Just to recap a bit, Israel had suffered under the rule of six evil kings. Ahab, the current ruler, is the seventh King over Israel and he is the worst of the worst. His reign is filled with idolatry, wickedness and evil. So, God raised up the prophet, Elijah to prophesy against Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. He waged a campaign against Ahab, proving Elijah's God mightier than Baal and Asherah. Elijah soon had to run for his life.
1 Kings 17:2-6 (NIV)
Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
How disconcerting it must be, to do God's bidding, to speak up and tell it like it is, only to find oneself in a dangerous predicament. Living in the lap of luxury as we do, it is difficult to imagine a life on the run. It is healthy for us to read and study these times, for often a parallel to today will pop into view and a glimpse of oneself will surface.
It is time for self-examination this New Year's Eve. The words and actions of the prophets were warning the Israelites hundreds of years ago, but these very same words are striking this heart. What is my first love? What are the idols in my life? God called prophets to try to rescue Israel from its moral and spiritual decline. Studying and taking to heart their teachings can free us as well. Is there a valuable New Year's resolution tucked away in the Scripture Words today?
Read 1 Kings 17 here
Listen to 1 Kings 17 here
Showing posts with label The Story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Story. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Story - Chapter 12 - Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Many text books and magazines for writers say to write about what you know. Write about that for which you have a passion and from which you can draw experiences. David was a shepherd and he most likely grew up tending sheep from an early age. David understood the ways of these animals he was charged to watch over. David did what it took to ensure their health and safety, tending to their needs.
When David wrote the Psalms, especially Psalm 23, he painted a picture of the LORD as a shepherd, drawing a parallel to his life experiences as a tender of sheep himself. David understood how completely helpless sheep are without their shepherd to guide, provide, and protect them.
Perhaps David wrote this particular Psalm later in his life, when he could look back and see all the amazing things God had done to and for him. Conceivably David was examining his heart one day, praising and praying to God when he considered the time he spent as a young shepherd out in the fields. He might have recognized the similarity between his duties as a shepherd and God’s love and care. At the very least David saw how totally dependent he was on God and could easily see the parallel.
During our time in chapters 11 and 12 of The Story we witnessed David’s great love for God and have seen evidence of his servant’s heart. This man was not only a warrior and a king, but a writer as well. God gifted this man in a number of ways because of the great plan He had for him. The fact that thousands of years later we are reading his work, learning from his experiences and mistakes is incredible. Oh, but that we could have such an impact on the future.
Read Psalm 23 here
Listen to Psalm 23 here
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Story - Chapter 9 - Ruth 1:16-22
Ruth 1:20 (NIV)
"Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.”
Mothers-in-law are sometimes viewed as demanding, impatient, and ungrateful women who favor their own child over the child’s spouse. At first glance, today’s reading is in line with the reputation. Naomi seems to fit the description of a whiner and complainer.
Ruth 1:16 (NIV)
“But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
Naomi has a loyal daughter-in-law at her side. Ruth’s love for Naomi is obvious to us, giving up a possible future with another man from her own country, to accompany her dead husband’s mother to a strange foreign land. A Moabite woman taking up residence in Israel is not the most pleasant prospect for a bright future. But Ruth adopts Naomi’s country and her God. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
Naomi may have shared her faith with her daughter-in-law for it seems from the Scripture above, that Ruth embraced her new God. That is the thing about idol worship; it can be easily replaced for another. If the one currently before us isn't doing the job, or a new trendier statue appears there is nothing to keep us faithful. But, once we are exposed to the real thing and experience a God who is real, a being we can feel in our hearts—well it is not so easy to reject that God with a clear conscience.
Naomi found herself alone in a foreign country. She had it rough, losing her husband and then her sons, something a mother never considers will happen. But God provided for this woman. He provided Ruth.
It is difficult to tell what was going on in Ruth’s heart and mind. For a Moabite widow to follow her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, in an unfriendly foreign land was incredible. But God provided for this woman too. Keep reading to see the rest of The Story.
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Story - Chapter 8 - Judges 2-3
Back in the day of Joshua, a left-handed individual was viewed as special, with exceptional abilities. God uses a left-handed leader in a strange way, which you will discover as you read these two chapters today. It is amazing how things change over the course of time. A generation ago, a child was discouraged from favoring their left hand. Sometimes even to the point of punishment and chastisement.
The days following Joshua’s death, his people fell back into their old ways and despicable behaviors. They worshiped idols again and rejected the One True God. We are reading how “once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” (Judges 3:7,12) God turned them over to King Eglon to be ruled by him. The Israelites were subject to King Eglon for eighteen years. Are you shaking your head along with me? Is this what is meant by history repeating itself? Do we never learn? It would seem not.
In the next paragraph we read that God sent a left-handed man to deliver them.
Judges 3:15 (NIV)
Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer--Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
I often wonder how things change so much, how a habit revered and respected in one culture is admonished and rejected in another. The point of this story today lifts up the fact God made us as we are and he will use us as we are. Others may see our strengths and gifts in a different light than we do, but He will use us if we are willing.
Read Judges 2-3 here
Listen to Judges 2-3 here
Friday, September 28, 2012
The Story - Chapter 6 - Deuteronomy 1-2,4
Moses has lain out before his people, rules to live by; retelling lessons they have learned these past forty years. His words reiterate: obedience is commanded and idolatry is forbidden.
Deuteronomy 4:39-40 (NIV)
“Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.”
With obedience to God’s law, adherence to His Word, comes peace and joy. Walking in the light brings comfort and safety. The paths we walk could still contain dangerous twists and troubling turns, but walking in the Light gives direction. We aren’t moving forward blindly, we can see our ultimate destination.
God’s promises to the Israelites are also promises for us today. When we walk in the path He has placed before us, believing and behaving in accordance with His commands, we too can know our ultimate destination. Believers have assurances and guarantees that the rest of the world does not have, but we are never promised easy sailing.
Some people still think that if they are Christians they are exempt from heartache and trouble, but we know that is not the case.
We will face trials; Jesus told us that. But we will avoid the misery that directly results from intentional sin.--Life Application Study Bible.
Some days it is good to look at life as a treasure hunt. We keep following the map, turning here and there, always with an eye on the directions the precious parchment paints. Keep firmly on the path which leads to the spot marked with an “X”, where a great treasure awaits us in Heaven.
Monday, August 20, 2012
The Story - Chapter 1 - Genesis 1,2
God's plan is perfect, His timing is perfect and the manner in which our creation came about, is a result of this perfection. And God said, "let there be light." (Genesis 1:3) This continues in an orderly fashion as God provides for us before He brings us into His world. Think about it, everything we needed for survival was provided for us, and still is today.
The take-away for me today is first things first. If I will practice this on a daily basis life will be simpler and run smoother. If I will not get ahead of God and begin each day remembering to put prayer as the first priority and let everything else happen in His perfect timing, it will be a day to remember.
Read Genesis 1,2 here
Listen to Genesis 1,2 here
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