Elijah and the Opposition of the Times

Scripture Read: 1 Kings 17:1 – 1 Kings 22:53

Focus Passage: 1 Kings 18:17-24

Background: Read 1 Kings 18!  Elijah is asking the prophets of the false gods that Israel is currently following to throw down!  He challenges them by setting up two altars and seeing which sacrifice will be consumed when they call upon Baal and he calls upon Yahweh (The Lord God).

Journal Entry:

“That is a good idea” is the calm and confident response of a people that are disillusioned and consumed by the vast movement toward serving a false god.  There were 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah at Mount Carmel.  The people of Israel were also all gathered there to watch a single man stand in defiance to the cultural trend and stand firm in his allegiance to the Lord.  Elijah knows the Lord God and realizes the reality of who He is as opposed to the false powerless gods that the people had recently taken to serve.  Being so persuaded by the sheer number who served Baal and Asherah, the people gladly agree to Elijah’s test thinking that it is a good way of showing the strength of the gods they serve.  “That is a good idea” is their response…what ill-founded confidence!

What actually impresses me the most about this passage is Elijah’s confidence in the presence of an overwhelming crowd that opposed him.  Regardless if we admit to it, people tend to like the security that the herd offers – ‘there is strength in numbers’, some will say.  Standing confident in one’s beliefs despite the number of people in opposition isn’t easy and I don’t think we should prepare for it lightly, even as people who live in a predominantly Christian culture. 

The truth of it is that acceptance of Christian beliefs is on the wane as religious pluralism becomes much more culturally acceptable within the United States.  If you’ve watched any movies lately or seen some of what’s on television, millions of dollars are spent by companies producing entertainment that helps people question their beliefs and float toward the more comfortable middle-ground of a “all paths lead to god” mentality.  When you talk about Jesus Christ to someone today, you may have to be prepared to address concerns they have from their exposure to the secular world.  It isn’t at all abnormal for someone to have scientific or philosophical concerns over the reality of God or our belief in the historical Jesus as being the Messiah and Savior of the world.  You may also have a large number of people that have been hurt by others in their life who proclaimed themselves as Christians.  Some have just become jaded to the church culture that they remember from their youth.  These people have questions…and the passion they put behind some of their questions may make you or I feel like we’re standing before 850 false-prophets who are challenging our God. 

What I’ll say is this – do not forsake the basis of truth for the beliefs you hold.  The prophets of Baal danced and cut themselves to provoke Baal to act, and yet he never showed up.  Our God consumed Elijah’s entire altar before the false-prophets, even after 12 pitchers of water were poured on it.  I have a professor here at DTS that often likes to repeat: “What God has done in the past is a model and a promise of what He will do in the future”. 

Go – open up the Bible and learn what our God has done in the past so that you too can stand firm in who He is today, tomorrow and for the rest of eternity!

David Plays It Cool

Scripture Read: 2 Samuel 11:1 – 16:23

Focus Passage: 2 Samuel 16:5-14

Journal Entry:

I really enjoyed David’s response in this section to the man named Shimei, the son of Gera.  Here was David, who has been through a bit much in his life.  He regularly had to dodge spears that were thrown at him by the very king (Saul) that he wished to serve.  He lived amongst Israel’s enemies, the Philistines, for over a year because of Saul’s jealousy and blood drunk paranoia.  After he assumes the throne, he is now being bamboozled out of Jerusalem by his own son, Absalom.  The only mark against his character has been his act of adultery and the act of murder that he commits once he decides to take the woman Bathsheba and put her husband to death to avoid complications.  It is a pretty big mark.  Although the Lord takes away his sin when David repents (12:13), the scars left by the sin in his life can still be seen.

When Shimei curses David, and essentially adds insult to injury, David’s response is exceptionally humble and honorable.  He accepts his curse and admits that if the Lord has told Shimei to curse him, then that is probably what David deserves.  The interesting thing is that Shimei doesn’t curse David for his sin with Bathsheba directly.  In fact, he curses David for all the bloodshed that David has caused and says that because of it the Lord has now given David’s kingdom to his son Absalom.  Regardless if Shimei has his facts straight or not, David takes his words to heart.

I think that David, in this passage, exhibits a quality that is hard to come by when observing most people.  When told that we are wrong by someone else, our first inclination is typically to fight the notion.  We verbally respond with denial, or we tell ourselves that the person is totally wrong and their words aren’t worth considering.  In the passage, Abishai wants to go cut Shimei’s head off for his words (v.9), but David won’t let him.  It is in his maturity as a man of God that David realizes such a response is rash and ungodly.  A great contrast to study is this reaction compared to Saul’s response to the priests in 1 Samuel 22:17.  How quickly do we dismiss the rebukes of others?  Can there still be some value and truth in their words regardless of how justified we feel in our own positions?  What do you think?  Post your thoughts here.

Does our Theology Result in Doxology?

Scripture Read: 2 Samuel 6:1 – 10:19

Focus Passage: 2 Samuel 6:12-23

Background:  David is now king of Israel and following the defeat of various surrounding peoples, it is his desire to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to the city of David (Jerusalem).  As the ark approaches, David celebrates before it with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.  While he dances in a linen ephod before the ark, his wife Michal sees his actions and despises him.

Journal Entry:

How ashamed am I to take joy in the Lord?  Better yet, how often do I despise others that enjoy the liberty of their freedom from sin in Christ Jesus and display it publically?  David’s actions represented his heart’s gladness before the Ark of the Lord.  The symbol of God’s presence amongst His people was no longer in the hands of the Philistines and was being brought to the city of David.  For the man who takes delight in the Lord and whose heart leaps for joy at the triumph and might of his Heavenly King, David’s dancing requires no restraint.  How much of my joy is caught behind a façade of self-restraint?  What if I were as free from my inhibitions before men so to allow the glow of my heart to shine forth and take shape in my worship of the King?  If I felt so joyful, could I raise my hands in praise?  Would I move a little bit as I become thrilled with the delight of my redemption before God or as I come to understand the perfect love of the Savior which renews my strength daily?

More importantly, I must consider the attitude of David’s wife, Michal.  She is ashamed of her husband because she thinks it isn’t fitting for a king to be seen in such a light (v.20).  The ironic part of this story is the last verse of the chapter which reminds the reader of Michal’s own shame.  It was a disgrace for a woman in the Ancient Near East to be barren and have no child.  Perhaps her concerns are a good example of how an ill perspective of one’s own circumstances can result in the type of bitter spirit that doesn’t edify or encourage anyone.  Regardless, the state of one’s heart is always set above the words of one’s lips throughout the Bible and we can see how the condition of David’s heart outweighs trivial matters of pretense before his people.  How often do I conjure up reasons to discredit the emotions of praise I see exhibited by a fellow believer in Christ? 

This passage and the questions I’m asking force me to consider a common tendency amongst academics while engaging in the study of Theology.  We have much to say on paper, but the truth of our faith has to do with what is written on our hearts.  I once heard it said that the study of Theology should and must result in doxology to be pleasing before God.  That is to say that all of what we study doesn’t find its end in the pages of books, but rather is meant to become fuel to throw onto the fires that we have burning within.  How often will you and I dance before the Lord?

Repentance and Humility

Scripture Read: 1 Samuel 18:1-23:29

Focus Passage: 1 Samuel 22:14-19

Background: The previous chapters of 1 Samuel have been laying out the tragedy of King Saul.  He was God’s anointed king for Israel, but his failures to be faithful to the Lord and the foolishness of his ways as king are destroying the administration that has been put into place. 

Journal Entry: The failure of a leader is both public and often severe.  I consider the story of King Saul’s rise and devastating fall to be a grave testament to the implications of becoming a leader of men.  His paranoid escapade to find and kill David is acting like destructive venom as it cripples his reputation and his favor in the sight of the Lord.  His men don’t respect him, priests rebuke him and no one even informs him that his own son, Jonathan, has made a covenant with his enemy.  To say it simply, his personal issues and lack of faith in who God called him to be have developed to a point where he’s losing the respect of everyone around him.  Not only has he lost their respect, but the pace by which he continues to lose it is accelerated as he fails to attempt to correct his path.  In verses 14 & 15 of chapter 22, the priest Ahimelech attempts to straighten out Saul’s way of thought concerning David, yet Saul’s best response in the heat of his maddened logic and fuming rage is to put the priests to death (v.17). 

When I read a passage like this, I have to reflect upon the ways in which I am both similar to the character in focus, namely Saul, and also the lessons I want to learn from such a story so that I can be sure to avoid the same pitfalls.  Saul messed up, but his larger fault was his inability to admit his failure, repent and humbly seek the way of the Lord.  How long do I push my disobedience before I am willing to look in the mirror and admit I’ve failed?  How difficult is humility, really?  Do I have anyone in my life that will remind me to excercise it?  Dr. Hendricks says that “everyone needs someone in their life who loves you, but isn’t impressed by you.”  Who is that person in my life right now?  I want to serve the Lord with all that I am, but am I willing to return back to my knees daily and admit that I need Him for every step of the way?  Is there someone, who after helping me see my foibles more clearly, would then be willing to fall to their knees beside me and help me on my way?  These are important questions when considering the path that Saul took and his inability to live up to all that God called him to be.  How will you and I be different in the positions we are anoited to serve in?  Where and in what way will humility become synonymous with our leadership and will we earn the respect of the people we lead?  I’d say that we need to learn it now, well before our first rebuke by whoever will serve to be our Samuel!

The Knowledge of God

Scripture Read: 1 Samuel 13:1-17:58

Focus Passage: 1 Samuel 17:41-48

Background: Much time has past since the Israelites last put their trust in the Lord to go before them and deliver their enemies into their hands.  When the Philistines have gathered their armies for battle at Socoh, the giant Goliath now stands and taunts the men of Israel with no regard for them as the armies of the living God.  With no one brave enough to meet the giant for battle, the shepherd boy David unwaveringly takes the challenge.  Since the King’s armor doesn’t fit him, the boy decides that all he needs is a sling and his knowledge of the Lord God.

Journal Entry:

            David’s response to Goliath floors me.  His bravery and courage in the face of an imposing and overwhelming force is remarkable and is an incredible testament to the depth of faith that he had in the Lord God.  I consider the fear I’ve seen portrayed in the hearts of other godly men throughout Scripture.  Even Samuel, the best portrayal of faithfulness to the Lord thus far in the book of 1 Samuel feared for his life when God sent him to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as the new king over Saul (16:2).  I consider Moses at the beginning of Exodus, while soon to become God’s representative before Pharaoh and lead the nation out of Egypt, he was deeply reluctant to respond to God’s call for his life (Exod. 4:1, 10, 13).  David, on the other hand, remembers well what God has done in his life (1 Sam. 17:37).  He remembers so well that the knowledge of who God is dwells deeply within David’s core.  There is no room for fears to develop or doubts to form about who the Lord is and whether David can trust Him to defeat Goliath.  David stands firmly in the knowledge of God and sets out to portray a faith so that “all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel”.  What the people of Israel have failed to do, a single boy does because he knows who his God is.

            The parallels to our daily lives in this section of Scripture are innumerable.  What would my life look like if everything that God has revealed about Himself to me through creation, Scripture and my past experience with Him filled the core of my heart?  Would there be any room left for fear?  What would my life look like if I saw every lie of Satan for what it was and realized that I had not a single thing to worry about when making God’s words the edict and direction for everything I did?  Would I strike up a conversation with people in my community and share the gospel with them?  Would there be any place too dangerous to consider a ministry in response to Matthew 28:19-20?  Would it change the means I use to make money and provide for myself?  When Goliath shows up (and if he hasn’t yet for you, he will), would my knowledge of the reality of God’s sovereignty cause me to respond like David?  I think that if I knew God like David did, the Lord’s sovereignty would BE reality and it wouldn’t matter if Goliath was 2 feet tall or 10.

The Character of Our God

Scripture Read: 1 Samuel 7:1-12:25

Focus Passage: 1 Samuel 12:19-25

Journal Entry:

            Oh how the Lord is always faithful, even when we are not!  Reading through the past 6 chapters, it is painful to watch the people of Israel reject the Lord God as their king due to their fear of imposing armies such as the Ammonites.  How many times has the Lord delivered them from their enemies?  Did the Lord not defeat the great kingdom of Egypt with plagues until they actually let the Israelites leave?  Did not the Lord provide food and water daily for the people in the desert as they wandered and grumbled against Him?  Did He not defeat numerous peoples in the land of Canaan to hand over the land to Israel?  Did the Lord not just defeat the Philistines in chapter 7 of 1 Samuel by bringing so much thunder that they were confused and routed before Israel (7:10-11)?  Despite this history of strength with God as their king, the Israelites feel they’d be better off by appointing someone amongst their people king over them so they can “be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (8:20 NASB).

            When Israel is made aware of their great sin in this matter, they are struck with fear before the Lord (12:19).  What is Samuel’s response though?  In essence, he says: “Yes…you messed up and did evil.  BUT…despite of your sin, don’t stop serving the Lord.  If you start serving futile things, you’ll surely be worse off.  Humble yourselves despite your sin and serve the Lord.  Why?  It’s because the Lord will not abandon you” (my paraphrase of 12:20-22).  Samuel goes on to explain why the Lord won’t abandon them and instructs them in their service to Him. 

            How is this situation similar to our own walk with God?  I’m not talking about the part of putting hope in worldly symbols of strength despite the history of God’s provision in our lives.  What about the shame we feel after we know we have displeased Him and yet He is still unwilling to abandon us?  I don’t know about you, but I remember times I was too ashamed to come before Him and admit once again, “Lord, I messed up”.  I think it is because of His grace and His unbridled love that I felt ashamed.  I don’t deserve love at all and yet He’s there with open arms…this is the character of our God.

A New Project Starts Today

For my Bible Exposition class this semester, I’ll be doing a serious amount of Bible reading & journaling for an end-of-semester assignment.  I need to read 1 Samuel through Esther, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.  It’s about 250 chapters.  For every 5-6 chapters I read, I need to take one small passage and journal about my personal reflections of what I read.  Over the next couple months, I’ll be sharing those daily journal reflections on this blog.  Please feel free to comment as I’ll just be sharing personal thoughts and questions for reflection/application.  In keeping with the purpose of the blog, it’ll be a good way to share with everyone how this journey is shaping me.  I encourage to you take a look at the focus passage if you want to follow with my thoughts in the journal.

Scripture Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-6:21

Focus Passage: 1 Samuel 4:5-9

Background: After years of unfaithful living to the Lord who brought them out of Egypt, Israel goes out meet the Philistines in battle near Aphek and Ebenezer.  At their first encounter, Israel suffers a defeat and sustains major losses.  To get back into the battle, they bring with them the Ark of the Covenant in hopes that it will deliver them from the power of the Philistines.  Here’s a map to get a grasp of the setting.

Journal Entry: It is interesting to read the reaction that the Philistines had to hearing about the presence of the Ark of the Covenant within the Hebrew camp.  It’s apparent that the Ark, or more specifically the God that was seated upon it, had a reputation within the land that bought the Philistines to consider their lives finished when opposed to it (v.8).  The people in that surrounding area had heard of the mighty acts which God had done to bring His people out of Egypt in the past.  Despite the reputation that was supposed to belong to the Hebrew God, Yahweh, the Philistines only referred to ‘mighty gods’ that smote the Egyptians with plagues (v.8).  The people of the earth were supposed to be blessed through Israel, and yet Israel wasn’t bearing witness to the very God that made their history so well known.  The reputation of what was done for the Hebrews was maintained, but the credit due to Yahweh was not.

            How often do we as Christians actively bear witness to the source of our happiness in Christ?  When our friends/family/co-workers notice how we live and the contentment we have in the midst of trials, do our explanations flood over with credit to where it is due?  When someone notices a success in your life, do they credit it to nameless ‘gods’ like the Philistines did?  Modern day examples of these ‘gods’ that people could be quick to connect to our happiness might be a high-paying job, our social status or maybe just our connections with higher society.  If we don’t make it clear to people around us that the framework of our lives is built upon Jesus Christ, they’ll probably try filling in the gaps of what they know on their own.  This is what it appears that the Philistines or other surrounding peoples did when it came to Israel’s success.  If people around us have no other need to inquire further about our lives and our joy in Christ isn’t abundantly flowing over, where else are they going to find the witness of Christ in our lives?

A Light Amidst Darkness

In the past week, we’ve all been experiencing a flood of information and requests concerning the tragedy in Haiti.  As you can imagine, my inbox and blog reader have been flush with updates from my missionary friends in Haiti as well as from organizations I’ve supported in the past like Hope International.  After reading through everything, I’m amazed at some of the stories of God’s provision in the midst of this disaster.  If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to visit the blog I read and often refer to on this site concerning their ministry in Haiti http://lemuelministries.blogspot.com/

The one thing I notice from all the updates and prayer requests is how closely the people in Haiti who put their faith in God are clinging to Him in this dire time.  Haiti was once (and in some parts still is) devoted to Voodooism and devil worship.  These Christian believers are a light in very dark place. 

I read earlier this week in class about the living witness that early Christians had upon non-believers during a severe plague in the 3rd century.  What I read was a letter from Dionysius, the Bishop of Alexandria at the time.  In it, he explained how the widespread devastation and disease caused most people to treat the infected without compassion and avoid them as if they were dirt.  On the other hand, many Christians attended to the sick and often drew on themselves “the sickness of their neighbors while cheerfully accepting their pains”. 

The Christian faith eventually took over the very empire (Roman) that sought to extinguish it.  Why?  Because while catastrophes like the plague or an earthquake do bring much pain, they also brings people to that critical moment in their lives when they have no hope other than the mercy and grace of God.  In times when everyone else turns their back, the love of Christ compels the believer to help. 

While this is a horrible tragedy, I urge everyone to continue to pray for the love of Christ that WILL shine from the Haitian believers to impact the lives and hearts of the people there with nowhere left to turn.  Read the blog above…the Christians are there serving the people and thousands are coming to them for aid.  Now is the time to pray for the harvest to be brought in and for souls to be saved. 

Only by His Grace,

Tony

Matthew 9:36-38

Update on Lemuel

A few weeks ago, I posted a letter that I received from some missionaries I support in prayer down in Haiti.  They were in desperate need for food and water at the time, but God has since provided immensely.  Here’s the most recent letter I received:

 

Happy New Year to all our Dear Praying Friends,

 

Yesterday I was taking part in a prayer focus week with CrossWorld.  I was reading Nehemiah chapter 9 when the phone rang.  It was Judy bubbling over with joy.  “Momma, it is pouring.  It rained through the night and now is pouring down.  God has heard our cries for water.”   

 

Not long after that she called again,  “Momma, God has provided for the steel for the Church roof.”  Nehemiah speaks of a God who is gracious, merciful and full of compassion.  A God who remains faithful even when we are not.  And His marvelous miraculous ways were displayed once again on the plateau. 

 

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and your very generous gifts.  Manis was able to buy enough food to put the men into a food-for-work program.  The men were so happy to be able to provide for their families and at the same time, be productive for the ministry and the development of the plateau. 

 

So, thank you once again.  Keep praying for that area that God will be lifted up and glorified continually. 

 

May God bless you this year with more knowledge of Himself.

 

Ginger

 

_______________

 

The best part is checking out all the photos they have showing the supply of food they brought in for the people and the water holes they dug after God blessed the land with some rain.  Please check out their site here to see them for yourself!

Best,

Tony

**ps.  I haven’t been writing much lately for two reasons: 1) I’m swamped with work…I took a winter term class and am still attempting to finish up all the requirements before Spring Semester starts on Tuesday & 2) I’m rethinking a little of what I’m doing with this blog.  I would like to come up with a way to ensure that the topics I discuss on this blog are dictated by the truth of Scripture rather than just some of my own biased opinions about life.  I’d also like to give some better snapshots about what life is like here at Seminary.  I’ll be brainstorming for a bit and get back to writing as soon as possible. 

Bible Telephone

Telephone is a kids’ game where the children sit in a circle and pass around a message by whispering in their neighbor’s ear. The game is to see how garbled the message gets by the time it makes it all the way around the circle. Here’s a 21st century version of telephone played solitaire, using Google Translate.

1. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
2. (English –> Hungarian) A teljes Írás Istentől-lehelt, és hasznos a tanításra, rebuking, javítása és a képzés igazság,
3. (Hungarian –> French) Toute Écriture est inspirée de Dieu et utile pour enseigner, pour convaincre, pour corriger, pour instruire dans la vérité,
4. (French –> Polish) Wszelkie Pismo od Boga natchnione i pożyteczne do nauczania, do przekonywania, do poprawiania, do kształcenia w prawdzie
5. (Polish –> Vietnamese) Thánh Tất cả là cảm hứng của Thiên Chúa và đem lại lợi nhuận cho giảng dạy, cho lời la mắng, sửa chữa, đào tạo trong sự thật
6. (Vietnamese –> Swahili) Andiko wote funuliwa na Mungu na yafaa kwa mafundisho, reproof kwa, kukarabati, mafunzo katika ukweli
7. (Swahili –> Icelandic) Sérhver ritning sé innblásin af Guði og arðbær fyrir kenningar, fyrir umvöndun veita, viðgerð, þjálfun í sannleikanum
8. (Icelandic –> Japanese) すべての聖書の神との教義に利益をもたらすが、修復をもたらすとがめのため触発されている真理のトレーニング
9. (Japanese –> English) The benefit of the biblical doctrine of God and all the training that is inspired by truth and bring the jug for repair

Pretty interesting.  The point I’d like to make is that much like 2 Timothy 3:16 states in #1 above, the Word of God is exceptionally important for each of our lives.  While we need to share the great things we learn from it with others, we also need encourage those we minister to in reading it for themselves and applying it to their lives. 

Looking at ourselves, this also shows the importance of knowing the Bible well firsthand.  In an age of moral relativism, having a basis of truth by which to guide your life is critical to living in a way that will please God.  His truths have never changed and they are plainly laid out for us in His Word.  We cannot depend on hearsay to get an accurate depiction of who God is and the relationship that He desires to have with each one of us.

Which book of the Bible would you recommend to a friend to get started with?  Why?  Be sure to leave your suggestion for all to see.

Make 2010 your best year,

Tony