July 9, 2017
David wrote this psalm while hiding from Saul’s pursuit. During this time he was being falsely accused by a certain man from Saul’s tribe named, Cush, whom David feared would “tear him like a lion.” In this psalm, David invited the Lord to be both his judge and deliverer. He called on the Lord to defend him. David’s dire condition caused him to pray not only for his situation, but that all wickedness in the world would come to an end.
Have you ever looked around at the world we live in, and prayed that the Lord would bring the “wickedness of the wicked” to an end? Have you ever prayed that the Lord would “establish the just?” Of course, we tend to put others in the first category and ourselves in the “just” one. That’s why God is the only one capable of such a judgment, for He alone can “test the hearts and minds.”
One day, David’s prayer will be answered. The wicked will be judged and their time brought to an end. And the Lord Jesus Christ will establish the just, those who have been made so by believing in His Name. Until then, we can pray as David did, depending on the Lord to be our Savior and Defender.
July 8, 2017
David wrote of a time when he was so distressed in his soul that his nights were filled with groaning and his bed drenched with tears. Whether the occasion was because of his enemies without or of his own sense of guilt within, he described the torment he felt as he cried out for the Lord’s help, yet for a time, heard no response.
Some have described such a time as the “dark night of the soul.” Anyone who has been a believer for any length of time has probably experienced such a “night.” Which is really an indefinite period that can last for days or weeks, or longer, as one’s soul cries out for the Lord’s response. Such a state is intensified, in that night, which was meant for rest, has instead become a time of weariness and groaning. And the bed, which is meant for comfort and relaxation, becomes a place of torture and tears.
David experienced such a time. And certainly, so did Christ, as He cried out to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane. Yet, the Father is not far away. He never leaves, nor forsakes us. David’s sixth psalm closes with confidence that the Lord has heard him in his distress. And we too, can have that confidence. For ultimately, the dark night ends, and a new day dawns, and the Lord answers us in our distress.
July 7, 2017
In the listing of names in the lineage of Judah, the author of 1 Chronicles paused to comment on a man named Jabez.
What can we know about Jabez from these two verses?
1) He was “more honorable” than his brothers.
2) His mother named him, “Jabez,” meaning “to cause pain, grief or sorrow,” because he caused her such pain in childbirth.
3) He was a praying man.
4) He prayed to the “God of Israel,” not a false god.
5) His prayer revealed that he wanted to overcome the name and situation he had been given at birth.
What did Jabez pray?
1) That God would bless him “indeed” (Double use of “barak,” – “blessing” in Hebrew. Literally, that God would “bless bless” me.) Jabez wanted a double blessing!
2) That God would enlarge his “territory” (“coastlines, boundaries”). He wanted God to grow his influence.
3) That the “hand” of God would be with him. He prayed for God’s continual presence on his life.
4) That God would keep him from evil. This request was similar to Christ’s “deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13) request in His teaching prayer.
5) That God would keep him from causing pain. Or that God would keep him from pain (As most translators see it).
And God “granted” his request. Regardless of our situation at birth, or at present, the Lord is ready to hear our prayers. Jabez did not complain, nor blame. He asked God to bless and be with him. And God is always ready to do just that!
July 6, 2017
Some of the same group of Jewish leaders who had accused Jesus before Pontius Pilate, now traveled to Caesarea to bring accusation against the apostle Paul before the Roman governor, Felix. This time, they hired a Roman orator and attorney named Tertullus to represent their case. He began his accusation by complimenting “noble” Felix and the Romans for the Pax Romana that they had brought to Judea. And in contrast, he named Paul, with ad hominem disdain, a “plague,” a pestilence, among the Jews throughout the Roman world. Yet, his climatic charge was that Paul was a “ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,” using the same name that they had given Jesus, namely, Jesus of Nazareth.
The Greek word translated “sect” is the origin of our word for “heresy.” So, the Jews called the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, a heretical sect called “Nazarenes.” Muslims picked up this name and have called Christians by this same name since their invasion of Christian lands in the 7th century. Recently, the Christians in Mosul, Iraq, were labeled with the Arabic letter “nun” (“N” in our alphabet) by members of ISIS to show that they were “Nazarenes,” a name meant to shame them, but instead worn as a mark of faith by those so labeled.
The apostle Paul was essentially marked with the letter “N” for Nazarene. Yet he too, wore it not with shame, but with humble faith in the One who was first called the Nazarene.
July 5, 2017
Ezra, the writer of 1 and 2 Chronicles, began with a lengthy genealogy that began with the first man, Adam. The genealogy continues through chapter nine. Its purpose seems to be to retain a record of all the family lines of Israel, especially that of King David, this need being made more profound by the fall of Israel and Judah and their 70 year captivity in Babylon.
Ezra’s Chronicles began without commentary, just the listing of names. Yet, we are reminded that all people, regardless of race, belong to the human race. And that all of us are descended from Adam, and more specifically from Noah. The careful record-keeping of the ancient Jews made possible the genealogies of Matthew and Luke that show Jesus to be in the physical line of David as prophesied.
We are all children of Adam. And we have all been born with Adam’s sin nature. Yet, Jesus Christ, the second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45-49), makes it possible for us to be born again into God’s family, having our sins forgiven and washed away.
July 4, 2017
After a long and depressing description of Judah’s decline and ultimate fall, the author of 2 Kings offered a glimmer of hope. After thirty-seven years in prison, the deposed king of Judah, Jehoiachin, was released and given a royal pension to live on the rest of his days by Evil-Merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar. Thus, by God’s grace the seed of David was preserved.
July 3, 2017
King Josiah was the last of the good kings in Judah. It was written of him that there was no king like him, neither before or after, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul and might. Yet, the brief description of his death in battle sadly does not include any reference to
July 2, 2017
The apostle Paul reported to James, the half-brother of Jesus (Gal. 1:19), and the Christian elders in Jerusalem concerning his missionary work among the Gentiles. They gave glory to the Lord when they heard his report. Yet, they also encouraged him to take steps to reconcile himself to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem by showing that he “walked orderly and kept the law” (Acts 21:25).
Paul submitted to the advice of James and the elders. Unfortunately, it was in the following of their advice that he was falsely accused by the mob and nearly beaten to death before being arrested by the commander of the Roman garrison.
Some would say that it was the following of the advice of James and the elders that led to Paul’s arrest. But Paul knew better. He knew that it was the Lord who guided his steps and determined his path. He knew that the Lord had sent him on an all-expense-paid trip to Rome to preach the gospel before Caesar.
July 1, 2017
Luke the physician and the traveling companion of Paul, gave detail of their arrival in Caesarea and their lodging at the house of Philip, one of the seven original deacons. This was Caesarea Maritima (not to be confused with Caesarea Philippi), which was built by Herod the Great and named after his patron, Caesar Augustus. Paul had come and gone out to sea many times from this amazing man-made harbor, but this would be the last time that he did so as a free man. The next time he would appear in Caesarea it would be in chains, just as the prophet Agabus had warned.
At Caesarea, he would appeal to Caesar as he stood before the Roman governor, Festus, and Herod Agrippa. At Caesarea, he would make his defense, so that Agrippa replied, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). At Caesarea, Paul would depart for Rome, never to see Jerusalem again. Yet, he was willing to give his life to carry the gospel to the center of the Roman world.
June 30, 2017
The destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was now complete. They had rejected David’s son as king, followed Jeroboam into idolatry, ignored the warnings of the prophets, so that the Lord allowed Assyria to conquer them and carry them away. Their demise is the basis for the search for the “Ten Lost Tribes.” However, such a search seems fruitless, as the Bible describes them as having intermarried with the Assyrians, so that their genealogy was lost. Yet, the tribe of Judah remained. Although along with it, much of the tribe of Benjamin, and the tribes of Simeon and Levi also remained, yet were incorporated into Judah, so that all were known as “Jews” from that point until now.
Later, Judah was also carried away by the Babylonians, but unlike the tribes of Israel, Judah did not intermarry and remained faithful to the Lord in exile. So, when they returned to Jerusalem after 70 years they were able to reinstitute Temple worship and retain their Jewish identity.
The destruction and disappearance of the Northern tribes came as a result of their rejection of the Lord as their God. Yet, the Lord patiently sent them His prophets to warn them and gave them time to repent. But they did not. Even so, the Lord has sent Jesus Christ to all nations, so that even the so-called “lost tribes” might be “found” in Him.