1 Kings 9: Nothing Compares to His Promise

   
The Lord said to him:

“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. 1 Kings 9:3 NIV


I have tried to figure out why I have neglected the blog this year and have come up with several explanations, none of them completely satisfactory.  I have been busy, but no busier than normal and most of that busyness is of my own creation.  I have only worked three or four weeks since February, so work is not an excuse.  My mother is becoming more needy and demanding which is to be expected at ninety-three, but that is not an excuse either.  It is a long hot summer, after an equally hot spring, but that is not a justifiable explanation.  I have a couple of thoughts that I might write about at a later date as to why I have been so neglectful, but the simple fact remains I have not been as faithful as I intended.


Just as God consecrated the temple that Solomon built, he has consecrated us.  He has planted his name on us and his eyes and heart will always be on us, even when our eyes and heart are elsewhere.  He knew that we were prone to wander, yet his promise remains, in fact, nothing compares to the promise we have in Him.

1 Samuel 16-20: There is None As Faithful

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Sam. 17:45-47 NIV

The battle is the Lord's.  Who would know this more than David.  This thought must have served him well throughout his life.It was not just the battle with the giant Goliath, or with the troublesome Philistines.  David faced many battles through his life and God was always faithful.  God was faithful when Saul repeatedly tried to kill him.  God was faithful when his son Absalom tried to kill him.  God was faithful in all of the situations that came against David.  He was even faithful when David's heart temporarily abandoned God and reached for a woman instead.  God was always faithful. That is how he will always be.  There is no other option, or as the old hymn says, "There is no shadow of turning" with him.  

God's faithfulness is an amazing thing to contemplate, but often we can only see it in looking back on our lives.   He always brings his children through.  When we're going through trials and tribulations, it may be difficult to see, but his hand is always there, guiding our circumstances.  If we would look at the past whenever we feel life closing in on us, we would see nothing but promise, we would see nothing but God's faithfulness.  Even when we are less than faithful ourselves he remains unchanged  There is no one as faithful as our God.

1 Samuel 11-15: Obedience is Better

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
    as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
    and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
    and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,    he has rejected you as king.

Sometimes I think that very few of us get the truth; God is looking for obedience, not sacrifice. We all find ways to sacrifice even if we don't admit it.  Most of our rituals and taboos are based on sacrifice:  don't do that, don't go there, don't associate with those people.  Meanwhile, we find it hard to do the one thing asked by God:  Love him with all our heart and our neighbor as our self.  That's a lot harder than obeying a lot of self-imposed rules about what constitutes godly behavior. 

We do have an example, however, of what obedience really looks like.  It's manifest in Jesus, the one whose friends were tax collectors, prostitutes and other forms of low life.  You don't see Jesus subjecting his disciples to a lot of the rules of the time.  He healed and even condoned them picking grain and eating it on the Sabbath.  Something the religious people of the day would never be found doing.  His only comment to the woman found in adultery was "Go and sin no more."  You could say that he made the ultimate sacrifice and he did, but it was because that was what the Father asked him to do.  He would have done whatever the Father asked.  Sometimes God asks us for sacrifice, but most of the time, he just asks for obedience.  - 1 Sam. 15:22-23 NIV

1 Samuel 5-10: The Bigger Picture

When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.” - 1 Samuel 20-22 NIV

Sometimes I think that King Saul was schizophrenic.  One moment he is telling Samuel that he cannot be king because he comes from the smallest of the tribes, Benjamin, the tribe that was almost completely decimated because of their sin.  The next moment he is boldly prophesying with the prophets.  Then, when Samuel has rounded up all of the people to choose the king, Saul is no where to be found.  He has hidden himself among the supplies.

These characteristics marked his reign.  One moment he loved David, the next he wanted to kill him.  All this from the man chosen by God to be the king over Israel.  Did God make a mistake in choosing this flawed creature to lead Israel? God's ways are not our ways, he is patient and long-suffering, he knows men's hearts and he creates the timeline of history.  Just as he hardened Pharaoh's heart, he knew what Saul's reign was going to be like. There is always a bigger picture than the one we see.  The whole cosmic universe was created by and for God and he controls it as he sees fit.  I'm pretty sure if the universe was under my control, I would only want good things to happen all of the time.  But that doesn't take into consideration man's fallen nature and the consequences of sin.  God knows it all, our tendencies, our failures and whatever hint of goodness we may possess.  He knows it all and uses it to paint the broader picture for his and our benefit.  

1 Samuel 1-3: A Sacrifice That Can Not Be Exploited

Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” - 1 Samuel 3:14 NIV


How frightening to think of committing a sin that could never be atoned for.  Such was the case with Eli the priest's sons who blasphemed God.  They were priests themselves, descended from the priestly lineage, but they thumbed their noses at the requirements set down for those who were supposed to serve the Lord.  They treated the offerings that the Israelites brought before the Lord as if it was solely for their own benefit.  The sins of Eli's sons were apparent to the people, they saw how they caroused with prostitutes, but they could not see the depth of the contempt with which they treated the offerings designated for the Lord.  Their most grievous sins may have been hidden from the people, but they were not hidden from God.  It was not the people who would have to deal with the priests, God would do that himself. 


I wonder if that is not often the case with us.  We are aware of and will even admit to the obvious sins in our lives.  But those that are just between us and God we keep hidden.  No one needs to know how we grieve God by being self-centered, self-absorbed, trusting in anything but God to supply our needs.  For, in essence, that was what Eli's sons were most guilty of.  They didn't trust God enough to supply their needs.  They thought they had to take matters into their own hands, when God had already made provision for them and had assured them they would always be taken care of.  That was the sin that could not be atoned for.  That was the sin that would strip them of their priesthood and their lives.


I know that Christ's blood became the atonement for our sins, but do we treat that too lightly?  It's a serious sacrifice that was made, the death of the Son of God as a sacrifice for our sins.  A sacrifice that cannot be exploited for our own benefit.  

Judges 17-21: Self-Indulgence meets a Gruesome End

The story of the Levite and his concubine and the subsequent near annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin is one of the more gruesome stories in the Bible.  How did the Children of Israel, those born of such promise, the promise to Abraham, come to this ignoble end.  It was not just because they had no king as these chapters keep mentioning.  A king would not have kept the people from the wrong choices.  It was because the people lost sight of their God and their inheritance.  It had all become a here and now philosophy.  See the stranger in the square?  Let's take him and abuse him for our own pleasure.  If we can't do that, then let's take his concubine instead.  There were few who would stand up to prevent everything that was evil from taking place. 
When the results of this madness ran it's course, and the Levite sent the concubine's body parts to the remaining tribes, the people of Israel were incensed.  How could this have happened?  How did it get to this point?  We must have revenge.  Madness upon madness ensued with the tribe of Benjamin being almost completely obliterated.  Did these events all take place because there was no king or was there a self-righteous, every man for himself mentality, that had never been dealt with?  Self-indulgence always meets a gruesome end.

Judges 9-16: Cries to the Gods You Have Chosen

But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble! ” - Judges 10:13-14 NIV


For Israel the problem always was in whom they chose to follow.  The ones they followed were the ones that they served.  Occasionally, the Lord would raise up a Godly man for them to follow, but most of the time, from one generation to another, they chose to follow after other gods.  The results were always the same; they found themselves under the bondage of their enemies.  Sampson, who was chosen and set apart by God should have been different.After all, he followed all of the rules that were prescribed for him.  According to the Jewish Encyclopedia,  
 "Three restrictions are imposed upon the Nazarite, according to Num. vi.: he may not take wine, or anything made from grapes; he may not cut the hair of his head; he may not touch the dead, not even the body of his father or mother.". 


 A pure life on the outside does not necessarily mean a pure life on the inside.  Sampson met his downfall because, while he kept to the letter of the law, his heart longed for what others had.  The same could have been said for the rest of Israel.  They may have still continued to make sacrifices to the Lord Jehovah, but that didn't stop them from serving other gods as well.  No wonder their history was fraught with conquests and enslavement while their cries to the gods they chose went unanswered.   

Judges 5-8: Even Good Deeds Can Become a Snare

But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder. ” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings. They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.  - Judges 8:12-28 NIV

Even those who have only good intentions can get bogged down when they start reflecting on their successes.  Such was the case with Gideon, a timid man, who considered himself the least of the least; one who had nothing to offer against the Midianites.  It was because of his lack of ability that God chose him.  God always chooses to have his power displayed above that of his people.  God then had Gideon whittle the number of troops down to only three hundred to face the scores from Midian.  It was God's battle and the victory was his, but Gideon chose to take the spoils and tribute offered by a grateful people and create an ephod as a trophy.  All of a sudden, the people, with something visible to worship rather than the invisible God who had given them the victory, prostituted themselves by worshipping Gideon's creation.  All of Gideon's conquests were for naught.  The people turned from the source of victory and once more gave into the temptation to worship anything but their God.  The prosperity that Gideon's victory brought about would be short lived.

Judges 1-4:  Never Has, Never Will

It has taken me a while to re-format this blog with the new Blogger, however I have continued on with my readings and nothing has changed.

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. - Judges 3:7-11 NIV

History repeats and repeats itself. With the fledgling nation of Israel, they kept repeating the same mistakes, following after other gods, and continued to meet the same fate. When they followed godly men, they prospered and experieced peace. When they had no godly man to lead them, they followed whoever was convenient and would promise them something that they would never quite receive.
The world is like that.  It makes a lot of promises, but history proves that they are empty promises at best and most often lead to destruction.  What seems to be the prosperous route always leads to ruin.  There can be no peace without the Prince of Peace.  Look around.  Have any of the promises of a better society ever come to fruition?  We cannot buy, spend, or bargain ourselves out of the situations we find ourselves in when we choose to follow other gods.  Once we've sold our souls to them, we're captive to their whims, and they don't have our best interest at heart...never have, never will.

Joshua 13-16: The Promised Land

This is the inheritance Moses had given when he was in the plains of Moab across the Jordan east of Jericho. But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them. - Joshua 13:32 NIV


The tribe of Levi, the priests and all of those set aside to take care of the tabernacle and the worship of the Lord, received no inheritance.  God, the Lord God of Israel was to be their only inheritance.  They were provided for, but owned nothing.  They were caretakers and were dependent on their own caretaker.  If, under the new covenant, our body is the temple and we are the priests, should we be content with the same thing?

Joshua 8-14: If God is for Us

Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live a long way from you,’ while actually you live near us? ²³ You are now under a curse: You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told how the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.  We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.” - Joshua 9:22-25 NIV

There were a lot of different kings and cities in the land which God gave to the children of Israel.  Of them all, only the Gibeonites recognized that the power of God was behind Israel and all of their conquests. They realized that God had given the Israelites the land and there was nothing they could do to prevent it from happening.  Their only chance for survival was to fall on the mercy of the Israelites and their God.  

The other kings thought that if they banded together, they could defeat Israel, but they were wrong, very wrong.  Even when they left their people to fend for themselves and huddled together in a cave, they were found and met the same untimely end as the people they left behind, and the one that God intended.  

It didn't matter then how powerful they were, and it doesn't matter now.  It's a simple matter of "If God be for us, who can be against us."  The only requirement is that we hear the voice of the Lord and follow his direction.

Joshua 5-8: Do Words Really Matter?

But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there. - Joshua 6:10  NIV

The Battle of Jericho was not a war of words.  In fact, for the first six days, they were completely silent.  Not only were they silent, but they were recently circumcised, they had celebrated Passover and the manna had stopped.   One could guess they were still feeling the residual effects of all that had recently transpired, but that was of little consequence.  The only thing that mattered was that God had sent his messenger once again.  This time, the messenger was the 'Commander of the Army of the Lord'. The people did as he told them to do, they marched silently around Jericho for six days with only the sound of the trumpets.  Then on the seventh day, when the trumpets blew they shouted and Jericho fell.

Such was not the case with the next city they tried to conquer.  After Jericho, Ai looked like an easy target, but their was sin in their midst.  One of the Israelites had been tempted by the plunder of Jericho and it affected all of their actions.  They would not be successful until they gave back that which was devoted to God and God only. 

I wonder, if the Commander of the Army of the Lord appeared in our midst today, what he would say.  Perhaps, we should use less words and more soul searching if we want to be victorious.

Joshua 2-4: Melting in Fear

I have longed for the discipline of putting my thoughts down daily as I read through the Bible, but have procrastinated resuming this blog because I didn't know how to start again.  I am not going to explain where I have been for the past few months, that would take too long and I'm not sure I have an explanation.  It was a spiritual journey; I will leave it at that.  Instead, I am going to take up where I would have been had I not taken a  prolonged sabbatical.
They said to Joshua, “The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”  - Joshua 2:24 NIV

It strikes me that even today, God's people are often more unaware of God's power than the outsiders looking on.  Here is Israel, who wandered in the wilderness for forty years because they didn't believe God's promise and there are the citizens of Jericho who had observed the events from a distance and saw that the Israelites God was something to fear.  It wasn't the Israelites that the people of Jericho feared, it was their God. 

In this age of posturing and yelling, with everyone trying to make their position clear to the opposition, we would do well to remember that it's not our words or deeds that will be victorious.  It's the works of God.  Perhaps we need to listen to him more and to our critics less.  After all, whether they admit it or not, they will melt in fear when they come face to face with God Almighty.

Deuteronomy 16: Passover

Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night.  Sacrifice as the Passover to the LORD your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name. Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning. You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt.  Roast it and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents.  For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the LORD your God and do no work. - Deut. 16:1-8 NIV

It has been three months since I posted anything and I have not kept up as diligently with my devotional reading as when I was writing every day.  It's fitting, however, that my reading today brings me to this portion of scripture where the laws for celebration of the various feasts were laid down.  The first one mentioned is Passover.  Passover, where they were commanded to do away with any sort of levening for seven days so that they would remember their suffering.  It was a death of sorts, they were not permitted anything that would rise as a remembrance of the price that was paid for their passage out of Egypt. 

Passover begins this evening and so does our remembrance of the price that was paid for our passage out of bondage.  A sacrifice always has to be made.  Perhaps instead of all the new frocks, the colorful baskets, the Easter eggs, all of the frivolity this holiday has become, we should be taking up unleavened bread.  Perhaps we should let go of anything that makes us want to rise up and instead ponder the sacrifice that was paid. 

Genesis 22: On the Mountain of the Lord

So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”  - Gen. 22:14 NIV

It is so easy to think that God has forgotten us, that he doesn't see our need, that he can't be trusted, that he won't provide, when in fact, we are the ones who cannot be trusted.  God provided for Abraham because he trusted God...totally.  There was no hesitation in Abraham when he was given orders by God.  He followed through on exactly what God told him to do even though it appeared it would extract a costly price from him.  Would Abraham have slain his son, his most prized possession?  I think so and I think that was apparent to God.  That's the response God wants from us.  If we really want God's blessings, then we must climb up to the mountain of the Lord where the sacrifices are made willingly.  We cannot go about our way in the valley of comfort and expect God's intervention when he requires something more.  Jesus said  that we have not because we ask not.  I think we also have not because we sacrifice not.  We're not willing to give up what we have, to totally let go, so that God can give us what he promised.  On the mountain of the Lord, we can't take matters into our own hands by providing for ourselves, that's where the Lord provides.

A Time and Season

I have been struggling lately with what I should do with this blog.  I cannot stop reading through the Bible.  It's the only source of light we have in this ever increasingly dark world, but putting my thoughts down for all to see as I read is becoming too mechanic.  For years I kept a journal where I would share my most intimate thoughts, my hopes, dreams, regrets, and prayers with the Lord.  I wasn't even always faithful at that, but It cemented the bond between us in a way that sharing through this blog has never done.  While the discipline of writing has caused me to be more diligent in my reading and less haphazard, it has not deepened my dependence on God in the way I envisioned. 

So, for now, I will stop sharing my thoughts here on a daily basis.  If and when God reveals something that I feel compelled to share, I will use this as a writing place, but for now, it is the season to say farewell.