Text 1: Genesis 1-9

The passage is familiar to many people - particularly Genesis 1 & 3. The themes are grand, and the issues raised are controversial, going to the heart of the question of whether the Christian faith is true and believable, and whether or not it has real significance for how we are to relate to each other, to the world, and to God.

What struck me as I read these chapters?

Genesis 1: Two things - the distinctions made, and God's generosity reflected in the abundance and proper functioning of creation; "I give you ...", "be fruitful", etc. There are three big distinctions made that stood out: firstly between God and the world, secondly between humans and animals, and thirdly between animals and the rest of the (inanimate) world including plants. God and the world are completely 'other', in the first instance - God acts, and the world does as it is told. Animals are part of the world (e.g. produced, in some sense, by the land - vs 24), but are given a task - to fill the earth (vs 20), and rights - at least the right to eat plants! (vs 30). Humans are given the same right as animals to eat plants, and as birds and fish to fill the earth, but are also dramatically distinct from the rest of creation - they are given authority to rule over other creatures, and are specially made to represent God (vs 26). The whole chapter seems to be very much about ordering the world, and setting up distinctions. This leaves open, of course, the many questions about chronology and methodology which our scientific age will raise; I don't see them being the main function of this text, or even really addressed by it.

Genesis 2: The focus now zooms in towards humankind and their relationship with their creator and with each other, having been made male and female.

Genesis 3: God's had generously provided many options for life, including a range of food sources, with one proviso - don't eat from one tree, associated with moral knowledge (in some way). But it turns out that that particular tree had very desirable fruit (vs 6); it seems it was nutritious, looked good, and made whoever ate it smarter/wiser - the ultimate health food, perhaps. The serpent's role here was not hard. But the consequences of eating from that tree, in disobedience to God, were death in the long term, separation from God now, and broken/trouble-ridden human relationships now too.

Genesis 4: Cain, the horticulturalist, didn't give God what God wanted. Not sure what to make of this, but perhaps it goes back to the earlier animate/inanimate distinction from Genesis 1. Maybe we can say, borrowing from Leviticus, that only the death of something that had the breath of life in it is deemed to be of religious importance.

Genesis 5: Work is hard (vs 29), as should be expected from earlier chapters.

Genesis 6: Humans were completely corrupt, and for once in the Bible, got the fitting punishment - complete destruction. It's not a happy story. The exception was Noah, who was - it seems uniquely - in relationship with God. He sounds like a great guy until we get to chapter 9. It's helpful to read a chapter like this in light of what the New Testament teaches - that the appropriate response by God to human error is indeed, uncomfortable as it is, to end human error by ending human life, but an alternative has been provided in Jesus.

Chapter 7: This was a big flood.

Chapter 8: after chaos, God re-establishes order, and adds a dimension of promise (building on earlier promises) to His relationship with humans.

Chapter 9: Just in case you were tempted to leave this story saying "wow, how awesome was Noah?!"
God's promises/gifts were unconditional here -it's worth reflecting on.

So, those were the first nine chapters of what God has spoken to human beings - I've just scratched the surface, but there's plenty to think about. 

Adventure 27, Ezra: Politics as usual?

Having left behind the kings, we return to the people of Israel (not referring to the northern kingdom now, but the returned captives and people left in the land) after the 70 years of captivity are over. Ezra is considered the author of this book which bears his name, even though he is not mentioned by name in the book. he is probably also the author of Nehemiah, which may have originally been one book with this one, and possible of the Chronicles. He was a priest, and thus a fitting person to lead the people in the rebuilding of the temple, but he did take on a few other roles also - in some ways he is a governor, a (peaceful) soldier, being God's prophet, politician, and scribe.

There are three main themes in this book that I dwelt upon. The first is the centrality of God, and with this the purifying of the people. The second is diligence, and reliance upon God. The third is politics, and respect to authority.

A lot of the book is about the temple, and the centrality of God comes out clearly just in that. I remember Haggai's words from earlier:

"Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?" (Hag 1:4)

A bit like our personal lives - sometimes we focus too much on getting our 'own lives' sorted without making time/place for God - Who should be part of everything in our life, of course, but it is sometimes all too easy to work on that bit of ruined building last when it should be our first priority. Notice that the first thing they did was to set up the altar (sacrifices for sin, and sacrifices for worship).

With the place of worship returned, its other purpose (thinking of Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the first Temple) as a place of repentance is also put to use. Part of the problem that caused the captivity was the intermarriage and general wanting to be like the other nations. The people were still doing that - but here was a time for purification. They had returned to the land, rebuilt the Temple, and now they needed to sort out their personal lives as well, and put away their foreign wives who served foreign gods.

It took diligence to continue building the Temple. The others around them that did not want this were apparently powerful. The same people (or similar) later objected also to the rebuilding of the walls under Nehemiah, and the threat was great enough to arm the builders. But God is strong and protected them. They had celebrated the feast of booths (a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt and wandering in the wilderness, and God's faithfulness in those times), and relied on Him again here at the end of another exodus.

Notice how the adversaries worked - they pretended to be on God's side first, but Ezra sees through their pretentions and answers them respectfully but firmly in the negative.

When that didn't work they tried to make life as hard as possible for the workers on the temple. Things get political, with the bribing of counselors, and writing a letter to the king with false accusations. It works initially, but Ezra doesn't give up, resign himself to 'that's just the way the world is' or burst out angrily at anyone. Instead, he works within the system, replying to the king's edict with a respectful letter asking for the facts to be checked, and declares the true intentions of the Israelites. It seems very similar in many ways to the political situation in NZ (or other western nations). We don't have kings, but we do have people in government that can be written to respectfully seeking to promote the truth, and uphold the things of God. Here Ezra's efforts are rewarded, and there is a renewed commitment of supplies and provisions for the build of the temple. The answer is not always going to be yes when we get involved with these things, but can like Ezra show initiative, respectfully speak up where appropriate, and rely on God for the outcome.

Finally, I want to just mention another significant incident in this book - Ezra's trust in God for safety on the journey. There is a hint of natural human fear here, and he is right to be concerned for the safety of the people in his group. But though he fears, he trusts in God more, and knows His ability to provide safe passage. He also is concerned for the testimony of the Lord to others. Having assured the king that God is powerful to protect His own, he lives this out, but does not take it for granted. He and the people fast and pray, recognising their own dependence on God for safety.

Adventure 23-26, II Chronicles: Where do our loyalties lie?

Continuing the theme of order from the previous book, there is a lot of detail given about the building and dedication of the temple, Solomon's wealth, and later the sacrifices of kings who turned back to God.

Leaving that theme behind, in this book I considered the emphasis on loyalty - particularly to the Lord, and the kings' trust in Him. Solomon's pray in chapter 6 seems to be a forewarning of what is coming. He acknowledged the reality that he and future kings would sin against the Lord - for there is no one who does not sin - and the Temple is to be a place to bring the people back to God in repentance. But they did not often do so.

For almost all the kings we have a short statement that sums up their life, and showed where their loyalty lay. They either did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, or did evil.

There are more grey 'report cards', though. Amaziah did what was right, but not with a whole heart - not fully loyal to God. This becomes clear after his conquest of Edom. He sought God's help to conquer the nation, which was granted. He then took Edom's idols, and set up places of worship for them. Some gratitude!

The other example is Jehoshaphat, who was courageous in the sight of the Lord. He seems to be similar to others who did right in the Lord's eyes, but his marriage alliance and willingness to be hang around and go to war alongside the evil house of Ahab trains his record. He leaves a good personal testimony in terms of his insistence on consulting the Lord's prophet before war, but doesn't follow the advice well. He also sets a strong example of faith as he goes into battle with only musical instruments and praise to God. However, his divided loyalty between God and the house of Ahab seems to lead the next generation to turn away from God. This breaks a line of kings that did 'what was right in God's sight'. Jehoram and Ahaziah both turn away from God, and are even closer to the house of Ahab. Jehoram also marries the house of Ahab, and his wife Athaliah rules as queen for a short time when Ahaziah is killed, continuing the evil reign.
This reason for this change in the line of kings from good to evil does not lie solely with Jehoshaphat, but his alliance with the house of Ahab does seems to be a major contributor. It reminds me of the importance of seeking Godly companions, and not making strong alliances with people whose loyalty does not lie with God, for they will try to drag my loyalty to Him away.

Jehoiada turns the next king's loyalty back to the Lord, and his faith in protecting Joash as a child and setting him up as king is remarkable testimony to his loyalty to God. Joash reigns well while Jehoiada lives, but turned back to idolatry when Jehoiada died, ignoring the warning of Jehoiada's son Zechariah.

Hezekiah also shows strong loyalty to God in the face of very difficult circumstance. In today's terms, Sennacharib's invasion could be thought similar to the US or China invading NZ, or any other small country. Unlike other kings before him, Hezekiah turns not to other kings about him for help, but turns to the Lord, and the Lord rewards his loyalty and smites the Assyrian army Himself. In the end of his days his heart turned to pride and self-interest, but he did humble himself before God when confronted.

Manasseh his son began with his loyalty fixed on idolatry and false gods, but humbled himself and turned his loyalty to God. His son also turned to idols, but his loyalty did not change, refusing to humble himself.

Finally, we get to Josiah! How good it is to see the testimony of a man who turned the people back to following God, and where the people did not turn away from God all the days of his life! He was a loyal king indeed, loyal first to God, and to his people in leading them to God - reminding them of the law, and turning all again to the feasts held in remembrance of all that God had done for them. Challenging to think about how loyal I am to the people around me in reminding them of all God has done!

The final kings are not loyal either to God or to their word when conquered by Babylon. Yet God is shown loyal to His word by Isaiah - Cyrus proclaimed the return of the captives to Judah.

So where do our loyalties lie? With God, or with idols (whatever form they take today)? If to God, is our heart constant, or do we hold something back - or compromise our witness by allying with evil. And do we seek to remind others of God and draw their loyalty to Him (through His power of course, not our own)?

Frances R Havergal:

1. Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
   Who will be His helpers, other lives to bring?
   Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
   Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
   By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
   We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!
2. Not for weight of glory, nor for crown and palm,
   Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
   But for love that claimeth lives for whom He died:
   He whom Jesus saveth marches on His side.
   By Thy love constraining, by Thy grace divine,
   We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!
3. Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,
   But with Thine own lifeblood, for Thy diadem;
   With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee,
   Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free.
   By Thy grand redemption, by Thy grace divine,
   We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!
4. Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
   But the King’s own army none can overthrow;
   ’Round His standard ranging, vict’ry is secure,
   For His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
   Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
   We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!
5. Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,
   Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band;
   In the service royal, let us not grow cold,
   Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.
   Master, wilt Thou keep us, by Thy grace divine,
   Always on the Lord’s side—Savior, always Thine!

Elijah - Jealous for the Lord. 1 Kings 2-22

Most of 1 Kings is taken up with the story of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. He came at a time when the kingdom was divided between Israel and Judah, and Ahab was king of Israel. Ahab did more to provoke God's anger than any previous king, and so God sent a man to speak his word. Cue dramatic music! We need a hero! Enter Elijah.

The message from Elijah was both general and specific. In general, he reminded the people that Yahweh was the one true God, and there is no other. Specifically, he dictated the stopping of the rain, and summoned its return three years later. This was a fulfilment of Solomon's speech years earlier. "When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you (speaking to God)... hear from heaven... grant rain upon your land" (1 Kings 8:35-35). Out of nowhere, Elijah told Ahab that there would be no more rain.

Elijah spent much of the time of the drought in the wilderness, in hiding from the king. His time was marked by dependence on God to provide, through ravens feeding him to relying on miraculously re-filling jars of flour and water.

It was three long dry years before the Showdown at Mount Carmel. Though the conflict is ostensibly between Elijah and King Ahab, or Elijah and the prophets of Baal, he actually directs his words mainly towards the people. His message is that either Yahweh is the one true God and worthy of worship, or that Baal is, and you can't have it both ways. Stop sitting on the fence, and decide. To help you make up your mind, we'll have a challenge, Survivor-style. Because in this game, fire represents your (god's) life; when you fire is gone (or doesn't arrive) so are you. 451 prophets, 1 Survivor!

Elijah also does some trash-talking to the prophets of Baal: Maybe your god's asleep? Or on the toilet! This confidence/arrogance is different to that shown by others. For example, you wouldn't see David doing it, who was much more humble and complimentary to others. But this shows how God works through people with different personalities.

The Baal-ievers cry and dance and cut themselves and still nothing happens. Elijah on the other hand proceeds to build an altar, prepare the wood, and then pour water onto it. Wait, what? There's a drought on, so water is scarce, and also hugely counterproductive to the aim. There's an interesting parallel (using the last of the water) with the widow at Zarepheth giving the last of the flour and oil that she had, as well as with the widow in the temple that Jesus observed giving her last coins. But the message is to give God what you have, rather than focusing on what you don't have. God answered Elijah's prayers for fire and then for rain, and the people were convinced. "The Lord, he is God".

Elijah describes himself as 'jealous for the Lord, the God of Hosts'. What fuels him is this jealousy, this desire for God. He sees the world as having deserted God for other gods, and hungers for God to move again. What must it have been like during those three years of drought, waiting for God to act?
Elijah was in situations where he needed God to come through for him, or else he was dead. And God came through.
Yet even after such a resounding success, Elijah fears for his life and flees. All he wants is God. Not necessarily the power of God, nor the action of God, but the person of God himself. There's a line from a worship song Audience of One, which sums it up: "Seeking your face, not only your hand". We are to seek and worship God for who he is, not just what he can do or what he can do for us. Elijah was jealous for God, and was met in the still small voice.

Elijah was the archetype of the prophet, representing the Prophets at the transfiguration (alongside Moses as the Law). His many miracles prompted many people to believe that Jesus was Elijah, returned from the dead. Yet his hunger was not for the show of God's power itself, but for God himself.

Adventure 20-22, I Chronicles: A house in order

Having just read the previous books, there is perhaps a tendency to think we have heard all the stories before. In a way that is true - we have read most of the stories already, but the different emphasis here gives us further insights and is here for our learning. In addition, there are other small stories and extra details we haven't seen in the previous books.

There is a beauty of order in this book. Aptly named, of course, as 'chronicles' does imply a sense of order. The record of the genealogies, the mighty men, the gifts for the temple, and David setting his house in order before he died.

The book starts with the genealogies, which are important for 2 main reasons. First they are an important part of history - showing connections and proving lineage. Secondly, there are reminders as we read through that though we know some of these names with familiarity, God knows each and every one intimately. Short snippets give us a peak into the life of some characters - such as the verse about Jabez:

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked. 

(1Ch 4:10)

As we leave the genealogies and begin the history, we get a brief mention of Saul, simply as a setting for the life of David. Not a pleasant epitaph, but an fitting one:

So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. 

(1Ch 10:13-14)

We have an account of the men that fought with David. Again, small snippets, but keen insights into the character of men that surrounded David both when he was hiding from Saul and in the early years of his reign. We also see why Joab was made the commander of the army - the first to strike the Jebusites at Jerusalem.

When we come to the story of the ark going up the Jerusalem, we have a bit more detail than in the previous record in II Samuel. The first attempt was made with the ark on a cart  - and the people accompanying it were not the Levites. It should never have been attempted like this. The death of Uzza is not a matter of everything going well until that point, but more the tipping point that brought the judgment of God for not following His commands regarding His ark. The next time they went to take up the ark, they listened, and had the appointed people carrying the ark, as commanded in the law. Purification was made, and sacrifices offered. Things were done in order, and it pleased God.

'Order' does not mean dry, stoic, or unemotional, though, as seen in this very story. David shows unbridled joy and praise to God in dance and singing as the ark is brought in, even though his wife despises him for it. (In II Samuel, we learn she is punished for that - not mentioned here, perhaps as the emphasis is on the actions of the king.)

Except for a brief interlude describing David's sin in numbering the people, the rest of the book centres around the preparations for the temple, and the continuance of the throne. These two concepts are linked, and switch back and forth - David wants to build the temple, God says no, but promises to always have someone of the Davidic line on the throne. Then in the descriptions of the preparations, David advises both Solomon and the people, preparing both to continue on following God after his death. Just because he couldn't build the temple, didn't mean he wasn't going to do absolutely all he could to help.

It is an important point to meditate on, and an important principle to live by. We may not get the jobs we want, or be able to perform the activities we desire to (good though they may be), but just because someone else gets the responsibility (and credit) for the job/activity does not prevent us from helping in an unofficial role, if we are able to.

Perhaps the most important lesson from this book, though, is the example left by David in preparing Solomon and the people for after his death. I am reminded of our reading in Joshua - the advice/encouragement given to Joshua at the start by God, and the speech by Joshua to the people at the end of his life have remarkable parallels here. The advice given to Solomon in Chapter 22 is perhaps on Solomon's mind later when he asks for wisdom from God. Like Joshua and Moses before him, David reminds the people of what God has done, and exhorts them to stay true to God. He also reminds them of the youth of Solomon, and exhorts the people to support the young king. He gives his own wealth, and encourages the people also to be generous with theirs - a recognition of the truth that people care more when they have invested their own wealth into something - this was not David's temple, or Solomon's - it was the people's place to worship God, and they all had a stake in it. They were not forced, but gave willingly with a perfect heart, led by the example of a man after God's own heart.

Adventure 14,15 &16 [1Kings]: "What's Your BHAG?"

Once in Management Communication Class, we were told to brainstorm a BHAG for ourselves. A BHAG is a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal that businesses use to aim for something bigger and more impossible. It is a 10-30 year long term commitment, and it is an exciting concept for businesses to think bigger, aim higher, and to set their sights further. It is, as my lecturer put it, a finish line that we often don’t dare to even dream about. But a BHAG is not set in impulse or blind gamble. It is a testable, measurable, and understandable goal that is important enough to commit to for a really long time. It has to be something you are sure of.

I’d like to think that God placed BHAGs in our lives too. Callings that are too unimaginable to set your eyes upon for more than a split second, and dreams that you close your mind to before you even dare begin to explore. Not to say every hairy plan is a God given one, but rather that sometimes God calls us to new heights, which seems too far for a little me to climb, but is actually but a pin drop for my big God up there. Often God places on my heart a longing to make something specific happen, and I’m filled with passion and excitement to go out and do it. And then I stop, and decide to run it through my “advisors”, and then I waver. I start doubting God’s call, and start listening to the voices of my friends, my peers, my advisors. “You’ll never make it”, “It’s way too big”, “Are you sure?” these questions eat at my faith, and distract me from my instruction.

This theme of paying careful heed to the Lord’s clear instruction is found throughout the Old Testament. In 1 Kings 12 Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, became king after Solomon’s death. The people of Israel assembled and asked of Rehoboam, “Your father was a hard master. Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects.” Rehoboam asked for 3 days to think over his answer. He first asked the older advisors for counsel, and they advised him to be a servant to the people and give them a favorable answer. However, Rehoboam rejected that advice and questioned his younger friends for their opinions. Their advice was to reply, “My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!” Guess whose advice Rehoboam followed? The latter. This ended up in the people of Israel refusing him as their king.

In the same chapter we see Jeroboam, the next king of Israel who, also on the advice of his good ol' counselors, made 2 gold calves for the people to worship, saying, “Look Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” Because of this, God turned away from Jeroboam. In the very next chapter, 13, we see a man of God from Judah who was sent by the Lord’s command to denounce Jeroboam in Israel. However, the Lord gave this man one warning, “You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.” But this man of God was also swayed by the voice of men, and was later persuaded by the lies of a prophet to follow the prophet home and dine with him. The Lord had given clear instructions to the man, but the man wavered from the clear instruction without thinking and turned back into Israel, naively believing the lie that the prophet told him. This resulted in his death. In the last chapter of 1 Kings, 22, we also see Ahab asking for advice from his prophets before going out to battle. About 400 of them said, “yes, go right ahead! And the Lord will give the king victory.” But one, Michaiah, said otherwise, speaking of Ahab’s death in battle. Michaiah was the only prophet who truly received God’s word, but Ahab did not listen, and locked him up, going straight into battle.

Often we think that the more encouragements and good feedback we receive from others about our dreams, the better and more successful it will be. However, something I’m still learning is to do what I know is right, and not what others tell me is right. The word in front of me is God’s manual of clear instruction. It’s written down plain to see. It doesn’t mean I don’t ask for advice; it means that I don’t let the advice of others decide for me what God’s will is. His ways are different from ours. And through constant prayer and petition to God, along with a chunk of determination, He will show me and lead me through my Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal.

  

--So, Whats Your BHAG?

Adventure 17-19, II Kings: When judgment is delayed (or not)

The book of Second Kings begins with a prophet calling down fire from heaven to destroy people, and ends with both nations in exile. Quite a gloomy thought to start this blog with, but it did get me thinking about the theme of God's judgement again. Several times in this book, we have judgment called down immediately, and several times it is postponed or cancelled.

It is certainly not all doom and judgement though - there are times of rescue from enemies, a journey to heaven without going through death, compassion and necessary help given to a widow and her children, and the physical healing and spiritual redemption of an enemy general.

First, I consider the immediate judgements. To many in our culture today, it seems both strange and cruel that God would call down fire from heaven to consume people passing on a message, as in the case of two captains and their 50 soldiers. We must remember Whom we consider though - this is God the Creator and Sustainer, the King above the Israelite kings, Righteous and Just. He deserves respects, and the way the first two captains talk to the prophet Elijah, His mouthpiece, is anything but. The second captain doesn't learn the lesson, and is even more rude, adding 'quickly' to his imperative. Fortunately, the third captain was wise, and respected/feared God enough to approach humbly.
We have a similar occurrence in the next chapter with Elishah - bears killing children that insulted the prophet. Again, many may protest it is not right that children should be killed in that way, but it was right. This particular incident may not have been merciful, but it was just. I remember a preacher at a church we visited on holiday once taking the little children (of whom I was one at the time) aside after a sermon about this passage, and trying to show that 'God wouldn't really do that'. I didn't really speak up at the time, but it sent my respect for that preacher down very low. God does deserve respect, even from children, and even children are responsible for their actions. Rejoice in His mercy, but also stand in reverence before our God!

We also see some judgments that come after warnings. There is a bit of a spectrum of causes for these judgments. The ego of a servant causes him to avoid at God's promise of a provision during a siege. The greed and deceit of Gehazi leads to himself contracting Naaman´s leprosy. Amaziah in pride goes to fight Israel, in which case the warning comes from Jehoash, rather than God's prophet, but he certainly doesn't consult God about it, and is defeated and the gold and silver from the temple taken.

Other judgments are delayed. The reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah were enough to delay the judgment until after their lifetime, but unfortunately the occasional king  that instituted reforms were not enough to change the whole country from their hankering street false gods, especially with the many more evil kings encouraging them to stay by their own idolatry.
In particular, the delay of Hezekiah's own death is an interesting consideration. Instead of accepting God's prophecy, he pleads for more time, and is granted it along with an accompanying supernatural sign. However, the only thing noted after this incident is his prideful display of wealth to the Babylonians, which brings with it a prediction of the exile. Sometimes God seems to give people answers to their prayer when they are insistent, even if it is not the best for them. This reminds me that we should always pray with the Lord's will in mind, and recognise that our own preferences may be wrong for us.

In contrast to Hezekiah's low point of faith (we must remember he the faith he showed facing Sennacherib, and in destroying the idols, high places, and the bronze serpent which was being used as an idol), we also see the faith of a 'minor' character in the book. The maid to Naaman's wife, not only knowing enough about God, but also willing to speak up to her captors about the power of God over disease that led to the salvation of her master.
The character of the lepers, also, comes out, when the go to tell the city of good news that the Syrians fled. Elisha refusing to leave Elijah, and then requesting in faith a double portion of the spirit upon Elijah (interestingly, the miracle count of Elisha was twice that of Elijah's record - even the most marvellous miracle of resurrecting the dead was done twice. Once with a woman's son, like Elijah, and then another after the death of Elisha!)
We see the faith of Jehoiada, willing to hide Josiah from the wicked queen (sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it - but this is indeed history!). Beautiful snippets of Godly lives lived out amidst a largely corrupt and idolatrous pair of nations.
A good reminder that even when most or all of society is going one way, God has strength where we don't, and He can bring Himself glory through the actions of a few, or even one alone.

Adventure 14 and 15

Adventure 14 and 15

Wisdom. A powerful word. What does it mean to you to be wise?

King Soloman asked God for wisdom, the knowledge and discernment between right and wrong
If you were to ask God for anything at all in this world, would it be wisdom? The world has a different view on wisdom. Where God would see if as discerning between right and wrong, the world has a different view on it. Humbling that a great king would place importance of wisdom compared to riches, success and long life. And in the end God bless him with that as well.

The distorted form of wisdom is between what would benefit us and disadvantage us. It's wise to have a "What's in it for me?" mentality. Instead of values, principals and people being involved, a lot of media now focuses on instant gratification, consumerism and selfishness.

Solomon's wisdom was so well-known, that people from distant lands came to meet with him.We see the early part of his journey, carrying out the legacy of David. The stories of old time, with adventure and kings.
However, then Solomon's love strays away from God. He who married many foreign wives, also went to worship foreign Gods.It makes you wonder how the wisdom of all the ages still could not stop her heart from straying away. It makes you wonder how it came to that, for Solomon who started out so well, to give his heart away.

Adventure 14-16, I Kings: Listening and acting

As I wrote the title of this post, it occurred to me that it was the third time I have used the concept of listening in a title - it is certainly a common theme through scripture.

We are now entering that period in the history books where we overlap with the prophetical books considered earlier. Indeed, that we are entering the time of prophets has been hinted since Samuel, who in a way marked the transition from judge to prophet - their responsibility to warn and correct the people changed little, although the judicial authority was now based on the way the kings ruled, rather than resting with the prophets/judges. Because of the authority of the king, and his responsibility as head of the nation to lead the nation to God, it was towards the king that the majority of prophetic messages were delivered. Occasionally messages regarding battles and war, very frequently they were chastisement for not walking with the Lord and serving false gods.

As usual, there are many themes in covering so much history. Even more if you consider each story individually. Themes of idolatry, rebellion, jealousy, wisdom, and glory are all present.

Early in the book, the glory of God is quite a theme. The building of the Temple, the sermon of Solomon, the wealth and wisdom of Solomon given him by God - all testament to the generous nature and glory of God.

Early on, we see David, Bathsheba, and Nathan all attentive to the word of God concerning Solomon's accession to the throne. In contrast, Adonijah, Joab, and Abiathar never seemed to consult the Lord concerning this, but went their own way, despite every king previously being anointed based on direction from God.
Solomon continues to be attentive to God at the beginning of his reign. Willing to take necessary action to execute justice and establish his rule - he knows when God asks that his greatest need is wisdom. If only later he would listen to his own advice! Alas, the greatest and the least are all able to make excuses for themselves, and knowing wisdom and how to act are still different from stepping out in faith and living it out. In the end, he listened to his (many) wives, and set up worship places to foreign gods. He did not listen to the law of God where it instructed not to collect great armies, horses, or many women. (Unfortunately his father had set him a bad example at least for the many wives, but he went further into that sin). Collecting each of these revealed a lack of trust in God, and a pride for one's own efforts - the army for fighting by numbers rather than God, the horses for having an advanced army rather than relying on God, and the many foreign wives for trusting in brokered alliances rather than relying on God for peace (very common in ancient times to try and create marriage alliances to ensure peace). The culmination of it all was him not listening to the prophets, and the kingdom being torn in two during his son's reign. Whether he repented towards God by the end or not, we don't know. Ecclesiastes may be support the idea that he did, but ultimately only God knows. He was certainly still used much of God, writing and collecting proverbs, and writing both Songs of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. His wisdom was a testament to the ancient world, as the Queen of Sheba relates.
With his son also, we see consequences of listening - he listens to the young men rather than the older, wiser men, and the kingdom is split. He does listen to God a bit later, and turns back from attacking the Northern Kingdom, though.
Shimei listens to his 'bail condition' initially, but later ignores it, leading to his death.
Jeroboam also begins by listening, and then turns and rejects God, turning to idolatry. He also refuses to listen to the prophet. The prophet listens to God enough to deliver the message, but then listens to a lie and is killed as judgement for not following God's direction to the letter.
Many kings do not listen to God - the ones in Israel are overthrown every few generations because of this. In Judah, a few listen to God, but most do not. Nevertheless, for the sake of God's promise to David, the line of kings in Judah is kept. Asa in particular listens to the law of the Lord in many ways, but does not get rid of the worship places for other gods.
Elijah listens to God - and acts in faith, preaching to the king concerning the drought about to come. He trusts God to provide his food. Later, the widow also listens to Elijah and gives up her last meal for him, and God miraculously takes care of both Elijah, and the widow's house during the drought. When her son dies, God listens to Elijah (acting in the will of God), and raises the child back to life. To my knowledge, this is the first resurrection in the Bible - an amazing act of faith on Elijah's part, brought about by his close relationship with God.
At the end of the drought, Elijah suggests a demonstration of the power of God vs. Baal, as a means to cleansing the land of idolatry before the rains return. The glory of God is clearly triumphant. Baal does not listen to the prophets - no matter how loud they call or cut themselves, he cannot hear them for he is the work of man's hands! God on the other hand, listens to Elijah immediately and consumes not only the sacrifice but all the water in the ditch around the sacrifice that was poured over it. After this marvelous demonstration, the people again listen to God for a while, and kill all the prophets of Baal.
Then Elijah gets himself into trouble, by listening to his fears. He has every reason to be confident in God, Who is more powerful than Jezebel, but instead he flees and wallows in self-pity. It is not uncommon to feel alone in this world - even today it can feel like there are few or none others around willing to speak up for God. But God encourages Elijah. He provides physical nourishment, spiritual nourishment, and emotional nourishment - he is not alone, there are many others in the land who refused to bow down to Baal. Sent on his way back to Israel, God gives him a companion as a disciple, and one to share the load.
Elisha listens to Elijah, and immediately forsakes his previous occupation. We have heard of burning boats - this man when called to follow God burnt the means of his current profession as a sacrifice to God straightaway - again, an evidence of faith in God.
Ahab is the classic example of someone who only listens to people when it goes along with his ideas. He listens to the demands of Syria initially, thinking to save his own skin by giving his wives and children away. Only when the demands are increased does he protest. The Lord declares that he will save Israel from Syria, not once, but twice, and yet Ahab still doesn't listen to the will of God but makes peace with Syria. Another man doesn't listen tot he instructions of a prophet to smite him, and is killed by a lion for not listening. The prophet gets someone else to do it, then pronounces the judgement against Ahab, but he it just turns him bitter - he doesn't change anything.
Later we see a tragic scenario played out with Naboth. Ahab seeks evil against him, but doesn't think of actually doing anything, then he listens to his wife and together they plot murder against Naboth. Finally, after another judgement pronounced against Ahab, he listens and humbles himself before God.
In the final chapter we see a common reaction of evil kings to the prophets - they listen to the false prophets that tell them what they want to hear, but ignore the true prophets. In this case Jehoshaphat is insistent on making sure he has heard from all the prophets - perhaps an indication he does not trust the false prophets. Micaiah's response is interesting - Perhaps he deliberately said his first 'prophecy' in a very sarcastic tone to draw such a reaction from the king/s. Anyway, he knows they will not listen to him, but then goes on to give the message of judgement. Ahab ignores him and punishes him for speaking the truth, despite the insistence to speak the truth. Jehoshaphat interestingly also ignores the advice, or at least goes along with Ahab. We see here and in other passages of scripture that Jehoshaphat seems to be a king with a good heart, but far too willing to compromise and tolerate the evil around him, both in the kings of Israel, and in the idolatry in his own country.

So what can we draw from all this?
First, listening to God is wise, but we also need to live it out, not just hear and ignore it.
Secondly, we must be careful to whom we listen. God sends people in our lives to give us good advice, but there are a lot of people that claim to speak His word and either deliberately lie or are self-deceived. Therefore we must check out what we hear, and not do anything that contradicts what we already know that God has told us.
Thirdly, one mark of a false prophet is telling you what you want to hear - be careful around anyone like this.
Fourthly, even when it seems we are the only one listening to God - He knows far more people than we do, and He knows who are His own. We can trust in Him, for He is more powerful than the whole world against us. And He is good in giving us the support we need when we need it.

Adventure 13 : Sacrificial Worship

Adventure 13

King David, the king of legends who wrote some of the best songs and psalms of history. Here we see his humanity, and how he too continuously needs the forgiving grace of God. He too makes mistakes. In the part of the chapter, pride is the downfall. We give glory to ourselves, praising ourselves and our abilities when we achieve something. Even something that seems small, like counting the size of an army, can be a downfall if the heart's motivation is pride. The heart is another reoccurring theme throughout the stories of the kings of Israel. God looks at the heart, and sees the reasons behind all our actions.

One really interesting thing about David, was when he said that he would not offer a sacrifice to God that cost him nothing. This applies to the worship and acts of service that we do for God as well. There are times we give onto God which costs us nothing, but here is David saying these profound words which strikes deep. This I think would be the concept of sacrificial worship, which requires the giving up of ourselves. With my service and worship onto God, I want to give up more of myself to God, for him to become more in me.

Adventure 11,12 &13 :"Bringin' it down to 5"

[2 Samuel]

                                                    “To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.” [2 Samuel 22:26-28]

Trying to take both the small accounts and the big overview of the book of 2 Samuel into perspective, I narrowed my takeaways into 5 key points.

1.  Pride is treacherous

[2 Samuel 6]

Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s wife, felt disgust for David when she saw him dancing along the streets back to the city after the victory against the Philistines. Her words were sarcastic and full of contempt, “How distinguished the King of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” (v. 20)

“I was dancing before the Lord,” David replied, “Yes, and I’m willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” (v. 21a, 22)

This passage really hits a truth. How much pride are we willing to let go of? How often do we restrict ourselves from acting our in true joy and faith, because of how others may view us?

The word “weakness” is so feared by the world. Everyone is trying to hide their weaknesses, to be flawless, to be strong, to uphold their Pride. But weakness is a part of human nature, and only when we face our weakness and surrender it to God, will it become beautiful in God’s strength! I know I often hold back from receiving the full power of God for fear of appearing silly to the eyes of others. How sad that I live in the chains of another’s mind!

Pride is treacherous, because it creeps in unnoticed, but is a dangerous snare that seeks to control us, hindering us from a full life in Christ. Society’s mindset has controlled our minds and lives so, that we do not live in the ultimate freedom Christ bought for us.

[Read 1 Corinthians 1:27-29]

2. Loyalty is commitment

[2 Samuel 11]

In this passage, David was walking along his balcony when sees a beautiful woman, Bathsheeba, who happens to be taking a bath. David lusted after her, and so he took her to sleep with him, and got her pregnant. Only problem was, she was already married. Though there are many other takeaway themes such as lust, dishonesty, disobedience, adultery and so on, I decided to focus on the loyalty of Bathsheeba’s husband, Uriah. When David found out that Bathsheeba was pregnant, he quickly sent for Uriah who was in the army, and tried to get him to sleep with his wife to cover up David’s sinful act. But, David’s plan failed when twice he found Uriah had slept at the palace entrance with the palace guard instead of going home to relax with his wife.

“The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields”, Uriah explained, “How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”

Uriah’s loyalty was stronger than David expected. And he paid the price for it. The next day Uriah took a letter from David back to the army, in which gave arrangements for his own death – Uriah was purposefully stationed at the front lines close to the city wall where the enemy was strongest, and the war strategy was such that he would be killed. Thus, innocent blood was shed. Uriah was willing to put his life at stake for the nation, and his loyalty was repaid cruelly by murder.

Throughout the book, we also see traces of loyalty between David and Jonathan, between nations, and between the King’s servants and the King. Through it all, we see that loyalty often comes with a costly price. When you are loyal to another, you are committed to them through thick or thin.

3. Justice is necessary

[2 Samuel]

Throughout the book of Samuel, we see the theme of justice; the consequences of sin. There are such terrible things that occur, and that make me cringe when I read it. Cruel murders, revenge, sinful acts… the Old Testament has many accounts of such. And honestly so many questions come into my mind when I read it. But then again, if you take a look at the history of China, Germany, and just the newspaper today, you will almost see a repeat of the Old Testament! We people haven’t changed! But one thing that strikes me is the necessity of Justice. Turning over the pages of the newspaper, I find myself releasing sudden noises of “gaahhhhh!” and “What on earth?!” much to the startling of my parents. But seriously, reading the horrendous acts of the world today, who with a conscience wouldn’t want justice to be served?

4.Love is undeserved

[2 Samuel 18, 21]

Love is not something you can earn or could deserve. In 2 Samuel we see 2 striking accounts of parental love.

In chapters 13-18, we read about Absalom (son of David) and his revenge, reconciliation and rebellion. Absalom had a beautiful virgin sister, Tamar, who was raped by his half-brother Amnon. Thus, Absalom murders Amnon for revenge, and then flees away from Jerusalem. His father David missed him, and brought him back from Geshur, and was later reconciled to him. However, Absalom conspired against his father, and struck up a rebellion, turning his subjects against him, causing David to flee from Jerusalem. In the war against both armies, Absalom was killed. Yet we see in chapter 18 when David heard of his death, he wept and mourned, crying “o my Son, Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.” (v.33) We see David’s great love for his son, who was a step from the prodigal son, betraying his father even after reconciliation. And yet David wanted him back, and loved him so very much. Isn’t that a picture of God’s love for His people? So many times we see God’s grace towards his people when they are repeatedly ungrateful and turn from him!

In chapter 21, David’s kingdom falls under famine, a consequence of Saul breaking his vow to the Gibeonites. David offered recompense, and the Gibeonites asked for 7 of Saul’s sons to be executed. We see the love of the mother of 2 of the sons, who (v. 10) “spread burlap on a rock and stayed there the entire harvest season. She prevented the scavenger birds from tearing at the bodies during the day and stopped wild animals from eating them at night.” Imagine the devastation of the mother as the army dragged her 2 sons away to be slaughtered! She couldn’t stand the fact of birds or wild animals devouring the remains, that she herself stood against them day and night to protect the corpses! I’m sure that she would’ve rather herself been killed than to see both her sons murdered! When I see stories of parental love such as this, I am truly amazed at such unexplainable love. And yet stories of the love of friendship, love of romance, love of family, and love of God, all have an unexplainable level of depth - why we love some over others, why some love so hard but are never requited, and why love is so full of undeserved grace.

5. Courage is contagious

[2 Samuel 21, 23]

Take the simplest illustration of a student in class. When the teacher asks a question, it’s always the hardest for the first student to raise their hands to share or give an answer. But after that first person tries it, it becomes somehow easier for others to follow their lead. It’s the same in many other circumstances. Even in the cartoons or movies, where one guy pushes the other guy in front, saying, “You go first”. In anything new, it’s always easier to follow another’s lead than to take the first step on unknown ground yourself. Watching someone else do it somehow makes the job seem easier and more achievable. When the Philistine Giant Goliath first taunted the Israelites, everyone was afraid because no one dared to step out alone. However, shepherd boy David stepped out with his sling and stones, and defeated the Giant. In 2 Samuel 21 and 23, we see examples of David’s warriors who defeated the descendants of giants. They no longer took the taunting of the giants, but stepped out in courage with David! - Elhanan killed the brother of Goliath!

In chapter 23, we see the accounts of David’s mighty men. It records the heroic acts of his mightiest warriors - Jashobeam who killed hundreds of men (estimated to be 800) in one battle, Eleazar who stood together with David against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army fled, and Shammah who held his ground and fought alone against all the Philistines. One day, when David expressed his desire to drink from the well in the Philistine territory, the 3 men secretly broke through the Philistine lines and brought some water back to David. But David couldn’t bring himself to drink the precious water, and sacrificed it to the Lord instead.

We see stories of courage sparked by a leader of courage. All it takes is the first step of insane bravery; the rest of the journey will follow. Remember, others are observing; your one courageous act may spark many more!


I used my 5 fingers to recall these points, thumbs up for pride, index for loyalty, middle for justice, ring for love, and pinky for courage. :) Not too relevant, but works for me! haha peace out :)