Today's Reading - 1 Kings 15

Wholehearted Devotion

The books of First and Second Kings record the progression of kings who ascended to Israel’s and Judah’s thrones in the years following Solomon’s death. Some were good kings, some were bad kings. Chapter 15 of First Kings chronicles three bad kings (Abijam, Nadab, Baasha) and one good king (Asa).

The three “bad” kings are described as men who were not faithful to the LORD their God. They “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.” (V26) Their hearts were far from God. They ignored the commandments of God and engaged in idolatry and pagan worship. Verse 3 says of Abijam, “his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God.” He, like the other evil kings, had a divided heart.

In verse 9, we are introduced to a “shining light” amidst all of this darkness, a king named Asa. Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He banished the shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. He even deposed his grandmother who had been responsible for much of the obscene worship practices.

Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD. Verse 14 tells us that “the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days.” Asa is noticeable in the early part of his life for the fact that he got rid of idol worship and set up the worship of God, carrying it out with great diligence, conviction, and persistence. Asa was not perfect (as we will see in upcoming chapters) but his heart was in the right place – wholeheartedly devoted to God. A person with a heart that is “wholly true” has one preeminent desire—to please the Lord, not in outward ritual or eyeservice, but from deep within his/her soul. Devotion to God includes careful attention to His Word and unwavering effort to obey Him. God is looking for men and women with such hearts.

His will for you is to live your life wholeheartedly devoted to Him with diligence, conviction, and persistence. If your heart is in the right place, your daily living will follow. Living wholeheartedly for the Lord is impossible in your own strength. But if you’ll humble yourself and ask in faith, He will give you the grace to diligently and persistently live for Him. Your walk with Jesus will never be perfect during this lifetime, but you can give Him your wholehearted, persistent devotion.

 

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 11 & 12

The Short Trip Back to God

When Rehoboam had firmly established his kingdom and became strong as the nation’s leader, he abandoned the Law of the LORD and all Israel followed him in this sin. His departure from the LORD resulted in defeat at the hands of the Egyptian armies. God then spoke to Rehoboam through the prophet Shemaiah who explained, in no uncertain terms, that because Israel had abandoned God, God was doing the same: “This is what the Lord says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak.”  (V5)

This situation presents us with two vitally important lessons for life: (1) don’t take God and His blessings for granted; and (2) returning to Him is not difficult, but it takes humility.

Rehoboam’s departure from the Lord came as a result of his perceived strength and self-reliance. After all, he was now king of a powerful nation. He had all the blessings, accoutrements, and recognition that come with being king. Life was easy. God’s blessings were evident. So, as human beings are inclined to do, he began to drift away from the LORD and His laws and His ways. His dependence upon God shifted to a dependence upon his own status and wealth. He began to take God for granted and, because many eyes were upon him, so did the citizens of his kingdom. Watch out for the sin of taking God and His blessings for granted. Never depend on your status, wealth, resources, and recognition rather than depending fully upon Him. The promise of Scripture is that if you “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) But, remember, the converse of this promise is also true, “Drift away from God, and He will draw away from you.” Never, ever “rest on your laurels” by taking God and His blessings for granted.

The good news for Rehoboam and for all of us is this: No matter how far away from God you’ve drifted, it is always only a short trip back. Rehoboam and his princes simply had to humble themselves, meaning they had to forsake their pride and self-reliance. It was not necessary to go through some prolonged process of finding their way back into His grace. It was a short journey back to Him. By humbling themselves and declaring “The LORD is righteous,” they were acknowledging their own sin and failure and declaring their own unrighteousness in light of God’s righteousness.

Have you drifted away from the Lord? Have you begun to trust in your status or self? What the Lord requires of you and me when this happens is to acknowledge our sin, humble ourselves, and draw near to Him once again. When we have drifted away, we don’t need to beat ourselves up. Nor do we need to go through some prolonged process of trying to prove ourselves worthy (we're not worthy). Simply repent and confess. You will find Him waiting for you right where you left Him. It is a short trip back to His loving arms! The promise of God found in 1 John 1:9 is that, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." What a promise!

 

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 10

 A Turn of Affairs

The Lord has a way of fulfilling His word. Once His will has been established, He can change situations and turn affairs in such a way so as to fulfill His word. Here, in 2 Chronicles 10:15, we read that the king’s decision not to lighten the citizens’ tax burden was “a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word.” The underlying cause of Rehoboam’s decision was God, Himself.

Sometimes we have a hard time understanding God’s sovereign will. At times He causes (or fails to cause) certain events to take place that we wonder about. We wonder why He allows situations that we deem troublesome or adverse into our lives, our families, our communities, and our nation. What we fail to recognize is that God is sovereign and will do as He pleases, even when we don’t fully understand His actions. The Easton's Bible Dictionary defines God's sovereignty as His "absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure." In this case, the division of the kingdom looked like a tragedy, but it was part of God’s plan for His people.

Because God is sovereign, we must learn to submit to His will.  The Bible is pretty clear, teaching that God sovereignly directs people, circumstances and events. “All the people of the earth are nothing compared to Him. He has the power to do as He pleases among the angels of heaven and with those who live on earth. No one can stop Him or challenge Him, saying, ‘What do You mean by doing these things?’” (Daniel 4:35)

There are times when God brings about a turn of affairs that is to our liking. Perhaps we get that promotion we’ve been praying for. Or, found out that our “crush” is interested in us. Or, when a neighbor we have hurt offers forgiveness and reconciliation. We rejoice in these types of turn of events. But we must always remember that difficulties and adversity are tools in God’s sovereign hands with which He shapes us into the image of Jesus Christ. He can (and does) bring about a turn of events in our lives that we dislike or don’t understand. In those moments, we must submit to His will and trust that what seems like a tragedy to us is just the unfolding of His plan.

Be encouraged: Your loving God is still in control, and He is sovereignly directing your life. And though you may not fully understand, be assured that He will work all things together for your good. (Romans 8:28)

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 14

 

Jerusalem!

Jerusalem! The very name evokes an emotional response. It seems that no one is indifferent to Jerusalem—one loves her, hates her, or is fascinated by her. Jerusalem is found 881 times in the Bible. Even people who have never walked her streets call Jerusalem the “Holy City,” situated in the midst of the “Holy Land!” 

Jerusalem is a BIG DEAL in God’s Word. In 2 Chronicles 6:6, the Lord said, “I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.” Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and has been at the center of humanity’s existence since the beginning of recorded history. The first mention of Jerusalem, or the city of peace, is in Genesis 14:18, which states: “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of the God Most High.” The final mention of Jerusalem is in Revelation 21, where the Apostle John says, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

But, why did the Lord choose Jerusalem as His city? Why would God choose to place His name in such a place? Why is the “City of David” so important to God? The simple answer is – He chose Jerusalem because He wanted to. It must have pleased Him to do so. In reality, the Lord had a story to tell to the world. He decided that Jerusalem would be the “stage” for telling humanity that story. It is the story of God’s love for mankind and His eternal plan to send a Savior into the world to rescue us from our sin. There was something God wanted us to see and He used Jerusalem to help us see it.

Not only is Jerusalem God’s city, it is also His timepiece. Jerusalem is God’s countdown clock for humanity’s survival. As you follow the events taking place in and around Jerusalem, you can see God’s clock ticking toward fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. The final events of world history will culminate there with the glorious return of Jesus Christ to the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem can be called the City of God, the City of David, the City of Zion, or simply, Zion, but there is a greater Jerusalem coming, and it is all brand new and more glorious than anyone can describe. 

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 13

The Lying Prophet

In 1 Kings 13, we have an instructional incident involving a young prophet (aka “man of God”). This young prophet encountered an older prophet, who invited him to dinner. At first, the young man refused this invitation because he had been commanded by God not to eat or drink while in Bethel. God had specifically told him to return to Judah without accepting hospitality.

But the older prophet insisted. He tried to turn the young prophet away from what God had told him to do.  He lied to him about a so-called “revelation” that he says he received from the Lord, I received a word from the Lord telling me to bring you back to my home to eat and drink.” In fact he tells him, “an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD.” According to verse 18, this was a lie. This so-called prophet from Bethel gave a false word from God, trying to persuade the younger man to change his course from doing exactly what God had told him. Tragically, the young man listened to bad counsel rather than obeying a direct word from the Lord.

The lesson for us is this: We must obey God rather than man, even when man professes to be in contact with God and gives us a “word from the Lord.” When we have received a direct command fresh from the lips of Christ, we must act on it, and not be turned aside by a different suggestion, made to us through the lips of professing Christians.

This young prophet was persuaded to disobey God’s direct command for several reasons. First, because of his age. The prophet from Bethel was older, thus he was afforded a certain credibility as one who was more experienced. Second, because of his profession of being “a prophet of God.” The younger man thus identified him as one with wisdom and authority. Third, because of an alleged supernatural miracle. The older man declared that “an angel” had spoken to him. If true, this would certainly be reason to sit up and take notice of his message. Finally, because the older prophet declared his words as “a word from the Lord.”

You must be careful never to let someone’s age, status, experiences, or declarations persuade you to disobey a direct word from the Lord. Just because someone “seems” to be in touch with the Lord, this is not enough of a reason to listen to and obey their word. You must stay true to the word of God. Exercise your God-given discernment and obey what the Lord has spoken to you. If someone in a position of spiritual authority (pastor, elder, evangelist, preacher, prophet) gives you a word that contradicts the word which God has given directly to you, (even if they are older, more experienced, have greater status, and declare miraculous happenings) you must reject their word and stay true to God’s word. 

 

Today's Reading: 1 Kings 12

Choosing the Right Counselors

After his death, Solomon's son Rehoboam succeeded him as the king of Israel. One of Rehoboam’s first challenges came in the form of a demand from the populous to lighten their burden of forced labor and heavy taxation. Led by a man named Jeroboam (the son of Nebat from the tribe of Ephraim), the nation approached the new king and petitioned him to lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that his father had imposed on them.

Throughout the history of mankind, heavy taxation has repeatedly been the cause of revolt and revolution. There seems to be a pattern among successful nations that, as the nation prospers, the government grows. As the government grows, more taxes are imposed to cover the expenses of operating the government and its burgeoning bureaucracies. As taxes increase, the citizens become more and more burdened, more and more dissatisfied, and look for some relief. In the end, if these levels of excessive taxes are not lowered, the people revolt and the government is at risk of being overthrown.

This is the situation that faces Rehoboam in the early days of his reign – should he listen to the people and lower their burden? Or should he continue “the previous administration’s” policy of big government and high taxes? He doesn’t know what to do, so he turns to his teams of advisers.

The elder team of advisers gives him wise counsel and tells him to “give them a favorable answer.” If you do, they say, you will have won their hearts and “they will always be your loyal subjects.” The younger team of advisers gives him the opposite advice, telling him to display his power and authority by telling them you are going to make their burden even heavier. Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead accepted the opinion of the young men. Predictably, this decision led to revolt, civil war, and the division of the Nation.  The people decided they had had enough and would not put up with his tyranny.

Rehoboam was a leader who did not know two truths about leadership: (1) that a leader is a servant of the people, not the other way around; (2) the best counsel is often found in the older, wiser advisers. The elder men had observed Solomon and knew from experience what would work and what wouldn’t work with the people. Sadly, Rehoboam took the wrong advice. He listened to the counsel of those who knew nothing about leadership, nor how to elicit a loyal following from the people.

The lesson for us is this: Choose your counselors wisely and give greater credence to those with experience and a reputation for godly wisdom. “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

 

Today's Reading - Proverbs 31

The Truly Beautiful Woman

Proverbs 31 is a wonderful tribute to women. Specifically, to the woman who fears God. To the truly beautiful woman. The one that God honors because she honors God. The virtuous woman. Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband praises her. What a blessing they are to us. What a value. What a joy. What an asset. You couldn't buy her with rubies. Her value is far above them. What an asset they are to their husband, to their family, and to God.

Here in verse 30, the author (king Lemuel) contrasts how the world values and praises women with how women are valued and praised in God’s kingdom. He summarizes the entire chapter by saying charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the fear of God.

Charm is deceitful. While the world may value “charm,” the reality is that it is deceitful and can be very misleading. The Hebrew word for “charm” here means to be pleasant and graceful in appearance. But watch out, that appearance can be disingenuous. This means that someone may appear to have your best interest in mind, but they are actually tricking you to get what they want. This, sadly, is the way of the world. This is deceitful. They say one thing, and mean another. This type of charm is not to be praised.

Beauty is vain. The word used here for “vain” is the same word Solomon used in Ecclesiastes – “hevel,” – which literally means “vapor” or “smoke.” Beauty is like “smoke” – it may appear as though it has substance, but when you try to grasp it and hold onto it, it soon vanishes. A woman’s physical appearance is temporary and fleeting – like a vapor which appears for but a moment then disappears.

The woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Don’t praise the woman whose outward appearance is misleading or fleeting. Instead, praise a woman for her heartfelt devotion to God. Her reverence for God is genuine (not deceitful like charm). Her inner beauty is permanent (not like physical beauty which fades). The Hebrew word for “fear” in this verse is “yir’â”. When used of God, this word means to have a deep and somber respect and reverence for Him. When a woman is filled with this kind of reverence for God, she is truly beautiful. It is her relationship with God that is a beautiful thing and that makes her the most beautiful of all of God’s creations.