365 Reflections

If God's grace does not seem unfair and/or too much for you at times, you may have never experienced its fullness. I bring you to the second to last chapter of 1 Kings where we find the ruthless, evil, wicked and abominable king Ahab rebuked by Elijah for his acts toward Naboth and his response: 1 Kings 21:25–27 (ESV) (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.) 27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.  Look at the beginning and end of this passage. This moment seems so out of place for Ahab's character commentators figure Ahab's repentance was only a show. Seeing Bible scholars have a hard time believing Ahab was repentant says something significant about the pa...

The more we see of Ahab in action, the more we see the morally bankrupt character he represents. Recently rebuked by the prophet for sparing Ben-hadad over the exchange of property, his appetite for selfish indulgence only grows. He spies a piece of land nearby owned by a man named Naboth. 1 Kings 21:1–4 (ESV) Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no foo...

Have you seen the movie "The Devil's Advocate"? I believe that movie has the devil's character and tactics nailed. I couldn't have painted a more accurate picture of satan through film than the character played by Al Pacino. One of the great moments is when his young target (played by Keanu Reeves) asks, "Are we negotiating?" To which the devil / high-society lawyer responds, "Always." The devil is always fighting us through the subtle art of negotiating. This is clearly illustrated at the end of 1 Kings 20 when Ben-Hadad, defeated by an underdog Israelite army decides to play the humble friend card with Ahab who falls for it hook, line and sinker. 1 Kings 20:30–32 (ESV) And the rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell upon 27,000 men who were left. Ben-hadad also fled and entered an inner chamber in the city. 31 And his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. L...

One of the enemy's great tricks against us is to get us to believe our God is limited in some way from saving or helping us. This is well illustrated in the second half of 1 Kings 20. Israel has won the first episode of this battle. Now Syria was a bit over-confident, with the king and his alliances getting drunk and seemingly unprepared for war. But when they regroup, they make a fatal miscalculation about their first loss. Listen to it: 1 Kings 20:23–25 (ESV) And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24 And do this: remove the kings, each from his post, and put commanders in their places, 25 and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so....

If you're going to follow Christ, you have to get used to being outnumbered, undermanned and overmatched in the physical realm. Why do I say this? Because it's all I see in the Biblical narrative for those God saves and uses in the plan of redemption. 1 Kings 20:1 (ESV) Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it. Once again, God's people are outmanned. Syria musters not just an army but a coalition of 32 other kings to come up against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This happens right after the Elijah revival at Mount Carmel. While Elijah is licking his wounds at Mount Hebron, the nation is facing an overwhelming army.  We must remember that Ben-hadad is attacking Israel because of an alliance made with him by the Southern Kingdom king of Judah, Asa! (See 1 Kings 15:19). That is, God's people have used God's enemies to at...

In our last post, we explored the two means by which successful men like Elijah fall into depression - self-righteousness, and self-pity. Elijah felt he had done everything right and the people who had just repented were to blame for his fear of Jezebel. In this post, I want to talk about the Lord in our depression. Recapping 1 Kings 19 we learn a few things. First, we learn that the Lord does not leave us when we are depressed. 1 Kings 19:12–13 (ESV)  And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper . 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” We know the Lord gets closer to Elijah here because he speaks in a low whisper. The laws of physics teach us that you only hear whispers when you are closest to the source of it. God has not only stayed by Elijah, but ...

When you consider the things Elijah had accomplished in his life, the fact that he sunk into such a miserable state so quickly with seemingly no way out (in his own mind) is rather incredible. 1 Kings 19:11–13 (ESV) And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” After running 40 days and 40 nights on the food the angel prepared, Elijah holds up in a cave near Mount Horeb. Why Horeb? Because that is where the Israelites met wit...

The picture of Elijah from 1 Kings 19 is far different than the one we've seen so far. We remember how he triumphed gloriously over the prophets of Baal and then called down rain from heaven in 1 Kings 18. God has shown Himself powerful through this man on the nation's grandest stage. Yet one simple threat from Jezebel is enough to send him spiraling downwards. 1 Kings 19:1–3 (ESV) Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. Let's be honest. We have all been here. Riding the high of a victory we are often susceptible to the voice of a single critic or enemy. We may get to a place where we let personal triumphs make u...

The world is full of arrogant men and women. We have enough of those who seek the glory and prestige of the age. We need more men and women who know the immense value of humility and prayer. Elijah is like that man. 1 Kings 18:41–42 (ESV) And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. This is just after the slaughter of the prophets of Baal. Think of Elijah slaughtering those prophets the next time you want to imagine this Biblical hero along the lines of a seriously committed Sunday School teacher. But I digress back to Elijah's prayer life. We should look at what Elijah has thus prayed for in the land of Israel. First, he prayed for a drought that they might be chastised for their sins. This prayer was answered and the nation was in crisis mode and ready for a work...