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Year of the Bible, June 28Mistaking “Success” for the “Blessing of God”
Readings for today – II Kings 13:1 – 14:29
I think many people in our culture feel that there is no need of seeking God because they already have everything they need. When I can pay all my bills, when everything is going well in the family, when there is plenty of time and the “good life” is easily affordable – why would I need God? Eat … drink … and be merry … signs of success, and therefore they must be signs that the blessing of God is on me.
Not so fast. In today’s lesson, there are two men who are having great success. One is Hazael of Aram. In 13:3, the writer alludes to the fact that Hazael and his son are having great political success. The other is in chapter 14:23 (and following verses). It’s the story of King Jeroboam II of Israel, and he too (inspite of the fact that he did evil in the eyes of the Lord) had great political success. Verse 25 says he “restored the boundaries of Israel”. It looks like the blessing of God is on him.
But look more closely. This is not a sign of God’s blessing – it is a sign of God’s faithfulness to His covenant. Verse 27 - “And since the LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash”. It is a sign of the mercy of God. At this point in Israel’s history, God is not blessing their actions, but he is blessing them by withholding the judgment which they are headed toward.
For Jeroboam – great political success does not signify the blessing of God. For (insert your name here) – great success at (insert your situation here) does not automatically you have the blessing of God.
Do you? Only you can know for sure.
Let the Word speak.
Thurland -- Year of the Bible, June 22Seeking Godly Counsel
Readings for today – II Kings 3:1 – 4:17
With all the power that the OT kings had, the wise ones knew that there was a time to “inquire of the Lord”. And they also seemed to sense that they would need outside help in this inquiring. In today’s lesson, three kings, Joram of Israel, Jehoshaphat of Judah, and the king of Edom had allied together against Moab. The circuitous route they had chosen for the attack led them through wilderness, until they reached the end of their physical strength. At this point of despair, one of the kings said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?”
There comes a time when we all need outside help. I believe that the will of God is better found in community, than when sought only by oneself. By one’s self, it is too easy to hear our own desires and mistake those for the voice of God. But together, in community, (a truly “seeking” church), God will speak.
You need a group – not necessarily a large group – but a group of people who will read the Bible together, pray together, overcome obstacles together – a group who will bring out God’s best in your life - A group who will “inquire of the Lord.” Even the kings had to call in the prophet to lead them in this act.
Let the Word speak.
Thurland -- Year of the Bible, June 21Like a Breath of Fresh Air
Readings for these days – II Kings 1:1 – 2:25
Her name is Jenn, and she was one of the sharpest teenagers I had ever met. When she was 14 she personally started a “Send Kid’s to Camp” program that enabled dozens od kids to attend a summer camp. (She ultimately made a brief appearance on Oprah for that one!) She was one of those teenagers who brightened every room that she entered, and it was a joy to be around her.
The narrative of Elijah that ends in today’s lessons was like that for me. We had been plodding through dark scene after dark scene. This king did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He died and was succeeded (temporarily) by his son, who followed in his father’s footsteps, and did more evil than any one who had ever gone before him. In the book of Judges, we identified what we called a downward spiral in the life of Israel. In the book of I Kings, it seemed as if there was no more spiral: it was now a straight line of descent.
Into this darkness, without any introduction, strides the prophet Elijah. He spoke God’s word boldly; he stayed true to God’s direction; he trusted God’s word; he performed God’s acts – both of mercy and judgment.
What a great read. I feel as if someone has opened the door after a hot summer day, and that initial breath of cooler air enters the room. With the breath of air, there comes hope – hope that that house will cool down enough to sleep. With the reading of Elijah’s and now Elisha’s stories, there is the re-introduction of hope.
Open the doors, Lord, open the doors!
Let the Word speak.
Thurland -- Year of the Bible, June 18,19I Can't Make a Choice I Kings 17 – 19
Anyone who ever said the Bible is boring must have forgotten to read these chapters in I Kings dealing with the life of Elijah. We noted in yesterday’s article that the kings were becoming increasingly wicked, and these chapters are explosive vignettes about good battling evil.
There are too many “highlightable” verses for me to even choose a favorite, so today let’s just read the Word.
- In 18:18 King Ahab accused Elijah of causing trouble (by doing the work of the Lord). Elijah’s response? “I have not made trouble for Israel … but you and your families have. You have abandoned the Lord’s command, and followed Baal.”
- 18:21 – Elijah is speaking to the people gathered – “Hw long halt ye between two opinions. If the Lord is God, then follow him, but if Baal is god, then follow him.”
- 18:36 – Elijah’s simple prayer at the “sacrifice showdown” on Mt. Carmel. (It’s still a good prayer to pray for your country.) “Let it be known this day in all of Israel, that you are God.”
- 18:44 – Elijah has sent prophesied the immediate end of the drought. He sent his servant to see the clouds coming, and six times the servant returned to say there was nothing. On the seventh time, he said, “There is a cloud the size of a man’s hand.” To this, Elijah replied, “Run for your lives.” (My paraphrase)
That’s enough for now. It’s a great story – a great relief from the pervasion of wickedness in the chapters preceding it. So … “how long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, then follow him.”
Let the Word Speak
Thurland -- Year of the Bible, June 16, 17, 18Breaking the cycle
When we lived in Nova Scotia, Lorraine and I did a lot of work with the Children’s Aid Society. (I never will forget the day I first went into their office and told them we’d like to work with teenage girls. Their mouths flew open and they somehow managed to say, “No-one ever asks for teenagers; they always want the babies.”) I must confess our intention wasn’t really high-minded when we started. There was a friend of one of our daughters who was in trouble, and we thought we might appeal to the Society to let her live with us. That never did happen, but over the last three years in NS, we had 10 people live with for varying lengths of time, and enjoyed (most of it) very much.
During that time, I also sat on the Board and helped with the training of some other prospective foster-parents. One of the things that we noticed was that the people involved in foster-care often had been foster-children themselves, and a familiar topic of discussion around the building had to do with “How will we break the cycle.” (Last summer we had the privilege of spending an evening with our first girl. She had lived with us for 14 months and now 14 years later has her own family … and for her at least the cycle seems to be broken. Her Dad has been converted and does some lay-preaching along the South Shore, and we thank God for being a part of that.)
In the lessons of I Kings following the reign of Solomon, there is a new cycle of evil in which the kings of Israel become embroiled. 16:25 – Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him. 16:30 – Ahab, son of Omri … did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.
Who will break this cycle? Is the world doomed to get worse and worse – generation after generation, or is their a way to break the cycle?
Thank God Elijah is coming along soon. And thank God that there is one greater than Elijah who would one day come. His name is Jesus, and he has come to “take away the sins of the world.” Call to him today, and the cycle of your sin can be broken.
Let the Word Speak
Thurland -- Year of the Bible, June 14, 15Can’t ride the shirt-tails
Readings these two days – I Kings 12:20 – 15:24
The old-timers used to regularly remind us that “God has no grand-children”. By that they meant I can’t approach God on the basis of my father’s or grandfather’s relationship with him. Can you imagine the absurdity of approaching the throne of judgment, receiving bad news about your future, and your only recourse was to sputter out, “But don’t you remember my grandfather?”
David’s sons and grandsons were now the kings. The nation had split, and was constantly at civil war. The Scripture constantly compares them to David (they did evil, unlike David … or like David, they followed God.) But it is obvious that there are no special eternal favors to them on the basis that they were his descendants.
Someone once said “there are very few fourth generation fundamentalists”. Think about that for a few minutes, and see if it’s true in your family, and think about the fact that it is time for a new generation to make strong commitments to follow the Lord.
Let the Word Speak
Thurland -- Year of the Bible, June 11, 12Take heed lest you fall
Readings for this weekend – 9:1 – 12:19
A couple of winters ago, two friends of mine had fallen on the ice. Both were big men, (really big) and though the injuries were painful, they were not so bad to stop us me from laughing with (at) them, and teasing them about old people needing to watch where they walk. Later that same week, Lorraine and I were out on a Friday night, the parking lot was icy, and I was running … singing as I ran. And the song I sang was, “I know people who wouldn’t dare run on the ice like this.” You guessed it – before I was through the first line, I was upside down on the ice with a wrist that bothered me for the whole winter. I think the Bible says something like, “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.”
In the lessons we looked at over the weekend, we saw Solomon as a wise servant of God. Suddenly, in today’s lessons, that changes. I’m not sure how it happened. The Scripture uses words like “Solomon accumulated”, and “did not follow the Lord fully, as his father David had done.” Before we can say “I know people who wouldn’t dare do this”, Solomon is upside down on the ice. He is marrying women forbidden to him and he is building high places so the forbidden women can worship their forbidden gods. He is ignoring the clear commands of the Lord, and the kingdom is snatched from his (sons) hands.
Friends – we never become strong enough spiritually that we are able to do it on our own.
Let the Word Speak
Thurland -- Year of the Bible, June 9, 10, 11Priorities in Prayer
Readings for this weekend – I Kings 5:1 – 8:66
A thoughtful man was walking along the beach one day, wondering about the other nations of the world. He stumbled on a bottle, and of course a genie popped out and offered the man one wish. The thoughtful man explained that he had been thinking about other nations of the world, and wondering if there was anyway to bridge the gaps between the peoples. He told the genie that he would like to have a bridge that would span the ocean, making it easy for people to travel back and forth, and allowing them the opportunity to learn about each other. The Genie patiently explained that such a feat was impossible even for a Genie, so offered the man another wish – the man said “I wish I could understand women”. Without missing a beat, the Genie replied, “I’ll get working on that bridge”.
I think the deepest, most profound prayers of our hearts are revealed by the answer that we would give if the proverbial genie ever popped out of the proverbial bottle and offered us the proverbial three wishes.
The readings this weekend have been on the life of a man who had such an opportunity presented to him - King Solomon. In I Kings 3:5, God appeared to Solomon and said “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” We know his wise reply, (give me a discerning heart) and we know God’s overflowing response (gave him the discerning heart, plus wisdom and riches). (Unfortunately I don’t think we can use reverse psychology on God by pretending we want a discerning heart, and hoping he will throw in the riches and power!)
Solomon’s request was really for wisdom to handle the role that God had put in his life. He was the King, and as such there were two ways he could go. He could major on the privileges of kingship and a life of ease for himself. Or he could emphasize the responsibilities of kingship, recognize that on his own strengths he was incapable of handling this responsibly, and ask God for wisdom.
We all have responsibilities. Let the Word speak.
Thurland
-- Year of the Bible, June 8Let’s go mountain climbing?
Readings for today – I Kings 3:4 – 4:34
Forgive me for going back and addressing a verse in II Samuel 23 rather than looking at today’s lesson, but I learned something new this week, and both the truth itself, as well as the fact that I learned something is exciting. II Samuel 23 is David’s song of satisfaction in looking back over his life. In v. 31 he says, “As for God, his way is perfect.” Then in v. 34 he says, “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He enables me to stand in high places.” (Repeated in Psalm 18:33 and Habakkuk 3:19) The King James Version says, “He maketh my feet like hind’s feet.”
Here’s the lesson I learned (Thanks to Roger).
(From “Hannah’s Cupboard”) The hind is a female red deer whose home is the mountains. The rear feet of the hind step in precisely the same spot where the front feet have just been. Every motion of the hind is followed through with single-focused consistency, making it the most sure-footed of all mountain animals. When we realize that the Lord compares our spiritual walk with the hind it shows us that the Lord has some high places for us? Places where the air is pure, the view pristine, distractions are far below, and there are paths just big enough for the two of you.
It's
true that the climb up to the high places is a bit more challenging than a level
foot path in the valley. But not if you've got those hinds' feet; the hinds'
feet equip you for the roughest terrain.
Think of it this way. The hind feet go exactly where the front feet were, meaning that the hind feet don’t have to look for the sure place. If we are following and focusing on God’s direction in our life, then He is the front feet, and we are the hind feet. Let’s go mountain climbing!
Let the Word speak.
Thurland
-- Year of the Bible, June 6 & 7Passing of the Torch
Readings for these days – I Kings 1:1 – 3:2
He’s an older man in our congregation, and his days on earth are numbered. Over the years as I have visited him, Fred has been the source of great encouragement and some spiritual reminders. One day Fred looked at the cross I was wearing and said, “So you wear a cross on your neck do you?” When I replied that I sometimes did, he got one of those faraway looks in his eyes, and then said, “Jesus wore his on his back.” Today as I visited him in the hospital, Fred woke up and was strong enough to talk for a few minutes. Twice he reached for my hand and said, “I want to encourage you with these words: There’s a God in heaven.” (I told him to encourage as many people as he could with those words.)
In the lessons for today and tomorrow, David is passing the torch. It is not an easy transition because his son Adonijah is making a bid for the throne, while he wants to pass it on to Solomon. When it is finally peacefully settled, Solomon is king, and David reaches for his hand and encourages him with these words: (I Kings 2:2) - "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, 3 and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go
“Going the way of all the earth” is not easy. But it is a sacred thing to be with someone in those last days, and have them say, “Let me encourage you with these words – there is a God in heaven.”
Let the Word speak.
Thurland -- Year of the Bible, June 4 and 5What will be your “end-of-life” song?
Readings for these days – II Samuel 21:1 0 25:25
We’ll call him Frank, though that’s not his real name. I used to hear Frank when I was visiting in Senior’s Home of which he was a resident. He was an angry, cynical old man, and he took his anger out on anyone who had contact with him. At first, I felt a sorrow that Frank had grown into an angry old man. Later I realized that he was an angry old man because he had been an angry young man. There were others in the same home whose lives had been equally as hard as Frank’s, but they were not angry.
Near the end of the book of II Samuel (chapters 22 and 23) we read David’s song of praise, and David’s last testimony. Both are filled with satisfaction.
The song says: - Lord rescued me from enemies - Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness (Lord is faithful to faithful, blameless to the blameless, pure to the pure, and shrewd to the crooked) - Lord’s way is perfect - Lord is my enabler - I pursued the enemy, but it was the Lord who armed me with strength - The lord lives!
His testimony says much the same. It is a wonderful thing to come to the end of life and look back with satisfaction. But it’s an art that best be practiced when we are young.
Let the Word speak.
Thurland
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