April 25, 2012

Jabez Called upon God (4/25)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Chronicles 3-5.

“Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!’ And God granted him what he requested” (1 Chronicles 4:10).

Jabez is one of many obscure Bible characters that we know very little about. Yet he is noted for this prayer that he offered. This prayer is a good reminder of some of the things we need to focus on in our prayers.
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April 18, 2012

"Willingly I Will Sacrifice to You" (4/18)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 17, 35, 54, 63.

“Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good” (Psalm 54:6).

While God commands men to obey Him, He wants us to do so willingly, not under compulsion. In this psalm, David expressed his willing desire to offer sacrifices to the Lord.

Sacrifice is not something that many people want to do. Yet David did it willingly. Why? He briefly listed three reasons:
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April 11, 2012

A Foolish Order from the King (4/11)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Samuel 13-14.

After the Philistines were defeated, due in large part to the bravery of Jonathan, Saul issued a foolish and selfish executive order. It is one that should remind us of the dangers of having one fallible man possessing so much authority.

“So the Lord delivered Israel that day, and the battle spread beyond Beth-aven. Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.’ So none of the people tasted food.

“All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. When the people entered the forest, behold, there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

“But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath; therefore, he put out the end of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. Then one of the people said, ‘Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food today.”‘ And the people were weary.

“Then Jonathan said, ‘My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great’” (1 Samuel 14:23-30).

Notice that God delivered the Israelites and had blessed them with the spoil of the land. Yet Saul, the king, because of his selfish, self-serving priorities (avenging himself on his enemies), issued an order restricting the use and enjoyment of a blessing that had been given by God.
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March 14, 2012

The Potential Danger in Prosperity (3/14)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Deuteronomy 8-10.

Before entering Canaan, Moses issued a warning to the people of Israel of a certain danger they would face once they had begun to enjoy the blessings of the promised land.

“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14).

Material blessings and prosperity, especially when they are had in abundance, can easily distract one from serving the Lord. Jesus made this point in His parable of the sower:
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March 11, 2012

I Have Given Them a Possession (3/11)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Deuteronomy 1-2.

The Israelites were God’s chosen people and would be given the promised land of Canaan. Yet this did not give them license to take anything they wanted and destroy any nation they chose to destroy. God gave some specific prohibitions on lands they were not to take and nations they were not to destroy.

“You will pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even as little as a footstep because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession” (Deuteronomy 2:4-5).

“Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession” (Deuteronomy 2:9).

“When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not harass them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession” (Deuteronomy 2:19).

The children of Israel were given a possession by God. But the sons of Esau and Lot were as well. The Israelites were not even to take food and water from these nations without paying for it (Deuteronomy 2:6).
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February 22, 2012

Consequences of Obedience and Disobedience (2/22)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Leviticus 26-27.

Leviticus 26 outlines certain blessings and curses the Israelites could receive from God. Whether they received the one or the other would be conditioned upon their actions.

“If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out…” (Leviticus 26:3).

If the Israelites obeyed God, He promised to bless them greatly with prosperity, peace, freedom, and fellowship with God (Leviticus 26:4-13).
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January 23, 2012

Unworthy of God’s Lovingkindness (1/23)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 32-34.

When Jacob departed from Laban and traveled toward his home country, he was fearful of the prospect of meeting his brother Esau. This was certainly understandable since Esau was seeking to kill him when he left (Genesis 27:41-43). When he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men (Genesis 32:6), Jacob prayed to God.

“O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children” (Genesis 32:9-11).

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