Day 113 - 2 Kings 20-22

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 113 - 2 Kings 20-22 (God's Irreversible Judgment on Israel)
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"Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.  Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest,... "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."  (2 Kings 22:11-13)

Many students of the Bible consider Josiah to be the greatest king of Israel and Judah.  He was the only king of which nothing bad was said about him in the Bible.  What I admire most about Josiah was his response to the Word of God when he heard it as we see from our text above.  Josiah's act of tearing his clothes indicated his deep remorse for his own sins as well as the sins of the people.

Josiah's did not stop with the act of tearing his clothes in repentance before God; he ordered the priests and his officers to inquire of the Lord regarding the impending judgment that was upon them and what God would have them do.  Then, God responded with these words: 

        "But as for the king of Judah,... "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Concerning the words which you         have heard-- because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you           heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a                       desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says           the LORD.  Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your               grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place."' 

There are two things I believe are important to note in our Scripture passage today.  First is our proper attitude and response to the Word of God.  Josiah could have ignored the Word of God even after it was brought to him after having been lost for some time in the Temple but he did not.  Rather, Josiah listened as the Scriptures were read to him.  

Do you have the same attitude towards the Bible?  In all likelihood, you have at least one Bible sitting in your home.  The question is, "Are you reading it?"  If you do read it even occasionally, how is your response to the Word of God?  For anyone who has never truly and sincerely repented before God, the only response that God accepts is repentance.  Only then will God begin to listen to prayers offered to Him for the Bible says God hates the proud of heart.

Secondly, notice God's response to Josiah regarding the judgment which He has decreed for Judah.  God did not change His mind but rather reiterated his judgment regarding the calamity which He said He would bring on Judah.  But because Josiah humbled himself before God, God told him that He would not bring the judgment on Judah during his lifetime.

Four kings later after Josiah, God's irreversible judgment on Judah finally came upon Judah when Nebuchadnezzer king of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and burnt the Temple and took the people captive in Babylon for seventy years.  

I can't help but compare the state of the nation of America with that of Judah and Israel in their rebellion against God and the resulting irreversible judgment that befell them.  There is a degree of hatred against the Bible today and against Christians in this country unlike any other time in history.  People want to get rid of God and the Bible and to silence those who are committed to live faithfully for God.  

We as a nation are committing the same sins of idolatry and immorality including the abominable murder of innocent unborn children just like the Israelites did back then.  It would be an utter disillusion to think that this country will be spared God's judgment.  If God judged Israel who is His chosen people, how can anyone think that He will spare America?

What believers in Christ must do in these dark days is to humble ourselves just as Josiah did and to inquire from the Lord what He requires us to do according to His Word the Bible and to do it.  Perhaps God will be merciful enough to delay His judgment on this nation to give us time to warn our loved ones and to help them surrender their lives to Christ.  May God do so and more.  May He send a revival on this nation just as He did in the past.

 

Day 112 - 2 Kings 18-19

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 112 - 2 Kings 18-19 (Why God was Pleased with King Hezekiah for Destroying the Bronze Serpent God Had Commanded Moses to Make Almost 700 Years Before)
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"Hezekiah removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan."  (2 Kings 18:4)

We are told in our Scripture passage for today that Hezekiah "he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done." (2 Kings 18:3)  Thirty kings from Solomon to Hezekiah failed to remove the high places of idolatry practiced in Judah and Israel.  Only Hezekiah had the will and dedication to God to rid his kingdom of idolatry.

Hezekiah's zeal for God in ridding his kingdom of idolatry went so far as to destroy what was considered as sacred to the Jews - the bronze serpent which God commanded Moses to make so that all who were bitten by the poisonous snakes that God sent to punish those who rebelled against Him would live if they simply looked at the snake.  

The bronze snake was later described by the apostle John as a type of Christ so that "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)  

Being that the bronze serpent bore tremendous significance for both Judaism and Christianity, why did Hezekiah destroy it?  We read in our text above that Hezekiah was commended for his action in breaking the bronze serpent because it had become an idol that the people worshipped.  

Wow, how many today would dare destroy something as significant as the bronze serpent if it proved to be an idol that lead people from worshipping only the true God?  Imagine the Pope ordering the destruction of the Shroud of Turin because it has become a thing that people worshipped as an idol.  That would be world-shaking news!

Making our lesson for today more personal, is here anything in your life that you have elevated as an idol before God?  Could it be going on vacation or your house or car?  Whatever you place more importance than spending time with God in prayer and in the study of His Word the Bible is an idol.  I pray that you may have the will and dedication like Hezekiah to break any idol in your life that keeps you from worshipping the one true God.

Day 111 - 2 Kings 15-17

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 111 - 2 Kings 15-17 (God's Hatred for Idolatry )
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"Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years.  In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria...For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God... and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city.  They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree... for they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."' (2 Kings 17:5-12)

From its birth as a nation, Israel, God had given them His laws and commandments foremost of which is what we know as the Ten Commandments.  Of the Ten Commandments, the first two is about having no other gods besides the Lord and about not making any carved image and bowing to those images.  The Israelites repeatedly broke both commandments of God among many others.  

Despite many warnings from God for the people to turn away from their idols, Israel continued in worship of their wooden images which they had set up on their altars all around them.  As punishment for their disobedience, God sent Israel into Exile by the Assyrians.  Several years later, God will send the kingdom of Judah into exile to Babylon.

For God to punish His people, the Jews to the extent that He would divide the kingdom of Israel that was firmly established under David, then, send Israel into exile to Assyria and later completely destroy the magnificent temple built by Solomon and send the people of Judah into exile to Babylon - God must have hated the sin committed by the Jews.  As we already have seen above, that sin which God hated so much was the sin of idolatry.

Our Scripture reading for today leads me to ask the question: How do people today commit idolatry? Acoording to God Himself, idolatry means anything that man adores and worships as his god before the triune person of God in the Bible (Exodus 20:3).  An idols is anything that is a man-made carved image which a person bows to in worship or prayer.  

So be honest ask yourself: Is there anything that I adore and worship more than God?  Could my car or my hobby or my job or my spouse and children be taking first place in my life before God?  If any of the these things means more to you than God, then it is idolatry.

Ask yourself this question also:  Is there any carved image that I bow and pray to?  If there is, then you are bowing to an idol and you are guilty of the very same sin which God hates so much that He ordered the Israelites to wipe out the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan and then later, when Israel practiced idolatry themselves, that God sent them into exile and destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem.

If you answered yes to any or both of the questions above, you will respond in one of two ways.  One, you will do nothing and continue in your idolatry and incur the judgment of God.  Two, you will repent of your idolatry and destroy your idols and ask God's forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ and you will be forgiven.  I pray that you will do the latter.

Day 110 - 2 Kings 11-14

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 110 - 2 Kings 11-14 (Courageous Leadership)
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"In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds--of the bodyguards and the escorts--and brought them into the house of the LORD to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king's son.  Then he commanded them, saying, "This is what you shall do:...Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they should be the LORD's people, and also between the king and the people."  (2 Kings 11:4-5,17)

Out of all the sermons, books and articles about leadership that I have listened to and read throughout the years, I don't remember the name Johoiada mentioned as one of the great leaders in the Bible.  After reading our Scripture passage for today, however, I would place Jehoiada the priest as among the top leaders in the Bible.

When Ahaziah king of Judah died, his mother Athaliah murdered all the royal heirs so she could rule the kingdom.  Unbeknown to her, one infant son of Ahaziah named Joash was hidden by his aunt in the temple under the protection of Jehoiada the priest.  This is the setting we find our text above and we read that in when Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada made his daring move against the wicked queen and at great risk of his own life in showing the prince to the trusted officers of the army. 

The plan worked flawlessly with the help of God and Athaliah was killed along with those aligned with her including the priest of Baal.  Jehoiada also commanded the people to destroy the temple of Baal.  Knowing that it wasn't enough to crown Joash as king Jehoiada "made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they should be the LORD's people, and also between the king and the people." (2 Kings 11:17)

The Bible records that Jehoiada showed his strength as a leader throughout his life until he died at the old age of 130 years as evidenced in his tremendous influence in the life of king Joash.  Unfortunately, after Jehoiada died, Joash departed from the Lord: 

       "Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest... But Jehoiada           grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died.           And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both           toward God and His house.  Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed             down to the king. And the king listened to them.  Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of             their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem                 because of their trespass." (2 Chronicles 24:2,15-18)

What our nation and all the other nations need today is more Jehoiadas who is able to influence the movers of the world in doing what is right in the eyes of God.  I thank and praise God for Billy Graham who is respected and considered as the spiritual leader by several presidents of America as well as many world leaders.  As Billy awaits his home-coming in heaven, I pray God will raise up not just one but many to take on his mantle of spiritual leadership and ministry to the leaders of this world.

As much as this world needs the Jehoiadas of today, families and churches need them jjust as much.  Fathers and husbands must step up to their sacred calling as courageous leaders of their homes if they want to see their children do the right thing before God.  Pastors and church leaders must not be afraid to speak out the truth of God's Word if they want to see their congregants follow Christ as His disciples.

"O God, may you raise up for yourself courageous leaders who will influence others to follow you.  Help me to be a leader like Jehoiada in my own home and church and even in my community."

Day 109 - 2 Kings 9-10

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 109 - 2 Kings 9-10 (The One King of Israel Who Almost Became Good)
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"Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.  However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan....But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin."  (2 Kings 10:28-31) 

Jehu was among the top commanders of king Ahab's army.  God sent Elisha to annoint Jehu as king of Israel in place of the wicked Ahab.  Jehu wholly accepted his appointment and became zealous in obeying God with regards to cutting off Ahab and his whole family according to the Word of God.  But, like all the rest of the good kings except for Judah's king Josiah who we will meet soon, Jehu "took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin."   (2 Kings 10:31)

In an earlier post, I talked about the one word which I dreaded the most which is the word EXCEPT and I referred to king David's almost unblemished record of obeying God EXCEPT in the murder of Urriah and his adultery with Bathsheba.  In Jehu's case, it is the word HOWEVER which defined his leadership and obedience to God.  As we read in our text above, Jehu was obedient in the matter of Baal, "HOWEVER, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan."  (2 Kings 10:29)

As I mentioned in a recent post, the reason why I dread the word EXCEPT in the case of David and now the word HOWEVER in the case of Jehu, is that I don't want to have those descriptive words attached to my name when God writes his epitaph about my life.  The only way for me to achieve this high spiritual goal is to be completely faithful to God to the very end of my life; to my last breadth.

In order for me to be faithful to God to the very end, I know that I need to avoid any and all temptations that will come my way.  I thank God for His promise that  "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."  (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Besides God's promise that He will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I am able to bear as well as provide me an escape from every temptation, He also has given me His Holy Spirit to help me and strengthen me to resist every temptation if I fully depend on Him.

"Dear God, thank you that you have provided everything I need in order to finish this race called the Christian life well.  I pray the prayer which you have taught your disciples to pray: "Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil.  Amen."

Day 108 - 2 Kings 5-8

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 108 - 2 Kings 5-8 (A Lesson on Humility)
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"And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean."  But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, "He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.'  Are not the Abanah  and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage." (2 Kings 5:10-12)

We are told in our Scripture reading for today that Naaman was army commander of the king of Syria and his right-hand man but that he was also a leper.  Through the suggestion of a young Israeli slave girl, Naaman went to Samaria to seek Elisha in the hope of getting healed by the man of God.  And as we read in our text above, Naaman was enraged when Elisha did not even come out of his house to see Naaman face to face but sent his messenger to instruct Naaman what he should do to be healed.

Were it not for the wise counsel of his servants who were with him to follow Elisha's instructions and of his decision to lay aside his pride, Naaman would have never been healed of his leprosy.  Because Naaman followed Elisha's command, he was instantly healed of his leprosy.  After his healing, Naaman returns to Elisha to thank him and this time Elisha comes out of his house to meet him but refuses the reward Naaman tried to offer him.  A true servant of God ministers without regard for compensation especially if the person ministered to is an unbeliever.  Jesus said you shall know a person by his fruit.  A false minister of the gospel does so for profit.

Now to the real subject of this short devotional - humility.  I believe that Elisha deliberately refused to meet the second in command of Syria in order to test his humility.  The Bible says that God hates the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).  If we are to have an audience with God almighty, we must lay aside all pride and approach Him humbly and through the merit of Christ's righteousness because we have none.

Speaking of humility, I can think of no better picture of it than the example of humility which the Lord Jesus Christ modeled before His twelve apostles at the last supper, the last lesson He would teach them before His death on the cross.  Imagine the God of all creation Himself about to have a meal with His servants when to the surprise of all, He removes His garments and girds a towel and starts washing the dirty feet of His disciples!  He did what those knuckleheads should have done! And He did so to teach them about humility:

      "So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do             you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  If I         then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I       have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  Most assuredly, I say to you, a       servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  If you             know these things, blessed are you if you do them." (John 13:12-017) 

Let me tell you what Christs's example of humility means to me.  It means this: if God Himself did not consider his being God as something of importance to prevent Him from lowering Himself to the level of the lowliest of servitude, I can do no less.  The fact that Jesus Christ my Lord chose to teach His disciples a lesson on humility for His last class with them speaks volumes to me that humility is what I need to nurture and practice in my own life and ministry.

I hope and pray that as you read this post that you will see the importance of humility in your own life as well.  May these words of our Master Servant give inspire and move you to be humility:  "...whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  (Matthew 20:26b-28)

Day 107 - 2 Kings 3-4

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 107 - 2 Kings 3-4 (How Would You Fare if Your Survival Depended on Your Children?)
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"A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves." So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil."  Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors--empty vessels; do not gather just a few.  And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones."  So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out.  Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not another vessel." So the oil ceased.  Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest."  (2 Kings 4:1-7)

The woman in our Scripture passage above is in a pretty dire distress being in real danger of losing her two sons to her creditors to be sold as slaves.  She goes to Elisha for help and Elisha told her to gather as many vessels as she could for God will perform a miracle by filling those empty jars with oil using the the little that she had.  Fortunately for the poor widow, her two sons were good enough to obey their mother in going to their neighbors to borrow the vessels which resulted in their deliverance from being sold to slavery. 

Fast forward today in the land of independence called America where the majority of children do not know the meaning of responsibility and contributing to the support of their households in which they live and eat for free.  I truly doubt that every child or teenager would pitch in for their family's sustenance or even their very survival.  I wonder how many foreclosures and bankruptcies could have been avoided if only the children of those households chipped in whatever they could to help.

I realize that some children are naturally selfish and rebellious and grow up that way despite their parents doing all the right things to raise them up as responsible citizens.  But as I have observed in many families, parents are also to be blamed for the sad state of their children's lack of responsibility.  These parents somehow believe or think that their children should not experience hardship and pain as much as possible and that includes putting them to work at an early age in order to learn responsibility.

My wife and I feel very blessed that our children all help out for the support of our household.  Obviously, some are much more helpful than the other but I know without a doubt that everyone of them will do exactly as the sons of the poor widow should my wife ever fall into a similar situation, God forbid.

My wife and I always get complements from our friends about how our children are so helpful around or house even without us telling them what to do.  We tell them that it is all a blessing from God and it also helps that we started training them at a very young age to work and help each other out.  It also helped that I have never given any of my children allowances; they all had to work for their money.  

They witness daily the simple life that my wife and I live and so they have also adopted it in their own lives.  We have tried to instill in them what we believe are the greatest values in life such as helping others, diligence, honesty, integrity, responsibility, faith, love, friendship and hospitality to name a some. 
I am convinced that every parent who puts those values first in their own lives and teach them to their children will also reap the benefits that my wife and I enjoy with our children.

Day 106 - 2 Kings 1-2

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 106 - 2 Kings 1-2 (Is it Wrong to Ask God for a Lot?)
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"And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?"  Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."  (2 Kings 1-2)

It seems that most Christians I know, including myself, have reservations about asking God for what they think would be too much to ask.  Some reading our text above may think that Elisha was kind of selfish in asking for a double portion of the spirit of Elijah.  Wouldn't it be more spiritual if Elisha simply asked that he be given just the same portion of the spirit of Elijah?  Wasn't it a little brash of Elisha to want to exceed his master in his ministry?  Well, apparently Elijah didn't see it that way and because Elisha was granted his request, God must have been okay with it as well.

I think of another character in the Bible who made a similarly grand request of God; his name was Jabez and this was his prayer:  "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested."  (1 Chronicles 4:10) With both Elisha's and Jabez' request, God was pleased to grant them what they asked for.  

This tells me that God is not repulsed but rather is pleased when His children ask Him for incredible things in order to do great feats for God and for God to be glorified through them.  This is such a tremendous encouragement to me because, as I've mentioned, I didn't think it was it was spiritual to ask for "too much" of God.  Now, I think that I will start asking God for more so that I can do more for Him and so that He will be glorified more through me.

"Oh God, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!  Amen." 

Day 105 - 1 Kings 20-22

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 105 - 1 Kings 20-22 (God's Mercy on the Evil Ahab)
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^"But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.  And he behaved very abominably in following idols, ...So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.  And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house."  (1 Kings 21:25-29)

Ahab's notoreity in the Bible was exceeded that of any other evil person as we read from our text above. Interestingly, he was married to a woman named Jezebel whose notoriety exceeded that of all other women in the Bible.  In fact, we read that she was mainly responsible for the evil that Ahab did.  

Nevertheless, when God condemned Ahab through the prophet Elijah because of all his evil, Ahab repented in sackcloth and fasting and mourned for his sins.  As a result of Ahab's genuine repentance, God had mercy on him and did not bring the calamity which He had pronounced on him in his lifetime but did so in the days of his son Ahaziah.

In the Bible, we learn that there is no person too evil that God will not forgive him if he truly repents.  The apostle Paul declared that he considered himself the chief of sinners for persecuting Christians to their death before he met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus.  

I realize that in all likelihood, no one who may be reading this short devotional would consider himself an evil person like Ahab.  The truth is, the Bible teaches that is there is no one who is good and that all are evil:

         "There is none righteous, no, not one; 
        There is none who understands; 
        There is none who seeks after God. 
        They have all turned aside; 
        They have together become unprofitable; 
        There is none who does good, no, not one."  
        "Their throat is an open tomb; 
        With their tongues they have practiced deceit";  
        "The poison of asps is under their lips";  
        "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."  
        "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 
        Destruction and misery are in their ways; 
        And the way of peace they have not known."  
        "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18)

We all need to do what Ahab did and repent of all our wickedness before God and fall on His mercy through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise God that we have His promise that all who do so will surely find forgiveness because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross of Calvary.  To God be all the praise and glory and honor for His loving mercy!  Amen!

 

Day 104 - 1 Kings 17-19

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 104 - 1 Kings 17-19 (Do Not Fear, God Will Provide)
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Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." ^...he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."  And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.  For thus says the LORD God of Israel: "The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth."'   (1 Kings 17:8-14)

Humans have a natural inclination to look to people of influence and means when it comes to material provisions.  For example, a single mother who could not afford to raise another child and is thinking of putting the child up for adoption would not look to approach another single mother who is as destitute as her.  Rather, she might look to a childless couple who has the means to provide her child with a healthy life and a good future.

Upon reading our Scripture passage for today, I could not help but notice the radically different approach God took when He wanted to provide sustenance for the prophet Elijah during a severe famine.  God told Elijah to go to a poor widow Zarephath who was dying from hunger along with her son in order to wait out the famine.  

When asked by Elijah to bring him a morsel of bread, the widow told him how she only had enough food for a last meal for her and her son before they died of hunger.  Elijah told her not to be afraid and assured her that she and her son will not die of starvation but that her little flour and oil she had left will never run out until the famine stopped.  And so it happened as Elijah prophesied.

I am amazed at how God acted to provide not just for Elijah but also for the widow and her son.  Had God sent Elijah to some rich person to provide for him, the widow and her son would most likely have died of hunger.  But, because God sent Elijah to the widow, both survived the famine and both gave glory to God! By sending one destitute person to another destitute person, God enriched both poverty-stricken beings physically and spiritually.

God is also telling us today, "Fear not.  I will provide for you as long as you obey what I say."  I can testify to this truth because I have been so blessed as the recipient of God's daily provisions in my own life and that of my family.  I do not know of even one day when I have lacked anything that I needed since becoming a child of God and since I decided to follow Him in everything He commanded.

Are you fearful about where your next meal will come from or where your next job would be?  Maybe what you are fearful of is whether your health nay not allow you to live another year or that your marriage may not last another month.  Whatever it is you may be afraid of, do not fear but rather, trust and obey God and He promises to provide for everything you will ever need. 

Day 103 - 1 Kings 15-16

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 103 - 1 Kings 15-16 (My Most Dreaded Word: EXCEPT)
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"In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah....And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.  Nevertheless for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite."  (1 Kings 15:1-5)

Just one moment of putting his guard down when he saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing as he walked on top of his roof changed not only the course of David's life and the life of his descendants but also changed his reputation and legacy for the rest of eternity as we read in our text above.   I am sure that if David could have reversed his life and undo his error, he would have given up anything just so he could erase the word EXCEPT from his epitaph.

Obviously, his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder her husband Uriah were not the only sins of David but those sins of David caused God's honor which David represented to be maligned; after all, David has been given the greatest honor of being the prince of Israel forever.  David's sins speaks loudly to me for the reason that I do not want to be in the place where I would wish to reverse my life and erase the word EXCEPT on my epitaph.

I do not mean to imply that I am righteous as David - by all means, no.  By God's grace and mercy, however, He has kept me since becoming His child by faith in His Son Jesus, from committing a blatant sin which would have tarnished the Name I represent as His servant and ambassador.  And because I do not wish to make the same error as David and Solomon and other heroes of faith who, because of their momentary slackness in putting down their guards, caused the word EXCEPT to be inserted in their epitaph.

"Lord, I pray that you would continue to keep me from sin and temptation and from having the word EXCEPT inserted in your epitaph on my life."

Day 102 - 1 Kings 12-14

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 102 - 1 Kings 12-14 (When the Death of a Child is Good)
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"Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die.  And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam." (1 Kings 14:12-13)

It is only natural for a parent who loses a child to death to question God's fairness in the situation.  I lost our first child who was stillborn.  By God's grace, I did not question God's fairness when Amber and I were grieving the loss of our baby Sarah but I know that many do not have the same faith in God and in His sovereignty as we did at that time.  The reason why we did not doubt God's wisdom was because we understood that He had a wonderful reason for allowing our child to die just as He did for the child of king Jeroboam in our text above.
Jeroboam was chosen by God to become king of Israel minus Judah and Levi because of the sins of Solomon.  God promised Jereboam that "if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you."  (1 Kings 11:38)  But instead of learning from the sins of Solomon from whom God tore Israel and gave it to him, Jeroboam did more evil than both Solomon and his son Rehoboam and as a result, God said of Jeroboam that He will raise another king over Israel who will cut off his house forever (1 Kings 14:14).

Today, I would like to highlight God's reason for allowing Jeroboam's son to die from our text above.  God, speaking through the prophet Abijah, said that He let the child die because He found in the lad something good.  Wow; God says that the death of a person even as young as a child is not a bad thing but is actually a very good thing.  

I can't help to keep my mind from wondering about a number of possible reasons why God would take the life of a child because He has found something good in him.  Perhaps, God was just sparing the child from becoming affected with the evil around him.  We have already learned how the child's father, king Jeroboam became an evil person and in all likelihood, his household and even the entire palace had become such an evil environment that there was no way that the child could grow up without becoming evil too.

Have you lost a child to death?  If so, I hope that you will be encouraged by our message from God's Word today that your child is in the arms of his heavenly Father and that it was actually a blessing for the child not to have known evil as an adult would have known it by the time he died.   And God forbid you lose a child close to you, know that God may be sparing the kid from evil because he has found something good in the youth.