August 20, 2012

"Their Justice and Authority Originate with Themselves" (8/20)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Habakkuk 1-3.

The Lord was sending the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to punish the people of Judah. The Chaldeans were not chosen because they were a righteous people or because their works were approved by God. They were simply a tool that the Lord used to accomplish His work of punishing His people for their sins.

“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs. They are dreaded and feared; their justice and authority originate with themselves” (Habakkuk 1:6-7).

There are a few points we can take from these verses:
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August 16, 2012

Faith in Vain

Man on tracks

Faith is absolutely essential if one wants to be saved. The Hebrew writer said, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Paul wrote about being “justified by faith” (Romans 5:1). But while faith is essential, it is important to understand that we must have the right kind of faith as it is described in the New Testament. If we do not, then whatever faith we do have will be worthless or in vain. How can faith become of no value to us?
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August 5, 2012

A Restoration (8/5)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35.

When repairs were being made to the house of the Lord during the reign of Josiah, the book of the law was found. It was brought back to the king and read in his presence.

“When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant saying, ‘Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us’” (2 Kings 22:11-13).

Upon hearing the law – God’s divine standard for the nation of Israel – Josiah could see that they had not lived up to this standard. But rather than try to make excuses, he began a restoration. Two elements are necessary for a successful restoration, whether it was Josiah’s restoration or the Restoration Movement that began in earnest two hundred years ago in this country.
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July 26, 2012

How God Regards the Nations (7/26)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 40-43.

It is common for people to feel a sense of pride about their country. Many also place a good deal of trust in their nation’s leaders and military forces to protect and preserve them. While this is fine to a point, it is important to remember how God regards the nations.

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding?

“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless” (Isaiah 40:12-17).

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July 11, 2012

Appalling and Horrible and the People Love It So!

At the time when Jeremiah prophesied, God was preparing to send Judah into Babylonian captivity in order to punish them for their sins (Jeremiah 1:14-16). But it was not just the common people that had devolved into a state of spiritual corruption. The prophets and priests were involved as well.

“An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so!” (Jeremiah 5:30-31).

The inhabitants of Judah had learned to tolerate and celebrate sin. “Where they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:15). The prophets spoke lies and the priests followed their own rule. “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:13-14). Yet even as judgment was planned because of these things, God invited His people to repent and turn back to Him.
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July 8, 2012

It Is Not for You to Burn Incense to the Lord (7/8)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 26.

Much of Uzziah’s reign over Judah was marked by faithfulness and success. Yet this success eventually led the king to sin against God by assuming a role that He had not given him.

“But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

“Then Azariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men. They opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, ‘It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the Lord God.’

“But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense” (2 Chronicles 26:16-19).

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June 28, 2012

The Lord is God Over All (6/28)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Kings 20-21.

When Ben-hadad and thirty-two other kings besieged Samaria, they were defeated by a force which they greatly outnumbered. They had a theory as to why they were beaten so badly.

“Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, ‘Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.’ And he listened to their voice and did so” (1 Kings 20:23-25).

These servants of Ben-hadad were partially correct. The Israelites were victorious because of divine intervention (though not from “gods,” but from the one, true, living God). But their theory that His power was limited to the mountains proved disastrous for them. Despite fighting in the plain with a massive army that vastly outnumbered the Israelites, Ben-hadad and his allies were soundly defeated again.
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