Devotionals
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 →
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 →
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 →
Does God Demand Perfection?
During the dedication of the temple, Solomon offers a lengthy prayer before the assembly. This portion stood out for me: “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or... Read More →
What Does it Mean to be Good at Something?
Today’s devotional is a simple one. In 1 Kings 7:14b we read, “Huram was filled with wisdom, with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work”. Note that there are 3 words used to describe Huram’s ability to work with bronze. Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Wisdom. Understanding. Knowledge. Why these 3 words, and... Read More →
Cut The Baby In Half!
(An excursus on selfishness) This is a very famous and very crazy story. Two prostitutes who are also roommates (it would make sense for the prostitutes to room together, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more than just the two) give birth around the same time. One woman’s baby dies during the night, so... Read More →
Can God Still Work Through Me If I Suck?
I’ll just say it, I find David’s orders to his son to kill Joab and Shimei to be deeply troubling. If Joab had done something worthy of death, then David should have killed him. But David did not, likely because Joab provided an incredible amount of utility to him. Then There’s Shimei, who had cursed... Read More →