365 Reflections

Sometimes I don't' understand Solomon at all. He goes from these incredible moments with the Lord where he worships extravagantly, experiences God's presence, and seeks God's wisdom in humility to moments where he's breaking the law, building his army contrary to scripture and falling into worldly ways.  Note these two passages: 2 Chronicles 1:14 (ESV) Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen , whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem . Deuteronomy 17:16 (ESV) Only he (Israel's king) must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses , since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ Not only does Solomon suffer from wavering faith. But in the second chapter of 2 Chronicles, the man God specifically selected to succeed David and build the temple is feeling a bit ill-equipped for the job. How do I...

Sometimes you and your enemies need a reminder of who your God is. That is what happens for Hezekiah when Isaiah sends word that the threat posed by Sennecharib is nothing at all and he needn't fear. The language is poetic, grand, and devastating for the threatening potentate considered by many in the world to be the most powerful man on Earth.  God has a different perspective. 2 Kings 19:20–22 (ESV) Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me   about  Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him:       “She despises you, she scorns you— the virgin daughter of Zion;       she wags her head behind you— the daughter of Jerusalem.       22 “Whom have you mocked and reviled?       Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights?   ...

2 Samuel 15:14–16 (ESV) Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.” 16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. David runs from Absalom's banana republic kingdom. This has to be one of the silliest exiles in the Bible. For what the narrative unpacks for us is how intimidation at the Absalom's taunt is completely unjustified. David's kingdom is strong behind him and deeply loves him. Yet fear has taken hold of his life and he impulsively flees thinking the end has come. The text lists the number of people who flee with David from the foreign lands where David had been so su...

David's flight from Saul is one of incredible detail. We see where he goes, who he meets, what he wants and where he ends up. Why? Because we are looking at a moment in David's life where his faith waned and his strength was sapped. Like all of us, he found himself making questionable decisions along the way. First, we see David lie to the Priest for the purpose of self-preservation: 1 Samuel 21:2 (ESV) And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. He hasn't been sent by the King, he's running from him. Then we see David want and secure a sword. And what an ironic choice he's given: 1 Samuel 21:9 (ESV) And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a c...

1 Samuel 18:12–16 (ESV) Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. 15 And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them. There are some key statements about Saul's attitude toward David in this passage. It is mentioned throughout the chapter that Saul is afraid of him. Then it's "fearful awe of him." Saul sees David's great success and grows more afraid.  Saul can read the signs. Things are bad for him and he will take this out on David for the next several chapters. The lesson David is about to learn is one he will later write about: Psalm 146:3 (ESV) Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in...

Yes, we can also talk about the spiritual lessons from 1 Samuel 17 for our personal walk of faith. Namely, we should look at the weapons issue repeatedly discussed throughout the chapter. Goliaths' weapons are detailed. Saul's armor is offered. And the battle is won with the least expected items. 1 Samuel 17:40 (ESV) Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch . His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:50 (ESV) So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone , and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. The God we serve does not operate through the weapons we think are most powerful. We consider technological advances to be the greatest asset today. Yet God still works through the foolishness of preaching. We consider fame, notoriety, money, and charisma to win the day. God can take a southern boy from t...

It is one of cinema’s great quotes. From William Wallace played by Mel Gibson to the rightful albeit hesitant king Robert the Bruce of Scotland. While contemplating his next move for strategic political maneuvers, Robert is challenged by William with the following words, “Men do not follow titles, they follow courage.” The quote proves to be a game changer for Robert the Bruce and Scotland after the death of William Wallace according to the fictional recounting of the movie Braveheart. It is nonetheless true in the scriptures and true today. We are meant to be courageous but everything within and without us seeks to stop it. In 1 Samuel 14, while Saul is watching his army dwindle down to next to nothing, Jonathan poses a question to his armor bearer that brings about a sea-change for the nation of Israel. Instead of hiding and whimpering in the caves with the rest of the nation, Jonathan does what we all need to learn how to do. He challenges the status quo, he steps out from the s...

Saul's anger doesn't take long to expose itself on the pages of scripture. He's made king in 1 Samuel 10 and the text notes that worthless fellows derided him but he kept silent. Evidently, Saul was waiting to channel that anger in the right direction. So when Nahash comes against Israel and embarrasses them with humiliating terms of peace Saul finds his outlet: 1 Samuel 11:6–7 (ESV) And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. There are a few things to note about this action in comparison to the king who will follow Saul. It would appear that Saul relies on fear to motivate the nation. He cuts up oxen and sends th...

Judges 21:1–5 (ESV) Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.” 2 And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. 3 And they said, “O Lord , the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?” 4 And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 And the people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the Lord ?” For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” The book of Judges ends in infamy. The tribe of Benjamin is utterly decimated by the civil war fought against them by the other tribes for the horrific events of Judges 19. On top of that, the people have sworn an oath to no longer intermarr...

Exodus 15:1 (ESV)  Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The enemy is defeated, Israel is finally and fully saved from Egypt FOREVER. And the first thing they do is SING. Saved people sing. We are drawn to song when our lives are redeemed from hopelessness to hope, from emptiness to fulness. If there's a strength in the people of God during the Old Testament it is their commitment to song. Consider that the Old Testament's longest book is a book of Psalms - the hymnbook of the Jewish people. Of all the things they could have collected, they made sure to collect their songs.  Songs have an emotional effect. How often does a song just hit us at the right time and lift our spirits to something we previously weren't experiencing. How many songs express our common emotions both good and bad. Many popular singers make million...

Exodus 6 contains a short conversation between God and Moses that seems like a rehash of what transpired at the burning bush a few chapters earlier. It has the same statements but there are contextual differences that make it plain: this is a new conversation about an old topic. Exodus 6:10–13 (ESV) So the LORD said to Moses, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” But Moses said to the LORD, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Moses has been in active ministry now for a few days. They have been hard days. He's been believed and rejected in a matter of moments. The words he speaks to the people are falling on deaf ears. Notice the horrible stature of their hearts in v...

The cowering lowly Moses who ran from the first sign of terror in his life has come storming back into Pharaoh's court and demanded the release of Egypt's most valuable commodity - the slave labor force of the Israelites. Exodus 5:1-3 (ESV) Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold ta feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” What changed Moses from the man we saw at the beginning of chapter three to this man standing before the most powerful man in the world and speaking with such authority? He met with God. Look at Verse 3: ...

Abraham is at it again in Genesis 20. This time to King Abimalech in Gerar. He tells the king his wife is his sister and she is so very beautiful at the ripe old age of 90(!) that he takes her into his harem and plans to sleep with her. Old habits die hard. Once again God spares His friend and Abraham is strongly rebuked by the pagan king having more knowledge of God's Word here than Abraham himself! But Abraham's reasoning in this episode is VERY revealing. Why do persisten sins keep happening in our lives? What is the root of the issue we struggle with? Genesis 20:11–13 (ESV) Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her , ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place ...

We label Thomas the doubter but he wasn't the only one. There were many. First of which in the Bible was the man who would be named Abraham. Genesis 15:1–6 (ESV) After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God , what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord , and he counted it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:7–8 (ESV)  And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of t...

Psalm 76:10 (NLT) Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon. What a crazy thought! Even the rebellion of humans brings glory to God. Yet this is consistent with the rest of Scripture. Paul writes about Pharaoh... Romans 9:17 (ESV) For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” God gets glory from the defiance of human pride.  If Pharaoh hadn't hardened his heart, God's miracles would not have been necessary Yet consider that it took 400 years for Israel to see those days. I imagine in the middle of that generation, many Israelites wondered at all if God cared that His people and His name were being disregarded by the powers that be. Even in our own generation, we can wonder the same.  Yet God is not asleep. And God is not quiet forever. It may not happen in my lifetime, but somehow God will get the glory ...

Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, (Psalm 64:1-3 ESV ) Don't read those verses too fast. On the surface it looks like David is asking for God to save him from his enemies. But if you look closely, he's asking God to keep him from the fear (dread) of his enemies. He's asking God  to spare him from what his enemies threaten against him. What a great prayer to pray! How often we let the fear of things and people dictate what we do when we may never even face them in reality. I read somewhere that 80% of what we worry about never happens. That's the dread of our enemies, the fear of what someone or something may do to us. David sets a great example for us, showing us to pray for a mind that is not held captive by what negative thing may happen. A mind in perfect peace. We cannot and mu...

When I am afraid, I tend to call people, search google for answers or something very similarly stupid. I tend to obsess and stress. I tend to not sleep well and think about all the possibilities of what may or may not come about. I heard somewhere that 80% of what we worry about never actually happens. That's a lot of wasted thoughts. The Psalmist has a better idea: Psalm 56:3–4 (ESV) When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Why? Because God is closely watching over his life. Psalm 56:8–11 (ESV) You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord , whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Where did he get that idea? He got it from the Word... he says, ...

Psalm 55:22 (ESV) Cast your burden on the Lord , and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55 is one that many will resonate with. David has been backstabbed by his closest advisor during his own son Absalom's rebellion. In response to this mess, David does what he always does... he sings a song.  The Psalm has 4 main sections that show the different approaches David takes with this painful situation. In the first section, he complains and groans to God, talking about all the harm that his enemy has done to him. That's a popular approach for many. In the second section, David looks to escape:    “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; 7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; VERSES 6–7 . He wants out. He's looking to leave it all behind. When we are hurt by those who should have been our friends, we want to just get away from everything sometimes. In the third sect...

Psalm 27:1 (ESV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? This is by far my favorite Psalm and one of my favorite portions of scripture.  I want to live with NO FEAR. But it doesn't happen from within. It comes from fully trusting in the Lord who is good and will be with me and for me by His Amazing Grace. The Psalmist exudes confidence from the relationship he has with his Lord.  No matter if adversaries or foes attack, or an army attack, or war break out against him - he will be confident. Then he turns his attention to the house of the Lord. The blessing of dwelling with The Lord and to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. There is fullness of joy. There are pleasures forevermore. There is real meaning and life - in the presence of the Lord. To have such complete confidence in the Lord is freedom. That you don't have to strong in yourself. Our st...

Psalm 11:1 (ESV) In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, The Psalmist is shocked that someone would tell him not to trust in His God! How we all need to live like that! Fear is the source of every horrible decision you have ever made. Fear that God is not going to be good to you. Fear that someone or something is holding you back. Fear that you don't have enough. Fear that you need to take matters into your own hands. So many bad decisions have been based on fear: The mid-30s man afraid he's "losing his touch" so he cheats on his wife... The teenager who fears rejection from the crowd so he makes less than desirable even disastrous decisions. The woman who is afraid of being alone so he jumps from one bad relationship to another. Jesus passed the test of our fears. He did what Adam and Eve could not do. He trusted God with His provision against the lust of the flesh (stones to bread), ...