DAY 4: 2 Chronicles 24; 2 Kings 12; Psalm 50; Matthew 9

Daily Dose of Hope

October 22, 2024

Day 3 of Week 30

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 22-23; 2 Kings 11; Psalm 131; Matthew 8

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast the goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope. 

Our first Old Testament passage is 2 Chronicles 22-23.  We read a similar text in 2 Kings 11.  King Azahiah is evil and follows the ways of Ahab.  He only reigned one year.  His mother was a real piece of work too.  Lots of drama in these stories.

After King Ahaziah is killed, his mother, Athaliah (Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter), finds her way to the throne. She has all the royals killed, including her own grandchildren, to ensure that only she could rule Judah. The woman was pure evil. But remember God’s promise–a descendent of David will sit on the throne of Judah forever. What Athaliah failed to realize was that one of her grandsons, Joash, still just a baby, was hidden away by his nurse. At just the right time, the priest Jehoiada plans a counter revolution, in which Athaliah is overthrown and Joash, all of age seven, becomes king. The priest presents the youngster with a copy of the covenant and King Joash is unanimously supported.

The priest Jehoiada makes a covenant between the Lord and the king and his people. There was also a covenant between the king and the people themselves. Obviously, the king was al of seven years old so Jehoiada does this on the king’s behalf. But the renewal of the covenant was essential because after the previous wayward kings, the people had totally forgotten who they were. Covenant renewal restores their identity, although it will be a long road to relearn what it means to be the people of God. This covenant renewal also reminds the people of God’s promise to David. For the six years of Athaliah’s rule, it appeared on the surface that this promise had been disrupted. But by ensuring Joash’s safety, the line of David had stayed intact. The promise is, after all, unbreakable.

Matthew 8 is our New Testament text.  In this chapter, Matthew offers us a glimpse into the variety of miracles that Jesus performed including physical healings, spiritual healings, and even miracles of nature (calming the storm.) In between those miracles, we find this brief interaction between Jesus and someone described as a teacher of the law a nd a would-be disciple. I would guess that by this time in Jesus’ ministry, there were all kinds of people hanging around him. There were those who were bedazzled by his teaching and miracles, there were those who were curious and seeking, and there were those who truly believed.

In a world before technology, I’m sure that Jesus was often the main show in town! All kinds of people crowded around him for many different reasons. Of course, Jesus knew this; he knew their levels of attachment to him varied. Thus, when a teacher of the law approaches him and says he will follow Jesus wherever he goes, Jesus gives a warning of sorts. Jesus has no ties to the things of this world. He does not even have a regular home, no place to lay his head at night. Those who follow him must be willing to give up ties to worldly things as well. Jesus must have known this man wasn’t ready to do so. Then, another would-be disciple implies that he wants to follow Jesus but he must first go bury his father. We don’t know if this means the man needed to literally bury his dead father, take care of a father who was old, or even simply take care of family affairs.

But Jesus’ reaction is clear–discipleship is not something that Jesus wants someone to put off. The demands of the Kingdom are now, they are immediate. Devotion to Jesus requires sacrifice. Nothing should stand in the way of discipleship. Jesus doesn’t want to be an extra-curricular activity. In fact, he won’t tolerate that. He wants to be the true Lord of our life.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 21, 2024

Day 2 of Week 30

Scripture:  2 Kings 9-10; Psalm 49; Matthew 7

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  Happy Monday!  Let’s get into our Scripture for today.

We are once again starting in 2 Kings.  When Elijah died, there were a few things that God asked him to do that were left unfinished. Thus, it fell to Elisha to complete these tasks. In 1 Kings 19, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, telling him to anoint Elisha to take his place as prophet of Israel (this occurs later 1 Kings 19), anoint Hazael king over Aram (Elisha ends up completing this in 2 Kings 8), and anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel. Elijah also prophecies that Ahab and Jezebel will both be killed and that the lineage of Ahab will be obliterated.

In chapter 9, Elisha finishes up the given tasks. Jehu was a commander in King Ahab’s army.  Elisha instructs a younger prophet to head to Jehu’s camp in Ramoth Gilead (not sure why Elisha doesn’t do this himself except that he may have been noticed too easily).  Once there, the prophet was to inform Jehu that he would indeed become the next king of Israel and that this would happen in order to put an end Ahab’s line. The prophet announces this to the commander and then exits, leaving Jehu to figure out how this might occur.

It appears he doesn’t think too long about it because he actively seeks out King Joram (in the line of Ahab) and assassinates him. Both Israel and Judah were at war with Aram. When Jehu finds King Joram of Israel, King Ahaziah of Judah was with him. With no hesitation, Jehu kills them both with his bow. This means that both nations are stripped of their leaders, creating a dangerous power vacuum. At the end of the chapter, Jezebel is also killed and her body is eaten by the wild dogs, so badly marred that she could not receive a proper burial. And it is done, the prophecy is fulfilled.

In the very next chapter, Ahead is killed, along with the prophets on Baal.

Matthew 7 is our New Testament reading.  The Sermon on the Mount closes with a serious spiritual warning about faith in Jesus. The wise person is the one who hears the words of Jesus and heeds them. The result of this kind of obedience is security. The house does not fall because it is built on a strong, solid, unwavering foundation in Jesus. That doesn’t mean the house won’t be knocked around a bit by the weather events of life but it will NOT fall down. On the other hand, the foolish person is one who hears the words of Jesus and does not heed them. That person builds their house on sand and we all know what happens to sand when a terrible storm comes–erosion! Sand is not a solid foundation. The result of a life built on anything other than Jesus is erosion/destruction.

The teachings of the Sermon on the Mount provide followers of Jesus with wonderful practical guidance on what it looks like to be his disciple. This final teaching, as hard as it is, sums it all up–a life built on the solid foundation of Jesus yields safety and eternal security. A person who chooses to build their life on worldly security will ultimately face death and destruction. There really isn’t a way to sugar coat this and frankly, we should not even try. Jesus speaks with great clarity–we have a choice. What do you choose?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 20, 2024

Day 1 of Week 30

Scripture: 2 Kings 7-8; 2 Chronicles 21; Matthew 6

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope.  Can you believe we are starting week 30 of our reading plan this week?  We have come a long way!  I hope you have been learning and growing.  Again, I would love to hear your feedback.

Today, we are again starting with 2 Kings, chapters 7-8.  The king of Aram attacks Samaria, and this leads to a severe famine in the land.  Elisha begins chapter 7 by prophesying that by the next day, food would be plentiful in Samaria.  Everyone was in disbelief. 

In an interesting twist, four hungry leprous men decide to surrender to an Aramean camp but when they get there, it’s empty.  After eating their fill and taking some plunder, they decide to share with the gatekeepers of Samaria that the Aramean camp is empty.  While they were initially hesitant to believe them, they discover that it is in fact true.  They plunder the camp and the prophecy is fulfilled.  God has provided a way to care for his people once again. 

Chapter 8 provides more testimony to the great things God did through Elisha but it also details the succession of wicked kings in Judah.  2 Chronicles 21, also in today’s reading, goes into detail about one of the kings, Jehoram, who succeeded Jehoshaphat in Judah.  His evil was horrific.  Of course, the big question is how much longer will God allow this to go on?

Our New Testament passage is Matthew 6.  This is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount.  Again, Jesus is stretching people with his teaching on humility (when giving to the poor, praying, and fasting), on not worrying, and on gathering treasures in heaven rather than on earth.  These are life-changing teachings, if we can take them to heart.  I actually have had these Scripture verses regarding worry on the back of my bathroom door for about twenty years.  They are the kind of thing we need to read every day, several times a day. 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 17, 2024

Day 5 of Week 29

Scripture:  2 Kings 4-6; Matthew 5

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  I’m currently sitting in the Newark airport, so as I read this, please excuse the background noise. 

Our Old Testament passage for today is 2 Kings 4-6.  Let’s start with chapter 4.  This is really a beautiful chapter. The stories we find here demonstrate God’s power and his desire to care for those who are suffering and in need. Throughout the Biblical narrative, God walks closely to the poor and vulnerable.

In this chapter, God works through the prophet Elisha to provide for an impoverished widow, resurrect a young boy, and feed hungry prophets. Be sure to read through the whole narrative. I wanted to highlight one of the miracles that God did through the prophet Elisha. A widow of a deceased prophet comes to him quite distressed. After her husband passed, she has significant debts to pay and no way to pay them. She is worried that the creditor will come to take her two sons as payment. Debt slavery was not uncommon in ancient civilizations.  When the poor could not pay their debts, they were often forced into physical labor to repay them. Debt slavery could last years (it wasn’t as if there was any accountability).

We see throughout the Old Testament the prophets speaking out against the oppression of the poor and this would have certainly constituted oppression! The prophet Elisha sees the woman’s desperation and quickly moves into action. First, he asks her what she has; she has a little olive oil. Next, he tells her to ask her neighbors for as many jars as possible. Once the jars are in place, he has her fill them up. The olive oil continued to flow for as long as there were empty jars. Then, she could sell the oil and pay her debts, protecting her boys from being forced into slavery.

I love how God uses something the woman already has–olive oil–to provide a solution to her problem. I can’t help but think, even when we feel like we have nothing of value to offer, there is always something. God has gifted us with talents and resources that we can use to solve our own problems and make an impact in the world. Obviously, we can’t do this on our own. We need God to work through us and in us. We may also need to lean on the body of Christ for help and wisdom. But God will provide for us what we need. Trust in that.

In chapter 5, we meet Naaman, who was an official in the army of Aram.  He had leprosy and heard about a prophet in Samaria who could possibly heal him.  Of course, the prophet was Elisha.  And Elisha does heal him.  But to me, this isn’t the most interesting part of the story.  When Naaman goes to leave, he wants to give Elisha all kinds of gold, silver, and expensive gifts.  Elisha declines adamantly.  But Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, runs after Naaman and lies in order to get two talents of silver (quite a lot) and some clothing.  But Elisha knows exactly what’s happened and when he questions Gehazi, he lies.  As a result, Gehazi ends up with Naaman’s leprosy.  God requires integrity.

In chapter 6, we see God continue to do miracles through the prophet Elisha. It appears that Elisha has developed a much more amicable relationship with the king of Israel. When Aram went to war with Israel, Elisha used his prophetic skills to warn the king of Israel when harm was eminent so he could be on guard. Not surprisingly, this frustrated the king of Aram who suspected he had a spy in his ranks. But one of his officers knew that it was in fact Elisha who was providing the king of Israel with the information he needed to protect himself. Thus, the army of Aram is sent to capture Elisha.

The army of Aram surrounds the town of Dothan, where Elisha was living.  Their plan was to capture him. Elisha prays to the Lord, asking for the army to be struck with blindness and God does it. This allows Elisha to lead the army out of Dothan and into Samaria. Once in Samaria, the soldiers’ sight returns. The king of Israel asks Elisha if the men should be killed. But Elisha wants to show them mercy, so the king feeds them and sends them back home.

Some reflections from today’s text:

-When in doubt, show mercy. God is a merciful God. We are called to be merciful people.

-Err on the side of grace. We’ve been shown immense grace; let’s be sure to demonstrate it to others.

-Believe that God is on your side. Your God loves you and wants the best for you. Trust in that.

Matthew 5 is our New Testament passage.  This chapter begins Jesus’ teaching called the Sermon on the Mount.  This includes a couple chapters worth of revolutionary teaching.  Jesus probably preached this over a period of days, with thousands of people sitting on the mountainside listening.  The Sermon on the Mount turns things upside down.  Who is blessed?  Those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are merciful, those who are persecuted.  This would not have been the typical thinking for that time.  They thought if someone was wealthy and happy, then that must mean God’s blessing.  Jesus is saying not so fast.  Things are not always what they seem.

The standard for a believer is so much greater than the law.  Adultery isn’t simply sex with another, but lusting after someone who isn’t your spouse.  Divorce is no longer the acceptable route that the Jews thought it was.  You don’t take an eye for an eye, but rather turn the other check.  I kind of imagine all the people with jaws dropped, thinking but how can this be?  How is this even possible? 

More tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 16, 2024

Day 4 of Week 29

Scripture:  2 Kings 2-3; Psalm 48; Matthew 4

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  Today is Wednesday and New Hope will finally have Recharge once again at 6:30 in the Garage.  With all the storms, our Recharge worship and group experience has been disrupted.  I wish I could be there with you!  Go and worship and enjoy being together. 

Our Old Testament passage for today is 2 Kings 2-3.  Let’s start with chapter 2.  Here, we find Elijah taking his mentee/student on a farewell tour to greet the prophets at Bethel, Jericho, and Gilgal.  Elijah will soon leave the earth; that much is repeated multiple times.  It almost seems that Elijah wants to take this final journey alone but Elisha insists on staying with his master.  

As the chapter progresses, Elijah is taken to heaven and Elisha becomes the one in charge.  Some thoughts:

-The Elijah and Elisha relationship is a really special one. Elijah has mentored and poured himself into the younger student.  As a result, Elisha is now ready to lead.  Who might God be calling you to mentor?

-Godly leadership often involves making hard decisions and sacrifices.  We have seen that in Elijah’s ministry and we will soon see it in Elisha’s ministry.  Is God calling you to a hard decision?  Has he asked you to make a sacrifice for his Kingdom and you are dragging your feet or hesitant?

-Godly leadership is repaid in unexpected ways. Elijah and Elisha had a bond and were very much dedicated to God and one another.  They were like father and son. Elijah’s ministry bore much fruit in unexpected ways over his years as a prophet.  In the end, God brought him directly into heaven–no long, extended dying process.  Godly leadership is hard but it also has many rewards.

Let’s head over to chapter 3.  While Elisha had clearly taken the place of Elijah in serving as the Lord’s prophet to Israel, he had yet to prove himself.  We see God speak clearly and powerfully through Elisha.  There is a fair amount of drama in this chapter.  It begins by introducing Joram, Ahab’s son, who succeeded him as king of Israel and while not as wicked as Ahab, Joram was still a sinful king. 

Then, the narrative focuses on an issue with Moab, which has decided to no longer pay tribute (in the form of sheep) to Israel.  This angers Joram so he partners with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to squash the Moabite rebellion.  But their joint armies soon run out of water and food.  In order to figure out what’s going on, Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet of the Lord to shed light on the situation.  This is when Elisha is called in.  It’s clear that Elisha has significant animosity toward Joram.  He knows he is a sinful king who does not honor the Lord and he really doesn’t want to offer his advice.  The presence of Jehoshaphat, a man of God, calms him down and he finally agrees to offer prophecy.

God speaks powerfully through Elisha, saying that he will fill the land with pools of water so they can all drink.  That is exactly what happens.  Water fills the land by morning time.  In an interesting twist, the Moabites see the sun hit the water and believe that the pools are filled with blood, thinking the armies of Israel and Judah have slaughtered each other.  So the Moabites are caught off guard when the two armies (Israel and Judah) rise up and fight. Moab is defeated.

Probably the most distressing aspect of the chapter is the last portion of text.  In a desperate attempt to win, the Moabite king sacrifices his first-born son on the city wall, thinking it may appease the false god Chemosh.  Of course, the Israelites are outraged at the sight. 

Evil comes in all forms.  From Joram to the Moabite king, evil is present in our world. From my human perspective, I often wish God would just swoop down and just eliminate all the evil in the world so that suffering and pain could be banished for good.  I mean, God is all-powerful.  But that isn’t the way God operates.  Plus, the reality is that we are all a complex mix of good and evil.  It’s important for me to remember that God dealt with evil through the quiet strength of the cross.  And we trust that he is still dealing with evil in ways that we can’t see or understand.  Eventually, we know that Jesus will return and deal with evil for good.  Until then, we seek to be light in a dark world.

Please be sure to read the Psalm.  I’m not going to talk about it, but it’s a song celebrating the deliverance of Jerusalem.  Knowing what you now know about the wars that the Southern Kingdom faced, you might want to do some more research.  Which battle might this psalm have been written after?

Matthew 4 is our New Testament passage.  We find Jesus calling several of his disciples to follow him.  I think it’s hard for us to imagine how abruptly these four men responded to Jesus.  While there was probably more back story here that we aren’t privy to, the reality is that they left everything to follow Jesus.  They left all human sources of security, all human goals and aspirations to respond to a call by God.  They left their jobs and probably their families to respond to a call, and did so as far as we can tell, without hesitation or doubt.

Could we do the same?  God calls each and every one of us but we still hold on to various aspects of the world.  How often do we fully and completely let go of everything to simply follow Jesus?  This is the demand of the kingdom of God–turn away from the kingdom of the world and give all to a bigger, deeper purpose.  Stop worrying so much about fishing for money, power, or admiration and simply fish for people.  We may live 2000 years later but this is our mission and call as well.  Do you believe this?  Are you ready to say yes?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 15, 2024

Day 3 of Week 29

Scripture:  2 Chr 19-20; 2 Kings 1; Psalm 20; Matthew 3

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  It’s Tuesday and I know the days have started to blur together for some of you who still don’t have power.  Hurricane fatigue is a real thing!  Let’s be sure to take care of each other. 

Also, I just wanted to remind all of you that Pastor Lavetta and I are starting our trek to Mozambique today.  We are traveling with Zoe Empowers to visit with our New Hope orphan empowerment group.  Please be in prayer for us.  To be honest, the trip comes at such a rough time but I felt very strongly that God wants us to go.  We’ll return on October 27.  Keep our husbands in prayer too, as they hold down the fort!!!

Our first Old Testament passage for today is 2 Chronicles 19-20.  The beginning of chapter 19 is interesting.  Jehoshaphat was admonished for working with Ahab, the evil Northern King.  The seer who brought the news told Jehoshaphat that the wrath of the Lord would be upon him.  In other ways, Jehoshaphat was a good king, getting rid of the pagan shrines and temples.  But clearly God had higher expectations for him.  He was supposed to trust God in all things, including wars and political alliances.  In this way, he failed.  But that does not stop the Southern king from following God.  He appoints judges to serve under the Levites.  Their role was to manage disputes and administer the law of the Lord. 

In chapter 20, we find that Judah is being threatened by outside nations once again.  This certainly is an area of the world that has been warring for thousands of years!  But this time, Jehoshaphat does it right – he and his people go to the Lord first.  And God promises to fight their battle for them.  The people sing praises while God takes care of their enemies.  This is so fascinating.  They are literally singing and God is just ambushing the Ammonites.  Once the battle was over, the people rejoiced some more, and all the surrounding nations were fearful of the Lord.

But after this high and holy moment, in which they see the hand of God in a powerful way, Jehoshaphat messes up again.  He makes another alliance with the Northern king, Ahaziah, who is quite evil.  This is the same thing he did before!  You wonder what he was thinking.  He knows God, he has seen the hand of God, and yet, he falls into the same trap.  I wonder if some of us can relate.  We know God, we believe in God, we have seen his hand, and we still keep making the same mistakes.  Oh, how we need Jesus!

Today, we also begin 2 Kings, which continues 1 Kings without any kind of break.  We immediately find that the clash between Elijah, a prophet of Yahweh, and the Israelite monarchy continues.  Despite past warnings, Ahaziah, the king of the Northern Kingdom, is worshiping and consulting with other gods.  Thus, Yahweh, the one true God will continue to demonstrate that he is supreme. 

In today’s chapter, Yahweh demonstrates his power and supremacy through the sending of fire.  Make sure you read the whole text.  The king has become injured and wants to see if he will recover from his injury.  He sends some messengers to consult the god, Baal-Zebub, to provide guidance on his recovery.  One has to stop and wonder what in the world he was thinking.  Why is he intentionally snubbing Yahweh to consult a false god?  His messengers are met by Elijah the prophet who expresses God’s anger at the situation.  Through Elijah, God makes it clear that Ahaziah will not recover but rather will die in his bed.

In an attempt to get more clarity (or possibly a new prophecy), the king sends several groups of soldiers to summon Elijah.  The first two groups are consumed by fire.  Ahaziah, clearly not learning the lesson, sends a third group.  This group pleads for mercy from Elijah, as they know their lives are in danger.  They are allowed to live, Elijah addresses the king, and Ahaziah dies shortly after. 

What are we to make of this?  I don’t understand why the king of Israel insisted on consulting Baal rather than Yahweh. But what I do know is that God wants us to always consult him first.  When we are in trouble, instead of trying to figure it out ourselves, God desires that we reach out to him FIRST.  God loves us, God truly wants the best for us, and God wants to lead us in his direction.  We may think we are so much better than Ahaziah but in many ways, we do exactly the same thing.  We may not consult a false god, but we try to do life on our own.  Yet, we have a God who is powerful and good. Seek God first. Listen. Obey.

Our New Testament passage is Matthew 3.  This includes both an introduction to the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism.  Why did Jesus feel the need to get baptized?  Obviously, he didn’t need it – he had no sin, there was no need for cleansing.  But his baptism was a sign of his obedience to God’s will; he would act faithfully to his purpose of bringing salvation to all people.  And God expresses his agreement by sending the Holy Spirit and confirming Jesus’ identity by saying, This is my Son whom I love...  It’s in Jesus’ baptism that we see a beautiful picture of the Trinity. 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 14, 2024

Day 2 of Week 29

Scripture:  1 Kings 22; 2 Chr 18; Matthew 2

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope!  I’m praying that by now, most of you have power.  If you don’t, my prayer is that today will be the day!

We have come to the final chapter in the book of 1 Kings. You made it!  While the story is far from over, I hope these past few weeks have been insightful for you.  These Old Testament passages are filled with truth, sometimes really hard truth, but well worth our time digesting them and allowing God to speak to us through them.  In today’s chapter, we find Ahab, king of Israel, form an alliance with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to go to war with Syria (Aram) over the region of Ramoth Gilead.

In an effort to ensure they would win, they seek the guidance from the prophets of Israel.  Ahab quickly summons four hundred prophets who claim to speak for Yahweh and enthusiastically proclaim that God will guarantee their victory. Jehoshaphat is a bit wary of these four hundred prophets, as they were most certainly on King Ahab’s payroll and willing to say whatever pleased the king.  King Jehoshaphat asked for a true prophet of the Lord.  Ahab is hesitant but has Micaiah summoned to prophecy on the topic as well.  Ahab actually says he hates Micaiah because he never says anything good about him. Rather than take this to heart and consider there may be an issue with his own actions, he simply blames Micaiah. Interestingly, Micaiah prophecies victory for Israel and Judah over Aram but also that Ahab would be killed in battle.  Ahab, with his typical arrogance, dismisses Micaiah with anger but is indeed killed in the battle.  2 Chronicles 18 tells the same story from a slightly different angle.

How often do we surround ourselves with people who will tell us what we want to hear?  Obviously, Ahab made a habit of this.  He liked his paid prophets because they petted his ego and agreed with him.  They didn’t call him out on his behavior or idolatry.  Micaiah, on the other hand, told it like it was.  I’m wondering if we sometimes do the same.  We hang out with people who tell us what we want to hear or think exactly like we do.  We listen to news and podcasts that reinforce our own ideas.  Do we allow ourselves to be challenged?  I can’t help but think that’s the importance of constantly digging into God’s Word and spending lots of time in prayer.  We need to listen to God so God can share his truth with us.  Sometimes this truth will reinforce what we know or be exactly what we want to hear.  Other times, it will be hard truth that convicts us and points us in another direction.  But this is how God stretches us, grows us, and helps us better reflect Jesus.

Do you allow God to challenge and convict you and how?

Our New Testament Scripture is Matthew 2.  This is pretty familiar Scripture for many of us.  I wanted to focus on the first section about the magi.  They are an interesting and mysterious group. We don’t really know much about the magi who come seeking Jesus from eastern lands.  Some translations call them wise men or kings.  Matthew doesn’t include a lot of details.  We have no idea how many there actually were (despite the popular carol, Scripture does not say there were just three of them).  Like the shepherds, the magi seem an unlikely group to seek out and worship Jesus.  Magi at that time were often thought to be sorcerers or astrologers;  that means they were pagans.  They were also men of wealth.  They were foreign.  Basically, they were not Jewish.  And yet, they go to a lot of trouble to find, to worship, and to adore King Jesus.

What can we make of this?  It seems clear that God’s faithful, those who are called to seek and worship the Christ, are a vast and varied group.  This group includes the poor and humble shepherds as well as the wealthy, mysterious magi. But probably the most important question for all of us today---does it include you?   When is the last time you have truly adored King Jesus?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 13, 2024

Day 1 of Week 29

Scripture:  1 Kings 19-21; 2 Chr 17; Psalm 129; Matthew 1

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  It’s Sunday and New Hope Church IS open.  We now have power in every building so bring your phones and devices to charge.  If you need ice, we can offer you that as well.  Obviously, if you can’t safely leave your home, then stay and worship at home.  As the days roll by, if you need post-storm assistance, please let us know!

We have a lot of Scripture today.  Let’s start with I Kings 19.  This is a great chapter.  Elijah has been doing God’s work and things have gotten really hard and really scary.  After he kills the prophets of Baal, Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, decides that Elijah needs the same fate.  This is kind of the last draw for him.  He sits down and tells God that he wants to die.  Enough is enough.  He is tired and depressed.  Have you been there? 

But what I love is how God cares for Elijah.  He sends an angel who makes sure that Elijah has food, drink and sleep.  Then, he instructs Elijah that its time he mentors a younger prophet.  He tells him exactly where to go and what to do.  Now, Elisha will come on the scene and provide the support and succession plan that Elijah needs. 

In Chapter 20, we read about how Syria, a long-time enemy of Israel, is once again threatening to invade. In fact, Syria’s king, (along with a coalition of thirty-two other kings) makes demands on Ahab to avoid a fight.  Ahab agrees to give money, women, and children to Ben Hadad if they will retreat.  When the king of Syria and his coalition also demand that they be allowed to pillage and loot the palaces of Ahab’s officials, King Ahab refused.  They will fight rather than surrender. 

Interestingly, we see God sending a prophet to Ahab who tells him that God will help Israel defeat the vast army of the Syrian coalition.  Why in the world would God do this, considering Ahab’s blatant disobedience and evil over the past few chapters?  Because of this: God wants King Ahab to know that Yahweh is the Lord. God continues to give Ahab chances to turn from his old ways and serve the one true God.  Our God is a God of second, third, and fourth chances. He wants a relationship with each of us.  As we finish the chapter, we see that God does in fact save the nation of Israel.  But Ahab is disobedient once again.  This will be his undoing.

Then we come to chapter 21.  Up until this point, King Ahab has been evil in the sense that he turned away from God and engaged in idolatry.  Now, he is complicit in brutality as well.  When he doesn’t get a nearby vineyard that he desires, he throws a tantrum and allows his wife, Jezebel, to do what she sees fit to ensure the vineyard is his.  Jezebel, with no hesitation or remorse, devises a plan to ensure that the rightful owner of the vineyard is killed.  The vineyard now belongs to King Ahab.  Not surprisingly, this angers the Lord.  God declares that the line of Ahab will be destroyed and that his wife, Jezebel, will be killed and eaten by dogs (which would be considered incredibly horrific because there could be no proper burial).  

At this, we see a drastic change in Ahab. He actually shows remorse.  He puts on sackcloth and fasts; he humbles himself before the Lord.  This appears to be the first positive thing that Ahab has ever done.  God takes notice.  God decides to push back the destruction of Ahab to future generations.  You see, God always wanted to get Ahab’s attention and have him turn from his evil ways.  He never wanted Ahab to be destroyed, simply transformed into a Godly king like David; he wanted Ahab’s heart to genuinely change.  God is incredibly merciful, always looking for way to redeem, always willing to give second chances.

In 2 Chronicles 17, we read about what’s going on in the Southern Kingdom. Jehoshaphat is king and he is doing what is right in the Lord’s eyes.  As a result, the Lord is protecting him and his Kingdom.  Judah is growing in strength and building their fortified cities.  For this season, they are devoted to the ways of the Lord. 

Let’s move on to the New Testament.  Yeah, we get to start the Gospel of Matthew!  This is such wonderful Scripture.  While we may sometimes have a tendency to skip over genealogies, this one in Matthew 1 is truly significant.  First, we can see the connection between the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus. As we read through the names on the list, we get a picture of God’s history of redemption for his people.  Abraham and David are highlights, as both were recipients of God’s promises for the people of Israel, significant parts of redemptive history.  Another reason I love this genealogy is that five women are specifically mentioned. This was at a time when women were basically never mentioned in the history of patriarchal societies. And here we are, five very unique and interesting women–Tamar (who was quite tricky to achieve her purpose), Rahab (at one point a prostitute), Ruth (a Moabite), Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba), and Mary.  

The first four women were Gentiles or married to Gentiles, they were outsiders to a certain extent, and yet they had tenacious faith, the kind that would be critical for faith in Jesus.  This focus on Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba leads to the introduction of Mary.  It’s like the author is saying, “Don’t discount Mary!”  She may not be who you would expect to be the mother of the Savior of the world but God uses all kinds of people!  God lifts up all kinds of women, those who are proper and those who aren’t. What a beautiful reminder that the Gospel is for ALL.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 10, 2024

Day 5 of Week 28

Scripture:  1 Kings 17-18; Psalm 119; Jude

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  When you listen to this, I’m not really sure what will have happened with the hurricane.  What will our community experience?  We rest in the truth that God is in control and God is good.  If you are able, let me know how you are doing and if you need anything.  Please know that you are loved a lot!

Our first Old Testament Scripture passage for today is 1 Kings 17-18.  The evil of King Ahab and the idolatry and disobedience among God’s people has gotten really, really bad.  Thus, God sends prophets to point out the error of their ways and essentially be their theological conscience.  In chapter 17, we meet the prophet Elijah.  His name literally means “My God is Yahweh” and that is basically the theme of his entire career.  

The chapter begins with Elijah proclaiming to King Ahab that there would be no rain for the next few years until the one true God declared it so.  This is particularly important because the main Canaanite god, Baal, was worshiped as the god of rain.  By Yahweh stopping all rain and dew, he is declaring that HE alone is God and that Baal is a fake god with no power.  The Scripture doesn’t explicitly state the response of King Ahab but we can guess it wasn’t good, for God tells Elijah to leave the area and go hide by Kerith Brook. 

As you read through the chapter, Elijah’s obedience and trust in God are quite remarkable. He trusts God to provide provisions for food and water through animals and people!  My favorite aspect of this chapter is how God uses an impoverished outsider, the widow of Sidon (a city in what is now Lebanon), to provide care and nourishment to one of the most faithful of all of God’s prophets.  Keep in mind that a widow would have been one of the poorest and most vulnerable people in that world.  And yet, God chooses her and she (possibly out of desperation) agrees to be part of God’s plan. As a result, she and her son are saved from the drought, the ensuing famine, and even illness.  At the end of the chapter, her faithfulness to Elijah is rewarded with God bringing her son back to life.  By being faithful and open to God at work, this widow puts to shame many others who rejected the one true God.

How often God uses the weak and lowly to shame the powerful.  I think this is something we all need to reflect on today. When have you personally seen this at work?

In chapter 18, God has called Elijah to come face to face with King Ahab once again.  Times are tense–the drought is severe; animals and people are dying.  Ahab blames Elijah for Israel’s trouble.  Afterall, in Ahab’s mind, Elijah has offended Baal (the Canaanite god of rain) and that is why the rain has stopped.  Elijah, amazingly brave and solid, denies Ahab’s claim and turns it around–it’s actually Ahab’s fault because he has been so disobedient to the Lord, Yahweh, and it is he who is in charge of the rain.

What’s interesting to me is that Ahab and the people of Israel were still worshiping Yahweh, but they also were worshiping the Canaanite gods of Baal and Asherah.  Elijah is tasked with challenging Ahab on this issue.  The king can’t have it both ways; it’s time to choose.  Will he choose the one true God OR the Canaanite gods?  Verse 21 is quite powerful, Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!”  But the people were completely silent. 

Elijah then proposes a contest to demonstrate who is really God–is it Baal or Yahweh?  The prophets of Baal spent hours calling on Baal to light the altar, complete with dead bull and wood, on fire. They dance around it, then begin to cut themselves and allow their own blood to be shed, begging Baal to respond. Not surprisingly, Baal is silent.  But when Elijah calls on Yahweh, the one true God, to light the altar (bull, wood, twelve stones to represent the tribes of Israel, and lots of water), God demonstrates his power in an awesome way.  Everything is consumed in flames and the water is quickly soaked up.  It’s only then that the people acknowledge that the Lord is God.

We may think that we’ve far removed from Ahab and the people of Israel during Elijah’s day.  Granted, we probably aren’t bowing down to Baal and worshiping Asherah.  But the reality is that we try to serve Yahweh along with other gods as well.  What other gods vie for attention in your life?  Money, power, jobs, family, boats, campers, travel, food, exercise, retirement plans, golf, you get the idea.  There are so many things that we put before God or at least on the same level.  We may think this is harmless but it is insidiously dangerous.  What have you allowed to creep into your life and take on the same level of importance as worship, as ministry, as mission, as Scripture, as tithe, as God?

Be sure to read through the Psalm, although I’m not going to address it in the devotional today.  I really want to head over to the New Testament and talk a little about Jude.  While its not the shortest book in the New Testament, Jude is probably one of the more obscure.  Scholars don’t know a lot about it.  We do believe that Jude was a brother of Jesus, although he probably didn’t become a believer until after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  We don’t have a good date for this letter either, although we can guess that Jude himself died around AD 90, so certainly the letter was written before that time.

What is the point of the letter?  There isn’t a big theological statement here.  It seems that Jude is trying to direct a group of believers to stay away from false teaching.  We don’t really know which believers he is referring to OR which false teachers have reared their ugly head.  But Jude wants them to stay strong, engage in moral behavior, and not be distracted from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I think that's a good reminder for all of us.

Stay safe, my dear brothers and sisters.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki