Today's Reading: 1 Kings 4

A Beautiful Mind

The Bible often uses the phrase, “as the sand on the seashore” as its way of saying “a ginormous amount.” In Genesis 22, for example, Abraham is told that his descendants will be “as numerous as the sand on the seashore.” In Psalm 139, the thoughts God has toward His children “would outnumber the grains of sand.” In 1 Samuel 13, the Philistine army is said to contain “soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.” Jeremiah 33 tells us that the number of God’s heavenly angels is so large that they “cannot be numbered as the sands of the sea cannot be measured.” This is the Bible’s way of saying that there is such a large number that, even if you tried to count them, the number would evade you. It is a hyperbolic phrase which simply means “measureless” or “uncountable.”

Here in 1 Kings 4, we are told that Solomon was granted a “breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore.” This means that God gave Solomon so much wisdom and understanding that it was immeasurable. He was so brilliant that his IQ score could not even be measured. This tells us that he was more brilliant of mind than any other person on Earth. Solomon was an “egghead” with a beautiful mind and “ginormous” mental capacity. In answer to Solomon’s heartfelt and humble prayer, God gave him wisdom and understanding beyond measure. 

Why did God give Solomon such incomparable wisdom? There are several reasons. First, because Solomon was a worshipper of God. We are told in 1 Kings 1, that Solomon “made sacrifices unto the Lord.” He, like his father David, had come to know the LORD as the one-and-only true God who was worthy of his devotion. Second, because of his humility. Although raised as “royalty,” Solomon did not have a sense of entitlement or inflated self-worth. When he came to God, he came in true humility. Third, God granted Solomon wisdom because that’s what he asked for. The Lord had told him to ask for whatever he wants and Solomon asked for the great amounts wisdom and discernment it would take to govern God’s people. Fourth, Solomon was granted this surpassing level of wisdom because God had a plan and purpose for Solomon’s life – as a writer of Scripture. As Solomon learned great lessons of wisdom, he wrote them down as snippets of truth that all future followers of God could learn from and apply to their lives.

Finally, God granted Solomon the “gift” of wisdom to give us a real-life illustration of the “gifts of the Holy Spirit” which He would later bestow en masse upon the members of His Church. He wanted all of us to see that supernatural things can happen to normal people who will humble themselves and pray and submit themselves to God’s plan for their lives. Just as He granted Solomon a beautiful mind, He wants to grant you special powers and abilities to serve Him in a way that is beyond measure – as the sand on the seashore!

 

Today's Reading: 1 Kings 3

Ask Me For Anything

How would you feel if you were offered an opportunity to win a million dollars as a contestant on a TV game show? Or, what if a wealthy loved one offered to get you anything your heart desired as a gift? What would you ask for? How would you react?

Solomon, the new king of Israel, was placed in this exact situation. The LORD God came to him in a dream and said, “Ask whatever you will.” Wow! A blank check! Solomon had an unprecedented opportunity to really rake in blessings for himself. He could’ve selfishly asked for great riches. Or victory over his enemies. Or the intimate love of a great woman. Or health and wellness in his body.

If God should say that to you, what would you ask for? This can be very revealing. It can reveal an awful lot about your heart. Be truly honest here, if God should say, "Ask Me anything you want," what would be your request? Your answer to that question will reveal whether or not you are living on the flesh side or the spiritual side of your nature. If your desire would be for great riches, if your desire would be for fame or honor or glory, it means that somehow you're still suffering under the illusion that you can one day maybe find satisfaction in your flesh and in the things of the flesh.

But if your answer is, "Oh God, that I just might walk with You, in close fellowship. Lord, that I might be the person You want me to be." Or if your answer is in spiritual things, then that indicates also the fact that your heart is really after God and the things of God. It shows you are desiring spiritual benefit not selfish gain.

Solomon didn’t ask for any of these worldly things. Instead, Solomon took to his knees in the realization of just how small and incapable he was to rule God’s people and he humbly asked for an understanding mind and the discernment he needed to rule as Israel’s new king. Solomon admitted his shortcomings.

Solomon’s request was so heartfelt and it pleased the Lord. So, the Lord said unto him, “Because you didn't ask for riches; or for long life; or for the life of your enemies; but instead you asked for wisdom and understanding in ruling the people; I will give to you wisdom and understanding; above any who has ever come before, or who would come after you.” God honored Solomon’s humility and sincerity and granted him way more than he asked.  That’s the God we serve. You can’t outgive Him. 

And, oh, by the way – you don’t have to speculate what you would do in Solomon’s situation, because you are in that same situation. Jesus says to you, “If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14) What will you ask for?

Today's Reading: Psalm 119:113-176

Promises for Lovers of God's Word

There are over seven thousand promises found in the Bible which God has made to humankind. The word “promise” is found more than one hundred times in the Bible. The genius of the Bible is that everyone who chooses to, can share in these promises of God.

Some of the promises of God are unconditional, which means that God will fulfill His promise with or without our cooperation or us meeting any conditions. An example of an unconditional promise is God’s promise to never again destroy the Earth with a flood. This requires no conditions to be met by humankind – it is something that He will fulfill without prerequisites or stipulations being met by us. On the other hand, some of the promises of God are conditional – they carry an “if-then” type of structure. They require us to fulfill some stipulation in order to receive what God has promised. An example of this is His promise of eternal life, which He has promised to those who fulfill the condition of believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. IF you believe in Him – THEN you will receive eternal life.

Here in Psalm 119:165, we come upon one of the conditional promises of God. It is a dual promise of “great peace” and “not stumbling.” But notice the condition or stipulation found in this promise – it is only promised to those who satisfy the condition of loving God’s law. The Hebrew word for “law” here refers to the manner and principles which God has prescribed for humankind to follow. It encompasses the entire body of God’s instruction found in the Bible, including the Law, the Prophets, the Wisdom Books, the Gospels, and the New Testament writings - altogether comprising His word.

Do you “love” God’s word? The Hebrew word for “love” in this verse is a verb which means; to desire; to breath after; to long for; to delight in. As followers of Christ, our hearts should desire and delight in God’s word. It should be something we take delight in and pursue in our lives. Do you love God’s truth in this way? Do you love His commandments, His precepts, His statutes, His rules, His testimonies, and His instruction? If so, He promises you will have “great peace.” The word “great” means much, many, abounding in. If you love His law, He promises abounding peace in your life.

In addition to peace, He also promises that “nothing can make you stumble.” His word is sure and solid and is the only sure anchor that can keep you from drifting away. If you build your life on the ways of people, or pop theology, or the latest trend, you are sure to be led astray.  But if you build your life on a deep love for God’s law, you will be securely anchored and nothing will ever cause you to drift away. 

 

Today's Reading: Psalm 119:57-112

 

Forever Firmly Fixed

What, if anything, in this world is actually “permanent”? Think about it. The building you’re in is not permanent at all. The sidewalks and the asphalt out there are not permanent at all. The great roads, bridges, buildings and skyscrapers are not permanent. In fact, this earth itself is not permanent. The sun is not permanent, someday it will probably go up into a supernova and burn out. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall never pass away." (Matthew 24:35)  The reality is this: although there is nothing truly permanent in this universe, there is nothing more permanent than the word of God. 

God and his word are lasting and unchangeable. The meaning here is that the word - the law - the promise - of God was made firm, established, stable, in heaven; and would be so forever and ever. What God has affirmed to be true would always remain true; what He has promised is sure forever.

That is why it is so wrong for us to talk about the word of God as applying to a particular culture or time in history. As some would say, "Oh, they just wrote according to the understanding of their own culture of those times – it really isn’t relevant for us today." It is so wrong for us to challenge the word of God or seek to change the word of God because God has forever settled His word in heaven. God said it; that settles it. There's no disputing of it. There's no arguing of it. There's no challenging of it. It's the word of God. It's forever settled – firmly fixed in heaven.

Truth doesn't change with the values or morals of a society. God's commandments and laws don't change because the standards of our society are so changed. The truth of God is absolute. The law of God is absolute. It is not relative to a situation. It is not relative to the morés of a society. God has established His absolute law. His word is forever settled in heaven. If you find yourself arguing with the word, you're wrong. God's word is a settled issue.

The Hebrew word for “firmly fixed” (or “settled”) in this verse means to set up; to stand; to put into place. It carries the idea of being set up in an upright and stationary position – unable to be moved. The Bible you have in front of you has been set up by God to act as a permanent display of His truth. It never changes. It never needs revision. It is firmly fixed, not only on Earth – but in Heaven for all of eternity. You can believe it with confidence and rely on it with all your heart.

Today's Reading: Psalm 119:1-56

 

Praising God’s Word Through the Alphabet

Psalm 119 is one of the most unique and amazing Psalms in the entire Bible. In addition to being the longest book of the Bible (176 verses), this Psalm is an alphabetic acrostic poem in the original language. It is also the only Psalm that focuses exclusively on the value of God’s sacred word in the lives of His followers.

In the Hebrew language, there are 22 letters. Accordingly, there are 22 sections (or stanzas) in Psalm 119. Each of these 22 sections begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 1-8 all start with the first Hebrew letter, aleph (א). Verses 9-16 start with the 2nd letter, beth (ב).This pattern continues down to the last 8 verses, 169-176, which all start with the last Hebrew letter, tav (ת). The resulting Psalm is a compilation of the entire Hebrew alphabet. What an amazing way to praise God's word through the alphabet!

By way of example, here’s a paraphrase* of verses 1-4 which all start with the English letter “a”:

A blameless one is blessed, who walks according to the law of the Lord.

A person who keeps His statutes and seeks Him with all his heart is blessed.

Also, he does nothing wrong; he walks in His ways.

And You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

One of the reasons this Psalm was designed as an alphabetic acrostic was to help Jewish children learn their A-B-C’s. Every Jewish boy was required to memorize Psalm 119 as part of their early childhood education. By doing so, they would not only learn the “Aleph-Beit” (Hebrew for alphabet), but they would learn 176 Bible verses rich with meaning for their lives.

The writer of this Psalm uses at least ten different words all referring to the word of God (“ways” “testimonies” “word” “truth” “statutes” “commands” “precepts” “promises” “rules” “law”). The theme of these verses is the prayer of one who delights in and lives by God’s sacred truth. It describes the greatness and glory and power of God's word. Knowing and reciting these truths was a means of planting God’s word in the hearts of His little ones. As they grew up, having these truths embedded in their hearts would help them to experience God’s promises, comfort, guidance, strength, and protection throughout their lifetime.

How about you? Have you taken time to memorize God’s sacred truth? To hide it in your heart? To make it the firm foundation of your life? If not, it is time for YOU to commit God’s word to memory. Plant it deep in your heart. It will bring comfort in your affliction and His promises will give you life.

(*Source: June 25, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Alphabet Psalms, Psalm 119)

Today's Reading: Psalm 94

A Poof of Air

Many men and women (most of whom we would consider “geniuses”) have introduced amazing concepts to mankind. We call them “great” men and women, “heroes” even. Throughout history, humanity has been blessed by many great thinkers: Aristotle, Plato, Confucius, Tesla, Einstein, Marie Curie, and the like. Even today, many famous people are looked upon as possessing “superior intellects.” On the website wonderlist.com, you can find a list of ten modern day geniuses with IQ’s ranging from 190 to 230. Compared to the rest of mankind (with average IQ of 100), their thoughts are magnificent and impressive. But what about compared to God? How impressive are the greatest minds when compared with the mind of God?

How do you compare the thoughts of the omniscient God with the thoughts of man? According to verse 11, the greatest scholastic and scientific minds from the history of mankind are “but a breath” compared to our God. The mind of the most genius musical composers in history are “like a vapor.” The thoughts of the greatest inventors of all time are empty and hollow compared to the infinitely matchless thoughts of God. In fact, God views all of the so-called wisdom and knowledge of man to be but a vapor that has no substance and quickly vanishes. “Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor.” (Psalm 62:9)

The Hebrew word translated “breath” in verse 11 is “hebel.” This word literally means vapor or mist – a “poof of air” which has no substance. The root meaning of this word is seeking to convey emptiness, futility, and hollowness. It is found 73 times in the Scriptures where it is translated as: vapor, breath, vanity, vain. Figuratively, this word means something transitory and unsatisfactory. Various Bible versions have translated this word as “breath” (ESV); “futile” (NIV); “vanity” (KJV); or “shallowness” (MSG). You get the idea. It simply means that, compared to God, the thoughts of man are transitory and lack substance.

In reality, all human knowledge is known to God in eternity before it is known by men. All we have been able to do is discover that knowledge. We have discovered many of the natural laws and scientific principles which He has infused into His creation. Over time, we may discover more and deeper truths, but God is the One who placed it all here for us to discover. And, one day, all human knowledge will dissolve and vanish into thin air, giving way to the one true Genius, Hero, and Great Thinker-the Lord God. He knows our thoughts, that they are just a poof of air.

 

Today's Reading: Psalm 71

Keeping Your Perspective on Eternity 

In Psalm 71, the believer is pictured looking back on a long life and recalling how the wicked always have opposed him. But just as God has protected him since childhood, the Psalmist is confident that He will continue to do so now that he is old.  From his youth he has proclaimed the great saving acts of God. He prays that God will not disappoint him now, and that he will continue to proclaim the message of divine salvation until the end of his life on earth.

You can sense in the Psalmist’s words that he has lived a life filled with purpose and passion. He has served the Lord and done so with diligence. Now, he is dreading the idea of being “put out to pasture.” He longs to see God’s purposes continually be fulfilled even into his final days. His heartfelt prayer is, “Forsake me not when my strength is spent.” He still has a mission to accomplish in this life – and that mission is to pass the truth of God to the next generation.

What a profound perspective on life! This is the perspective of eternity. It is so easy and commonplace for aging people to focus on themselves – after all, their body is breaking down, their health is deteriorating, their prescription medications are piling up, and their mind just isn’t what it used to be. As a person gets older, changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain. Certain parts of the brain shrink, especially those important to learning and other complex mental activities. It is so tempting get your eyes on yourself and your situation rather than looking upward and keeping your eyes on eternity.

But God isn’t finished with you yet!  He saved you to bring you into an abundant life of purpose and passion. And His purposes do not fail just because your hair is turning gray. His calling on your life is to continue to proclaim His message to future generations. Psalm 92 tells us that the person who trusts God, “Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.” (Psalm 92:14). His calling is for you to flourish as His obedient servant all the way to the end.

So, don’t give up. Don’t get your eyes on yourself. Keep your eyes on eternity. After all, “The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.” (Proverbs 20:29) He is not about to forsake you now!