July 4, 2012

"See My Zeal for the Lord" (7/4)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Kings 9-11.

When Elisha anointed Jehu as king over Israel, he revealed a specific mission which God had for him.

“You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel” (2 Kings 9:7-8).

Jehu faithfully executed God’s judgment against the house of Ahab. When he met Jehonadab, the record shows Jehu’s completion of this work and why he was successful in carrying it out.
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June 30, 2012

"Treason! Treason!" (6/30)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Chronicles 19-23.

Part of today’s reading describes a tumultuous period in the history of Judah. Jehoram reigned for eight years before dying of sickness (21:5, 18-19). He was such a miserable king that “he departed with no one’s regret” (21:20). His youngest son, Ahaziah succeeded him after his older sons were killed (22:1). Ahaziah reigned for one year before being put to death by Jehu (22:2, 7-9). The killing of Ahaziah came as a result of God’s commission to Jehu to “cut off the house of Ahab” (22:7).

Ahab had been the king of Israel. But Ahaziah was the son of Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah – not to be confused with another Ahaziah, Ahab’s son who reigned for two years over Israel (1 Kings 22:40). How was Ahaziah, king of Judah, connected to the house of Ahab? By marriage (2 Chronicles 18:1).

“Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned on year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri” (22:2).

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June 24, 2012

The Difference Between Serving God and the Kingdoms of Men (6/24)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Chronicles 10-12.

When Rehoboam and the people “forsook the law of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 12:1), Shishak king of Egypt came to fight against him. Shemaiah the prophet revealed God’s judgment to Rehoboam: “You have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you to Shishak” (2 Chronicles 12:5). At this revelation, the king and his princes humbled themselves and repented, but there would still be consequences to suffer.

“When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, ‘They have humbled themselves so I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some measure of deliverance, and My wrath shall not be poured our on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. But they will become his slaves so that they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries’” (2 Chronicles 12:7-8).

As king, it would be easy for Rehoboam to be unable to relate to the plight of his people under an oppressive ruler. Rehoboam’s oppression of the people was the reason why the kingdom was divided and many left from serving him (2 Chronicles 10). But now, under the oppression of Shishak, he would learn what it is like to live under an oppressive king.
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June 23, 2012

The Lying Prophet (6/23)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Kings 12-14.

A young prophet who revealed a divine message to King Jeroboam refused to stay with the king and receive a reward from him. He explained why:

“If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came’” (1 Kings 13:8-9).

This man knew what God instructed and was intent upon obeying Him. His determination was commendable. But unfortunately for this man, there was more to this story.
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June 16, 2012

There Is No Middle Ground (6/16)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 8.

After Solomon completed his house and the Lord’s house, God appeared to him and restated His conditional promise to the king.

“As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel’” (1 Kings 9:4-5).

However, though God was willing to bless Solomon for obedience, He was also willing to punish him for disobedience.
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June 1, 2012

What Is Lost Because of Sin

Satan tempts us to sin by highlighting its supposed benefits. The Scriptures acknowledge that there is a certain amount of pleasure that can be derived from sin. Yet Moses understood that such pleasure was “passing” and that the rewards for rejecting God could not compare with God’s rewards for the faithful (Hebrews 11:25-26). But Satan does not want us to look beyond what is immediately before us. He wants us to focus on the temporary pleasures we can gain from sin and ignore those things which we stand to lose because of sin.

What is it that we stand to lose because of sin? To answer this, let us consider what was lost in the beginning when sin was first introduced into the world.
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May 30, 2012

They Do No Unrighteousness (5/30)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 119:1-88.

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm, and its theme is the word of God. David begins this psalm by telling of how blessed are the ones who keep God’s word.

“How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.

“How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart.

“They also do no unrighteousness; they walk in His ways” (Psalm 119:1-3)

The word of God guards us from sin. David acknowledges this a few verses later: “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). God gave us His word so that we could know the right way and follow it.
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