365 Reflections

1 Kings 14:1–3 (ESV) At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.” Jeroboam is not a good king. He has already disobeyed God's voice in erecting idols for Israel to worship, and he has refused to repent after hearing the prophetic warning in 1 Kings 13. But something happens here that shakes him to his core. His child and rightful heir to the throne is sick. So Jeroboam comes up with a plan. He has his wife disguise herself to go to the prophet Ahijah (who anointed Jeroboam king) and plead for help for her son.  Why not go as she was? Because Jeroboam knows he has dismissed obedience to the Lord who gave him the throne....

We find in 2 Samuel 15 a step-by-step guide to a political revolution in a nation. Consider the effectiveness of Absalom's plan who turns God's people away from the greatest king they ever had: King David. We should note Absalom is a murderer. For this, he became an exile. Now he's going to work to undercut the nation led by King David. We should also understand that his story points to THE story, OUR story. The church has an enemy - satan himself - a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) - who seeks to mislead and deceive Christians away from their great King, Jesus. 2 Samuel 15:2 (ESV)   And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” First, Absalom's commitment to his cause is firm. The text notes he "rises early." I think we for...

The Gibeonite deception in Joshua 9 is pretty scary. No, no one is killed and no judgment or plague befalls Israel. But it teaches the lesson that we must never overlook even the little things that come into our lives. It's not going to be the big lies we fall for as we grow strong in Christ, it will be the little ones. The Gibeonites came to Joshua and the people with old bread and clothes even though they were nearby to make peace with Israel out of fear. There is a little verse we must pay attention to: Joshua 9:14 (ESV) So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. Long story short, the people make a treaty with Gibeon and eventually find out they were from nearby and were deceived. Now Israel is bound by a covenant foolishly entered into by leadership who did not seek God in a very innocent moment. It makes me think. When are we most susceptible to deception? I believe three times in our lives: When we are at our lowest and want...