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Discovering Meaning, Signficance, and Fulfillment in life

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Discovering Meaning, Significance, and Fulfillment in Life. 1 Chronicles 21-25 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the Lord your God just as He has spoken concerning you…Then you will prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.”             In 1984, Charles E. Hummell wrote a popular best seller entitled “Tyranny of the Urgent,” in which he warns the reader of the danger of being caught up in the urgent tasks that are demanding our time and energy, so that we are distracted from what is truly important. If we were to write a sequel for our age, it would be the “Tyranny of the Insignificant.” The tragedy is that many people come to the end of their life only to discover that they had devoted their whole life to that which has no significance at the end o...
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Seeking God's Plans, Not Ours

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Seeking God’s Plan, Not Ours 1 Chronicles 16-20 “Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, you shall not build a house for Me to dwell in…I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you.”                   Sometimes we can have the right idea but the wrong motivation.  Such was the case of David.  With great fanfare and celebration, David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.  The Ark of the Covenant was more than just a historical relic from the time of the Exodus; it was the symbol of God’s promise and salvation of His people.  When the Ark arrived in Jerusalem, David rightfully led the people in an anthem of worship by reminding them of God’s redemptive care and deliverance of the nation of Israel. ThroughoutIsrael's history, marked by struggles with sin and idolatry, God remained faithful to His covenant and the nation by protecting t...
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God's Wisdom in Turbulent Times

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God’s Wisdom in Turbulent Times. 1 Chronicles 11-15 “Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.”             Like Hebrews 11, so in 1 Chronicles 11-15 we find a list of individuals who play a critical role in the establishment of David as king of Israel.  Saul had been appointed as the king of Israel; however, his dynasty was short-lived.  The writer makes it clear that the reason for the decline and fall of the dynasty of Saul was not because of the Philistines’ victory in the battle, but because of Saul’s rejection of God.  Saul not only refused to obey God, but he turned to a medium for advice and counsel.  The writer points out that Saul's failure was not military, but spiritual.  As the people returned to the land of Isr...
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The Restoration of Hope

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The Restoration of Hope 1 Chronicles 6-10             When we dive into the reading of 1 and 2 Chronicles, we are immediately struck by the overlap between the books of Kings.  At first glance, it seems to be just another rerun of the previous books.  However, there are several significant differences.  To begin with, the books of 1 and 2 Kings were written shortly after the exile to provide a record of why Israel and Judah had been defeated and taken into captivity.  Thus, the focus is upon the descent of Israel and Judah into idolatry and God’s judgment upon the nation.  However, the books of Chronicles were written by Ezra after the return of Israel from the exile.  While Kings focuses on the sin of Israel and the reason for God’s judgment, Chronicles focuses more on the grace and forgiveness of God, encouraging the people as they began the process of rebuildin...
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The Lessons of the Genealogies

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The Lessons of the Genealogies 1 Chron. 1-5             When we delve into the book of Chronicles, we are confronted with the dilemma of a list of names. The first ten chapters comprise a series of names and genealogies that quickly perplex the reader, both with the challenge of pronunciation and the significance of the names.  We quickly skim the pages, looking for a nugget of spiritual application, and move on to the chapters where the writer of Chronicles again picks up the narrative of the historical acts of the people involved in the story.  As we read, we desire action rather than the boredom of pronouncing names that are foreign to our native tongue.  However, five crucial lessons can be gleaned from the genealogies.   First, they establish the connection between God’s redemptive plan and the history of humanity. In Genesis 3:15, God promised that He would send a descendent of Adam...
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A Superficial or Transformative Faith

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A Superficial or Transformative Faith 2 Kings 22-25 “Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and with all his might, according to the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.”             From the pinnacle of faith to the depth of judgment.  Twenty-three years is not very long.  The older I get, the more quickly time flies. The things that happened 23 years ago happened only a few years earlier.  Twenty-three years is but a blink in the march of history.  Yet, it was only 23 years between the spiritual revival that came under the leadership of Josiah and when Babylon came and destroyed Jerusalem and took the people away to Babylon. We are left with the question, “How could Judah turn so quickly?”  The answer lies in their failure to change inwardly.            ...
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God's Sovereignty Amid Trials

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God’s Sovereignty amid Trials 2 Kings 18-21 “Have you not heard? Long ago I did it; From ancient times I Planned it.  Now I have brought it to pass that you should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps” (19:25).                    When evaluating the kings of Judah, the standard was always David.  Over and over again, we find the refrain that the kings either failed to live up to the example of David or were like David in their obedience to God.  However, when we come to Hezekiah, we are told at the beginning of the story that Hezekiah’s obedience to God was unparalleled.  Not only did he obey God, but he did the one thing that no other king of Judah did before him.  He removed the high places where the people worshipped the false gods of Baal and Asherah.  In 18:5-6, we see the praise of Hezekiah’s obedience: “He trusted in the Lo...
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