we really want, I think, is that the “why” questions we ask God will make the trials go away!

In most of chapter 24, Job lists the things that very nasty people do – cruel and lewd people, thieves, drunks, adulterers, greedy, heartless, murderers. “Deep darkness is morning to them. They are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.” 

This reminds me of Jesus’s words to Nicodemas in John 3:19-20, “And this is the judgment: that light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” 

But their end will come, assures Job.

Bildad speaks briefly for the third and last time. Basically that God is majestic and exalted, man is sinful, especially Job.  Job responds, saying he KNOWS how great God is. (He even declares something WAY before Copernicus (1543) radically claimed it — that “the earth hangs on nothing.”  Yay, Job!)

In chapter 27 Job keeps responding to the claims of his three “friends.”  He stands in his integrity. He holds fast to his righteousness. His heart does not reproach him. (God told the devil this in chapter 1)

Wisdon is Job’s theme in chapter 28. He asks several times where it is found. Not it the wealth and jewels of the earth, not in the majestic beasts of the earth. (A companion read would be Proverbs 1 – 3)  No, wisdom and understanding lie only with God. “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.” (28:28)

 

I happened to listen this morning to a sermon by John MacArthur titled “The Purpose of Trials.”  It seemed to fit well in the reading of Job, although he does not reference the book, but others from Deuteronomy to 2 Peter. 

Here are the “reasons” he suggests for the godly to suffer.

     1. to test our faith (so WE know it)

     2. to humble us so we don’t think more of our own strength tham we should

     3. to wean us away from worldly things

     4. to call us toward a Heavenly (not earthly) hope

     5. to reveal what we really love

     6. to teach us to value the blessings of God

     7. to enable us to help others in their suffering

     8. to develope endurng strength for greater usefulness for God’s glory. 

If you’d like to hear the whole 30 minute message, click  on THE PURPOSE OF SUFFERING.

 

 

“Charlie” & Lazarus, a parable

Oct7

lazarus-01Jesus told this story to men who were lovers of money, who ridiculed Him on His teaching about using money for the Kingdom of God, about being faithful to use what what they had, and about not being able to serve BOTH God AND money.

 

“You either hate one and love the other, or are devoted to one and despise the other. God knows your hearts. What men value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”

“There were two men……

A rich man (we will call him Charlie) and a very poor man named Lazarus.

Charlie lived in a fine house in a gated community.

Lazarus lived on the cold sidewalk outside the gate.

Charlie was clothed in purple and fine linen.

Lazarus was “clothed” in sores.

Charlie feasted sumptuously, every day.

Lazarus begged for just a few… crumbs.

While Charlie was probably pampered by a dozen slaves, Lazarus had his sores licked by dogs.

Then….both men died.

Charlie was buried (a grand funeral, no doubt, laid out in silken robes with flowery wreathes).  He went straight to Hades, and was in torment, in anguish, in flames.

Lazarus was carried by angels to Abraham’s side where he was comforted and had access to refreshing cool water.

Charlie: “Oh, please, Father Abraham, send Lazarus with a cool drop of water for the tip of my tongue, for it is burning beyond what I can bear!”

Abraham: “Lazarus can neither hear you nor see you.  He is being comforted and healed from all the abuse and misuse he suffered on earth.  Sorry, Charlie… it’s not going to happen!  Your days of ordering slaves and servants to meet your every need are over.  Besides… there is this huge chasm between where YOU are, and where WE are.”

Charlie: “Then…. I beg you, Abraham, send Lazarus to my five brothers to warn them about this place!”

Abraham: “No, Charlie. Your five brothers have Moses & the Prophets (the Bible).  Let them listen to them!”

Charlie: “No, they do not read the Bible. They don’t know any of that. But… if you would send someone from the dead (Lazarus), they would believe him, I know!”

Abraham, with a sigh: “If they do not believe Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced if Someone (Jesus) was raised from the dead.”

~~~ from Luke 16.

 

Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

After Jesus’ resurrection, He joined two disciples walking to Emmaus, and “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Later, to his own close disciples, Jesus said, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them,“This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

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Oh, be prepared for your last day! Read, listen to, meditate on, believe, and obey all God says in His Word about Jesus and the gift of faith and salvation. His Word is truth. Search the scriptures, for they testify of Jesus Christ, and in them you will find  eternal life. Be a “doer” of that Word and not only a superficial “hearer.”