|
Heart Preparation:
As you get into the habit of reading God’s Word daily, it can easily build into just something that you do. It can slip into routine, or obligation even. Take a moment and pray each morning before you read that you would enter into the presence of God, not out of routine or obligation, but out of desire to be in His presence. The Creator of the universe, who holds the universe in the span of His hand, wants to be with you. Week’s Reading Plan:
What to Expect: When we left off last week, David had passed the responsibility of building the Temple to his son, and future king, Solomon. Even though David wasn’t allowed to personally build the Temple, he provided everything that Solomon was going to need to build the Temple. David is now old, and he has passed responsibilities for leading the nation off to Solomon, but David isn’t done leading. Now, instead of being a political leader, he is a religious leader, organizing the Levites, who were called to be the priests and judges for the nation of Israel. He also establishes a system for the Temple worship to continue on, by organizing the priests, musicians, gatekeepers, treasurers, and other officials. David gives his final charge to Israel, as well as to his son Solomon, before passing away. As we enter 2 Chronicles/1 Kings, Solomon’s reign begins on the right foot, as he seeks out God for wisdom from the Lord, and receives wisdom, riches, and power as a response to his humble request. Things to Look For: Multiple times now through the book of Chronicles, we have encountered lists of name. Names that we don’t know, and titles that we are unfamiliar with. But what you can see through these passages is the desire of David to establish a lasting religious system, where the people of Israel are faithful to God. That’s David’s final words to Solomon, to know the God of [his] father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind. Personal Insight: Think of the most powerful person in the world. Maybe you’re thinking of a world leader, like the president of a country. Maybe you think of the most influential person in the world, someone who has great sway over the hearts and minds of people, someone like the pope or a religious leader. It could even be the richest people in the world, those who are able to sway politics by their checkbook. If you were to ask this question during the 10th century BC, David would have been that person. Military conquests, the heart of his people, a covenant with God, fame, power, fortune, he had it all. Yet, what stood out to me a lot during this weeks reading was a passage in 1 Chronicles 29, when David calls for the assembly. He prays to God and makes a statement, Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank You, our God, and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given You (1 Chronicles 29:11-14). Look at the humility of David in this passage. In 2 Samuel 24, David angers the Lord by what appears to be pride in his military might (taking a census of all the men who wield the sword). Yet here, David realizes that it is only because of God, and everything (the victory, the offering, the gifting, the power) comes from God. Those people that you might’ve thought about before, they are nothing compared to the greatness of God. In Revelation 6, we are told that those people, the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling on the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17). Try contacting any of those people that you think of, you will get no response. They don’t have the time of day for you. But, the God who is infinitely greater than they are, knows you by name. He loves you. He cares for you. He has all the time in the world for you, but the question is, do you have time for Him? Are you making time to enter into His presence? Are you setting your mind to know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind… If you seek Him, He will be found by you (1 Chronicles 28:9). Psalm 8:1-9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, You have established strength because of Your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have crowned him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! Psalm 139:17-18 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. Prayer: This is a prayer by A.W. Tozier from his book, The Pursuit of God O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this. This weeks devotion was prepared by Andrew Peterman
0 Comments
Heart Preparation:
As you get into the habit of reading God’s Word daily, it can easily build into just something that you do. It can slip into routine, or obligation even. Take a moment and pray each morning before you read that you would enter into the presence of God, not out of routine or obligation, but out of desire to be in His presence. The Creator of the universe, who holds the universe in the span of His hand, wants to be with you. Week’s Reading Plan:
What to Expect: Last week we ended with the death of Absalom, David’s son who rebelled against him. This week, David continues to mourn the death of his son. This caused the people of Israel to feel that David cared more about his son’s life than all of Israel together. Joab is aware of this, and speaks into David’s life, causing David to return to Jerusalem and lead his people. Later on in David’s reign, he takes a census of his army, against the counsel of Joab, which results in the judgement of God. David is faced with his punishment, in which he chooses to be judged by the hand of God, and 70,000 people die. David purchases a plot of land to build an altar, stopping the plague against the people of Israel. It is on this plot of land that the Temple is going to built, and even though David is not allowed to build the temple, he provides all the provisions for the building of the Temple. Things to Look For: When you read the account of David taking the census in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21, notice the location of the threshing floor. Though just reading “the threshing floor of Araunah” may not stand out to any of us, there are some other passages that provide the context for this location.
The same place that Abraham went to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God, is the same place that David offered a burnt offering to the Lord to stop the plague of God against the people because of sin, which is the same place where the Temple is built (where offerings are made and sacrifices to God to cleanse people from their sin), which is the same place where, when Christ (the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world) was crucified for us, the veil was torn in two from top to the bottom in the Temple (on the Mount Moriah), which separated man from God.
Personal Insight: Even though I love the way that God works with Mount Moriah through His story, what stood out to me personally was the role of Joab through this weeks reading. Two times he speaks up to David, the first when David is mourning Absalom, and the second when David is thinking about taking the census. Both times, Joab speaks wisdom into David’s life. Both times, Joab has the confidence to speak up, even when it goes against what David is feeling. Which leads me to wonder, am I like Joab? Do I have the confidence to speak wisdom into someone’s life when I see that they are not on the right path? And also, do I have a Joab in my life? Someone that I have trust in and proximity to, that they will speak truth in my life, even if it is difficult to hear? Galatians 6:1 :: Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Prayer: God, thank you for providing the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ, to cover over my sins. Thank you for taking away my sins and for giving me His righteousness. Help me to be bold for the truth of Your gospel, which is right. Thank you for that truth. This weeks devotion was prepared by Andrew Peterman Understanding context:
As we read through these passages of Scripture this week, it is important that we come before the Lord with a mindset other than our present realities; albeit with an open heart, and an open mind; in short, a prayerful comprehension of what King David may have been going through some ten centuries before the birth of the Christ…. This Week’s Study:
What to Expect:
Some Things to Look For:
My Personal Insight: Man, I can so identify with David!!! (Did I say that out loud)? Personally, I believe that Satan knew – without a facet of a doubt – who David would be. And indeed, who he was. Let’s face it, folks: am I a man after God’s own heart, as Pastor Curt shared in last week’s devotional? So… what does my worship look like to our heavenly Father? Do I look like a “cardboard cutout?” (Most of the time, I’d say “yes.”) So…....why?? It is written in Scripture that David was willing to dance before His Savior in his undergarments, even to the chagrin of his wife!! And indeed, it is not about the “act,” but rather this begs the question: where is my heart at ?? Stu: Is yours the heart of a WARRIOR? And even in the midst of your failures, is your heart that of a warrior for Christ? And so henceforth, dare I ask the reader – and in all the midst of past or present failures: is yours?? If you don’t already know, David’s lineage – with exception to a few (Josiah, Asa) was an utter failure, nearly all the way up to Jesus! Nevertheless, God used a (still relatively barbaric and unadulterated people) to keep His Word – and His precepts - alive!! C’mon, Christians: it is no accident that the prophet Isaiah accurately predicted the birthplace, life, manner of death, resurrection, and to some degree, ascension of the Messiah some 700 years before these events were to take place! This week, your PRAYER is between you and Jesus. I will, however, share these insights:
Does this not attest to the following…?? “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) Just saying…. And among many others, the following: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord.”(Ps 122:1) Yo!! Are you in church today, or are you in your jammies with a cup of coffee…? Hmm… Doesn’t sound like a “warrior” to me, church… yes?? Ya’ll enjoy that breakfast blend. And hey, it has been too many times that I have done this same thing myself. Satan is already on the move, brothers and sisters…. This weeks devotion was prepared by Stu Schell. Heart Preparation:
As you get into the habit of reading God’s Word daily, it can easily build into just something that you do. It can slip into routine, or obligation even. Take a moment and pray each morning before you read that you would enter into the presence of God, not out of routine or obligation, but out of desire to be in His presence. The Creator of the universe, who holds the universe in the span of His hand, wants to be with you. Week’s Reading Plan:
What to Expect: We are in the early years of Davids reign as King of Israel. He is pure in these early years and lives the definition of a man after God’s own heart. This is a man that we can root for, we have not yet seen the downside of Davids humanity. It’s like the movie version we see of the hero. He is a great fighter, he makes the right wise decisions regardless of what others around him think, he wins battles, he follows the commands of God… Though the reality is that humanity is in all of us, there will be stumbles, and there will be falls. What I feel separates David from others is his repentance. Enjoy reading about these early years of a Mans Man, more-so God’s man in Davids early years reigning as King. Things to Look For:
Personal Insight: My convictions this week come from Psalm 15. As above I see David as what I expect from God’s Man. A man I want to be for my wife, for my children, and for my church, and for my God. Who is worthy of God? Certainly not I. Psalm 15 points at qualities that God holds in high esteem. We should speak truth, honor our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and keep our oaths, especially when it hurts. If we can stay on the path God tells us is righteous, no matter what comes “He who does these things will never be shaken.” Prayer: God, as I consider who You are, I realize how unworthy I am of Your love and grace, yet You lavish Your love upon me. Thank you for that. May I strive to be a person after Your own heart, living a life that reflects the love You have for me, and walking in confidence that I am Yours, and I am loved eternally by You. This weeks devotion was prepared by Curt Zahm. |
RSS Feed