July 2, 2012

Is It Because There is No God in Israel? (7/2)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Kings 1-4.

When Ahaziah fell sick, his decision to seek help from a false god instead of the true, living God cost him his life.

“And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, ‘Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this sickness.’ But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, ‘Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?” Now therefore thus says the Lord, “You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.”‘ Then Elijah departed” (1 Kings 1:2-4).

Ahaziah later died “according to the word of the Lord” (1 Kings 1:17).
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June 14, 2012

"For His Lovingkindness Is Everlasting" (6/14)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalm 136.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psalm 136:1).

The first verse of this psalm contains the phrase, “for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” This refrain is repeated in each of the psalm’s twenty-six verses. Clearly, God’s lovingkindness it is a fact that should be impressed upon us.

The psalmist gives several examples of God’s everlasting lovingkindness that we would probably expect:
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May 26, 2012

God’s Knowledge of Us (5/26)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 131, 138-139, 143-145.

In Psalm 139, David praises God for His omniscience. Let us be reminded of everything that is included in God’s knowledge of us.

God knows our thoughts and our motives:

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all” (Psalm 139:1-4).

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May 13, 2012

Uriah the Hittite (5/13)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20.

We remember the story of David and Bathsheba. The pregnancy that resulted from their affair led David to arrange to have her husband killed. There are many lessons to be learned from David’s sin, but I want us to remember at least one point from Bathsheba’s husband – Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:3).

Uriah was described as a servant of David (2 Samuel 11:24) who fought under the command of Joab (2 Samuel 11:1,14-16). He was also a Hittite. This is significant. Notice a couple of passages:

“For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them” (Exodus 23:23).

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them” (Deuteronomy 7:1-2).

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April 23, 2012

There Is No Lasting Remembrance (4/23)

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

“The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi and Oman. And the sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. The son of Anah was Dishon. And the sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran and Cheran. The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran” (1 Chronicles 1:39-42).

The first two chapters of 1 Chronicles trace the genealogy from Adam, including the families that are somehow related to the record of Biblical history. Some names – such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – are familiar to us. However, many of the names are not. For most of these individuals, we know little (if any) more than the fact that they were part of these genealogies.
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April 15, 2012

Who is the Man Who Desires Life? (4/15)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 7, 27, 31, 34, 52.

“Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:12-14).

Who desires life? Certainly we would all answer that we would. David, the author of this psalm, desired it, too, as his life at this point was in danger because of a jealous king, Saul.
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March 24, 2012

Rahab Lived in the Midst of Israel (3/24)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Joshua 5-8.

Yesterday we noticed Rahab’s faith which led her to help the Israelite spies who had come to Jericho. Because of her actions, her life was spared when the city was destroyed.

“However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho” (Joshua 6:25).

Her life was spared. But what did she do next? Did she simply go her own way, leaving Jericho and departing from the nation of Israel? No. She remained with Israel and lived among the people of God.
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