The heart of the matter
1Kings 15: His heart was in the right place, in tune with God.
Both Israel and Judah are traveling down the same miserable road of spiritual failure. Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, messes up āroyallyā and God tells him heās going to toss him out like the garbage. Rehoboam, son of wise Solomon and grandson of faithful David, also fails. He follows Jeroboam in selling out to the worship of the idol Asherah. Meanwhile the precious Temple is raided by Egyptian forces and much of its wealth carried off even as Judah and Israel make war with one another. After Rehoboam’s son, Abijah, rules for just three years, his grandson, Asa, comes to the throne. Finally thereās some good news. Asa picks up where his ancestor David left off some 60 years earlier. He isn’t quite the man David was, but heās like David where it matters most: “his heart is in the right place.” As we learned way back when we saw David being anointed as king, God looks on the heart. Today, my relationship with the Lord isnāt performance based. I certainly want to be pleasing to the Lord in all I do, but that isn’t the bottom line. More than proper performance, God wants, in me, a heart thatās right. My prayer is for a heart thatās in tune with God.
Take Away: I want to always do the right thing, but even more, I want to always be the right person in the eyes of the Lord.
Tag: Asa
Devotional on 1 Kings
Thumbs up for Jehoshaphat
1Kings 22: No detours, no dead ends — pleasing God with his life.
We first meet Jehoshaphat when he insists that a prophet of God be called in when a decision to go to war is being made. That alone speaks well of this King of Judah. Now we find his short biography in the closing paragraphs of 1 Kings. His father was King Asa who also receives high marks and now we are told that Jehoshaphat is a “chip off the old block.” He seeks to please God in all his life and he refuses to drift off the road the Lord laid out for him. When Jehoshaphat insists to Ahab that the Lord be consulted before heāll commit to war, heās simply making decisions in the way he always makes decisions. When I read that Jehoshaphat pleased God because he was single minded in obeying the Lord and when I see the example of this in the meeting with Ahab Iām challenged to listen carefully to, and obey fully, the guidance the Lord gives me in my life.
Take Away: Generally speaking, what a person does when the chips are down is a continuation of what theyāre in the habit of doing in the first place.
Devotional on 2 Chronicles
Donāt waste the blessings of life
2 Chronicles 14: While we have the chance and the land is quiet, letās build a solid defense system.
Asaās one of the good guys to lead Judah. He enjoys 10 years of peace in the early part of his reign and he takes full advantage of it. Now only does he clean house, getting rid of the idols, etc. that have crept into his kingdom he also persuades his subjects to join him in fortifying the major cities of Judah. Any nation should be thankful for 10 years of peace. After all, peace is an all too rare national condition. Sorry to say but history proves that the āwar to end all warsā is yet to be fought. So even when peace is achieved and weāre tempted to dismantle our defenses and focus on other things, reality calls us to take advantage of the current situation by preparing for whatever comes next. Not only is this true on the national scale, itās true of our individual lives as well. Life has both good and bad days. When things are going well we need to be careful we donāt foolishly act as though hard times are gone forever. Most certainly they arenāt. On one hand, I want to enjoy the good things that come to me. I want to look toward heaven and say a sincere word of thanks and live as though I really appreciate the blessings that come. On the other hand, I want to be aware that life wonāt always be easy. As much as Iām able I want to prepare for the day when itāll be my turn to experience some of the hardship of life. Asaās a good king because he doesnāt āwaste the peace.ā From a personal point of view, I donāt want to āwaste the blessingsā either.
Take Away: Live wisely.
Devotional on 2 Chronicles
What a wonderful promise!
2 Chronicles 15: If you look for him he will let himself be found.
The name āAzariahā appears often in the Old Testament, but I think this is the only incident in which we hear from this particular prophet of God. Asa has just won a miraculous battle and is returning home to celebrate his victory when heās met by this man of God. Azariah has a message from the Lord for Asa. The Lord has good things in mind for Asa and for his kingdom. If Asa will keep his head screwed on straight and keep his eyes on God heāll be blessed with the unfailing presence of the Lord throughout his reign. Asa takes this message to heart and goes all out for God. He calls his subjects to āseek God…wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.ā The result is just what the Lord promised. God shows up bringing peace and prosperity to the kingdom. This is a wonderfully encouraging passage. God wants to bless us and help us and be with us. He promises to make himself available to those who seek him. A family, church, or nation that covenants to seek God wholeheartedly gets Godās attention and receives his blessings. Iām not thinking so much of health and wealth here as I am about spiritual well-being. Still, I think that living in an intimate relationship with God brings blessings that often spill over into our lives in unexpected, pleasant ways. Either way, the promise of Godās presence and his willingness to be āfoundā ought to excite us and stir us to action.
Take Away: The Lord isnāt playing hide and seek with us. Rather, he makes himself wonderfully available to all who seek him.
Devotional on 2 Chronicles
Insulting God
2 Chronicles 16: You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had Godās help.
These words are addressed to the man who prayed the wonderful prayer of 1 Chronicles 14. Now 26 years have passed and Asaās nation is once again threatened. This time, though, he turns to the king of Aram for help, sending a ākingās ransomā to him in exchange for his support in the war. The combined force of Judah and their hired army is victorious and the enemy is defeated. As Asa celebrates this Godās man Hanani shows up. He tells Asa that Godās not pleased with him. In fact, the Lordās insulted that Asa would trust in Ben-Hadad instead of himself. The consequence will be a series of wars, one round after another. I wonder if I, like Asa, insult the Almighty. Do I turn anywhere but heavenward in dealing with the issues of life? The very same God who saw me through in the past stands ready to see me through the issues of this day. In fact, thatās his preference! The Lord doesnāt say, āWhen youāve tried everything else without success, Iāll help you.ā Instead, his message is a wonderful word of commitment. He promises that if I call heāll answer. God doesnāt want to be my last chance. Rather, he wants to be my Partner in every issue of life.
Take Away: Donāt make God your last resourceā¦he wants to be your first.