Daily Posts

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Day 184 — II Kings 9 – 11

What gruesome stories fill today’s reading. Slaughtering every male descendant of Ahab was extreme; killing boys because of who their parents are is horrific. How can a God of love and justice impose this harsh judgment on an entire family because of the parents’ sin? Even if these stories don’t raise such questions in your own mind, they will raise questions in others’ minds, for which we need to be prepared with answers. Not answers to give to questioning people necessarily, because a seeker is best directed to God and not given our attempts at satisfaction. We need to know that God has a satisfying answer to such questions so that we can confidently direct seeking souls to Him.

If God is who He says He is, then He is just in bringing such judgment on this family. Do you believe that God is who He says He is? Then you must seek to understand how this judgement is just. Think about it: God deems the killing of his every male descendant as just judgment for Ahab’s sin. If the awful killing is just, that indicates that the sin is awful. We may fail to accept that the judgment is just because we fail to see the sin as awful. As has been pointed out before, we can’t have a true understanding of the awfulness of sin because we are in the midst of it; we must look to God for a true understanding of sin. One way He teaches us about sin is in the judgment He decrees for it. Reading such accounts reminds us about the awfulness of sin, because we need to be reminded. We need to hate sin for the awful thing it is, hate it enough to want free of it, hate it enough to see our Savior for the heroic and powerful Savior He is. Be horrified at the extremely violent justice described in today’s reading, and understand how horrifying sin is, and run to the Savior who can free you and heal you from it.

The sins of Ahab and Jezebel brought judgement on Judah’s royal family because Jehoshaphat was accommodating enough to pursue an alliance by marriage with Ahab’s family. He could have saved his descendants a lot of hurt in maintaining standards for his family and his nation. Standing alone may have gone against the standard practices of the day, against common sense, against what was perceived as common decency – but it would have saved them the judgment. The higher nature of God’s ways make them more difficult for us to reach, but the effort will be rewarding. Ignoring His higher ways drags us into the same horrible sin and its effects as the people with whom we mingle and partner. Given this object lesson in today’s reading, is there some rising above that you need to choose today?

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Day 182 — II Kings 1 – 4

Do these men of God seem excessively crabby to you as they do to me? God could have protected his servant from King Ahaziah’s forces without killing off those 100 men; why did Elijah call down fire from heaven to consume them? Elisha’s calling a curse on boys showing a lack of respect seems way overboard for punishment. And Elisha ordered his servant to do his bidding in a high-handed manner that doesn’t befit a man of God in my opinion.

My explanation for what seems like grouchiness is in part a cultural difference. Perhaps Elisha’s treatment of his servant was just the way everyone treated their servants. A culture in which the Law required capital punishment for children who did not honor their parents, would not tolerate rude children like our culture does.

However, a possible cultural difference doesn’t wholly account for my impression that these men were harsh to others. Do their attitudes and behavior provide a justification for us to be harsh toward others who give us difficult times? They do help us to understand that even men of God get disgusted with the human race. But Jesus showed us a more perfect way. The natural human response to mistreatment, demonstrated by Elijah and Elisha, can be overcome by love, as demonstrated by Jesus. And remember the truth from Ephesians 1, that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us, so that we can overcome the natural response of fallen man, just as Jesus did.

I am left wondering why Elijah didn’t have to die. He lived in a very low time in the history of God’s people, and he suffered hopelessness in those circumstances even though he was a man of God. The last word of the Old Testament (which leaves God’s people in a diminished state) was that Elijah would return to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. Elijah was thus held up as a beacon of hope for the people. How fitting that it should be Elijah!

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Day 181 — Obadiah, Psalms 82 & 83

Recall that Edom was the land adjacent to the south and east of Judah, inhabited by the descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau. Although they were a minor kingdom, they were not backward. The major ancient trade route that ran through their land made them cosmopolitan for their day and wealthy from trade. They were also proud because they saw themselves as secure in their high rock fortresses, and they looked down on their neighbors. They were able to pillage others, but no one was able to penetrate their defenses.

Here are a couple links to more information about the area that once was Edom.

https://randalldsmith.com/obadiah-reasons/

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326

The pictures will give you a greater understanding of why the Edomites felt so secure and proud. The architecture in the photos is from the people who inhabited their land after the Edomites were destroyed, but doubtless they simply improved what Esau’s descendants had built, and their buildings were made possible by infrastructure devised and built by their predecessors.

The history and pictures will also remind you that the Edomites were not just the people this obscure book talks about; they were real people who lived lives similar to ours: they took pride in their homes and their culture, they enjoyed great security, and thus they enjoyed stability and prosperity. They couldn’t imagine being taken from their homes or their prosperous lifestyles; nevertheless, they were. Could you imagine your home being so long abandoned that it becomes a historical curiosity? That our homes wouldn’t survive to be architectural and historical wonders like these structures, attests to the cleverness of this lost people; their abilities may have exceeded ours! They were magnificent, but that didn’t make them immune to God’s sovereignty. And neither are we.

This book reminds us that God is sovereign over all nations. We may be tempted to fear the power of other nations, but they are in God’s hand. He can destroy the wealth and power of any nation prospering today, just as He destroyed Edom so thoroughly that no one believes they were ever great because no one remembers anything about them at all.

Obadiah is also an interesting reminder that God’s people have always been engaged in a battle for their existence. Just as modern-day Israel is surrounded by powerful nations who hate her and are determined to destroy her, so God’s people were surrounded in ancient times. They have suffered much, have long been exiled from their land and thus deprived of the privilege of being a nation. They have suffered much hatred and persecution as exiles. But today they exist as a nation once again, and enjoy a measure of respect on the world scene because of God’s amazing care for them. They are a thriving, dynamic nation, while Edom is an abandoned tourist attraction. God can do the same to every one of Israel’s modern-day enemies.

Do you have cares from watching the news, about which you need to talk to the sovereign Lord, your Heavenly Father? The one who loves you and wants to hear you express your thoughts to Him even though He already knows them all, is also powerful enough to do something about your concerns. Take them to Him today!

If you have read from January 1st, you are now halfway through the Bible! Please recognize your accomplishment and celebrate it! If you haven’t been faithful to read daily, please don’t let the enemy get you down about that. Rather, you have the next half of the year to improve that performance. Choose now and commit to God to take advantage of His power to help you form this new habit for life.

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Day 180 — II Chronicles 19 – 23

While we want to be careful not to over-spiritualize the history we read in Scripture, there is an element of object lesson to us in these stories. I Corinthians 10:11 tells us, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.” So let’s not miss the warning in these stories, and “be careful so that (we) don’t fall.”

What do you learn about God from these stories of His actions in the affairs of men? Does it make you wonder if He is as involved in men’s affairs today? Does He do miraculous works on behalf of His people? If not, why not, since He tells us in Malachi 3:6 that “I, the Lord, do not change”?

If God viewed the battle against the invading armies (as armies did routinely in those days for no other reason than to take whatever they could from their target), as His battle, how much more that would be true for the battles we fight with the enemy that is ultimately His enemy. Satan would care nothing for us, care not even enough to engage us in battle, if not for God’s love for us. Does God abandon us to fight this enemy on our own? When the enemy comes against us to attack, we know that Jesus is with us (Matthew 28:20) and “is able to keep (us) from falling and to present (us) before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 24). We know that “He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to the power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20), and that by that power we have all we need to live a godly life (II Peter 1:3). “That power is the same as the mighty power He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in heavenly places far above” any other power there is (Ephesians 1:19-20), so the power at work in us has already been demonstrated to be great enough to defeat sin and its works. Thus, based on the whole counsel of Scripture, I believe we can count on God’s help in our battles just as He helped Jehoshaphat and His Old Testament people. Just like Jehoshaphat, we’re going to have to do our part in winning those victories, but we can count on powerful help from God. What does this story suggest our part is in winning victory over our enemy?

It might have seemed to Jehoshaphat like an obvious good to ally himself with Israel; after all, they were also God’s chosen people, weren’t they? He sought God, but he failed to seek God in the matter of this alliance, and suffered God’s wrath. Again, this serves to warn us that we don’t ever need to think that we have God figured out or are beyond need of His guidance.

That Jehoshaphat’s family and nation suffered the consequences of his poor judgment reminds us that our sin is never just a private affair, but can have impacts that we can’t foresee. How painful it is when I see my loved ones suffer for my sin. There is much cause for us to hate sin and want to be free from it; how blessed we are that we can be!

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Day 179 — I Kings 22 & II Chronicles 18

Did God actually send out a lying spirit to do His work, or was Micaiah’s vision just one of those prophetic visions of something that didn’t really happen? I’d be interested in knowing that myself, but I can only form an opinion. What do you think? Based on the whole counsel of Scripture, my opinion is that it didn’t really happen as Micaiah envisioned it.

Isn’t it incredible how God protected Jehoshaphat in battle, while Ahab suffered a random fatal wound? If God can see His will done in these circumstances, can His power over circumstances in your life be believed?

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Day 178 — I Kings 20 – 21

Again we see God’s unfathomable ways in Ahab’s story. Although His anger was aroused against His people like it had never before been aroused against them, God gave the wicked Ahab victory over the king of Aram. He had numerous reasons for doing so: He wanted Ben-Hadad to die, He wanted Ahab to know that He is the Lord, and He wanted to Arameans to know that He is not only God of the hills but also God of the valleys. It amazes me that He would be interested in pursuing any relationship with Ahab. It likely would have surprised His people that He cared whether the pagan Arameans knew anything about Him at all. We must never think that we have God figured out.

Fully sold out to evil as he was, Ahab wasn’t past humbling himself, and God relented, softening His judgment against Ahab. That may seem disappointing to us, but it is a response demonstrating love. It is also a just response, since God said that if His people would humble themselves, then He would hear and forgive. If Ahab wasn’t past God’s relenting, who is?

What are some things that you can know about God from these stories of His interactions with the unsurpassingly wicked Ahab? Do any of them inspire more love in your heart for Him? Why not tell Him so?

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Day 177– I Kings 17-19

Elijah’s life has some thrilling lessons for us, don’t you think? His life is worth a deeper study, in my opinion. Some of the intriguing points:

  • He was fed by ravens. What an imaginative way for God to meet his needs! If He can meet the needs of His servant in this way, how many other ways could He imagine to meet the needs of His servants? If He could and would do this, why should we doubt that He can and will meet our needs? Perhaps we should see our needs as opportunities for God to do amazing things to provide.
  • When God chose to take care of Elijah’s needs through another person, he directed him to Sidon, which was not part of Israel; in fact, it was the birthplace of the wicked Queen Jezebel. Why didn’t God send him to Judah to have his needs met? He used Elijah’s need as an excuse to meet the needs of this widow and her son who were getting ready to die of starvation, even though she didn’t know God as anyone other than the God Elijah served. We couldn’t possibly have God’s higher ways and thoughts figured out.
  • His thrilling victory over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. That established him as a spiritual giant, right? So why did he experience doubt, fear, and depression on the heels of that great victory? His example teaches us the great victory doesn’t make us immune to doubt, fear, and depression.
  • He was so down, he told God, “I have had enough.” A prophet of God, one who had such a towering victory, suffered from depression. Depression isn’t necessarily a sign of sin or spiritual failure.
  • God responded to him with an encounter that had to be a thrill for him. If you compare and contrast this appearance with what Moses experienced, and with what Isaiah and Ezekiel experienced, you might get a fuller picture of what God is like, but I bet the reality is that these are each only one point of the full picture of God. He is so far beyond our understanding that they can’t provide a full picture. These appearances by God would be a great subject for an in-depth study.
  • Elijah was a prophet of God, but he apparently didn’t know about the 100 prophets who had been hidden away by Obadiah, or the 7000 people who were still faithful to God. We can bet that God is working today beyond our experience as well, and even though discouragement may threaten because of what we see going on around us, God is doing big things that are unseen by us.
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Day 176 — I Kings 15:25 – 16:34; II Chronicles 17

Observe that when Jehoshaphat sought God and “walked in His commands,” God “established the kingdom in his hand.” Seeking and walking in God’s commands resulted in his being established. Do you want to be established, to last? The example of Jehoshaphat’s life teaches that you should seek God and conduct yourself according to His commands and not according to the culture surrounding you.

Contrast that with Ahab, who did more evil than all who were before him. That’s how sin works: it doesn’t get better or maintain a status quo, but it grows worse and worse. Decay is a facet of corruption. You aren’t allowing corruption to be part of your life, are you? Because the reality of knowing Jesus as Savior gives you a choice in that matter, since He frees us from sin.

Jehoshaphat didn’t just remove the high places associated with idol worship; he attempted to re-direct the hearts of the people by sending officials, priests and Levites to teach the people the Law of God. Removing sin doesn’t just mean getting rid of something; the resulting void needs to be filled with something else. Recall Jereboam’s efforts to direct his people’s hearts away from Jerusalem: he presented a new religion complete with new observances and holidays. He certainly tried harder to lead his people away from God than Asa tried to lead them back. Our enemy is passionate about luring souls away from God; his passion must be matched and exceeded by a desire to win souls back to God. God has demonstrated that passion by coming to earth, suffering and dying for lost souls. Do we share His passion? That is our calling.

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Day 175 — I Kings 15:1-24; II Chronicles 13 – 16

Were those high places removed from Judah by King Asa or weren’t they? Apparently he removed them, but they didn’t stay removed, much like a weed pulled off at the ground is removed but not rooted out, and grows back again. What could a king have done to accomplish the removal effectively? Tomorrow we’ll read about the more effectual efforts of Asa’s son.

II Chronicles said that “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life,” but what about at the end when he failed to seek God’s help against Israel and instead removed from the Temple the valuables that had been dedicated to God, in order to purchase an alliance with the king of Aram? The Law didn’t allow one to use for another purpose what had been dedicated to God. It would seem that Asa’s heart was not fully committed to the Lord in his later years. What does that reveal to you about the capability of your own heart?

Asa’s life and leadership offer object lessons to us about the persistent nature of sin. It calls for persistence in our efforts to eradicate it from our lives. The job needs to be done thoroughly, and it needs to be tended to as long as we live. Are you prepared for that? Will you renew that commitment to God today?