Thereās bad news
Leviticus 26: But if you refuse to obey me
While Iād like to linger on the blessing side of Leviticus 26 I have to move on to the curse side of the chapter. God tells them, āIf you obey…good things will come. If you disobey…the results will be unthinkable.ā The list is filled with everything from disease to famine to war to cannibalism. While these horrible things are framed as divine retribution the last part of this terrible section makes it clear that all these things will come ābecause of their sins, their sins compounded by their ancestorsā sins.ā With that clarification in mind I see that this passage isnāt about God getting them if they donāt behave but, instead, is a clear word of warning that people reap what they sow. Iām not saying that the Lord has nothing to do with some of the promised terrible things, just that if they remove themselves from his blessings this, in general, is what the real world looks like. Apart from the Lordās provision and protection theyāll find the world to be a harsh, unforgiving place. As one generation after another shrugs off their connection to the Almighty they will fall deeper and deeper into a pit of despair and desperation. God doesnāt have to send bad things into peopleās lives because we live in a world where bad things sometimes happen. While itās beyond the scope of this short devotional, the truth is that bad things come into the lives of both the righteous and the unrighteous. However in this passage the Lord warns his people that if they reject his presence and grace, severing the special connection they have with him the result will be what’s described in this passage.
Take Away: The world is a dangerous place, especially for those who live outside the grace and mercy of the Lord.
Tag: judgment
Devotional on Numbers
Serious business
Numbers 16: Earth opened its mouth and in one gulp swallowed them down.
In spite of the awesome encounters with the Almighty and his daily provision for them, and in spite of the progress thatās been made in the construction of the Tent of Worship as well as the organization of the hundreds of thousands of people, serious opposition is building in the camp. Many resent Mosesā assumption of authority and doubt his ability to lead them forward. Resentment and doubt fester and some step forward to seize the moment. They rally a collation to challenge Moses. Not once, but twice the entire nation is moments away from eradication due to the wrath of the Almighty. Moses calls for a contest of sorts. Representatives of both sides will come to burn incense before the Lord. God will choose who will lead his people. The contest is a brief one. No one can doubt the Lordās answer as the earth opens to swallow up the rebels. The 250 who are offering incense to the Lord are struck dead by lightning. If that isnāt enough, the next day many throughout the camp complain, blaming Moses for all the death the previous day and the Lord responds by sending a plague that kills 14,700 people. Clearly, the Lord is intent on establishing, once and for all, Moses as the leader of the Israelites. Just as clear, is the realization that to this very day God expects his plans to be followed. Without doubt, Iām aware of the grace, mercy, patience and love the Lord has for us. I need to also be aware that none of this means the Lord will just go along with me when I challenge his purposes in the world. The result my rebellion may not be as dramatic as it was among these ancient Israelites but it will be just as serious. Challenging God is always serious business.
Take Away: Never doubt it: the Lord expects us to be obedient to his will.
Devotional on Joshua
Sometimes God is a stranger to me
Joshua 11: It was God’s idea that they all would stubbornly fight the Israelites so he could put them under the holy curse without mercy.
Itās bloody with lots of death and destruction. Individual tribes and cities and also coalitions of previous enemies resist the onslaught of Joshuaās army. Now victory has come and war is over. I know that the book of Joshua gives a “marching to victory” view of the Canaan Conquest while Judges paints a less pretty picture, but frankly, even the positive view of Joshua makes me cringe. All the slaughter of entire peoples: men, women, and children — even, in some cases, animals. The Scriptures explain that it isn’t that God wants to give Canaan to the Israelites so he helps them exterminate those who live there. Rather, itās that those who live there are so degenerate, so unholy, that God doesn’t want them or anything about them to contaminate the people he’s chosen. Still, I struggle with this because it seems so distant from “God is love.” I confess that sometimes God is a stranger to me. Still, that which is wrong humanly speaking isnāt necessarily wrong for the Creator. The “Giver of Life” has full authority to be the “Taker of Life.” Sometimes devotional lessons are hard to come by in passages like this, but here’s what I get today: there is an “other-ness,” a sobering, even a fear-generating side of the Lord. I love him and I trust his character but I definitely don’t always understand who he is and why he does what he does. I am glad God Almighty doesn’t need me to be his defender.
Take Away: Sometimes we simply have to trust and believe even as we struggle to understand.
Devotional on Judges
There, but for the grace of God….
Judges 9: Just then some woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and crushed his skull.
Not all the inhumanity of Israelās ādark agesā of Judges comes from the belligerent peoples surrounding them. A lot of the bleakness comes from within. Gideon apparently makes himself into a sheik and fathers lots of children. When he dies thereās a power struggle thatās won by Abimelech, the son of Gideon and one of his maidservants. Abimelech seals the deal by murdering his seventy brothers. However, heās better at murder than he is at leading and within three years thereās mounting opposition to his rule. Abimelech acts to quash the rebellion and arrives at Thebez, a town known for its fortified tower. As this wicked leader prepares burn alive those who have taken refuge there a woman drops part of a millstone on his head, thus bringing an end to the short and evil leadership of Abimelech. This is an ugly, if somewhat interesting story of a bad man who does bad things and then dies in a violent, unexpected way. No doubt, the detail of his inglorious death is told to us that we might see the judgment of God on Abimelech. In the larger view, Iām reminded that when God is removed from their lives just how much these descendants of Abraham look like the other heathen of that land. When I look around my community and see people doing stupid, self-destructive things to themselves and one another; when I see them blindly pursuing worthless things; and when I see them stubbornly traveling down the wrong road Iām wise to remember that without the Lord in my life that could easily be me. One response then, is to be thankful for what the Lord’s doing in my life. Itās not about me ā itās all about him. Another response is that, rather than feeling superior, Iām to be compassionate to them. These are people who are like me. They just donāt yet know the Life Changer I know.
Take Away: There, but for the grace of God, go I.
Devotional on Judges
Howās your accent?
Judges 12: Say āShibboleth.ā But he would always say āSibbolethā ā he couldnāt say it right.
Following Jephthahās victory over the Ammonites the people of Ephraim are insulted that they werenāt called in to be a part of the army. Apparently, there was some kind of mix up in which Jephthah did call for their help but they didnāt get the message. The result is a skirmish and then all-out war between the forces of Gilead and those of Ephraim. Before long, Ephraim is routed by their foes. In disarray they flee and attempt to cross back over the Jordan to their own territory. However, Jephthahās army has tasted blood and takes control of the most likely fords of the river. There are no uniforms, the soldiers on both sides look alike, and they speak the same language. It seems that the defeated Ephraimites will be able to claim to be with Gilead and escape. However, thereās one difference. The people of Ephraim, living across the river for several generations have developed their own accent. A challenged soldier is required to say āShibbolethā (I think it means āriverā). However the āhā sound is missing from their accent, so he says āSibbolethā instead. For the lack of an āhā he is executed. On this day thousands of Ephraimites die at the hands of their relatives. As I read this Iām reminded of the New Testament statement that when Jesus comes back that āevery knee will bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.ā Everyone will say the right thing, but some will be commanded to ādepart.ā Why? The wrong accent of life! It takes more than lip service to be connected to the Lord.
Take Away: Just saying the right things isnāt good enough.
Devotional on Judges
Pitiful
Judges 20: How did this outrageous evil happen?
The final story in the book of Judges is about as dark and evil as it can get. It concerns a man and his concubine. The story contains deviant sexual behavior, rape, and murder. The result is a civil war in which the tribe of Benjamin is practically wiped out. One question asked during the story should ring in our ears: “How did this outrageous evil happen?” How did the descendants of Abraham, this miraculously freed nation of slaves, these recipients of the Ten Commandments, these people chosen to be God’s very own come to this? The answer is “self and sin.” Their faith hasnāt been passed on to their children. Their heroes become more and more flawed. God is forgotten and their society begins to unravel. The writer of Judges concludes in the famous epitaph of the book: “At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing.” That, my friends, is a recipe for disaster. I’d better not read this with a detached sense of superiority. I live in a society in which “doing whatever one feels like doing” is the norm. We want a convenient God who does our bidding, but leaves us alone the rest of the time. When Israel tries that the result is disaster. Do we really think we can get away with it?
Take Away: Whether weāre talking about an individual or a nation, itās foolish to attempt to live apart from God.
Devotional on 1 Samuel
Would you like to super-size that order? No thanks.
1 Samuel 16: God judges persons differently than humans do…God looks into the heart.
Saul’s failure weighs on Samuel. However, the Lord says itās time to get on with selecting Saul’s successor. This is potentially dangerous because Saul’s still in power and certainly doesn’t want Samuel anointing someone else as king. Still, Samuel obeys the Lord and heads out to the town of Bethlehem to find God’s choice for second king of Israel. There he finds the young man heās sure is the right one. Itās Eliab, son of Jesse. Tall and good-looking, in fact, you might say “regal” in appearance. But Samuel is mistaken. God reminds him that this isn’t a beauty contest and that Godās more interested in what is in the heart than he is in outward appearance. Eliab might be a fine fellow but he isn’t to be the next king of Israel. The search continues as Jessie brings one son after another before the revered man of God. Finally, all but one son has been interviewed. Young David is all thatās left. When Saul was chosen we were told that he stood a head and shoulders above the other men. Now, as David is picked, heās called the “runt” of the family. Thus we gain an insight into how God works. He uses big, nice looking people, but he also uses those that others tend to overlook. Why? Itās because God looks on the heart. I pray that the Lord will find in me a person he can use for his purposes.
Take Away: Since the Lord looks on the heart, letās do all we can to keep our hearts right with the Lord.
Devotional on 2 Samuel
One or the other got away with it
2 Samuel 19: You and Ziba divide the property between you.
On the day that David fled Jerusalem several came to offer help and encouragement. One of those people was Ziba, servant of Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth. Normally, a new king would kill all of the previous king’s family but David did just the opposite. He invited Mephibosheth into his household and gave him all of his grandfather’s wealth. When David fled his son, Absalom, Mephibosheth was nowhere to be seen, it was his servant Ziba who came out to assist David. When David asked him where Mephibosheth was Ziba reported that Mephibosheth had said he was glad to be rid of David and that he was scheming to take his grandfather’s throne so that neither David nor Absalom would have it. David replied by granting all of Mephibosheth’s wealth to Ziba. Now that the battle between Absalom and David has ended in David’s victory and David is returning home, one of the people who come out to greet him is Mephibosheth who cheers David’s victory. David asks Saul’s grandson where he was when he was fleeing the city and he replies that Ziba tricked him, leaving him behind when he very much wanted to stick with David. In this case either Ziba or Mephibosheth is lying. It may be that Ziba gambled that David would win in the struggle against his son so he wanted to discredit his master and get on the good side of David. The other possibility is that Mephibosheth did think that he might somehow beat out both David and Absalom and take his grandfather’s throne. If that’s correct, then when David wins, we here see Mephibosheth quickly acting to cover his tracks and make up with David. Which one is it? I have no idea! Interesting isn’t it? If Ziba lied, he got away with it, and came away with half of Mephibosheth’s wealth. If Mephibosheth lied, he got away with it, losing only half of his wealth and remaining a very rich man. My devotional thought on all this? Not much, really; maybe a fresh realization that the bad guys sometimes win in this world. God will sort it all out in Judgment.
Take Away: Someday all wrongs will be made right. Till then, we just have to trust the Lord with the sometimes unfairness of life
Devotional on 1 Kings
Weight of leadership
1Kings 15: He was openly evil before God, walking in the footsteps of Jeroboam, who both sinned and made Israel sin.
The writer of the books of the Kings gives us only snapshots of the parade of kings of both Judah and Israel. Sometimes thereās just one highlight (or “lowlight”) mentioned. Over in Israel, Jeroboam dies and his son Nadab comes to power. Nadab lasts for just two years before heās assassinated and replaced by Baasha. Baasha knows that God rejected Jeroboam and his family because of Jeroboam’s sin but that doesn’t stop him from following the same road to ruin. He rules Israel for 24 years but his legacy is his spiritual failure and his leading of Israel farther away from God. We aren’t surprised when we see God rejecting him and sending word that heās going to reduce Baasha and his regime to cinders. While Iām a firm believer in free will, I see that God holds Baasha responsible for the sin of all Israel. Leadership has privileges but it also comes with a hefty helping of responsibility. God expects leaders to not only be righteous themselves, but to influence those who follow them to greater righteousness as well. Thatās true of pastors and churches, but, as I see here, itās true for national leaders and their subjects too.
Take Away: Leaders who forget the responsibility side of their position are walking the road to failure.
Devotional on 2 Kings
Missed opportunity
2Kings 10: God doing what, through Elijah, he said he’d do.
I don’t like reading the stories of uprisings, murders, and judgment found in the stories of Judah and Israel. Beheadings and assassinations somehow don’t make for good devotional reading! Still, there are some powerful themes in the story of Jehu’s uprising. God had judged Ahab’s sin years earlier, and even though he has, at times, blessed Israel with his help against her enemies, the Lord never overlooks what Ahab has continued doing. At the right time the Lord raises up Jehu to act in judgment on Ahab’s family. Itās bloody but itās intended to give Israel a chance to return to the path that they left so long ago. Before Jehu’s finished Ahab’s family is destroyed and the altars of Baal are gone. In spite of all that, Jehu’s a disappointment. I see here that the Lord uses less than perfect vessels to accomplish his purposes. Also Iām reminded that no one has to fail. Jehu let a golden opportunity slip through his fingers.
Take Away: The Lord works in and through imperfect people to carry out his plans.
Devotional on 2 Kings
Guilty as charged
2Kings 17: In the end, God spoke a final No to Israel and turned his back on them.
Second Kings 17 is a long chapter that burdens the reader with a heavier and heavier weight of despair and condemnation as its read. These are painful words: “God was fed up” – “God had had enough,” – “God spoke a final āNoā.” Thereās the feeling of hearing a guilty verdict read in a courtroom. The evidence for conviction is overwhelming and the conclusion is obvious. God’s only choice is to turn his back and to declare “no” to them and their sin as theyāve declared ānoā to him. Reading this chapter not only condemns the people of ancient Israel and justifies God in his abandonment of them, but it also frightens me. How far can a nation push God? How many of his blessings can it forget? How many of his Laws can it break before the Almighty is fed up? My nation is foolishly testing the patience of God right now. Second Kings 17 is not before us as just some dusty old history lesson. It’s a warning that we’d better heed.
Take Away: If we say ānoā often enough, the Lord will take us at our word.
Devotional on 2 Kings
God on the world stage
2Kings 19: Did it never occur to you that I’m behind all this?
If Sennacherib’s threatening letter to Hezekiah is intended to frighten him, it’s a great success. However, in his fear Hezekiah runs, not away, but straight to God. Soon thereafter he receives an answer. As Hezekiah has spoken to God, now God has spoken to his man, Isaiah. Part of the message from God is directed to Hezekiah but part is addressed to Sennacherib, king of Assyria. God isnāt pleased with him and heās about to take action against him. One of the statements in particular draws our attention today. God tells this powerful heathen king, this enemy of his people, that heās been using Sennacherib for his own purposes. This must have been seen by him as an unbelievably naĆÆve word out of Judah. Tiny and powerless Judah says that their God has been behind his military successes of this world superpower. It would have been absolutely laughable except for the fact that on that very night a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers die without Judah lifting a finger against them. Here are some things to consider. First, I see that God used a heathen king for his own purposes. Just because a nation has success in some area it doesn’t mean that God is smiling on them and is pleased with them. Second, God moves quite comfortably in the international arena. As one of his people I need to be careful I don’t play, to use a baseball term, “small ball” all the time. I serve a God whoās interested in, and working through, events that are global in scale. Finally, no nation is bigger than God. Even if the whole world falls under the command of some conqueror, ultimately God remains Sovereign. Leaders of powerful nations had better remember that.
Take Away: Whether we recognize it or not the Lord is Sovereign; not only over our lives, but around the world and throughout the universe.
Devotional on 2 Kings
Out of the frying pan, into the fire
2Kings 24: The threat from Egypt was now over.
Aside from the remaining wealth amassed by Solomon Judah is a minor player on the world stage. The real action has been between mighty Egypt and mighty Babylonia. Egypt is the old power and Babylonia is the new. The small kingdoms that are unfortunate enough to be between the two are mere pawns in their chess match for domination of the region. Babylon wins. Having driven Egyptian forces out of the region, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon now turns his attention to subduing the small kingdoms of the region. Judah has been defeated once, but as Nebuchadnezzarās attention has been on other matters, Jehoiakim, king of Judah revolted, leading to a series of attacks by other smaller armies against Jerusalem. Judah has been driven to her knees as Nebuchadnezzar, himself, arrives to direct the assault on the small beleaguered country. Jerusalem surrenders and Babylonian forces plunder the city. There will be a few more stories to tell, but the grave is already dug and the end of Judah is at hand. There have been some less than perfect opportunities for Judah to remain a nation. For instance, Jehoiakim didnāt have to rebel and could have continued to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar. Still, as weāre reminded several times here, āGod said it would happen.ā For them, this is Judgment Day. Anyone who thinks God is ātoo goodā or ātoo kindā to pronounce condemnation on those who reject him should read the final chapters of 2 Kings.
Take Away: Never doubt that the holiness of the Lord means he will judge sin.
Devotional on 2 Kings
Mistaking Godās patience for a lack of seriousness
2Kings 25: This should have been no surprise — God had said it would happen.
Judah finds itself in the middle, right between two warring world powers. On one side is Egypt and on the other is Babylon. Like some small island out in the Pacific during the Second World War, this small nation is thrust onto the world stage, not because of its military might, but simply because of its location. Upon Josiah’s untimely death the nation struggles for its identity. Sadly, it is Josiah’s reforms that lose favor. Soon, the nation is once again on the road to spiritual and national disaster. Raiding bands begin to assault Judah as the two big players on the world scene fight it out. Itās Babylon that wins. Following the “conquer and relocate” policy of Assyria before them the people of Jerusalem are relocated to a distant land with only the poor left to be ruled by a puppet king. The writer of 2nd Kings tells us that no one should have been surprised. For over 300 years theyāve been warned that God isnāt some kind of lucky charm for them. They mistakenly thought that being the “people of God” meant that, ultimately, they would be safe. They thought that because of Josiah’s reforms they were inoculated against failure. Because of the patience and mercy of God over the years, they downplayed the warnings they were given again and again. Finally though, things happened just as God had said they would. Iām reminded today that God isn’t kidding when he says heāll judge sin. Itās a dangerous thing to mistake the patience of God with his not being serious in what he says.
Take Away: Donāt mistake the patience of the Lord for a lack of seriousness on his part.
Devotional on 2 Kings
The end
2Kings 25: Judah went into exile, orphaned from her land.
Following its defeat by Babylon Zedekiah is made king of the now subjected Judah. However, in spite of all thatās happened, Zedekiah ignores God and then foolishly rebels against Babylon. This is the final step on the road to destruction. King Nebuchadnezzar personally oversees the final defeat of Jerusalem and then orders its total destruction. Anything of value is carried off and the rest is leveled. Even the Temple is destroyed as the city is left desolate, uninhabitable. For this generation itās all over. Those who survive will live their lives as exiles, with all the wonderful promises of the now-broken Covenant discarded in the pile of rubble that was Jerusalem. History tells us the human reasons for all this: the rise of Babylon, the defeat of Egypt and Assyria, and the physical location of Judah. However, the Bible tells us the spiritual reason: sin. They rejected God and then, after centuries of patience and renewed chances, God rejected them. It isn’t easy, but it is possible to exhaust the patience of a merciful God. This ought to serve as a warning to both individuals and nations.
Take Away: Thank the Lord for his mercy and patienceā¦yes, thank him, but take advantage of them too.
Devotional on 2 Chronicles
Visiting the graveyard, looking at tombstones
2 Chronicles 12: God was not important to him.
Hereās a story of the man who, because of pure stubbornness, split Israel into two Kingdoms. Under his grandfather, David (a man after Godās own heart), Israel became a united and successful nation. Under his father, Solomon (a man who asked God for wisdom), great things were accomplished and prosperity came to the land. Under Rehoboam (a man who thinks God is unimportant) there is civil war, invasion from Egypt, and spiritual decline. As his obituary is written this phrase stands out: āGod was not important to him.ā Such a charge states volumes. In fact, when the final story of any life is told, how a person responded to God is the most important fact about them. It remains true today. How I respond to God matters and honestly, God wonāt be ignored. In every life, God has the last word.
Take Away: What will be the Lordās last word on my life?
Devotional on 2 Chronicles
Pride goes before a fall
2 Chronicles 26: Arrogant and proud, he fell.
Uzziah is just a teen when he becomes king of Judah. By and large, he does a good job as king and his long reign is a good one for his nation. From the beginning he seeks God. The Lord is pleased with him and blesses his life with successful building projects and a strong army. Then, when it seems Uzziah will be one of the rare kings who have nothing but positive things on their record something ugly happens. His successes go to Uzziahās head. We donāt know the full story but Uzziah decides, like Saul did many generations earlier, to take over the worship activities. He takes the one role in the nation that’s denied him ā going into the Temple and acting as priest of God. The legitimate priests, descendants of Aaron, try to stop Uzziah, but he ignores them. With the holy censor in hand, he refuses to hear the objections of the priests. Then, God objects, and when he objects, he canāt be ignored. The dreaded disease of leprosy breaks out on Uzziahās hand as he holds the censor. This is Godās judgment. Itās too bad isnāt it. Uzziah comes so far and does so many things right. His downfall comes, not as a result of some big temptation or some great threat. Instead, itās brought about by his success. When things are going right and itās clear that God is blessing us we need to remember Uzziah. Here we see a lesson in how success can lead to failure.
Take Away: The distance from impressive success to dismal failure is shorter than we might think.
Devotional on Job
Getting away with it
Job 21: They’re given fancy funerals with all the trimmings.
Zophar admits that, for a while, evil people get away with it. However, he says, their good times are always short-lived and then everything falls apart for them. Job is having none of it. He replies that heās watched things too, and it isn’t very often that such people get their just deserts. In fact, he’s attended their funerals and heard the lies said about them even as their bodies were lowered into the ground. The big theme of Job’s story is “will a man serve God for nothing.” Then, as things play out, weāre confronted with the issue of human suffering. Is it possible that people suffer and it isn’t because God is angry with them? Now, we meet yet another theme. Itās the reverse concern. If itās true, as Job contends, that sometimes people suffer through no fault of their own, is it also true that sometimes evil people get away with it? Is it possible that some enjoy all the pleasures of sin all the way to old age and never hit the brick wall of God’s judgment? I think that before this ordeal Job was fairly comfortable with Zophar’s philosophy. At least he hadnāt given it much thought. Now, he finds himself dealing with the issue of how unjust life can be. All the time God remains silent, allowing Job and his friends to grapple with it all. For most of us, reading through these discussions is more philosophical than anything else. Once in a while though, these issues become quite serious and they did for Job so long ago.
Take Away: Some people live their entire lives believing things to be true that arenāt. Once in a while though, weāre given the opportunity (or maybe āforcedā is a better word) to get a fresh grip on ātruth.ā