365 Reflections

The most helpful thing about reading the Bible is to learn about the many times God's people were almost done for and it turned out fine or even better than expected in the end. Isaiah 36 introduces us to a moment in Judah's history where it seems that their history is almost over.  Isaiah 36:1 (ESV) In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. Have you ever sensed the enemy standing at your door? And I'm not talking about your front door. I'm talking about your bedroom door. He's taken ground, he's encroached upon your life and you feel overwhelmed by a sense of seeming inevitable end. You will be there. It happens to some of God's best. In this case, it happens to Hezekiah. For the first time since the first verse of Isaiah's writing, Hezekiah's name shows up in the text. It is quite interesting that it happens to show up at the dark moment of Sennacherib'...

Esther 9:1–2 (ESV)  Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. Esther 9 is the complete opposite of every other chapter in this book before it. Thus far we have seen the Jews as a helpless people, with Mordecai targeted for death, Esther as the harem girl for the king's pleasure. But all that has changed. Now Mordecai and Esther are ambassadors of the King and writing the laws of the land into effect to not only save the Jews from extermination but to empower them for triumph over their enemies.  It's a wond...

God would have you mighty and making war. If you don't believe me, consider the fast-hitting numeration of the Israelite tribes in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles: 1 Chronicles 7:1–2 (ESV) The sons of Issachar : Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four. 2 The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers’ houses, namely of Tola, mighty warriors of their generations, their number in the days of David being 22,600. 1 Chronicles 7:6–7 (ESV) The sons of Benjamin : Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three. 7 The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five, heads of fathers’ houses, mighty warriors . And their enrollment by genealogies was 22,034. 1 Chronicles 7:9 (ESV) And their enrollment by genealogies, according to their generations, as heads of their fathers’ houses, mighty warriors , was 20,200. 1 Chronicles 7:11 (ESV) All these were the sons of Jediael according to the heads of their fathers’ houses, mighty warriors , 17,200, abl...

In 1 Samuel 8, David goes to war and strikes down every single opponent. The chapter itself is a personal highlight reel of David's military prowess. He fully defeats the Philistines, the Moabites, Zobah and Edom. 2 Samuel 8:1–4 (ESV) After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. 2 And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute. 3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. 4 And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. 2 Samuel 8:13 (ESV)  And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ...

Saul and Jonathan are dead. David's line to the throne should be clean right? Nope. It's going to take years. There's a LOT of political allegiances in the way and many people with special interests are going to do almost anything to keep the status quo and fight back David's ascension to power. Sounds like the American government... David is a threat to everyone who followed Saul to death. He's unpredictable. What will he do with those who supported a man out to kill him all those years? Surely, it can't be good. In haste, Ish-Bosheth is MADE king by Abner, the commander of Saul's troops. Abner had been with Saul at least since the Goliath event. He brought David to Saul after Goliath was dead. He was rebuked for not protecting Saul by David when he had the opportunity to kill him. You have to know that Abner had a vested interest in Saul's lineage keeping the kingdom. So he takes the fourth son of Saul and makes him king as soon as Saul and Jona...

David put a lot of men to death during his life. He killed Goliath, he raided the land of Israel constantly. He seemed to be surrounded by blood. But there's one death we kind of skim over in reading the Bible that we should pause to take notice of. At the end of 1 Samuel David has raided the Amalekites and won back his property and wives and those of his men. At the same time, the Philistines overcome Saul and he attempts suicide. Evidently, he failed. We pick up the report from the young man who was there: 2 Samuel 1:6–10 (ESV)  And the young man who told him (David) said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still...

1 Samuel 23:26–29 (ESV)   Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. 29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi. For a large portion of the book of 1 Samuel, we have Saul chasing down David. This should be bothersome to us. It should bother us that two men whom God used mightily in battles for the Lord's people - to deliver them and enlarge their territory - are preoccupied with a stupid spat between them! Instead of Saul fighting for the nation, he's fighting for his own glory. Instead of David going to war and expanding the map, he...

Christianity is a fight. The moment you forget that or deny it is the day you start playing right into the hands of your roaring enemy the devil. Joshua 6 has arrived, the people are consecrated, nourished and spiritually awakened to the promises of God. They are now instructed for warfare of a sort that was never practiced before by any army nor since. The whole episode of Jericho is a wonderful picture of the kind and style of warfare the Christian Church is engaged in to this day. First, we need to see that our enemy is restricted: Joshua 6:1 (ESV)   Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. Just as Jericho was stopped from growing or expanding... our spiritual enemy has been disarmed. He can only "seem" imposing. The truth is, the work of God for us has already made his threat impotent against us. Second, we need to hear the voice of our God: Joshua 6:2 (ESV) And the Lord said to Joshua,...

Deuteronomy 20 is God's instruction to the people concerning how they were to carry out their warfare campaigns. The commentators I read point out how much different these instructions are concerning war for God's nation than typical ancient peoples. For us today, this chapter holds powerful spiritual truths. God opens by letting Israel know they will face stronger and larger nations than themselves. Deuteronomy 20:1 (ESV) “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. But regardless of these facts, Israel was not to fear. The priest was to pronounce a faith-word over the people of God, reminding them that they do not fight alone, God is with them, He will strengthen their efforts against all enemies. Deuteronomy 20:2–4 (ESV) And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward a...

When a Christian enters into a new relationship with God, they enter into a fight for their lives. For some reason, we don't focus on this enough. We tend to want Godly living to involve as little confrontation and effort as possible. God spells out for us here in Numbers 33 that no such experience awaits the person who follows Him. With Israel on border of the land, God reaffirms His instructions to Moses concerning what awaits the people on the other side of the Jordan. It is not peace and tranquility at first, it is war and fighting and effort first. The peace comes later. Numbers 33:51–52 (ESV) “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. Look at this command. These are ornate altars and high places the people are going to have to...

Exodus 17:8–9  (ESV)   Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.  9   So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” The Amalekites are fierce foes of Israel from the moment they are free from Egypt. They come from Esau's grandson Amalek and take on Israel at Rephidim in hated animosity. This enemy will remain Israel's bitter rivals for centuries until the later part of David's reign. Sometimes you're going to have to deal with persistent trouble as you journey in God. It may not necessarily be people. It may be habits, addictions, pride or envy. These battles all have one thing in common no matter what they are: They don't just give up and go away. Now Moses knew what the answer was: Fight and pray. We have a famous image here of Moses holding up his hands for intercession as the war rages on: Exodus 17:10–11 (ESV)   So Joshua di...

The time for Jacob's departure is approaching in Genesis 48. He has one last thing to make sure he communicates before he departs this life. So he calls for his son Joseph, adopts his sons out of Egyptian life and into the Covenant family and then blesses them in the strangest way: Genesis 48:14 (ESV) And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). Genesis 48:17–19 (ESV) When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be grea...

Do you ever pray for protection... from yourself? David did. Psalm 141:1–4 (ESV) O Lord , I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! 2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! 3 Set a guard, O Lord , over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! 4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil , to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies! David knew the human heart was deceitful and desperately wicked. He knew his own mouth could be his downfall. He knew that sin seemed good at first (calling it delicacies)... but in the end lead to death.  And because David knew this about himself, he prayed against the danger that he posed. We do well to do the same. The Lord instructs us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." We need to pray this prayer more than we do.  Ja...

Psalm 109:1–5 (ESV) Be not silent, O God of my praise! 2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. 3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. The Lord WHO is with you is greater than those who come against you. That is the promise of Psalm 109. The Psalmist is in desperate circumstance, hated by people on all sides. He seeks the Lord's help in prayer, praise and fasting. He is diligent to humble himself and call out to the God who saves. Psalm 109 is one of the Imprecatory Psalms wherein the Psalmist calls down curses on his enemies. It is the longest and most intense of those particular Psalms. Notice... Psalm 109:8–10 (ESV) May his days be few; may another take his office! 9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! 10 May his children wa...

Psalm 35 seems like David is only in a personal squabble with some unfaithful friends. But the Hebrew language throughout betrays that idea. It's King David imploring the Lord on his behalf against the enemies poised against him. This is a prayer made by a warrior on the eve of the battle. And David asks God flat out to fight for him... Psalm 35:1–3 (ESV) Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” David asks God to fight for him. What a great idea. Sometimes in the middle of our hardest battles we forget to ask God for victory! Now of course, we don't wage war in military campaigns. But we do fight a spiritual enemy with demon hoards around us seeking to devour and destroy and devastate us. But we are not without hope and we are far from helpless. Our God will fight for us and ...

The 20th Psalm is a Royal Psalm sung for the king who goes out to battle. The first 5 verses pronounce blessing on the king as he prepares to leave for war. The people petition the Lord for victory with confidence. Psalm 20:1–5 (ESV) May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! 3 May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4 May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! 5 May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! The King confidently affirms that success is in their future: Psalm 20:6 (ESV) Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Why is the nation and the king so confident? Because they are living according to God's promi...

We all love the last chapter of Ephesians. The war is on and we are to fight with the weapons God gives, putting on the whole armor of God. But it's more than spiritual sentimentality or something to explore. The fight is real and important beyond what we understand. Paul does something interesting in this pericope. He instills alarm and courage at the same time. Alarm in that our enemy is real and must be taken seriously... Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Our enemies are real!  They are numerous, ordered, and all over. They are cosmic powers , they are forces of evil, they are rulers and they are authorities . These are serious titles to alert the Christian to serious attention. You are at war. And every step in the wrong direction is a step toward spiritual collapse and ...

Sometimes it's the little things we overlook in a passage.  When Jesus is confronted with two demon possessed men in which a "legion" of demons reside, a conversation breaks out between the Lord and the demons... After finding out their name, the demons do something telling: Luke 8:31 (ESV) And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. The demons begged Jesus not to depart into the abyss.  Hmmmm. I was reading Martin Lloyd Jones commentary on Ephesians 6:13.  He shared a powerful idea about the origin of evil and Satan's history.  He suggested the idea that the space between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 is where Satan was cast out of heaven.  And that is why the Spirit is hovering over the surface of the deep - and the Earth is described as "formless and void" - being chaotic as a result of the devil being cast there from heaven.   It's a speculative view but it opens to us a reality that we should be aware of.  There...

There are some who deny the existence of evil spirits and the devil.  They think its old fashioned and out of date.  Now everything is a pathological disorder of brain malfunction.  I'm not denying those at all.  But I refuse to deny the very real reality of evil spirits. Peter says something interesting in the last chapter of his first epistle: 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. He says "be sober-minded" - which can mean, "come to your senses". Peter uses this word three times in this letter alone.  First he uses it to call them to action in 1:13.  He then uses it of praying in light of the Lord's return in 4:7.  Now he uses the term "come to your senses" about something people think is non-sensical - the devil. I would suggest that any great victory militarily happened because cooler heads captained the winning army.  They didn't frea...

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11 ESV) This is war.  And the problem is not just the devil, the problem our flesh. The old carnal nature of our bodies.   The answer is abstinence.  Not easy but oh so necessary.   What does Paul say? Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.  There is no doubt the only solution is to say no to what our flesh wants. To remember that every time you say yes to the flash it's like you're choosing to lose a part of your soul. For that is what Peter says, the passions of our flesh wage war against our soul.  What does James say? James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?  James give this a good clue here. He tells us that our passions are the result of looking at what other peopl...