Sometimes when reading the Old Testament it is tempting to see God differently than "He is now." That thinking, however, is not Biblical because God never changes. If He did change, then we would be in a world of trouble because we would never know what His standard was! Thank goodness that God is unchanging! That means, however, that ... [Continue Reading]
A sign from the Lord (Isaiah 7-8)
I think it's really cool that we're reading Isaiah right around Christmastime because the prophecy from God that is spoken of in Isaiah 7 is specifically about Christ's birth. How did the prophet know so long before it happened that Jesus would have his advent to earth? God told him. That's a pretty simple answer, but the result of the ... [Continue Reading]
What Isaiah saw (Isaiah 5-6)
There is something curios about the throne room of God as experienced by Isaiah. First, there were strange, winged creatures that used two sets of their wings to cover their faces and their feet. Why is this important? It shows God's holiness. Even these creatures who were proclaiming praises to His name could not look at him because of His ... [Continue Reading]
A glimpse of God ‘ s emotion (Isaiah 1-4)
Every other time I've read through the Bible I've had a hard time grasping Isaiah. I'm not ready to claim that this time through will be any different, but I do feel a better understanding after having just read of Uziah's stupidity as a leader and the failure of the majority of Israel's and Judah's kings to lead in a way that brought honor ... [Continue Reading]
The danger of strength (2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 26)
It seems that a great downfall of leaders in the bible was the presence of strength. That's an ironic quality to become a person's downfall, but especially in the case of Uzziah, his strength brought his ultimate demise. When it comes to leadership (and even just daily living for everyone), God isn't interested in strength. As a culture, we ... [Continue Reading]
What will it take? (Jonah)
There are times when we run away from God. Jonah is a key example of this because God told him to go to Nineveh to preach to a lost people, but Jonah despised the people and didn't want to do as God wished. Once he set sail on a ship heading in a different direction, Jonah endangered the lives of the others on board. It took being thrown in the ... [Continue Reading]
A tragic reality (2 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 25)
In my prior posts I never made much mention of a tragic reality of sin that was a part of Israel's history during this time period: the separation of the kingdom. Due to the sin of Solomon and his many wives, the kingdom was broken into two parts: Judah and Israel. In this portion of the reading there is fighting between the two kingdoms, and it really ... [Continue Reading]
Freedom (2 Kings 12-13; 2 Chronicles 24)
I spent some time today preparing for my lesson on Sunday night with the high school students. This week we're looking at the concept that maximum freedom comes under God's authority. I thought about that in relation to today's reading. Israel faced a lot of stuff during this period of history, and most of the trials they dealt with were as ... [Continue Reading]
It ‘ s all about the heart (2 Kings 9-11)
On Monday night I had an unexpected visit from a few Mormons who were canvassing the neighborhood. At the time when they rang the doorbell I was getting ready to fry a turkey for dinner, so I invited them around back to chat while the turkey was being fried. I have to confess that I don't know nearly enough about their beliefs, but I do know enough to ... [Continue Reading]
Never lie to a prophet (2 Kings 5-8)
Sometimes I wish the bible was like the "choose your own adventure" books that I read as a kid. It's not that I'm necessarily unhappy with the outcomes in the bible, but I'm curious what would have happened in some circumstances. One of those circumstances is Gehazi's foolish choice to lie to a prophet. I mean, come on, Elisha ... [Continue Reading]
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