The Field is the World (Matt. 13:38)

  July 9 : Today’s reading has me thinking about the judgment of nations in Matthew 25:31-46. If it’s true on an individual level that those who offend little ones who believe in Jesus would be better off if drowned in the sea, (Matthew 18:6), what of the fate of national leadership that offends many, persuading them to become atheistic or idolatrous? That’s exactly what our nation’s leadership is doing right now: dredging up grievances in order to cause division so that they may gain greater power. The worst part of it is that in our form of government it is the people who will be held responsible, for we elect such leaders. It shows how easily we are deceived by smooth words. 2 Kings 7-8 : The Northern Kingdom has lost its way so badly that they won’t even listen to a miracle-working prophet of God. Are we in similar straits today? Although no one works miracles, I think anyone could see that everyone was better off when more were closer to the Lord. I wonder if Elijah thought hi...

  July 8: Even in the worst of the divided kingdom, worshipers were being called out of the nations and washed clean as a little child. Even in the Roman occupation and corruption of 1st Century Judaism, christ was raising the dead and calling witnesses who would go to the nations. If the rod of the wicked does rest for a time over the righteous, what are the righteous to do? Luke 12:31-48 give us great guidance: seek God’s Kingdom, and put no trust in this world but make heaven our treasure; be watching for His return; know and do His will. 2 Kings 5-6 : When Jesus referenced this story about Elisha and Naaman, the people in Nazareth erupted in fury and tried to throw him down a hill. Why? It it is a wonderful story about repentance: Naaman’s greatness and pride almost kept him from the healing he needed, but he was persuaded to submit and truly repent and be converted, confessing, “I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel” (2 Kings 5:15). If it truly was God’s...

  July 7 : Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. The miracle Elisha performed for the Shunnamite in raising her dead son was just a shadow of what Jesus would do for Lazarus. Did his pacing and praying in the room prepared for him give him any insight into the coming of Messiah? 2 Kings 3-4 : I wonder why Jehoshaphat joined in a league with Jehoram so quickly after having nearly been killed in battle against Syria with Ahab? (1 Kings 22) It was so similar, that Jehoshaphat called for a prophet of the Lord, (2 Kings 3:11, cf., 1 Kings 22:7) This time, Elisha prophesies victory and gives them instruction about how to treat the Moabites. (In Deuteronomy 20:19, God instructs Israel not to cut down good fruit trees when conducting a siege, but this is not a siege.) Psalm 124 : This is said to be a Psalm of David. I wonder if he was young or old when he wrote this? The leader of the mighty men confesses that unless the Lord had been on their side, they’d have been swallowed up when men...

  July 6: Walt once said this generation we’re living in hears the Lord’s love as hatred. Does telling the truth make enemies? (Galatians 4:16) It certainly does, although it’s not aimed at that. We’re in a generation that refuses to see love in truth unless it compromises by affirming that which cannot be righteously affirmed. Instead, we have to stand like Elijah in the face of threat, tell the truth like Jesus despite opposition, and seek God’s defense from the proud who hold us in contempt. 2 Kings 1-2 : Is this not the return of the Elijah that was established on a rock in 1 Kings 18? The King of Israel worships Baal-zebub. He sends fifty soldiers after Elijah, but God destroys two garrisons of them. Psalm 123 : Have mercy upon us, O LORD, for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. I have to say, there have been times I’ve read such things in the Psalms with distance, with abstraction, but now I can definitely feel it. Are sincere followers of Christ not treated with contem...

  July 5 : I think it's common to wonder why God allows evil to assume control. Two out of three of these situations are representative of corrupt rule. Ahab is Israel's worst king, and the Herodians, Sadducees, Pharisees, Scribes and other religious leaders at the time of Christ were corrupt religious leaders. Psalm 122 seems to be a Psalm of David, and it's probable that that's why this doesn't have a dark cast like the 1 Kings passage. Of course, Jesus' teaching in John 10 so completely overwhelms the opposition of the questioners that what they say is basically given to us to give us a background to the Good Shepherd. And overall, is that not the role of evil rule? Israel finally learned to despise idolatry in their captivity to Idolatrous Babylon. Wicked people gain leadership, and people suffer. It causes us to realize the inevitable outcome of our sin. 1 Kings 21-22 : I think the question about Ahab is not why did God send Elijah to prophesy his death, ...

July 4 : Do I think I would, by natural means, make better decisions than Elijah or the Pharisees? Not at all; I try to look at myself with as skeptical an eye as we’re supposed to look at all men, even those in the Biblical accounts. But if I am to learn as I should from these stories, I should pay careful attention to God’s response to every person, recognize both courage and weakness, blindness and sight, in myself and others, and to be grateful for God’s willingness to help and strengthen, preserve and provide opportunity to testify for my limited time here. 1 Kings 19-20 : If not for Elijah’s weakness in Horeb, would he have had a longer ministry? Was the revelation of the anointing of Hazael, Jehu and Elisha a judgment against Ben Hadad, Ahab and Elijah or a consolation to a prophet who was pressed beyond strength? There’s yet more for Elijah to do, so I don’t think it’s really a judgment, for, if it was, I think it would be swift and decisive. I think that showing Elijah a pee...

July 3 : 1 Peter 4:10-11 urges us to steward our gifts well, speaking according to the strength God supplies, speaking the utterances of God. Elijah makes a great example, and the blind man healed at Siloam is an example of growth in stewardship, as he first testifies: that Jesus is a prophet, (John 9:17), then is pushed to call Him a sinner and refuses, saying he only knows he was blind and now he sees, (John 9:25). As the religious leaders continue to push him, he begins to realize: if this man were not of God, He could do nothing. (John 9:33) Finally when Jesus fully reveals Who He is to him, he believes and worships Him. (John 9:38) He knows he’s facing expulsion, yet he declares the truth that he knows boldly. We must do the same, no matter the consequences. 1 Kings 17-18 : You have to wonder: did Elijah not doubt at all? He was boldly sarcastic with the prophets of Ba’al. He set up an “impossible” altar to set ablaze. He stood alone against the 850 pagan prophets and challenged...

July 2 : Even in the Old Covenant, which more directly associates material prosperity, power and blessing with obedience, it’s not so simple as to immediately result from a shallow turning. Rehoboam was chastened, but never seems to have repented. Abijam rallied but overall was said to have walked in Rehoboam’s sins. David had a perfect heart but experienced all kinds of wars and troubles. The practical walk of a faithful believer in a morally tangled world is difficult in any era. It’s why the Psalmist continues to reaffirm his commitment to the laws, the statutes, the commandments of the Lord. It’s why Christ continues to tie any new revelation to the existing revelation of God, making His hearers responsible for careful reasoning on the Scriptures they had. We need both the Word and the Spirit in our day to be interpreters of both God’s revelation and the significance of our own times and their points of alienation from Him. 1 Kings 15-16 : Almost immediately the contrast between th...

July 1 : God’s lovingkindness to humanity is expressed in so many was that we’re prone to miss. Are His words always, “peace, goodwill to men?” Not at all, and that wouldn’t be lovingkindness in the idolatrous kingdom of Israel. If America ever splits due to a civil war, it would hardly be loving of God’s people to entirely separate and cut off communication from a newly established, totalitarian, progressive state. Likewise, after centuries of a theocracy, God’s prophet’s mission to Jeroboam was not just one of wrath but mercy in warning them that their course was contrary to Him. Likewise, Jesus represents God’s peace and good will to men in bodily form, but He was there to correct their misunderstandings about the nature of their relationship with God. In a similar way, that’s the mission of the church: we must correct the misunderstanding that God is tolerant of sin, and compel them to avail themselves of the escape He has provided through Jesus. 1 Kings 13-14 : I have so many qu...

June 30 : Even the simple can be made wise by opening God’s Word to them. (Ps 19:7; 119:130 ) Unfortunately, Solomon seems to have neglected this in the case of Rehoboam. The Pharisees thought of themselves of people who knew the Law, and yet, they were even worse off, in that they obscured it to themselves through their tradition. Am I doing anything like this? In what ways do my ignorance and tradition obscure my understanding and keep me and my son from wisdom? 1 Kings 11-12 : What was Solomon’s reaction to God’s third speech to him in 1 Kings 11:11-13? Does his banishment of Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:40) indicate that he connected the two? What instructions did he give to Rehoboam, the man who was the answer to his worry in Ecclesiastes 2:19? There doesn’t seem to be any record of this.  (Or are we to assume all of the “my son” instructions in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes  apply  to Rehoboam?)  With 700 wives, how many sons did he have? Did he appoint Rehoboam? Or was R...

June 29 : Again in these three readings I see the paradox between the will to awaken and the need to be awakened by God. Solomon had so much leverage at his disposal, every advantage of having seen the outcome of David’s faithfulness; yet his life became a downward slide despite his wisdom. It’s not just the power to see what is right or the power to do what is right that is needed, but the will, which is also part of God’s work within us. (Philippians 2:13) 1 Kings 9-10 : These two chapters continue the magnificence of Solomon’s kingdom. His annual income was the equivalent of 1.4 billion in today’s dollars. Israel enjoyed peace and wealth. Like people who follow England’s royal family, they were probably pleased that Solomon’s throne was so unique and spoke of such wealth and power. The grandeur of the Temple spoke of the high regard for God, and Solomon’s prayer was being answered in that people from other nations sought the Lord because of the fame of Solomon and his kingdom. God e...

  June 28 : What if David and his descendants had fully seized upon the Davidic Covenant and made Zion the shining city on a hill that it was supposed to be? Could it have been possible that, as Solomon had longed to happen, ALL the people of the earth could've been drawn to know the God of Israel? How would Messiah have come to holy "one-world Israel?" With full knowledge of Who He was, would they have willingly sacrificed Him, knowing it was the only way everyone could be saved? It seems like the dispensations and covenants are all designed to teach us about our fallenness, but is there not an ideal for each? At any rate, we're so well-provisioned for bridging from felt needs to real needs with the narratives, the songs, the parables, and clear teachings of God's Word. 1 Kings 8 : Eleven times, "toward" appears in this passage. Solomon stretches his hands toward heaven, asks God to take notice of him and the Temple, to listen to his prayer toward thi...

June 27 : In Matthew 18:7 Jesus says, "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" It then goes on to speak of things that cause offenses as if they are our own hand, foot or eye. I see a potential double application in the way it's done: the offenses most often come from our own walk, our own hands or our own temptations, and we'd do better to excise them than indulge them. The church is also a body with many members; and offenses come through those members, even to little ones. It'd be better if we were thrown in the ocean that for us to do so. Far better for Solomon, for instance, to live more modestly. Far better for us to take no offense than to endure greater affliction due to our own susceptibility. 1 Kings 6-7: In the transition from 1 Kings 6 to 1 Kings 7, is there an implication in the statement that Solomon's own house took him 13 years to build? With all the op...

June 26 : The quality of faith is a tremendously winsome one in another person. It causes us to have an attitude of abundance, which allows others to trust us and see us as established by God. When we're territorial or adversarial, selfishly-ambitious, we're suspect. Self-release and trust in the Lord at the risk of status and reputation has the opposite effect. 1 Kings 4-5 : Does 1 Kings 5 hint at the difference Solomon's wisdom has made in his kingdom's foreign policy? Solomon says God has given him "rest on every side" in contrast to the wars which were about David on every side (vv. 3-4). Yes, it is God's gift, but was it God's gift through Solomon's statesmanship? His magnanimity to Hiram seems to imply shrewdness in dealing with other nations. Does not some of the competition and mistrust among nations have to do with concern that an unstable and/or untrustworthy government is in place? One way God established Solomon was to cause surroundi...

  June 25: Even at the height of Israel’s glory, there was so much carnality. The Pharisees wanted to be seen as a contrast to carnality. They believed the right things and purported to do the right things: yet their bankruptcy was sealed when they rejected Jesus, the embodiment of what their Scriptures declared. How are believers in today’s more morally compromised age to be better prepared to see what God is doing? Only through maintaining an ongoing connection to the Mind of Christ, who loves us and wants to show us what He is doing. The Psalms are worship, so they reveal Him in ideal form. Dwelling on His perfections is one way of avoiding any thought of our own. 1 Corinthians 14:20 tells us, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” Although children have their own form of malice, it takes sophisticated pharisaism to rationalize such direct opposition to the Christ of Scripture while utilizing the Scriptures to...

 June 24 : How we need the work of the Spirit in our lives! Like our surface understanding of the Old Testament narratives, without God arresting us, giving us insight and empowering us, we can oversimplify events in our own life, at once setting ourselves up for disappointment with a too-optimistic expectation of “victory unto victory” or a too-hopeless picture of unrecoverable failure. Our limited knowledge of the Northern Kingdom makes it difficult to picture faithfulness among them: Idolatrous calf-worship at the extremities of the land, all wicked kings, rebellion and captivity. Yet it was the Northern Kingdom about which God said, “I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:18) Hopeless as any situation may sound, God can make a way. 1 Kings 1 : David is in sharp decline as 1 Kings begins, and we see something of the intrigue going on in his kingdom as a result. Was Adonijah tr...

  June 23 : It’s ironic that the Old Testament accounts of God look so vengeful to people today and their own ways so enlightened and merciful. The truth is that we’re living in a time of greatly reduced sympathy for others. The rule of man apart from God’s input ends up endorsing selfishness and hedonism. These pursuits don’t end in happiness for the pursuer and inevitably result in a wake of wounded people following a person, as they take advantage of one another. 2 Samuel 24 : Does 1 Chronicles 27:23 give more insight into exactly what sin David committed in numbering the people? Was he “checking up on God” to see how well He was keeping what David saw as His end of the bargain? Joab seems to understand that his heart isn’t in the right place, (2 Samuel 24:3). Yet even in this incidence of impulsiveness, David changes course and acts wisely again in confessing and repenting and throwing himself on God’s mercy. Psalm 119:17-32 : How does God’s Word “transform” us “by the renewi...

 June 22 : We’d all like to be admired, and thought to be a better person than we are. But what is most important? That God gave us promises we can claim; we can only claim them if we hear His voice and look deep down inside ourselves and admit, yes, I’ve been a sheep that has gone astray; that describes me. And then, in faith, seek His certain promises for that. This becomes a sure and certain hope, an anchor for the soul, (Hebrews 6:19), a foundation for one’s life, (Matthew 7:24), that God loved the world so much, including me, that He sent His only begotten Son to be lifted up like the serpent in the wilderness, so that whoever believes on Him will not perish but have everlasting life.  2 Samuel 23 : Who wrote these last words of David? Was it Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud? (2 Samuel 20:24) There’s a great deal of awe aroused at the recounting of the exploits of the heroes who walked with David; but what is in the first person? What did David want to be remembered for? Th...

June 21: Although the sin which so easily besets me and weighs me down grieves me, I am assured by such unconditional promises as John 3:15-18. At the same time, I’m greatly troubled about those who are so unable to forgive themselves that they end up constructing anti-biblical frameworks to blame God for their sin, or worse, redefine their sin to claim it is acceptable to God despite his explicit condemnation of it. In simple form, we have the rebellion of Cain after being discovered: am I my brother’s keeper? My depravity is more than I can bear. What had been God’s counsel? “If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” Through these besetting sins, satan means to master us; we must learn to subdue them instead. 2 Samuel 22 : This chapter parallels Psalm 18. Verses 21-25 (Psalm 18:20-24) are jarring, given what we’ve just gone through with David and his family. He claims his righteousness and cleanness were the reaso...

June 20 : "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) We learn as much, maybe more, from the mistakes and missteps of others in Scripture as from their heroic successes. The Bible thankfully shows its characters warts and all, which makes the Lamb of God, without spot or blemish, shine that much more brightly. 2 Samuel 21 : In this passage, David has to deal with the fallout from Saul having attacked the Gibeonites, (an Amorite tribe) , breaking the treaty Joshua and the Israelite elders made with them in Joshua 9. In that passage, the text's editorial comment is that they sought not the Lord's counsel. (Joshua 9:14) What if they had? There wouldn't have been this famine in David's time, there wouldn't have been a gentile tribe living in  Israel. Going back further, the events at the conclusion of the book of Judges might have have shaken out ...

June 19 : Like Adam’s rebellion against God, Absalom’s rebellion couldn’t be put down by just the death of the rebel. Sin cost everyone; yet God’s enduring mercy kept manifesting itself to David, as He had promised, until ultimately his greater Son completely satisfied the debt we all owed because we could not do so. 2 Samuel 20 : Absalom’s death seems to have defused a a chaotic situation before it could really cause too much destruction. How can you continue a rebellion when the rebellious heir has been extinguished? Sheba shows us how: find a way to express the core thought of every dissatisfied person in Israel. It ends with Amasa slain by Joab’s treachery and a city in Israel barely escaping destruction through the giving up of Sheba as he takes sanctuary there. Psalm 118:1-16 : What does it really mean to say the LORD’s mercy endures forever? This Psalm begins by urging the reader/worshiper to give the LORD thanks for His goodness and everlasting mercy. Then it begins with the ...

June 18 : One comedian we recently saw joked that God allows us to feel what He feels when we raise a child in our own image who grows up and rebels against us. It’s cute but true in a way that God allows us to feel something of the pain of broken relationships with the children we produce. We long for reconciliation but we can’t violate our own principles and know that there are boundaries we must maintain, though we would die for a restored relationship with our children. 2 Samuel 18-19 : David’s lament over his lost son hits the reader in a visceral way: why? You’re all wrapped up in the scandal of the rebellion. You’re feeling concern that David will be destroyed and the kingdom will be divided. Then all of a sudden there’s deliverance, but you realize the cost: the deep pain David felt over his son’s death. He was so careless about the death of Uriah the Hittite, though he had been among David’s elite guard, the mighty men: “Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devou...

 June 17 : As Ecclesiastes 7:29 says, “God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” (The word is used for weapons of war.) We find, if we are unwilling to humble ourselves and seek God’s face, that all we’ve done is aim our catapults at ourselves. Why did Adam and Eve cover and hide? Why did Cain flee from God’s presence? Why did Ahithophel choose the death of one accursed of God, the death of Haman and Judas? (Deut. 21:23) Why did Jonah oppose God but then turn and repent? The promise of God is clear: the worst of sinners can humble themselves, seek God’s face, turn from our wicked ways and call on His name, be healed and find rest. 2 Samuel 17 : Why does Ahithophel so quickly lose hope? He was wise, but not faithful. He was bitter and unforgiving over David’s great fall, because it was a personal offense and a great shame, for he was the father of Eliam, the father of Bathsheba, (2 Samuel 23:34, 11:3). He was wise enough to see the hand of the LORD in the...

 June 16 : We walk in such a hostile and deceptive world; and we need good counsel. Everyone has a bold critic like Shimei in their lives, and a subtle flatterer like Ziba. There are always opportunities to be drawn aside into a false way. It’s why we need to be in the Word daily, seeking counsel of the Lord, and the wisdom to apply it to life. 2 Samuel 16 : In chapter, we see David passively accepting the cursing of Shimei, taking it that it is God’s judgment on him. Is he right in this assumption? How about the assistance of Ziba? Is it genuine? When we come to know a little more about the story of Mephibosheth, it seems Ziba is currying favor with David. In 2 Samuel 9:2-12, it appears Ziba had taken over everything that belonged to Saul, and David restored it to Mephibosheth and made him a servant again. We find in 2 Samuel 19:24-30 that it was a slanderous report, and Mephibosheth was very grieved that David had gone into exile. If Hushai the Archite had remained with David, wo...

June 15 : What keeps us from hearing God? Self. Sometimes it’s apathy, passivity, laziness, as it seems was the case with David until God’s judgment came upon him. Sometimes it’s stubbornness, rebellion and bitterness over our circumstances, as it was with the Hebrews of the Exodus in the wilderness. Sometimes, as Isaiah says in 6:9-10, it’s a chastisement of God, that we have a fat heart, heavy ears and closed eyes; but it's a "giving over to" type of judgment—letting us alone that we may do what we already want to do. (See Matthew 13:14–15; Acts 28:26–27; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; Romans 11:8) May God send a desperation to hear Him to our hearts. 2 Samuel 15 : At the time of Absalom’s conspiracy, David’s passivity vanishes. He knows God’s chastisement has come on him, and it’s time to move without questioning. (2 Samuel 15:14) Where does he get the faith to pray that Ahithophel’s counsel to Absalom be turned to foolishness? (2 Samuel 15:31) It must be God’s determination to...

June 14 : When Jesus restricted His personal ministry to only Israel, He was fulfilling the promises made to the Patriarchs and laid down in prophetic Scripture. But His interest in the “other sheep…not of this fold” showed how deep His love went: to the most defiled, in the dust and dunghill. In His self-humbling, His love and wonderful grace is shown. 2 Samuel 14 : The drama and intrigue of David’s court is of a very sophisticated sort. We have David’s General putting a wise woman up to act out a parable to David? Was it a manipulation, or was it according to God’s perfect will? Amnon deserved to be put to death, according to Deuteronomy 22:25-27, but it should’ve been according to the law, with an official trial. Should Absalom have done it? No, but David wasn’t doing it. Still, taking matters into his own hands made him liable to civil judgment, and David was obviously unsure of what to do when Absalom fled to Geshur in Syria. So Joab conceived a way for him to be reunited with the...

 June 13 : How much pain and offense could be saved if we consistently lived by the principle of self-restriction in light of every man’s susceptibility to temptation and sin? We’re so frequently shamed into indulgence by the claim that we’re strict, suspicious or legalistic. What if we were better at confessing our faults and making no provision for the flesh? 2 Samuel 13 : The drama that continues to play out according to God’s prophetic word through Nathan has to do mostly with Absalom and David. But what about poor Tamar? What happened to her after these events? She “remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house. Was it perpetual? Psalm 112 : This Psalm is making me think of the Romans 7 passage: "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not… I delight in the law of God after the inward man…” (7:18,22) I can recognize the greatness of God’s commandments - how even in the tr...

 June 12 : Diligence is an important part of our essential nature. It was corrupted by the fall, but it reflects God's own nature (John 5:17) to want to know new things, to assume logical, orderly construction and components to things, and to try to increase order and usefulness. We make ourselves more useful to God when we know our own limits, are able to have a good grasp of the resources available to us , and can subdue and resource them to do helpful, useful things. If it is judging in the bad sense to observe the "field of the slothful" (Proverbs 24) and to "take instruction" then much of the Bible's wisdom literature is vain. It's possible to raise fruitless questions and provoke controversy to gain advantage by manipulation, and it's also possible to be apathetic and passive and fall prey to temptation as a result. Instead, a key part of trusting that God exists and rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6) is to live as if diligence,...

June 11 : As we approach the day Christ returns, if we could only be revived and act according to the power of God, with conviction and evangelistic fervor and righteous living, how many could be saved? So many of the enemies of God use our carnality as “great occasion… to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14) and disbelieve. It’s clear that our failures have consequences and we have much to answer for at the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Samuel 10-11 : Joab’s instruction to the messenger was to tell him about Uriah only if “the king’s wrath arise” but the messenger got to that part of the message rapidly without any mention of David’s anger. Did the messenger know what was going on? Maybe not why it was important that Uriah was dead, but that some kind of conspiracy to ensure his death had taken place. As good a man as David had been, there’s no way to whitewash this chapter: it’s deep selfishness, corruption and treachery against an honorable man. That it is recorded in the Bible tells us somethi...