They Cried to God in the Battle
Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 3 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – John 3 – 4; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
Read the “0506 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “The Prayer of Jabez“
“And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.” (1 Chronicles 5:20)
The beginning section of 1 Chronicles is the largest genealogical portion of Scripture in the Bible. As was stated yesterday, these genealogies are very important, albeit at times, they are not the most exciting passages to read. There are many nuggets of truth, however, nestled in the midst of these genealogies. In a previous post, we discussed the prayer of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4:9 – 10. This morning I would like to focus on 1 Chronicles 5:18 – 22, which discusses the acquisition of land on the east side of the Jordan River by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Verse 18 tells us that these 44,000 men were brave and very skillful in their military ability; but apparently their numbers and their expertise were not enough to conquer the enemy. They needed God’s help. Notice in verse 20, the Bible tells that they were helped by God, because they put their trust in Him. We also know that it was God’s will for them to go to war against the Hagarites because “the war was of God” (v. 22).
I believe we can learn some things from this passage as we fight the Lord’s battles today”
First, we must be sure that we are fighting God’s battle (doing His will). If we are just working for ourselves, we cannot expect success.
Secondly, we must trust in the Lord to bring us the victory. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
Finally, I believe that we should work at sharpening our skills. These men of Israel were well equipped, and highly trained for the task, and I think that God’s people need to be equipped and trained today in order to serve the Lord effectively. Someone once said that we ought to work like it all depends on us, but we ought also to pray like it all depends on God.
These three tribes were able to drive out the wicked inhabitants of the land, and possess their dwellings all because they trusted in the Lord; and they remained there until the time of the captivity. Why did they eventually lose their land to the Assyrian army? Because they stopped trusting in God. We receive all of the blessings of life because of our dependence upon Him. Let’s not lose them by deciding to live life trusting in the flesh.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.“ (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Chronicles by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Why We Should Read the Genealogical Passages
Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – John 1 – 2; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “0505 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from today’s passage – “His Name is Mudd”
“1 Adam, Sheth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, 3 Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. … 28 The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael. 29 These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,” (1 Chronicles 1:1-4, 28-29)
“12 And Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, 13 And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third, 14 Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh:” (1 Chronicles 2:12-15)
“17 All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.” (1 Chronicles 5:17)
The words “genealogy” or “genealogies” are found only twenty-four times in the Bible and fifteen of those times are in the two Books of the Chronicles, which is full of genealogical records of many people associated with Israel’s history but primary they trace the lineages of the kings of Judah. It is really a miniature of Israel’s history from Creation through the Babylonian and Persian captivity period. The temptation is to skip over these passages of Scripture as they tend to be dry reading without a lot of excitement but that would be a mistake as there is a lot that can be gleaned from these passages.
The Books of the Chronicles were originally combined together into one book. The name of the book means “annals” or “happenings of the days.” The author of the book is not named but is traditionally thought to have been Ezra the priest who compiled his information from prophetic records, such as the Books of Samuel and other official records of Israel. It had to have been written after the Babylonian captivity and after about 450 BC. Although there is considerable overlap from Chronicles with the Books of Samuel and Kings, there is also much new material. According to MacArthur:
Over 55 percent of the material in Chronicles is unique, i.e., not found in 2 Samuel or 1 and 2 Kings. The “chronicler” tended to omit what was negative or in opposition to the Davidic kingship; on the other hand, he tended to make unique contributions in validating temple worship and the line of David. Whereas 2 Kings 25 ends dismally with the deportation of Judah to Babylon, 2 Chronicles 36:22–23 concludes hopefully with the Jews’ release from Persia and return to Jerusalem.[1]
The purpose of 1st and 2nd Chronicles was to remind the returning remnant from Israel of both the successes and failures of their past. The successes came when they were obedient to the Lord. These books also served to encourage Israel regarding the wonderful promises regarding their future that God had given them and would surely fulfill.
Why Should We Not Skip Over These Genealogical Passages?
- Though these passages contain many names that are unknown to us, they are not unknown to God and to the people who are concerned about history.
God knows all of these people intimately. That serves to remind us that God knows us intimately. God not only knows our names, but He knows everything about us, even the seemingly insignificant details. Jesus said:
“7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.“ (Luke 12:7; also Matthew 10:30)
- The People of Israel were very concerned with remembering, revering, and learning from the previous generations.
The contemporary culture does not seem to be overly concerned with history, or even just remembering and revering the generations that immediately preceded them. We can learn a lot from both the successes and failures of the previous generations. The Apostle Paul admonished the Church at Corinth to learn from the recorded history of their forefathers. He said:
“6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. … 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11-13)
Our forefathers got some things right and we ought to appreciate that. They also got some things wrong and we need to learn a lesson from their mistakes. By the way – don’t be too hard on the previous generations for the things they got wrong. Give them some grace and then maybe the next generation may give you some grace as well for your mistakes.
- In these genealogical passages there are many little nuggets of truth. Nestled within these seemingly endless names are truths that cannot be found elsewhere in the Bible. The example that comes to mind is the passage about Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:
“9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
- These passages also contained technical information that help us understand the connections between people dealt with in the more familiar portions of the Bible.
For example, 1 Chronicle 2:16 and 17, we learn that David had sisters, named Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah had three sons (David’s nephews), Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Each of these play an important part within David’s kingdom. Abigail had a son named Amasa who also is an important historical figure. Amasa was actually killed by his cousin Joab. Knowing from Chronicles the familial ties enriches the understanding of the history.
Don’t skip over the genealogical passages. Pray and ask God to reveal a truth to you from these passages that will help you as you serve Him today. This whole devotion started out with a prayer and a rather dry and sometimes tedious reading from the first two chapters in 1 Chronicles.
[1] John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 563–564.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Can One Man Make a Difference?
Today’s Reading – 2 Kings 20 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 21 – 22; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “0503 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read previous posts from this passage – “He Should Have Quit While He Was Ahead;” and “Have You Found the Book?”
In today’s Scripture passage, we read about four kings: two of them were evil and two of them were good.
“1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.” (2 Kings 18:1-3)
“1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.” (2 Kings 21:1-2)
“19 Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did.” (2 Kings 21:19-20)
“1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. 2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” (2 Kings 22:1-2)
Each of these men were influential in either leading their people toward God. or away from God. As kings, they made decisions and effected policies that would either promote godliness, or bring the nation down through idolatry and immorality.
Manasseh was said to be the worst king that the southern kingdom of Judah had. In fact, future evil kings would always be compared to Manasseh, just as the good kings were compared to David (see 2 Kings 21:20 above). However, according to 2 Chronicles 33, Manasseh, presumably toward the end of his life, repented of the evil that he had done and turned to the Lord:
“10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. 11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. 14 Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah. 15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. 16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel. 19 His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sin, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers. 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.” (2 Chronicles 33:10-20)
Unfortunately, Manasseh did not have enough time to undo all the damage that he had done before his conversion. The impact from evil that he did before he turned to God still had a negative effect in Judah, and even though Manasseh repented, many of the people he previously influenced were not willing to follow him. Apparently, his Amon was one of them.
The point is that our lives will impact the world around us, especially those who are close to us. These four kings obviously had a lot more influence that most of us do because of their positions. Nevertheless, we all impact the people around us through the lives that we live. If we live for the Lord, we will influence the people we love in a positive way. If we live for ourselves, however, we will likely lead them astray.
None of us has to be a spiritual superstar to make a positive difference. We just need to humbly surrender to the Lord and allow Him to direct our lives (Proverbs 3:5 – 6) through the Word of God.
The Old Testament prophet Micah gave a great recipe for living a life that will please the Lord and make a difference:
“8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Spread It Before the Lord
Today’s Reading – 2 Kings 18 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 19 – 20; Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read the “0502 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Now You’ve Crossed the Line”
“And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.” – (2 Kings 19:1)
“And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.” – (2 Kings 19:14)
In our passage this morning in 2 Kings. we see the city of Jerusalem surrounded by the army from Assyria. Assyria had already conquered much of the known world at that time, including the northern kingdom of Israel, and Jerusalem in Judah certainly did not have the military strength to repel such a powerful force. Hezekiah, the King of Judah did what we all should do when we are faced with problems far bigger than our own human ability to solve: he went to the Lord. Notice in verse 1 above that Hezekiah went into the house of the Lord. That’s a good place to go to find answers, isn’t it. He then sent for the man of God, Isaiah. In this passage we can see a recipe that will help us in time of trouble. Go to God; go to God’s house; seek counsel from the man of God.
Notice in verse 14 above, the Assyrian’s are threatening again, and Hezekiah does the same thing that he did the first time. Why wouldn’t he? By the way, both times God delivers Jerusalem from the mighty Assyrians. The first time, God just lures them away from Jerusalem, but the second time He actually kills 185,000 of them. They should have quit while they were ahead.
So, what can we learn from this passage? When you are faced with questions and problems that are bigger than yourself, go to God. Look into the Bible for answers to your questions. Seek counsel from the men and women that God has placed in your life to help you. And whatever you do, do not forsake the house of God, when you are faced with problems. It very well may be that God will solve your problem there. The older I get, the more I realize that my life is bigger than my ability to live it right, and I often find myself not knowing what to do. I need God’s help. I need God’s wisdom. Our church is always facing decisions that drive us to our knees. My family is facing decisions regarding the future. We need God’s wisdom; God’s help. We need to spread these things before the Lord.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” – (James 1:5 )
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Kings by Phil Erickson with 6 comments.
Have It Your Way
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 16 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 17 – 18; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read the 0501 Evening and Morning devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “I Warned You”
“They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.” – (2 Kings 17:33)
“So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.” (2 Kings 17:41)
Do you remember the old Burger King jingle and ad campaign, “Have It Your Way?” Years ago this company promoted the concept of having your burger custom designed any way you desire. They inferred that the other fast-food burger places would only let you purchase their food the way they made it, and you could not “special order” a sandwich the way you wanted it. The ad campaign, I think, was very successful for Burger King. It has been over 30 years since they ran those ads and I still remember them. The Burger King concept is a reflection of the American culture. We don’t want to be confined to a pre-determined menu. We want it our way. The Burger King concept may be a very good idea when it comes to selling fast food, but it will be a disaster for the church.
In our text, we see people living in the land of Israel who were originally from many nations. They had been placed there by the king of Assyria after he had removed many of the Israelites from the land. These foreigners faced opposition from God Himself when they first came in to inhabit the land (see 2 Kings 17:25), so they figured they had better do something to appease the God of Israel. The king of Assyria released one of the Israelite priests from captivity and charged him to return to Israel and instruct the people in the proper worship of the God of Israel. The result was that these people incorporated God into their worship partially, but they still continued to worship their own gods, their way.
The New Testament tells us that in the end times there will be many that will do the same thing:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” – (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
We are certainly living in the time that the Bible describes in 2 Timothy, and we have applied the Burger King philosophy to our worship of God. We pick and choose which doctrines on the menu that appeal to our tastes and we create our own custom designed forms of worship and service. We have it wrong. This “seeker sensitive” generation of Christians needs to go back to the Bible and discover what is pleasing to the Lord and then submit themselves to the menu that He has designed for them in His wisdom. God knows how to make our burgers better than we can. We had better let Him have it His way.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Kings by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
God Sent Them a Saviour
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 13 – 15 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 15 – 16; Proverbs 30 – 31; Psalms 146 – 150)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1
Read the “0430 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days. And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. (And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.” – (2 Kings 13:3-5)
In our passage today we have the northern kingdom of Israel, which is a nation that had long ago abandoned the God that had brought them from bondage in Egypt and had given them a land of their own. They are led by a king, Jehoahaz, who the Bible describes as an evil man. Because of this nation’s wickedness, God sends judgment via the hand of the Syrians. However, in verse four something very interesting happens: this bad king, Jehoahaz, humbles himself before the Lord, and asks for the Lord’s help and the Lord delivers Israel from the hand of their enemy.
What a marvelous picture we have here of the grace of the Lord. This nation and this king certainly did not deserve any help from the Lord, yet the Lord in His mercy delivered them anyway. This story reminds me of another story. I know a guy who is also a bad guy, a sinner, and he lives in a bad place, America: a nation that also has long ago abandoned the God that blessed them with their freedom and prosperity. Many years ago this evil guy I know recognized his sinful condition and the judgment that lay ahead for him in Hell, and he also humbled himself before the Lord and called upon Him for forgiveness. You know what? The Lord had mercy upon him too and saved him. That guy’s name is Phil Erickson. He didn’t deserve it then and still doesn’t now deserve any consideration or mercy at all from a holy God, yet God saved him. What a God?
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – (Romans 10:13)
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Kings by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
The Lord’s People
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 10 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 13 – 14; Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17
Read the “0429 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Housecleaning“
“And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD’S people; between the king also and the people.” (2 Kings 11:17)
The northern kingdom of Israel never had the benefit of good leadership, and there is no doubt that the worst leadership team that served them was King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Time would not permit me to list here all of the ways that these two had led their nation away from the will of God, but suffice it to say that they were some evil people. However, their wicked influence did not just impact their own nation, as the southern kingdom of Judah was also affected by the evil that was spewing out of their neighbors from the north. It all started with a good Judaean king named Jehoshaphat who loved the Lord but unfortunately, also had an “affinity” to Ahab. Jehoshaphat and Ahab were friends, so much so that Jehoshaphat’s son, Joram, married Ahab’s daughter, Attaliah. Joram was not a godly man, choosing rather to follow the influence of his wife and father-in-law rather than follow the God of his father. King Joram and Attaliah had a son, Ahaziah, who became the king of Judah and he was also an evil man. He met an untimely death at the hands of Jehu because of his association with Ahab’s family. When he died, his mother, Attaliah (Ahab’s daughter), seized control of Judah by slaughtering everyone else that would have a claim to the throne, and she actually reigned as queen for 7 years. However, one of the “seed royal” of Judah was rescued from Attaliah’s attempted assassination, and was secretly protected and raised by Jehoiada the priest; and when Jehoash (called Joash in 2 Kings 11:2) was old enough, he was revealed to the nation and was anointed as king. Finally, a good king was back on the throne and some of the influence from the family of Ahab could be reversed.
The people of Judah had gotten out of the will of God because they allowed an ungodly influence into their land, but now, under the leadership of King Jehoash and Jehoiada the priest, some great things could happen. In 2 Kings 11:17 a covenant was made between the king, the people, and the Lord; and this covenant declared that the people of Judah would once again be “the Lord’s people,” meaning that they were going to remove the influences that had previously pulled them out of the will of God and they also were going to follow the principles contained in the Word of God.
Notice the results of this decision:
“And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet:” (2 Kings 11:20a)
God gave the people rejoicing and “quiet,” which means they were at peace. Praise the Lord. There was a time when our land enjoyed the peace (quiet) of God. I wish America would follow the example and admonition of Jehoiadah and Jehoash by ridding our land of the ungodly influences, and wholly following the Lord. Maybe then we could be “the Lord’s people” again as a nation, and could also have that wonderful peace that comes with it.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Kings by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Windows in Heaven
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 7 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Proverbs 28; Psalm 136 – 140
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read the “0428 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” (2 Kings 7:2)
In today’s passage we see the the city of Samaria surrounded by an overwhelming army of the Syrians. This massive host from Syria had the city surrounded for some time, which caused the Israelites to run completely out of food on the inside of the city; with no way to get out to get more food. Things got so bad the people were actually buying and selling dove’s dung to eat. Some had even killed and ate children. Pretty hopeless situation.
Along comes the man of God and tells them that at the same time the next day the situation would be reversed, so much so that food that was very expensive the previous day would be sold for next to nothing on the next day. But one of the lords (princes) of Israel doubted the Word of God through the mouth of the prophet, and stated basically that this is impossible, even if God were to open the windows of heaven.
You can read the story for yourself, but God did exactly what he said he would do. The Syrians heard the sound of chariots, and assumed that their enemies from Egypt or maybe the Hittites were coming to help Israel by attacking them. They flee, leaving all of their food and goods behind. Israel discovers that the Syrians have left, and they come out of the city and spoil the camp of the Syrians.
It looks like God truly opened up the windows of heaven. We have a promise from the word of God regarding those same windows in heaven:
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)
God has promised us that if we will keep him first in our lives that he will keep those windows open. He doesn’t promise that we will all live in mansions on this earth and eat caviar; but praise the Lord, we won’t have to eat dove’s dung either.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Kings by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Still Calling Down Fire
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 7 – 8; Proverbs 26; Psalms 126 – 130
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8
Read the “0426 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.” (2 Kings 1:12)
In 2 Kings 2, Elijah passes the mantle on to Elisha, and he is caught up to Heaven. Presumably, 2 Kings 1 is recording an event that took place shortly before the Lord took Elijah home to Heaven. You will remember also that back in 1 Kings 19, Elijah was discouraged, and on the run from Jezebel, and had requested that God take his life from him. He was down and depressed, but not out completely. It appears that though Elijah was discouraged in 1 Kings 19, he had picked himself back up, and was still calling down fire from Heaven right up until the Lord took him home. The ministry can be very discouraging at times, but we must not quit. Elijah did at first, but got back up to serve the Lord.
In our passage today in 2 Kings 1, Elijah calls down fire from Heaven twice and destroys one captain and 50 men that were sent from King Ahaziah to apprehend him. Elijah had previously sent word to the wicked king that his days were numbered, and the king wanted to speak to Elijah personally about it, so he sent an army to get him. Elijah didn’t feel “led of God” to go, so he called down fire and destroyed the army. The king then sends another captain and another fifty men, and Elijah does the same thing. A third captain and another fifty soldiers are sent, but this time they very humbly beg Elijah to go with them and Elijah does so. However, the message to the king does not change and Elijah personally tells Ahaziah that he is about to die. My point is that God was still demonstrating his power and declaring his message through Elijah right up until the end of his life.
I am thinking this morning about some men of God in our day that are still being used of the Lord in a tremendous way even though they are well past their retirement age. I pray that I will still be in the game like Elijah, and like these men today, at the end of my life. I know my job description may change somewhat but I do not wish to ever retire completely. I want to just keep going, doing what I am doing now, right up until the chariots come for me.
Maybe you are in your retirement years. I bet there is still a lot that you can do for the Lord. It always blesses my heart to see retired men and women using their extra time for the Lord. Even when health and mobility fail, we can still carry on a ministry of prayer.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Kings by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Itching Ears
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0425 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Shouldn’t We Be Different?”
“Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” – (1 Kings 22:6-8)
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;” – (2 Timothy 4:3)
If you had a disease within your body that could be life threatening if left untreated, would you want a doctor who told you the truth, or would you want one who tells you what you want to hear? You would most certainly want to know the truth so that you could get the proper treatment in order to fix the problem. Why is it, however, that many people want a preacher that avoids the truth in order to “tickle the ears” of his people. In our text, this is exactly what Ahab does. He calls the 400 “prophets” who he knows will agree with him. He wants to go to war with Syria. His friend, King Jehosaphat of Judah, recommends that they get counsel from God, but instead of calling upon the one preacher that speaks the truth, he calls these other 400 who he knows will tell him what he wants to hear. The real man of God, Micaiah, when finally called upon at the insistence of Jehoshaphat, tells him the painful truth. Ahab rewards this preacher of truth by having him thrown in jail.
Christians, we need men of God that will tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. The truth will set us free. If you are a church member, encourage your pastor by insisting that he gives you the Truth straight from the Word of God. Cheer him as he preaches difficult sermons. If you are a preacher, let me encourage you to be fearless, yet compassionate in your preaching. Tell them what God said, whether they appreciate it or not. Even if they don’t appreciate what you are telling them now, they probably will later. The truth is not pleasant sometimes, but it always gives the people what they need to make good decisions. You are not in a popularity contest, You are a messenger for God. The people cannot possibly make wise choices unless they have the Truth to help them.
There is also a lesson to be learned in this passage regarding separation. Jehoshaphat was a good man, but he had no business running with the likes of Ahab.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.