The Attributes of God:

The Danger of Partial Obedience. Nehemiah 10-13 “And are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in god’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of God our Lord and His ordinances and His statutes.” (10:29).             Some people just never get it. They give lip service to obeying God, affirming God’s Law, but fail to fully surrender to God and walk completely in obedience to Him. They are content with a “little bit of religion” but not fully committed to living in obedience to God.             This was the case of the people of Israel. Even as the final stones were being placed in the wall to finish the projects of rebuilding the Temple and the city of Jerusalem, they were starting to embrace the very sins that had led to the captivity in the first place. First, they began to intermarry with the su...

External vs Internal Nehemiah 6-9 “And confessed their sins and he iniquities of their fathers. While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.”              It is easy to make superficial, external changes in our lives. While it presents some challenges, we can modify our actions and conduct ourselves differently in the presence of others. However, the most difficult change of all is changing our internal motives and desires.               As the Jews were rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem, they again encountered opposition from the enemies that had surrendered to them. Tobiah and Sanballat continued their quest to discourage and thwart the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. When they could not discourage the p...

Where is Our Focus Nehemiah 1-5 "When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people; 'Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your  houses .'"                   We live in a culture of fear. Frank Furedi rightly points out in his book,  How Fear Works: Culture of Fear in the 21 st  Century : "Fear itself has become politicized to a point where debate is rarely about whether or not we should be fearful, but about who we are and what we should fear. Fear itself has become a singularly significant point of reference in our public conversation." Today, we fear who is elected and who is not elected. We fear the present and the future. We fear not only what is real, but we also fear what is imagined. Politicians use fear to manipulate our vote,...

Radical Obedience Ezra 6-10 "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." (7:10)             It is easy to give verbal agreement to the Bible, but it is much harder to allow the Bible to determine how we live and how we respond to every circumstance, even when it is costly. In 7:10, we see the attitude and heart of Ezra. Ezra was a scribe (7:6). Scribes were individuals who studied and copied the law. Because they devoted themselves to making copies of the law, they worked closely with the Priests in teaching the people the law of God.             In 7:10, we see the role and ministry of Ezra. First, he set his heart to study the law of the Lord. In other words, he devoted himself to studying the law. The word "devoted" conveys the idea of being prepared and ready. The first step in re...

From Excitement to Defeat Ezra 1-5 "Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building" (4:4).             We can imagine the excitement that the Jews experienced when Cyrus proclaimed in 538 B.C. for the Jews to return to the Promised Land. The Northern tribes of Israel had been in captivity for almost 200 years (722-538 B.C). For the southern tribes of Judah, it would be 70 years. It was a time when God seemed to have forsaken the people. So when Cyrus gave the edict, joy and excitement ran throughout every household living in exile. For those who were unable to travel back to Israel, they were willing to give gold and silver to help fund the rebuilding project. But, as is often the case, excitement and joy can quickly turn to discouragement and fear. Such was the case for the Jews. For the first two years, they began rebuilding the Temple with enthusiasm and dedication. However, th...

The Repentant King 2 Chronicles 31-26 “When he was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.” (33:12)             In many ways, the reign of Manasseh serves as a picture of the nation of Judah and Israel. As we saw at the beginning of 1 Chronicles, the books of Chronicles were written to encourage the people returning from the exile to remain faithful in their obedience to God. Although the nation had been sent into exile because of their sin, God was still with them. He moved Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to the land (36:23). Thus, the book was written to remind the people that God was faithful to His covenant and was forgiving towards those who repented and sought Him.  This is the same message we see mirrored in the life of Manasseh.              Of all the kings of Judah, Manasseh was th...

The Marks of Genuine Worship 2 Chron. 26-30 “Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you.”                   Judah was in disarray and need of reform. When Uzziah succeeded Amaziah, reform was badly needed. Although his father had made overtures of obedience to God, he had not been completely obedient. He had remained divided in his worship (25:2).  As a result, God brought judgment upon Him. However, when Uzziah succeeded Amaziah, He also sought the blessings of God and walked in obedience. However, like Amaziah, God’s blessing became his undoing as he allowed pride to creep in. Pride is always a danger, for it lurks in the heart to start to take credit for what God has done. Pride often leads us to take credit for our successes an...

Listening to the proper Counsel 2 Chron. 21-25 “Joash did what was right I the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.”             Joash became king at the remarkable age of 7. It seems astonishing to us that they would place a young boy on the throne. However, this was a time when lineage was more important than age, since God established the lineage of David to be the kings of Judah, and at the death of Ahaziah, he was the next in line. When Ahaziah had risen to power when all his brothers had been murdered, and he was the only one left in the line of the kings. However, when he came to power, instead of listening to the prophets, he turned to his mother (the daughter of Ahab, the king of Israel). Like her father, Ahab, Athaliah was a woman who was devoted to the worship of Baal. Rather than listening to the priests and prophets who warned against embracing idolatry, Ahaziah listened to his mother and erected ...

Self-dependent or God Dependent 2 Chronicles 16-20 “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand…For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (16-7-9).                   To Kings, to prayers, and two very different results. Initially, when Asa took possession of the throne of Judah, he walked in obedience to God and brought spiritual reforms to the nation. As a result, God blessed the nation with freedom from military threats. However, often the greatest danger to our obedience is not when we are facing adversity, but when we are enjoying God’s blessings, for we start to trust in our abilities more than we trust in God. Chapter 16 begins with the threat of war. Bassha, the king of Israel, was threatening to i...

Obedience and Idolatry: The Tale of Two Nations 2 Chron. 11-15 “The Lord is with you when you are with Him.  And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”             After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king. However, instead of seeking the wisdom of God, he sought the wisdom of men in his attempt to centralize power over the nation of Israel. One of the marks of the wise is that they value and listen to the wisdom of the aged  (see Proverbs 1:8, 23:22). However, instead of listening to the wisdom of his elders, Rehoboam sought the advice of the hot-headed young who recommended that he establish his reign with an iron fist to gain power over the people. As a result of his folly, the northern tribes of Israel, under the leadership of Jeroboam, rebelled and split apart from the southern tribes of Judah, who were aligning with Rehoboam. Je...

The God who Speaks 2 Chronicles 6-10 “Who has kept your servant David, my father, that which you have promised him; indeed, you have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day”                   If God does not mean what he says, then why did he not say what he means? It is popular today to deconstruct the Bible by affirming the passages that we find agreeable but rejecting the portions of scripture that we find disagreeable. We naturally are drawn to the passages affirming God’s love and grace, but we are repelled by the verses we find unpleasant or threatening. However, Christ confirms that all the Bible is accurate, down to the smallest letter and mark (see Matthew 5:28 and 2 Timothy 3:16). Just as His promises of grace are true, so also are His promises of judgment.                ...

A House Worthy of God 2 Chron 1-5 “He indeed is good for his lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”             How do you build a building that is worthy to serve as a place of worship for the God of the universe? How can you create a temple that adequately reflects His Majesty and glory to those who come to worship there? This is the challenge confronting Solomon. He was given the task of building a Temple that would adequately reflect the glory of God. To build this temple, he undertook a task that was beyond comprehension. It would require the labor of 150,000 men and cost an inexorably large amount of money to purchase all the gold and precious metals for the construction. In 1 Chronicles 22:14, it mentions that David amassed 100,000 talents of go...

Contemplating the Lessons of Life.  1 Chronicles 26-30 “Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now, therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given to you.”             It is easy to focus on our accomplishments and failures, taking pride in our achievements or degrading ourselves due to our failures. David knew both sides of the coin. There were times in his life when he felt overwhelmed and abandoned by God and unworthy of God’s blessing because of his failure and sin (Psalm 38). There were times when he experienced God’s blessing, care, and triumph over his enemies (Psalm 23). At the end of 1 Chronicles, we find David passing the ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...