Arise and Abide

Reading 1 Kings 15:32-16:34. God gave people free will in the garden and humanity has continued to choose their own way. As people continue in this pattern we move farther and farther away for the righteous standards of God. Omri did more evil than any king before him, until his son Ahab becomes king and outdoes his father’s sins. I see this picture that God is the one who places the king in their position. But it's followed by this story of the kings just trying to fight and take over the throne on their own power. And when they do that, it never turns out well for them. The mentality of ‘I'm going to make myself king’ isn't really that uncommon, considering all the people who want to make themselves kings of their own lives. Luke 14:35. We must give up everything to God. God was angry because the leaders were leading Israel to sin by building these calves like Jeroboam. We see with Ahab that he marries Jezebel and sets up places of worship to Baal. It was reminding me of when Jesus talked about leaders in Matthew chapter 18, verse six, he says, “if anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large mill stone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”God is true to his word even when we don't see it fulfilled in our own lifetime.

Reading Psalms 84. Recognizing God’s goodness in life. It is in the presence of God that we experience the good life. We enter through repentance. Change perspective in the hard times back to the goodness of God. The picture of someone who wants to draw near to the LORD. The imagery of provision and protection. God’s heart is for people, and for people to experience the fullness of God’s goodness. All relationships require building trust. Jesus teaches us not to worry and instead trust God’s provision in the sermon on the mount. In Revelation 21:3 we see the promise of God dwelling with His people and now, while we wait for Jesus’ return, we get to experience being the dwelling place of God as His Holy Spirit dwells in us. Life is a trust building journey the Lord is carrying us through. Ephesians 2:19-22, we are God’s dwelling place together joined in the body of Christ.

Reading 1 Kings 15:9-31. In this reading, we see a picture of two kings, one of Judah, one of Israel. Nadab who had a short-lived reign or reign of only two years compared to Asa who had a reign of 41 years. Nadab did what was evil in the Lord's sight and followed the example of his father. King Asa made a choice to follow after God. They thought they had come up with the solution they need, but nothing has changed. These idols are manmade things that are elevated instead of God. It's about humbling ourselves and lifting up God. 2 Chronicles, chapter 16, in verse 12, “In the 39th year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the Lord's help but turned only to his physicians.” So, despite this long reign, a long life, in the end he's distracted, his eyes are taken off the Lord. He goes to the king of Aram for protection. He goes to doctors and physicians for healing when he should have been going to God. Without God's Holy Spirit to bring God's own word and truth back to remembrance, we are stuck in the same pattern. God is good. It's lowering these things that we make ourselves and elevating God, letting him bring us up, giving all of our cares and worries to him because he cares about us.

Reading Psalms 83. Written around the time of the exile in the tension of war and hardship. Wanting God to destroy God’s own enemies while making themselves an enemy of God. The tension of needing the Savior to come. The call for the nation of God to realize they serve God alone. Israel was called to represent God, now disciples are called. The need for believers to remain in the Lord in the face of difficult situations, circumstances, or in the face of difficult people. To set yourself up for success in these trials, enter them from a place of remaining in Christ. Increase your intentional time of prayer and devotion. Gain life from the Word of God just as God spoke life into existence. God is supreme over all the earth. When facing difficult people take encouragement in knowing they are acting out of a dark place in their heart from which they need to be set free, and that they too will learn the goodness of God. The memory of God will not be wiped out.  

Reading 1 Kings 15:1-8 and 2 Chronicles 13. During a Abijam's rule and the story that we read in chronicles, I see this example of how despite Abijah not being faithful, God remains faithful. Abijah was not faithful, he recognizes the promise that God had made to David. More importantly, he recognizes the difference between a living God and the man-made gods that Jeroboam had made for himself. It's in a moment of distress that Abijah starts to declare the goodness of God and the difference between Judah and Israel. There’s a big difference between knowing the Lord and knowing about the Lord. But God, is faithful to his promise no matter what. Sometimes people can see God's faithfulness in their life and then perhaps think that they're all good that they don't need to change their life at all because God's faithfulness is being experienced. But the reality is God's faithfulness should be drawing us to know God more. God's plan and promise to continue to use the descendants of David to shine like a lamp. Pointing to Jesus who is going to be the ultimate light that comes into the world to shine and represent the goodness of God and the faithfulness of God and be the king that sits on the throne forever.

Reading Psalms 82. God sitting in judgment, calling out what's going wrong. How the people in power are judging unjustly favoring the wicked. God understands our human condition that we have neither knowledge nor understanding and walk in darkness. Jesus quotes this psalm in John 10:34 confronting the Jewish leaders who were corrupt and oppressing the people of Israel. Humans have taken this role of leadership and forgot what their true role is, is to shepherd and care and tend to the needs to feed the sheep. Our opinion is our opinion because we believe it to be right. Because we believe our opinion is right, we often take that seat of judgment. Mark 1:15. “The kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe.” We need to change our mind that we have it all figured out and we need to submit it all to God and ask Him for the wisdom. Ask Him for the understanding. Ask Him for the proper judgment so that we can be free of that burden as well as that consequence of being the judge.

Reading 1 Kings 14:1-31. Jeroboam recognizes that he has separated himself from God, that he's turned his back on God. He can't approach Ahijah who’s the very one who gave him the prophecy that God was going to bless him and make him king. Jeroboam was right in recognizing that his sin had separated him from the right to approach God. And it points to our need for Jesus to give us that right, to approach God, to cleanse us and make us holy before God. Twice in the book of Judges in chapter 17:6 and in 21:12, it said, “In those days, Israel had no king, all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” And I see that continuing in Jeroboam's life and in Rehoboam’s life. 2 Chronicles chapter 12 verse 8, really stood out to me, “so that they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.” God showing his people. Ok. These are the choices you made. So, experience life with an earthly king versus a heavenly king. Matthew 18:6, “If you cause any one of these little ones who trust me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” When we have that divided loyalty, when we're not following after God, our life is lived as a bad example. The cost of being the disciple is the ultimate surrender of our perceived right, to be the king of our own life, to go where we want to go, to do whatever seems right in our own eyes. Ezekiel 34:23 says, “and I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David and he will feed them and be a shepherd to them. And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David will bring peace among my people. I the Lord have spoken.” God's heart is that somebody feed the sheep to care for them to nurture them. God's heart is that somebody feed the sheep to care for them to nurture them.

Reading Psalms 81. A picture of how things are supposed to be. A call to celebrate the Lord, to listen to, to focus on God, to live in that good life in that abundant life that God has for us as we press into God and turn from all the worthless things in life. Remembering that God is our strength. Verse six, “I heard an unknown voice say now I will take the load from your shoulders. I will set free your hands for their heavy tasks.” Like Jesus's words in Matthew chapter 11 verses 28 and 30 when he says, “Come to me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear. And the burden I give you is light.” If you are just going after what you want and how you want it. You are rejecting God and how God says it should be. We need to remember that God is more empathetic than we ever could be. Jesus came for everyone, so God is pursuing each and every one of us. Let him finish the good work, He started.

Reading from 1Kings 12:25-13:34. Jeroboam didn't trust God's promise to Him. He's thinking to himself about the people going to Jerusalem to worship at the temple and how they will kill him, and Rehoboam will become the king. He tries to take control of the situation himself. The human tendency to try to hold on to it for ourselves instead of seeking after God. The picture of a king who's been given a great promise, who chooses not to seek after the one who's made the promise but tries to hold on to that promise in his own strength. And the prophet who isn't trying to hold on to anything really. He's just trying to obey the Lord. And what I see in both stories is how we need a savior. When his hand instantly became paralyzed, he knew that he needed God to fix that. What we need to do is learn to trust God. Learn to trust His word and learn to walk it out. Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding, seek His will in all you do. And he will show you which path to take.” Take it to God. 1 Corinthians 13:12. “Now we see things imperfectly like puzzling reflections in a mirror. But then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete. But then I will know everything completely just as God knows me completely.” When Paul wrote that he was saying that God's plan was being revealed to us in the gospel. It does require trust because we're not going to have that perfect clarity.

Psalms written during the time of the exile are a picture of what life is like apart from God and an example for us to follow in those moments when we feel like God is far. It doesn't change the situation, but when we are in a bad situation or circumstance, we need to redirect our perspective, off of how it feels like God is far, to the goodness of God. They're asking God to listen and look down, like the sun shines down. And that repeating line reminds me of the priestly blessing from Number 6:24 that says, “May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” I see the story of the prodigal son in this Psalm and this anticipation of coming back to the father, potentially being rejected because he had left. And yet the father is just there like he's always been waiting for the son and ready to receive him. We can see everything that's happening, but we don't always understand why. In John 15:6 it says “Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers, such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.” And in Psalm 80 verse 16, it says “for we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the site of your frown.” So the psalmist is talking about Israel being a grapevine that now feels chopped up and burned. And if we look at that in the context of Jesus' teaching, it was because they were trying to live apart from the vine.