They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods (2 Kings 17:33)
Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge and Proverbs 9:10 that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. So it is good that the people feared the LORD, right?
My "fear" (excuse the pun) is that people misunderstand what the "fear of the LORD" really is. In 2 Kings 17, the people were fearing the LORD because He sent lions into the land and some people were being killed. They feared for their lives and wanted to find a way to appease the LORD so He would no longer be angry. This was a common practice for the pagan nations. Figure out what the gods want, give it to them, then they'll return the favor with rain, good crops, protection and pleasure.
But this is not how things work with the God of the universe. He is not impressed with our sacrifices or rituals. He just wants us to believe Him, have faith in Him and obey His commands (Hebrews 11:6).
The fear of the LORD that is mentioned in Proverbs is a healthy reverence for who God is and His holiness. When He gives is a mere glimpse of His holiness and our sinfulness, it should bring us to fear and trembling (Isaiah 6:1-5). That healthy fear should drive us to want to be closer to God and to desire holiness and to be cleansed. We will long to repent and obey the commandments of God (Romans 2:4).
Ultimately, the Assyrians failed to understand what God told the children of Israel years earlier, "To obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22).
Lord, help us to not try and do ritualistic things to please You. May all our works be for Your glory and not because we fear You'll be angry with us otherwise.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
2 Kings 17:1 - 17:41 - Outline
Chapter 17
Reign of Hoshea (1-2)
King of Assyria Takes Israel (3-6)
Reason God Allowed Israel To Fall (7-23)
Assyrians Repopulate Israel (24-26)
King of Assyria Sends a Priest Back (27-31)
Fear Of The Lord Without Service (32-41)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
2 Kings 15:8 - 16:20 - Thoughts
Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!" (Isaiah 7:12)
It may seem odd that I'd quote Isaiah while speaking on 2nd Kings, but this passage was written during this same time in history. We get a glimpse of what was going on with Ahaz and his heart. You see, God offered to deliver Judah from the northern kingdom and Syria, but Ahaz had another deliverer, the Assyrians. Ahaz had made a treaty with Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria rather than turning to the true and living God.
God still delivers Judah, but Ahaz misses out on a huge blessing and Assyria begins to gain strength and will eventually cause all sorts of problems for Judah and take Israel captive.
God loves to deliver us from our troubles if we throw up our hands and turn our lives over to Him. As long as we continue to try and make treaties with the world, God will let us try and sort things out for ourselves. Unfortunately, all we are really doing is selling ourselves to the world and eventually becoming their captive.
Lord, please deliver me from my pride, selfishness and independence. Help me to be dependent more and more on You as I realize that without you I can do nothing. (John 15:5)
It may seem odd that I'd quote Isaiah while speaking on 2nd Kings, but this passage was written during this same time in history. We get a glimpse of what was going on with Ahaz and his heart. You see, God offered to deliver Judah from the northern kingdom and Syria, but Ahaz had another deliverer, the Assyrians. Ahaz had made a treaty with Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria rather than turning to the true and living God.
God still delivers Judah, but Ahaz misses out on a huge blessing and Assyria begins to gain strength and will eventually cause all sorts of problems for Judah and take Israel captive.
God loves to deliver us from our troubles if we throw up our hands and turn our lives over to Him. As long as we continue to try and make treaties with the world, God will let us try and sort things out for ourselves. Unfortunately, all we are really doing is selling ourselves to the world and eventually becoming their captive.
Lord, please deliver me from my pride, selfishness and independence. Help me to be dependent more and more on You as I realize that without you I can do nothing. (John 15:5)
2 Kings 15:8 - 16:20 - Outline
Chapter 15
Power Struggle in Israel (8-31)
Reign of Zechariah (8-12)
Reign of Shallum (13-15)
Reign of Menahem (16-12)
Reign of Pekahiah (23-26)
Reign of Pekah (27-31)
Reign of Jotham (32-38)
Chapter 16
Reign of Ahaz (1-4)
Syria and Israel Come Against Judah (5-6)
Ahaz Seeks Help From Assyria (7-9)
Ahaz Commands Urijah To Build Assyrian Altar (10-11)
Ahaz Makes Offerings On Pagan Altar (12-16)
Ahaz Dismantals Temple Articles (17-20)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Romans 1 - Thoughts
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16)
This is an obvious key verse in this chapter. It drove Paul to sacrifice all his time for the purpose of spreading the gospel. Paul wanted to get to Rome because it was the economic and political epicenter of the world. From there, the gospel could be spread everywhere because of the huge influx and outflow of people throughout the world. Yet God did not allow Paul to go to Rome right away. God allowed Paul to write this letter to them first and thus allow us to have access to such a wonderful book.
The purpose of the book of Romans is clear from verse 16. Paul wants us to really understand the gospel, or good news of Jesus Christ. This good news is powerful and available to all people. This good news is that Jesus paid the price completely and do nothing but believe in Him and the work He did for us.
I wonder if my heart is sometimes ashamed of the gospel. I tell myself, "People don't want to hear this." Perhaps they don't, but this is no excuse not to share. This is truth and people love the darkness more than the light, so I shouldn't be shocked at rejection. Yet sometimes, people respond as the Holy Spirit leads. Their eyes are opened and their souls are saved. Oh what a glorious day.
This is an obvious key verse in this chapter. It drove Paul to sacrifice all his time for the purpose of spreading the gospel. Paul wanted to get to Rome because it was the economic and political epicenter of the world. From there, the gospel could be spread everywhere because of the huge influx and outflow of people throughout the world. Yet God did not allow Paul to go to Rome right away. God allowed Paul to write this letter to them first and thus allow us to have access to such a wonderful book.
The purpose of the book of Romans is clear from verse 16. Paul wants us to really understand the gospel, or good news of Jesus Christ. This good news is powerful and available to all people. This good news is that Jesus paid the price completely and do nothing but believe in Him and the work He did for us.
I wonder if my heart is sometimes ashamed of the gospel. I tell myself, "People don't want to hear this." Perhaps they don't, but this is no excuse not to share. This is truth and people love the darkness more than the light, so I shouldn't be shocked at rejection. Yet sometimes, people respond as the Holy Spirit leads. Their eyes are opened and their souls are saved. Oh what a glorious day.
Romans 1 - Outline
Chapter 1
Greetings (1-7)
Paul's Desire To Go To Rome (8-15)
Not Ashamed of the Gospel (16-17)
All Know There Is A God, No Excuse (18-23)
God Allows Self Worship (24-32)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
2 Kings 13:14 - 15:7 - Thoughts
Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground"; so he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times." (2 Kings 13:18-19)
The text indicates that Elisha was telling Joash to shoot all the arrows into the ground. After three arrows, Joash stopped and did not completely obey the command from God. Gods blessing and deliverance was tied to Joash's obedience.
God wants to work in our lives, but we need to be prepared to obey His commands even if they don't make any sense to us. Often it is the simple things God tells us to do. If we are obedient in these, God will then work mighty things in and through our lives.
How easy is it for me to focus on what I do for God, my works. God tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22) and that our obedience is a sign of our love for Jesus. (John 14:21 - "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me."
God wants us to live pure and holy lives. We can't do it without His help, but with His help we can do it. May we worship our God through simple obedience.
The text indicates that Elisha was telling Joash to shoot all the arrows into the ground. After three arrows, Joash stopped and did not completely obey the command from God. Gods blessing and deliverance was tied to Joash's obedience.
God wants to work in our lives, but we need to be prepared to obey His commands even if they don't make any sense to us. Often it is the simple things God tells us to do. If we are obedient in these, God will then work mighty things in and through our lives.
How easy is it for me to focus on what I do for God, my works. God tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22) and that our obedience is a sign of our love for Jesus. (John 14:21 - "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me."
God wants us to live pure and holy lives. We can't do it without His help, but with His help we can do it. May we worship our God through simple obedience.
2 Kings 13:14 - 15:7 - Outline
Chapter 13
Elisha Gives Prophecy of Victory Over Syria(14-20)
Last Miracle of Elisha (21)
Victory Over Syria (22-25)
Chapter 14
Reign of Amaziah (1-4)
Amaziah Shows Justice and Kindness (5-6)
Amaziah Defeats Edom (7)
Amaziah Makes War With Israel (8-)
Johoash Defeats Judah (13-)
Death of Jehoash (15-16)
Death of Amaziah (17-20)
Reign of Azariah (21-22)
Reign of Jeroboam (23-24)
God Delivers Israel (25-27)
Death of Jeroboam (28-)
Chapter 15
King Azariah/Uzziah (1-7)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Galatians 5 & 6 - Thoughts
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
This verse is so important for the Christian desiring to walk in the ways of God. Usually we get this backwards. We want to say, "If I can simply not fulfill the lust of the flash, then I'll be able to walk in the Spirit." This just doesn't work. We are incapable of saying no to our flesh. We were born with a sin nature and sinning comes natural. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit are we able to love others more than ourselves.
Paul continues in chapter 5 to give a list of fleshly and spiritual characteristics in our lives. The ultimate fruit of the God's Spirit living in us is our ability to love others. This is an unselfish love which crosses ethnic and cultural boundaries and will be a sign to all that we are different.
I must continue to ask myself, "Am I walking in the Spirit? Am I loving others more than myself?" If not, I need to ask God for help and a refreshing of His Spirit within me. Only then will I be able to not fulfill the lust of my flesh.
This verse is so important for the Christian desiring to walk in the ways of God. Usually we get this backwards. We want to say, "If I can simply not fulfill the lust of the flash, then I'll be able to walk in the Spirit." This just doesn't work. We are incapable of saying no to our flesh. We were born with a sin nature and sinning comes natural. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit are we able to love others more than ourselves.
Paul continues in chapter 5 to give a list of fleshly and spiritual characteristics in our lives. The ultimate fruit of the God's Spirit living in us is our ability to love others. This is an unselfish love which crosses ethnic and cultural boundaries and will be a sign to all that we are different.
I must continue to ask myself, "Am I walking in the Spirit? Am I loving others more than myself?" If not, I need to ask God for help and a refreshing of His Spirit within me. Only then will I be able to not fulfill the lust of my flesh.
Galatians 5 & 6 - Outline
Chapter 5
Liberty in Christ (1)
No Profit in The Law (2-5)
Legalism Hinders and Permeates (7-9)
Paul Speaks Against Legalistic Teachers (10-12)
Balance of Liberty and the Law (13-15)
Battle Between Flesh And The Spirit (16-)
Works Of The Flesh (19-21)
Fruit Of The Spirit (22-23)
Death To The Flesh (24-25)
Chapter 6
Restoration In Love (1-2)
Service To God (3-5)
Principles of Sewing and Reaping (6-10)
Boast Only In Christ (11-17)
Salutations (18)
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