by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
II Kings 10-12
The two nations, Israel and Judah, continue to put down and set up kings.
In Israel, Jehu finally gets rid of the house of Ahab and Jezebel, the darkest rulers in a nation which should have known God.
As usual during these times, everything seems so gory. And as usual, I relate these things to our current day battle against demons and forces of darkness in heavenly places.
Jehu cut off the heads of all the heirs of the evil king. I think of totally destroying the influence demonic forces have over me.
If there is an area in our lives where we once had trouble keeping holy, we should totally eradicate that influence from us. For instance, if you once had trouble with alcohol or drugs, then certainly don’t partake of them at all – and even stay away from those who may influence you to do so.
If pornography was a problem, then don’t even look at the magazines in the grocery line. If you once had trouble with gossiping, stay away from gossipers. That’s what I call “cutting off the head of the king”” in our lives. Not allowing the devil to bring temptation to us in areas that were once weak.
Even though Jehu eradicated the Baals, “he still didn’t walk in the law of the Lord with all of his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam.”(10:31) So from that time, the Lord began to cut off portions from Israel.
After the evil Athaliah tried to usurp the throne of Judah, a holy child, Joash, was hidden from her. When he was seven years old, this young boy became king of Israel.
He had a mentor, however, who told him what to do. Jehoida the priest “made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people, also between the king and the people.”(11:17)
They definitely weren’t perfect, but some at least were trying to be God’s people.
The flame was dim, but at least there was in the earth a flame of God’s purpose to eventually bring His Son. I’m thankful for that.
John 1: 29-51
John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin, so surely he had seen Him as they were growing up. However, John obviously didn’t realize that He was the Son of God until the day He was baptized.
God had told John that “He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.”(v.33) So when the Spirit descended like a dove and remained on Jesus, John recognized Him as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”(v.29)
All of those centuries when the Jews were sacrificing animals God was teaching them that some day He would provide a perfect Lamb to be sacrificed. John recognized that the time had come. Jesus was the Lamb of God. It gives you chills, doesn’t it?
Jesus deals with lots of imagery. When Nathanael comes to Jesus, amazed that He has seen Him under the fig tree, Jesus has quite a reply. He says, “You shall see the heavens open and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”(V.51)
Do you recognize what He is saying? Do you remember when Jacob had the dream of a ladder into heaven with angels ascending and descending? He said this is truly the “House of God and the gate of heaven.”(Gen. 28:17) It’s a portal into heaven – a ladder with angels ascending and descending.
Jesus says that He is the ladder into heaven. He is the portal. He is the Way that we can get there. And he is the way that we can partake of God’s presence while we are here on earth.
Meditate on this for a while. Jesus is the only ladder set up by God for us to partake of His presence and power.
It’s so significant to get this. I pray that you do.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
I Kings 14-15
There seems like there is no hope for Israel and Judah.
It’s been about 450 years since Joshua led these people into the Promised Land. They have been taught to remember the covenant and all of the miracles which God had performed on their behalf. He had delivered them from Pharoah with many signs and wonders, and had led them into this land. They had an unprecedented history with their Creator.
Of course, they didn’t have the Bible as we know it, but they did have the Law of Moses and all of the traditions handed down by the priests. The kings had been taught about the God of Israel and the importance of remaining faithful.
Yet what a mess! The kings are going after every heathen god imaginable, and observing their practices. All of this is an abomination.
In 14: 25-27 there seems to be a prophetic statement when the king of Egypt comes and steals all of the treasures out of the house of the Lord. These treasures were all of the gold implements put there by Solomon. There were shields, cups, vases, and many more works of pure gold. Rehoboam replaces the shields with bronze.
It seems that this is symbolic for the true worship of God being replaced with artificial. No longer real, but phony – a substitute for the real.
Unfortunately, there will never be another good king in Israel, which consists of the majority of the great covenant-people of God.
However, God keeps his covenant with the one remaining tribe. He still will lead Judah, because He had promised David that He would watch over his throne.
Then, too, the Lord needs to have a people who will be faithful so that they can eventually bring the Savior on the scene for us.
It’s hit or miss on Judah’s kings, but there is a hit on Asa. He removes the cult prostitutes, and he even removes his mother from being the queen mother, because she is worshipping Asherah.
As we are moving through this history of Israel, it’s a good idea to relate the incidents to modern times. A secular culture is always trying to penetrate the church and its teachings, and hearts are always being swayed.
We can learn some lessons, if we pay attention.
Luke 22:21-46
The hardest moment of Jesus’ life is about to come. For the first time in all of eternity, He is to be separated for His Father.
As He prays in the garden, sweat drops of blood fall to the ground. The stress is tremendous.
Several years ago, the Lord awoke me in the middle of the night and had me go into my den. He began to teach me from these passages, as He took me to every account of this Gethsemane experience, and He showed me what was happening.
While in the garden, Jesus knew that He was going to pull off the most extreme measure in the history of the world. He was going to be separated from His Father, as He died and paid the price for our sins. He was going into hell for three days, and then, after paying the full price to the devil, the Holy Spirit would come into Him and lift Him up from the dead for the greatest feat known to man.
The only assurance that this feat would work was Jesus’ faith in God’s plan.
You and I might be striving to enter the rest of faith as we undertake our challenges, but we’ve never faced anything like this. Think about what Jesus was going through.
He is a forerunner for us. Don’t misunderstand me. I am not by any means saying that what we do is as significant as what He did. I am just saying that there is a pattern here.
There are times when we know that God’s best is not being performed yet in our lives. As we pray and meditate on the Word, there are times when we know that our faith needs to improve. We just aren’t really believing what we have read yet. We are saying, “Lord, help my unbelief.”
As we follow the leading of Jesus and continue to pray, we will come through to a bright moment when we will know deep down within ourselves that we have what we are believing for. We won’t see it with our eyes, but we will know that we will be seeing it.
Our faith has become a reality.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Judges 19-21
Today we wrap up the approximately 335 years following Joshua’s death. Cycles of apostasy, oppression, and deliverance continue in the land. It’s hard to imagine that these people are thinking of God., yet every now and then there seems to be a little sign that they know that there are certain expectations.
One of these is when Israel rises against the tribe of Benjamin because of their treatment of a concubine. They are appalled at the rape and murder of this girl, so they take retribution. After the defeat of Benjamin, when there are very few left, the Israelites take an oath that none of their daughters may marry Benjaminites.
At that time, however, the other tribes mourn the fact that one of the tribes will become extinct. They have no wives to replenish their tribe – they have all been slaughtered.
Hey, wait. An idea pops up. Oh, when the great feast is held in Shiloh and everyone is dancing, the Benjaminite men may hide and watch. Then they can choose girls from the dancers and kidnap them. What a plan!
The last verse of Judges is a repeat of one we’ve heard before. “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”(21:25)
Some strange things seemed “right,” didn’t they?
Better days ahead.
Luke 7:31-50
I love the way Jesus treats those around Him. He’s never ruffled by the charges of the arrogant Pharisees. He knows their hearts and thoughts, and speaks to them very directly.
At the same time, our Savior shows such love and compassion for those who are humbly seeking to be lifted out of their sinful lives.
We’ve seen this account in the other gospels, but I love reading it every time it’s presented. Jesus understands and appreciates the sinful woman who washes His feet with her tears and pours perfume on them. She is weeping and kissing Him because of her great love for Him. She knows that He has forgiven her.
“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”(47)
Over the years, I have seen this principle applied many times. Often you will see someone who came from a very sinful lifestyle turn to the Lord, and they will be the most radical christian in the crowd. Having experienced the love and power of Jesus, they know first hand how good He is.
I love to see those people as they share their stories. They have such a zeal, and often those people lead the way in evangelism.
He says, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”(v. 50)
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Judges 7-11
Let’s backtrack a little to get up to speed.
Gideon is one of the greatest heroes of the Bible. Yet he certainly has attributes with which we can identify.
If you ever feel discouraged, take a look at Gideon. If you ever feel small and insignificant, you might also take a look at Gideon.
Gideon is the youngest member of the “least” family of Manasseh, and as such, has no regard among his peers. An unimportant, unnoticeable individual. And that’s the way he sees himself.
Yet there is something about Gideon which arouses God’s attention.
We first see him as an angel appears to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.”(6:13). (Remember, our Lord speaks things into existence. At the moment, Gideon does not appear as a valiant warrior).
The salutation elicits an explosion of frustration from Gideon. “If God is with us, why this and why that?” Have you ever felt that way? Of course, you have. All of us have.
However, God is ready to make a big move – and Gideon is just the man for the job. Our God doesn’t see as man sees. Man always wants to go to the high, the mighty, and the connected to get their job done. God goes after a heart which is willing to obey Him – and He seems to specialize in going to the “least.”
So Gideon tears down the altar of Baal, and there is no turning back!
If you are going to tear down the altars of idols, you’d better be ready to follow through with the alternative, and Gideon is ready. He is renamed “Jerubbaal” which means “Let Baal contend against him.” The Israelites now have their eyes focused on Gideon.
A huge crowd of men assemble for battle, but God rejects them. He doesn’t want men thinking that they are the ones to win the battle, so he calls for those who are afraid, to leave. 22,000 leave, with 10,000 remaining, but the Lord still says there are too many.
God wants an unmistakable claim to this victory coming up, so He calls them to do something absolutely impossible. He has Gideon bring the men to the water and watch how they drink. Everyone who laps like a dog, stays; everyone who kneels to drink, putting their heads down, have to go home.
Only 300 men survive the test, and God is requiring something totally impossible. A huge army, as “numerous as locusts” and camels as “numerous as sand on the seashore” awaits this tiny group. It’s impossible.
But God has a plan. The 300 are to hold a trumpet in one hand, and a torch, covered by a pitcher in the other. They are to, at the signal, break the pitchers, exposing the light, and blow the trumpets – all at the same time as they run toward the enemy. Fear overtakes the opposing armies, and they flee.
The rest of the Jews are called to finish the job, and Israel is delivered from the Philistines.
There are tons of lessons we can learn from this story. Of course, nothing is impossible with God, when we are walking in obedience.
Further, if God calls us to do something, we can do it through Him. We may think that we can’t because of our position in life, or our lack of education, or our lack of funds.
Yet, with God, truly all things are possible.
Luke 5
“I am willing!” We can’t hear this word enough in our society.
There is a tendency for people to say, “If it be Thy will, please heal me.” I don’t see in the ministry of Jesus where it was ever God’s will for people not to be healed. He healed all who came to Him in faith.
I really don’t understand why that error has gotten into the church. I guess when we don’t see things happen, we try to explain them away.
I would much rather go to the Word of God and prayer and get the answers. I know there are delays sometimes, but i never consider them to be the fault of God.
If we could ever “get it” that His love for us is beyond human imagination. His goodness is perfect. And His will is always to heal and restore, then we would have the faith we need.
There are times when any of us feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere of doubt around us – which tries to invade our minds. That’s when it’s important to draw aside to the Lord, and spend time with Him.
In those times if we would just praise Him and worship Him. Then let his Word restore our minds.
He has all the answers – and power to bring his will into our lives. His good, perfect will. We just have to reach for it.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Today and tomorrow we will be doing some catching up on our reading, since we diverted some attention to Resurrection Day.
Judges 4-6
We are now in some of the darkest days of Israel’s history. It’s easy to see that the faithfulness of one generation doesn’t necessarily get passed down to the next. For the next decades, we will see a yo-yo effect happening. “Good” generations followed by “bad” ones, over and over.
Without any real explanation, we see Deborah come on the scene. (I say without explanation, because the society was unmistakably led by men, and here we see a woman rising up to judge Israel). For all women leaders, this should be encouraging, because it’s clear that even in early times, God was using women in leadership.
God speaks with her and gives her prophecy to bring deliverance to the sons of Israel. Barak is to go out against Jabin, King of Canaan. Deborah is so highly esteemed that Barak wouldn’t go without her going with him. So she does, and he does.
With the aid of another woman, Jael, Jabin’s army is thrown down, and Israel is free one more time.
What rejoicing we see. Deborah and Barak celebrate with singing and dancing…and Israel enjoys peace for another forty years.
But then…”the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”
Can you believe it? Will they ever learn?
Will we ever learn?
Luke 4:31-44
Jesus has authority and power everywhere He goes. He amazes those around Him as He heals all the sick and casts out demons. The crowds have never seen anything like this!
Interestingly, the demons recognize Him and say, “You are the Son of God.” But, rebuking them, He “would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.”(v.41) Why would Jesus do that?
I think there are two reasons. The first is that Jesus stops many attacks of the devil at their source by stopping the words the demons speak. Since words have power, the demons could have created more warfare for Him – and created more confusion in the people around Him.
The second is related. The kingdom of God is built upon people who hear within their hearts that He is the Christ. Jesus is counting on Holy Spirit drawing men to Him, because only when the revelation comes from the Spirit is the foundation sure. The message is pure.
If demons are proclaiming Jesus, only great discord could be the result. Needless to say, a pure gospel would not be preached in that manner. So the demons are prohibited from speaking of Him.
Jesus and His mission are God’s business. Certainly the devil and his imps are to stay out of it!
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