Devotionals
An Unapologetic Apologetic
Today’s reading from Isaiah 63:15-66:24 unveils a profound narrative where God appeals to His people, calling them out of their rebellion and into a relationship with Him. This passage vividly illustrates how God reaches out, not just through spiritual means, but through a comprehensive appeal that encompasses historical, scientific, and logical evidence, all of which... Read More →
Power is a Corrupting Influence
Judah had some suspect kings, but then Asa rode in to the rescue and brought them back to God. His son, Jehoshaphat also did a good job as a king. But His son, Jehoram quickly turned his back on God and murdered his brothers to consolidate power. The thing is this: power is dangerous. The... Read More →
If God’s Going To Take Care Of It… Do I Need To Do Anything?
Yes. We see a plan between several nations to attack Judah and King Jehoshaphat is very nervous about this, so what does he do? He prays to the Lord for guidance and sends out a command to the whole nation of Judah that they are to fast and seek the Lord. Finally King J calls... Read More →
Is Affirmation the Same Thing as Friendship?
2 Chronicles 18:1-8 tells the story of a synergy between the two halves of the divided kingdom of Israel. With Judah’s upright and Godly King Jehoshaphat and Israel’s wayward and hapless King Ahab meeting as the latter asks the former to aid him in recovering territory lost to an enemy nation. Jehoshaphat quickly agrees to... Read More →
God in the Chaos?
After embarrassing the prophets of Baal, the king’s wife — Jezebel — swears out a death sentence against Elijah. And so he fled. God sustained him through the journey and brought him to Mt Sinai. Then we have the famous story of Elijah’s experience of the wind and earthquake and fire, but God was not in... Read More →
Does God Help Those Who Help Themselves?
We are told that Asa is a good king of Judah and that he did not do evil in the sight of the Lord. BUT… when the kingdom of Israel starts closing in on his territory, he quickly seeks aid from a foreign nation — Aram — even paying them from the royal treasury. His plan... Read More →
Who Are You Gonna Believe?
There is a brief but interesting story that takes place between two unnamed men in today’s reading. One is simply referred to as the “man of God” and the other is only known as the “old prophet”. The Man of God goes to Jeroboam, the now-apostate king of Israel, and tells him that his kingdom... Read More →
On Leadership & Submission
I find this beginning of the “Divided Kingdom” era fascinating. Rehoboam is the rightful heir to the throne, but God decides to remove the kingdom from him because of the sins of his father, Solomon. So God makes a promise to Jeroboam that if he honours the Lord in the same way David did, he... Read More →
The Unrighteous Righteous
Throughout Kings we have seen David described as righteous over and over again. We are told that he obeyed all the laws and regulations of the Lord and — if you’re like me — the justice side of your brain is hollering, “WHAT!?” Is this the same David who married foreign women? The same David who... Read More →
Stream of Consciousness or Connected Thoughts?
Sometimes when we read the Bible is seems like we get whiplash! We’re following along in the flow when all of a sudden we are ambushed from out of nowhere by something we never expected and seemingly totally unrelated. A lot of teachers seem content to say, “Well, I guess the author just wanted to... Read More →
The Consequences of Compromise
Compromise has amassed quite a following for itself. We tend to see it as an almost-ideal solution to thorny problems. And often that is true. Often compromise is a great solution, but not always. We should not always default to compromising, instead assessing the situation and determining what course of action is most warranted. A... Read More →
Starting Well vs Finishing Well
Solomon finishes building the temple and the glory of the Lord fills it. It is an awe-inspiring moment, Solomon prays to dedicate the temple and the people make sacrifices to the Lord and good times are had by all. Then God appears before Solomon in a theophany and says that He has heard the prayers... Read More →