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

Ezra-Nehemiah 11 : In the Jewish Canon, Ezra and Nehemiah are one book, and, although the division in ours makes sense, it’s clear that they cover the same basic period. They form one answer to the question at the end of 2 Chronicles’ hanging question, “Therefore, who among the LORD's people trusts in his God? Whoever among this group wishes to do so may travel to Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 36:23, ISV) Yet despite their trust, the people are greatly weakened until the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah (and Haggai and Zechariah, Ezra 5:1) encourage them. Ezra’s trust is clearly represented in 8:22, where he is ashamed to request a protective guard for the fortune in treasures he carries, instead trusting in the hand of God for protection. Ezra’s prayer in Ezra 9, Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:5-11, and the people’s covenant prayer in 9:5-37 are the outcome. Faith precedes confession, because we don’t fully understand how badly we fall short until it’s revealed to us. Even then, we ne...

Is it fair to say that there’s a parallel between the distinct ways God appealed to the apostate Northern Kingdom of Israel vs. the merely unstable Southern Kingdom of Judah and the ways Jesus appealed to the people who sought Him vs. the people who opposed Him? 1 Kings 21-2 Kings 19: This is a period of rapid decline in the northern kingdom of Israel. As if Jeroboam’s launch of the nation in pragmatic, syncretistic calf-worship wasn’t bad enough, Ahab has brought new lows to the kingdom with his persistent Ba’al worship. His wife Jezebel is worse still, for the exploitation of religion in to murder an innocent man in order to confiscate property he desired didn’t even occur to him until she suggested it in Chapter 21. God is greatly offended by this hypocrisy, and thus the valley of Jezreel becomes a continual motif throughout the rest of Scripture for judgment of religious hypocrisy. It was where the prophets of Ba’al were slain in 1 Kings 17. It’s where Jehu kills Joram and Ahazi...

  Joshua 7-24 : Although it drove him to the edge of despair, angering the Lord, (Joshua 7:6-15) Joshua’s emotional reaction after the rout at Ai showed his deep faith that God was going to do exactly as He had promised and ensure their victory everywhere they went. If only they’d continued in that kind of confidence and done everything commanded of them as Joshua 11:15 showed they were doing at that time. The first word of failure is in Joshua 15:63 when the Jebusites couldn’t be driven out. (See also Joshua 16:10, 17:12) Like Moses does in Deuteronomy, Joshua gives a farewell address to Israel when he knows his time of death is coming soon. In it, he reminds them who they are, what God has done for them: how He’s been faithful to every one of His promises.  Joshua also notes His Covenant works both ways: He’ll bless and preserve them if they are careful to obey Him, but He has also promised calamity upon them if they do not. (Joshua 23:14-16) Luke 2:22-6:49 : Luke is unafr...

  Deuteronomy 23-34: As Deuteronomy closes, Moses underscores important laws about worship, uncleanness, lending, divorce, care for the poor, and dwelling in cities together. Keeping God’s commandments was to distinguish them from the nations surrounding them, and if they failed to do so, they were under God’s curse, as pronounced from Mt. Ebal, to be contrasted with the blessings from Mt. Gerazim, which they would pronounce over themselves. If only they had feared the curses and consequences of disobedience and craved the blessings and intimacy with God more! Moses calls them to make a choice to serve God, entering into a covenant with that generation, which is really the original Mosaic covenant renewed with the generation to enter the land. He reviews their history with them, and prophesies a future apostasy, giving them another song as a prophetic utterance to them to teach their children, before commissioning Joshua to take his place and climbing Mt. Nebo to die as commande...

 Numbers 36 : Another word about the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad: the concern was that this kind of inheritance would hopelessly confuse the properties of the tribes. So the daughters who inherited were commanded to marry within the tribe. Deuteronomy begins with Moses recounting the history of the wanderings since the Exodus with commentary. It could’ve been 11 days. In chapter 5, he reiterates the 10 Commandments. In light of all this, the charge is, listen up, love God with all your heart, mind and soul. Teach these things to your children at every opportunity. Be separate from the pagans and don’t intermarry or have anything to do with their pagan ways. Obey God and He is able to bless you! (As shown in the health of the Hebrews during the wilderness wandering.) Consider how God has set His love on you not for any loveliness on your own part and do not provoke Him as you have in the past. You’ll depend on Him as  you face the giants of the land. Look what G...

Numbers 19-35 :  Upon review of large sections covered, it’s easier to see that God is not just the Author of Scripture; He’s also the Composer of the orchestral arrangement of it and the Director of History itself. In Scripture, it’s edited and presented to best reveal Him to us, (and us to us). For instance, it’s no coincidence that Moses’ act of dishonor at Meribah in Numbers 20 follows the revelation and remedy for uncleanness (Numbers 19). The people’s hostility toward God is followed by Edom’s hostility toward them, forcing them to go around their territory. Bitterness persists and even affects their victories in chapter 21, leading to the fiery serpent judgment. But God still makes a way of escape: if they believe, they can look to the serpent on the bronze pole and be made whole. Jesus Himself compares this to His crucifixion in John 3:14.  The New Testament has numerous references to the corrupt prophet Balaam. His “ error ” (Jude 11) seems to be thinking God c...

  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...