Month: July 2023

Losing Loyalty

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 23-25

Poetry: Psalm 8

New Testament: 1 Timothy 4

            I love baseball.(If you don’t please hang in there, you’ll still see the value in this illustration)  I used to play baseball all the time when I was a child.  I went to my first professional baseball game with my Dad when I was just 5 years old- the Seattle Pilots were playing the Washington Senators. (Fun fact, neither of those teams exist anymore and if you do some detective work you can figure out what year this was as the Seattle Pilots only existed for 1 season).  I say this because today is the 2023 baseball All-Star game. 

            When I first discovered baseball, the Washington Senators were the closest team to my Virginia home and my Dad brought me to several games. So I became a Senators fan.  But then disaster struck and the unthinkable happened, the owner of the Senators moved the whole team away from Washington to Texas. No more Senators.  What would I do with my baseball loyalty?  The next closest team was the Baltimore Orioles so we began going to Orioles games and I became a big Orioles fan.  This was easy to do because in the 1970’s the Orioles were the best team in baseball.  They were in 4 World Series from 1969-1979 and had some of the best players in baseball.  They were fun to watch and they won a lot.

            Time went on.  I moved away from home to attend college and got busy, got married, had children, and moved overseas for a while, I still watched baseball but didn’t have a lot of time to be a fan or follow my team closely or go to many games.  During this time the Orioles sadly went from being one of the best teams to one of the worst.  They became harder to get excited about.  My Orioles fandom began to waiver.  Then, a miracle happened.  The Montreal Expos moved to Washington DC and became the Washington Nationals.  After more than 30 years, DC had a baseball team again.  Not long after, I moved back to Virginia to pastor a church and work as a hospital chaplain.  Now there were 2 baseball teams nearby, the Nationals and the Orioles and I could watch both games on local tv.  I began to follow both.  The Nationals kept getting better and better, the Orioles kept getting worse.  So by the late 2010’s I was pretty much a Nationals fan and looked upon the Orioles with pity.  And then the Nationals had their miracle season and won the World Series in 2019.  Life was truly great!  And then Covid happened.  Even baseball got canceled for most of 2020.  After the Covid shortened year the Nationals franchise collapsed and they  got rid of all their great players like Max Scherzer and Juan Soto.  Meanwhile, the Orioles went through a rebuild and suddenly they were a really good team again, the tables were turned and they were fun to watch while the Nationals were the team to be pitied.  As of now, I find myself watching more Orioles games than Nationals.  I’m still a Nationals fan, but very half-hearted on most days.

            Sorry, that’s a long set up and if you’re not a baseball fan, thank you for hanging in there with me.  The point is that my baseball loyalty has gone through periods of waxing and waning, with shifting loyalties.  When you have no options, you have to stay with your team through thick and thin, the good times and bad times. (I know some of you are football fans who follow the Lions or the Browns so you’ve had to stay loyal to terrible teams for 50 years… good for you).  When you have options- Orioles and Nationals, the temptation is greater to pay more attention to the winner, the more successful team.

            What does this have to do with today’s readings?  1 Timothy 4:1 says: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith…”. Paul is here warning Timothy that even as followers of Jesus, there is the danger of letting go of our allegiance to Jesus Christ as our Lord.  This rarely happens in an instant.  Just like with my baseball fandom, where I slowly, gradually shifted my loyalty from the Orioles to the Nationals, it didn’t happen instantly.  It was a process that I didn’t really even notice happening, but little by little I found myself caring less about my fan commitment to one team and more to another.  Now, in the big picture, baseball doesn’t matter and it makes little difference to my life if I’m an Orioles fan or a Nationals fan (but if I ever cheer for the Yankees, put me in a home because I’ve lost my mind.)

            But the danger of losing our loyalty to God our Father and Jesus Christ our savior and the Kingdom of God as being first in our hearts has eternal consequences.  I’ve been around long enough to see Paul’s warnings to Timothy actually happen to people I know.  I’ve seen students who attended FUEL faithfully, know their Bible, do Bible quizzing, and excel at their knowledge of the scriptures abandon their faith.  I’ve even known people who served as leaders of the church, even a few pastors who went from preaching and teaching God’s word every week to walking away from their faith in Jesus Christ. 

            Sadly, I’ve experienced it even in my own family, people who I love the most, reject the faith of God’s Word.  For most, this didn’t happen overnight.  A thousand little decisions over time happened until one day they realized that they no longer loved or followed or even believed in God or God’s word or Jesus’ way.  Maybe it was making moral compromises and they could no longer sustain the cognitive dissonance of saying one thing but doing another.  Maybe it was adopting a worldly ideology of the meaning of persons or identity and finding it incompatible with God’s word and then choosing to reject God’s word instead of their worldly ideology.  Maybe it was because they grew bored with God and became captivated by the shining idols of the world.

            The Fastest growing religious segment in the United States over the past 20 years is the “Nones”.  People who say they have no religious loyalty or affiliation.  This is heartbreaking.

            Paul warned that people would abandon the faith in large numbers.  We see it happening today.  I don’t want it to happen to you or any of the people I care about.

            Here are a few suggestions I would offer to help you avoid joining the ranks of those who are abandoning the faith.

            Remember, no one is immune: “So those who think they are standing need to watch out or else they may fall.” -1 Corinthians 10:12. Never assume that “it could never happen to me.” It can happen to anyone.

            “Fix your eyes on Jesus”. Hebrews 12:2.  Jesus started his ministry with the words “Follow Me”.  Later he said, “I am the way”.  If you want to get where you want to go, you need to keep your eyes steady on the one who knows the way and how to get there, Jesus.

            “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11.  Pay attention to the examples of how it happened in Israel.  Remember all these Old Testament passages we are reading, including this week’s stories in 2 Chronicles of how even good people like King Jehoshaphat can make compromises that lead them and their people away from God.  Read the Bible and learn from their examples of what NOT to do to stay faithful.

            Don’t give up on going to Church. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25.  The church is not perfect, I get it.  Christians aren’t perfect, I get it.  Sermons can be boring at times, I get it.  Other options for how we spend our time on the weekends can be very attractive, I get it.  But don’t give up on Church.  Don’t give up meeting with other believers.  We need others to help us stay faithful to God and not abandon our faith. 

            Don’t adjust your faith and beliefs to accommodate the values of the world.   “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4.  As the world is moving further away from a Biblical worldview and God honoring teachings we cannot follow the world, because the world will move us away from loyalty and faithfulness to God.

            Who will get my ultimate loyalty, the Nationals or the Orioles?  Who cares?  In the scope of eternity it doesn’t matter.  Who will get YOUR ultimate loyalty, Jesus Christ or The World?  That matters more that ANYTHING. Don’t abandon your faith.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1.  Why do you think, especially among people under 30, so many are abandoning their faith?
  2. What is the biggest temptation/danger area in your life that could lead you toward abandoning your faith?
  3. What positive steps will you begin to take TODAY to make sure that you continue to follow Jesus faithfully?
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Itchy Ears and Slow Learners

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 20-22

Poetry: Psalm 7

New Testament: 1 Timothy 3

            Ever since I was a little kid I’ve had trouble with my ears.  I had surgery on my ears several times before I was 8.  I almost completely lost the hearing in my right ear- before the surgery the doctor told my parents that the infection was so bad when he got in there he might have to completely remove the contents of my ear rendering me completely deaf in that ear.  Fortunately, he was able to save my hearing.  But I’ve still had struggles.  The most irritating thing for me these days is my ears are itchy inside.  When they start itching I pull out the q-tips and scratch away—such sweet relief.  But then the next morning they itch again.  I went to my ear, nose and throat doctor and he looked inside and asked, “How often do you use q-tips?”  “Every day,” I said.  “You need to stop!”  And he explained the reason why.  Your ears naturally produce oils to keep them lubricated so they don’t dry out.  When you use q-tips it removes the oils, your ears dry out and become irritated… and itchy.  The thing I do to relieve the itchy ears – q-tips, is the cause of them continuing to be itchy.  The solution.  Stop using q-tips for a few days, allow the oils to return and lubricate the ears, and they will stop itching.  If I could just trust him and endure a few days of itchy ears without q-tips, then they would stop itching.  Problem solved.

            The first few days were miserable.  They itched so bad.  All I wanted to do was use a q-tip to scratch, but I resisted.  After a few days, sure enough just like the doctor promised, the itching stopped.  I had learned something new that made my life better.  Until I forgot.  Old habits die hard.  I took a shower and used a q-tip to dry out my ears (he told me to use a hair dryer instead).  The scratching felt familiar and good, and pretty soon my ears dried out and got itchy again.

            Change can be hard.  I can be a slow learner about some things, like q-tips and itchy ears.  In today’s reading we see Jehoshaphat could be a slow learner about some things as well.  In yesterday’s reading we saw that he got into trouble when he violated God’s instruction and entered into an unequal alliance with the king of Israel, and how it led to some problems.  Jehoshaphat learned a lesson, repented of his actions and things became better for a while.  He learned to trust God instead of trusting in an alliance with Israel’s idol-worshipping King Ahab.

            In today’s reading, we see how fully Jehoshaphat learned that lesson and learned to trust God.

            First, Jehoshaphat receives a report that a vast army of Ammonites and Moabites and others are coming to attack.  Jehoshaphat becomes “alarmed” at the news.  Does he reach out to the Israelites to become his allies?  That’s normally what would happen. (My ear itches, I’ll do what I always do and grab a q-tip).  But Jehoshaphat learned a valuable lesson in the last story.  So instead of entering into an alliance which God has forbidden, he decides to ask God for guidance.

            Jehoshaphat calls for a fast and all the people of Judah came together to seek God’s guidance.  They prayed to God: “God, we don’t know what to do, our eyes are on you.”  Notice it says all the men, women, and children stood before God in an act of humility, reverence, and solidarity, seeking his guidance and direction.

            Then something amazing happened. God answered them.  The Spirit of God came on Jahaziel, the prophet, who then brings a word from God. The message is clear: “Don’t be afraid or discouraged for the battle belongs to God.  Trust that God will defend you against your enemies.”  God instructs them to go toward their enemies, stand firm, and then watch what God will do.  Israel responded by worshipping and praising God with singing.

            What happened next? God set an ambush against them and then, the enemies of Judah all turn on each other and destroyed each other.  The people of Judah came to the overlook as God instructed so that God could show them the destruction of their enemies.  They collected the plunder and it took them 3 days to haul the plunder back to Judah.  As a result, their other enemies were afraid of God. God gave Jehoshaphat peace. (No more itchy ears when you follow the doctor’s orders and quit using the q-tips).

            But old habits are hard to break sometimes.  Jehoshaphat forgot to remember. Jehoshaphat made another alliance, and again there were consequences: “Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.’ The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.” 2 Chronicles 20:37.  Out came the q-tips again.

            Jehoshaphat isn’t the only slow learner.  This, it turns out was a pattern for generations of God’s people.  God would give people instructions, the people didn’t fully trust God and tried to do things their way, God sent consequences to discipline them, the people didn’t like the consequences so they repented and started obeying  God.  Things got better for the people…. Until they once again forgot to trust God and tried to do things their own way and the cycle repeated itself over, and over and over again.

            Fortunately, God was patient with slow-learning Jehoshaphat, and with slow-learning Judah.  Fortunately, the same God is also patient with us.  Psalm 103:8-12 reminds us:

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

            Through Jesus Christ God mercifully provides us with a saving way to turn from our faithless and disobedient ways, to learn to trust and follow God’s ways.  Learning to trust God fully is a journey that can take time.  We still are tempted to grab that q-tip and begin scratching away at those itchy ears.  But if we can learn to simply trust God’s ways, no matter how itchy the ears or scary the invading armies might seem, we can trust and know that God will show us a way to peace and joy (and unitchy ears.)

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1.  Why do you suppose Jehoshaphat’s “itchy ears” was his difficulty depending on God and not alliances with other kings?
  2. What are some of your “itchy ear” areas where you have difficulty trusting God’s ways and try to do things your way (which usually makes things worse?)
  3. What is one step you can take today toward trusting God in this area of your life?
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Alliances with Unbelievers

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 17-19

Poetry: Psalm 6

New Testament: 1 Timothy 2

“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?”  This is a pretty challenging question that comes straight from today’s reading from 2 Chronicles 19:2 NIV.  One of the questions that comes to mind for me is “help the wicked do what?”  The second question is, “Why shouldn’t I love those who hate the LORD?”  After all,  Didn’t Jesus tell us that we are supposed to love everyone, including our enemies? (Matthew 5:44) Shouldn’t godly people treat others with love, even unbelievers, even those who have rejected God? 

One of my ministry settings is as a hospital chaplain.  Recently I visited a patient who informed me as soon as I walked into their room that they were an atheist, but that they still wanted to talk to me, they were going through an emotional crisis and they needed help.  This was a person that didn’t simply hate the LORD but actually denies the existence of God.  As a Chaplain, as a pastor, and as a Christian should I have NOT helped the patient?  Should I have NOT loved the patient since they do not love God?  I’ll tell you the rest of the story at the end. Let’s look at the context of this quote in today’s reading and see what God reveals to us about himself.

The story is about Jehoshaphat (isn’t that a great name).  It literally means YHWH has judged.  At the time of today’s reading in 2 Chronicles 17-19 Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah.  Judah and Israel were at one time one nation comprised of 12 tribes that descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Israel was a strong and united nation during the reigns of kings David and Solomon, but after Solomon died the nation of Israel was divided by a civil war.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah separated with Judah’s capital in Jerusalem where the temple of God was.  Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah and ruled from Jerusalem.  He was an heir of King David and was generally a good and faithful ruler who avoided the worship of idols.  Ahab was the King of Israel and he did not remain faithful to YHWH, the God of Israel, and led his people into the worship of idols which was strictly forbidden by God.

A common practice at the time for smaller nations was to enter into alliances with other nations against their enemies.  God had made it clear to his people that he did not want them entering into political alliances with nations that practiced idol worship.  In today’s reading, it says that Jehoshaphat entered into an alliance by marriage with Ahab and Israel.  This was a violation of God’s commands and led to all kinds of trouble for Jehoshaphat and the Kingdom of Judah.  Now that they were in an alliance Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to go to war with him against their enemies.  The problem was that God was not in favor of this because of Ahab’s unfaithfulness.  Jehoshaphat was wise enough to ask one of the prophets to seek God on the question.  Of course, Jehoshaphat should have known the answer- God did not want him to enter into an alliance with Ahab to begin with, he certainly wouldn’t want Jehoshaphat to fight in battle alongside Ahab, a battle which Ahab was destined to lose and where he would be killed.

After Ahab was indeed killed in battle as the prophet warned, Jehoshaphat returned to his palace where another prophet of God, Jehu, came to him and asked our opening question-“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?”  The answer here was clearly “no, you should not enter into a political alliance with a king and a nation that have rejected God and his teaching.  No, you should not give your son to be married to the idolatrous king’s daughter as the law clearly taught that God’s covenant people should not marry with idolatrous people who do not believe in God.

The prophet was not saying that God’s people should never help a non-believer or should never act in loving ways to people outside of the faith community.  The law taught that we should love our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18).  What the prophet was saying is you should never enter into a formal alliance with one who has rejected God and the teachings of God.  The Apostle Paul would express this to followers of Jesus in 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?”  One obvious example of this would be marriage.  If you are a Christian you should not enter into a committed relationship with one who has denied or rejected Jesus Christ as savior or God as our Father.  Believers should not marry unbelievers.  If you’re driving down the road and you see your non-believing neighbor with a flat tire, you can stop and help her change her tire, but you can’t marry her.  You might do a favor or otherwise show kindness and love to unbelievers, but it would be potentially very spiritually dangerous to enter into a business alliance with one who has rejected God and godly values.

Jehoshaphat was basically a good man and a good king, but he got into trouble when he violated the clear teaching of God’s law by entering into a political alliance by having his son marry the idolatrous, god-rejecting king Ahab’s daughter.  It might be the savvy and politically expedient thing to do, but it was spiritually deadly.

If you are committed to following God and God’s values, you can and should show love and kindness to everyone, including believers, but don’t join them or make commitments that will compromise your values and dedication to Jesus Christ.

Now for the rest of the story.  The atheist and I talked for an hour.  When I left they said, “I think I might want you to preach at my funeral.”  A week later they came back to the hospital and asked the nurse to have me come and visit. We talked for another hour.  Before I left they said, “I’m not so convinced that God doesn’t exist, is it okay if I visit your church?”  We can and should show kindness and grace and caring love to everyone, including unbelievers, just don’t enter into committed relationships with them, until they give their lives to Jesus too.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1.  Beyond dating and marriage, what are some other potentially damaging ways a Christian today might bring themself spiritual harm by entering into an alliance with one who has rejected God?  How might this impact educational or career decisions?  Investment decisions? What political candidates we support?
  2. How would Jesus want you to love your non-Christian neighbor without entering into a dangerous commitment to one who does not share your values?
  3. As Christians, we are called to pray for and obey our governments unless they demand that we violate our commitment to God, how is that different from supporting a political candidate who clearly has rejected God’s teaching either by what they profess or how they live?

Bio- This week’s devotions are written by pastor Jeff Fletcher.  Pastor Jeff has been a participant at Fuel for over 40 years.  He is a pastor and hospital chaplain in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and is a doctoral candidate for Integrative Mental Health at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville.   He is married to Karen, father of eleven, and grandpa/papa to 15.  He likes reading, watching baseball, and making delicious pulled pork in the smoker.

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A Prayer of Praise from Paul

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 14-16

Poetry: Psalm 5

*New Testament: 1 Timothy 1

     Today I want to break down a single verse in praise to God and consider what Paul was getting at:

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17)

     We are quite ready to think of God as a king, since we are so familiar with the language of God’s kingdom from the Old Testament, but God is rarely called “king” in the New Testament. I see Matthew 5:35, here, 1 Timothy 6:15, and Revelation 15:3. The fact that Paul is choosing to use this language at all probably means he is doing something special, trying to point to attributes of God he feels the Ephesians should be dwelling on.

     You may recall that New Testament Greek has no word meaning “eternity.” But that concept has been put into English translations where people thought it sounded right. It has been suggested that the history of these insertions was aided by some unhelpful translations of the Greek in Jerome’s Vulgate Latin (back in the fourth century), affecting how later versions were produced. (For example, Revelation 10:6 has a phrase which in the Vulgate is something like “there will be no more time” rather than “there will be no more delay”.) So, the first words of praise in 1 Timothy 1:17 are more like “Now to the King of the ages.”

     It has been pointed out before that when the Bible begins it never tries to explain who God is, it assumes the existence of God. There is no great effort put in to describe God as “eternal” in the sense philosophy attaches to that word. It seems obvious that God is beyond the scope of the universe God created, and we accept that God is beyond our understanding. Romans 16:26 is a text with a similar sort of feel.

     The next term used to describe God is given in the NASB as “immortal.” In 1 Corinthians 15:53 Paul uses two images to describe how our frail bodies will change with resurrection. In the NASB it says we need to “put on the imperishable” and “put on immortality”. Another way to express those ideas might be to put on “incorruption” (the inability to decay) and “immortality” (the inability to die). The term Paul used in 1 Timothy 1:17 was the one for incorruption or imperishability. Paul referred to God this way one other time, in Romans 1:23. When Paul returned to praising God in 1 Timothy 6:16 he used the other term from 1 Corinthians 15:53, and described God as “immortal,” so the letter does use both words. I guess the NASB put the wrong word in chapter one because they wanted to have a more commonly understood term.

     The third term applied to God is “invisible.” The Greek term itself simply takes the word for “visible” and puts “a” at the start to negate it. This kind of word construction happens a lot with terms we are familiar with, like “amoral,” or “agnostic” (“not knowing”). With this word the meaning is a bit ambiguous, maybe saying “invisible,” maybe saying “unseen.” This is another case where Paul returns to the topic in 1 Timothy 6:16. The word is used just a few other places in the New Testament: Romans 1:20, Colossians 1:15 and 16, and Hebrews 11:27.

     The fourth point Paul makes is that God is the only God. This is classic Jewish theology, basic day-one stuff. Abraham understood this, Moses stated this clearly in Deuteronomy 6:4. The language Paul uses to describe it I could transliterate in English letters as “mono Theo” – “one God,” close to how monotheism gets its name. For similar language elsewhere in the New Testament you could look at John 5:44, 17:3; Romans 16:27; Jude 4. Of course, other passages of scripture establish that God is the only God, just with different words.

     By the way, if you are using a translation that has the phrase “only wise God” and wondered about that, I checked on it in my book that tries to track all the differences in the Greek manuscripts for the New Testament. The committee that produced the book figured that difference pretty certainly got into the text for the King James Version (and thus all the translations that follow from it) by way of a copyist who was remembering the phrasing in Romans 16:27. There are manuscripts from too many lines of transmission without the extra word to think that it was originally in 1 Timothy 1:17. But it is still obviously a legitimate way that Paul wrote about God so there is nothing wrong with the phrase.

     The fact that Paul called for “honor” to be given to God brings up John 5:23, where we are told that those who do not honor the son do not honor the Father who sent him. It also brings up John 8:49, where Jesus says that he honors his Father.

     That God receives “glory” brings up Romans 16:27, where Paul calls for God to receive glory – and that glory was to come to God through Jesus Christ. Also Philippians 2:11, “that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

     The phrase given as “forever and ever” is more like “to the ages of the ages” – as there was no word for eternity to use so this is casting the intention far into the future.

     “Amen” – “truly,” or “so be it.” Please be careful what you say Amen to, because it is supposed to mean you are agreeing, and that is supposed to matter.

     I suspect that Paul thought his audience would be familiar with a lot of scripture, so it may be necessary to follow up on some of the references I listed to get all the meanings he intended them to see. Particularly it may be necessary to read part of chapter six before everything ties together, as I suspect Paul intentionally linked these two parts to each other.

     The single verse we have examined is a prayer, seeking to exalt God. I can’t be sure whether breaking it down this way has caused you to gain insights, but I figure it was worth a try once. Now please put it back together again and take the time to pray Paul’s prayer. Give it time and heart. It’s short, you can say it more than once if you choose. You don’t have to use the words your Bible version offered, you have enough words to choose from now to put it in the terms that make sense to you. And if it strikes a chord with you, maybe you will even choose to memorize it. Amen.

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think Paul put a prayer into the middle of his letter to Timothy?
  2. Why do you think Paul emphasized, in his prayer, that God was the King?
  3. How often do you pray to God with just praise? How often with prayers that are not your own words? Have you had experiences of prayer in the past that you look back on with great joy, but that you just haven’t taken the opportunity / effort / whatever to put back into your life recently?

Daniel Smead

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Physically Strong – but – Spiritually Weak

*Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 10-13

(my apologies, chapter 10 was supposed to be included yesterday)

Poetry: Psalm 4

New Testament: 1 & 2 Timothy Intro below

     Today we again check in on the history of the ancient kings, with 2 Chronicles 11-13. The twelve tribes of Israel were just split into two nations, confusingly known as Israel (to the north) and Judah (to the south). Civil war would have broken out but God sent a message: “You shall not go up or fight against your relatives; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me.” (11:4). It is good that the Lord prevented bloodshed in this case, and that the people were prepared to listen, but it could almost be seen as comical: ‘don’t fight, chalk this one up to me and just draw a new border.’

     King Rehoboam of Judah didn’t assume peace would last, he began preparing fortresses and weapons. It did him no good at all because he prepared physically, and not spiritually. “When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the Lord.” (12:1). Just five years into his reign he lost his grip on what really mattered – his relationship with God. He barely restored the connection in time, humbling himself before God when Shishak of Egypt and his allies attacked. Still, they took “everything” from God’s own temple treasuries, and those of the palace (9).

     Rehoboam should have spent more time reading the copy of the Law which, as the king, he was supposed to be guided by (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). That book lists a whole series of curses that God promised to bring on the nation if it abandoned Him, and He worked through them over the years. But God accepted Rehoboam’s humility, and He held back from further destruction in his lifetime (1 Chronicles 12:10-12). The books of kings show that only a quarter of the kings of Judah were viewed with favor by God, so you might consider that the nation just limped along.

      In comparison none of the northern leaders had God’s favor, though we hear less about them in the Chronicles than in the books of the kings. We do read here that the Levites left for the south when it became clear that King Jeroboam of Israel had no interest in proper worship of God. That choice was folly on his part, of course. He feared that if the people worshipped at the Jerusalem Temple they would be influenced toward loyalty to Judah’s king while they visited there, so he provided golden idols for the people to worship in his territory (1 Kings 12:26-33). But that meant severing them from true worship, their history, and any hope for righteousness.

     We do see signs for hope in these chapters. God acts to defend the people, and He guides them. Those from out of all the tribes who wanted to worship God gathered into the southern kingdom (11:16-17), where the Temple was, which provided a faithful remnant of the nation. During most of its history the city of David may have been only a shadow of what it was intended to be, but it was at least a rallying symbol for the people – the covenant with David had been made and it would be fulfilled, no matter how far from it any individual king might be.

            We can imagine a better history, one where Solomon did not allow the nation to go into idolatry, and the nation was not split in two (1 Kings 11:29-39). Or where Jeroboam remembered the terms under which God gave him the kingdom of Israel, and he did not abandon the worship of God. I could keep giving suggestions, but is there much point in reimagining the Bible with Israel ruled by people who followed God perfectly? Wouldn’t that mean it was the kingdom we are waiting for? Solomon understood better than that when he prayed at the dedication of the Temple: “When [your people] sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) . . . if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul . . .then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.” (2 Chronicles 6:36, 38, 39). We all sin, and we need to have a way back to God. That’s why God kept offering us systems that provide them.

Lord, thank you for allowing your power and your mercy to be shown to us in so many accounts of the history of your people in the Bible. I am glad to be able to learn from their experiences, though I am also glad I have not needed to wrestle with some of the choices they had to make. Please help us to view these events with wisdom, to compare passages carefully to gain from the connections that exist among them, and let our memories serve us well when it is fruitful to draw on what we have learned. And I thank you, Lord, that one day we will see the perfect version of what was hinted at in these texts, a Temple that cannot be attacked by armies, a King who will never deny you, a nation undivided and fully committed to your will. Until that day, let me serve you in the world I have. Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you think Rehoboam replaced the golden shields of Solomon with bronze ones so it would look like he still had that great wealth, or to remind himself of the wealth he had lost, and the humility he needed to maintain (2 Chronicles 9:15-16; 12:9-11)? In what ways can we develop our humility to help ourselves have a good relationship with God?
  2. Deuteronomy 17:17 said that Hebrew kings were not to have many wives. What changes do you think it would have made if the kings had followed that rule? Why do you think they may have thought it unimportant to follow that rule? Are there things you think God wants you to do but which you have decided not to do, for now, or for reasons you think are good enough?
  3. If you intended to fight a battle, do you think the spiritual or the physical is the more important area to prepare? Do you apply that to all areas of your life?

1 & 2 Timothy Introduction

Paul wrote First and Second Timothy to Timothy, Paul’s “true son in the faith”.  

In 1 Timothy, Paul wrote to warn Timothy against false teachers in Ephesus – where Timothy was serving.  Paul gave many instructions for running a church, including rules and actions for overseers and deacons, even those who shouldn’t teach or have authority.  Paul also stressed the importance of holy living. 

Paul wrote 2 Timothy while Paul was in prison awaiting execution.  This was his farewell letter in which he also asked Timothy to come quickly to visit.  Paul tried to encourage Timothy to live a holy life and remain faithful despite persecution.  He strongly stressed living a holy life and gave warnings about godlessness in the last days.

Here are some well-known passages in 1 and 2 Timothy:

  • 1 Tim 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”
  • 1 Tim 4:8 “For physical training has some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
  • 1 Tim 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
  • 1 Tim 4:16 “Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
  • 1 Tim 5:6-7 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
  • 1 Tim 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and have pierced themselves with many griefs.”
  • 2 Tim 1:12 “…I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”
  • 2 Tim 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
  • 2 Tim 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
  • 2 Tim 3:16-17 “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
  • 2 Tim 4:2-3 “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

I hope to eventually be able to say, like Paul did in 2 Tim 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”  I hope you will be able to say this too.

-Steve Mattison

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The Idle

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 8 & 9

Poetry: Psalm 3

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 3

     We don’t know how many variations of belief people in the early church fell into. We read indications of some in the Bible, like the legalism of the Galatians or the spirit-enthused group in Corinth. It may be that Thessalonica had a division, for a time, over how to understand the day of the Lord which might be seen in 2 Thessalonians 3.

     It is remarkable what people can convince themselves of, at least briefly. In the 1960s in America, a group said it was not necessary that they eat food to live. They considered that it was fine to eat food for the pleasure of it, if you chose to, but that eating had simply long been assumed to be important. They claimed all one really needed to do for continued life was breathe air. That group died out, but there have been many such extremes in history.

     We don’t know if false claims about the day of the Lord having already come affected the behavior of some in Thessalonica, but it could explain why some stopped working. We read of something like that attitude from part of the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 4:8). Paul had made a point of telling the believers in Thessalonica that they should work with their hands and lead quiet lives (1 Thessalonians 4:11). We know that Paul himself wrote more than once about how, as an apostle ministering the gospel, he had the right to receive financial assistance but chose to work. In his work he set the people an example, but not all of them maintained it (2 Thessalonians 3:8‑9). In Thessalonica it seems that some believers who were capable of working took advantage of others’ assistance, they stopped working and behaved as busybodies (11). Whatever the reason for their behavior, it needed to change. It was bad for those who were being lax, and for the community’s reputation with outsiders. But if a claim about the kingdom was the reason for their actions it gives a nice twist to Paul’s response – if they thought the curse on the soil was past, and that work was no longer needed for food to be produced, they were wrong (Genesis 3:19). They were to return to work if they would continue to eat.

     Paul wrote that “undisciplined” people who did not obey the instructions of the letter were to be admonished and not associated with, so that they would be put to shame, but they were not to be treated as enemies (2 Thessalonians 3:11, 14, 15). They still could be brought around, and that is good. The extremes and oddities of Christianity would keep cropping up in the world, but all that Paul was asking from them was simple lives, lead with an appreciation of what Jesus had done for them. They were to live as examples of Christ’s behavior and speak his words. They were to do good, and not grow weary of it (13).

     Lord, thank you for the many and differing blessings we have in work. Work may have its origins in a curse on the soil, but you are often willing to take what began as a burden and use it to show your power and your grace. Thank you for allowing work to sometimes be a platform for our creativity, an opportunity to form friendships, a way to gain joy in our efforts. At times we may feel we are doing little more than proving we can hold out against boredom – but please help us to remember our goal of serving our Lord even as we engage in worldly employment. Thank you when you help us to locate work, thank you when you help us to do it well, and thank you for helping us to find courage and opportunity to leave it at the right time. Thank you, for so many of us who do not work in paid positions, that there are others able to provide us with financial support. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. It has been suggested that the sharing of goods in Jerusalem when the church first started had special causes, in part with so many people having come from other areas. Do you think it helped set bad influences for some churches later on?
  2. If any of the “undisciplined” chose not to work, but rather left the church over this situation, do you think that shows they were more than just “undisciplined”?
  3. What effect do you think going through this effort at correcting the “undisciplined” had on the Thessalonian church after it had been completed?
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Don’t Let Anyone Deceive You

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 6 & 7

Poetry: Psalm 2

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 2

     2 Thessalonians 2 is one of those chapters of scripture that can make us wonder why it was written. Did the people receive a false “spirit or a message or a letter as if from [Paul], to the effect that the day of the Lord” had already come (2)? And if they received such a communication about the day of the Lord, what was its purpose? Was the idea just to plant doubts and create turmoil? Did it achieve anything more than getting the people to check in with Paul?

     Maybe someone tailored a piece of misdirection based off Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, that the day of the Lord would come like “a thief in the night,” to suggest that the day was able to arrive and pass without people becoming aware of it. Such an idea would not fit well with the overall uses of the “day of the Lord” in the Bible, as Paul pointed out in 2 Thessalonians 1:10 speaking of “that day”, but we don’t know how the Thessalonians thought of the phrase before Paul wrote this letter. In 2:1 Paul linked “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” with “our gathering together to Him” before he addressed the idea of false communication about the day of the Lord. Perhaps the point of whatever deceiving message the people received was an attempt to separate the day of the Lord from one or both of those ideas in their thoughts.

     Returning to the “thief” metaphor for a moment, any metaphor or parable generally has only one application to be made from it, and can easily be misunderstood by being overapplied. The “thief” metaphor came from Jesus’ words, and it emphasized diligence (Matthew 24:43, see through chapter 25). Jesus didn’t apply any risks of the metaphor to those who were faithful. We do not know when Jesus is coming, but as believers we will not be left floundering when the world changes because of his return – the believers will join with him in celebration.

     Paul has a much plainer case to make than the implications of a metaphor, however, he points out that he already told the church that those who are alive when Jesus is just about to return will have seen signs before his coming. As part of this Paul describes a man engaged in a campaign of evil on behalf of Satan. Paul may seem to write of this remarkably calmly, though admittedly it can be difficult to read tone into written words. And, of course, we don’t know what the Thessalonians had imagined their situation was based on the “spirit” or “message” or “letter” Paul wrote of – he needed to clear things up. We do know that the circumstances Paul is describing will be extreme, and he mentions that he spoke about these things with them in person (v. 5), so he may have previously offered comforting words about the potential of living during this situation. In any case Paul leaves no doubt of who is more powerful, the man of lawlessness, or Jesus. Jesus will slay him by his mere breath (maybe a spoken word?) – it is not a contest. The call to the believers is to stand firm, and having received eternal comfort, and good hope by grace, to desire also to be strengthened in their hearts in every good work and word.

     On the other hand, the situation will be extreme for those who have rejected the truth. They will receive a “deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (11‑12). This is not the situation of those we are trying to reach with an understanding of God’s love, history will have moved beyond that. It will be like what we read about in Exodus, when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so He could show His signs and wonders in Egypt at the time of the ten plagues (4:21; 7:3). Pharaoh abandoned good behavior well before Moses arrived, but if shown enough miracles he might have been swayed from his course, even if only temporarily. God wanted a clear-cut setting in which to show His power. God intended to punish Egypt. It seems that things will go similarly with the man of lawlessness and his followers at the end of this age. It would be hard for anyone to remain loyal to such an evil leader and not try to weasel their way into compromises, even if just into other forms of evil, after God’s judgment is made clear. But by that point in history God wants a clear-cut setting to show His judgment. (I admit to finding some of this a bit distressing, but Paul had seen more of the evils of the world than I have, so I can understand if he was able to have a more clear-eyed view about it than I as he wrote about it.)

Lord, thank you for your strength, and that I feel able to put my trust in you no matter what situation I arrive in, even if I were to be living during the reign of the man of lawlessness. You are far greater than he. Your son is far greater than he. I trust that your love and your mercy will be comfort to me whatever may come. To whoever of your servants do live in that time, please let them have great outpourings of your grace and confidence from your Spirit. Life is not painless, but life is worthwhile when lived for you. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you think the origins of 2 Thessalonians 2 might be from a prank? Or perhaps did it result from a serious attempt to damage a church’s faith where it seemed to be vulnerable? It has been said that it is normally easier to tear down than to build up. What is the best way you have experienced that a church has been built up? How can you visualize being part of building a church up?
  2. How surprising is it to you that Paul needed to write two letters to the church in Thessalonica, perhaps in the same year, based on their confusion about issues of eschatology? What might have happened if these issues went uncorrected? How much have you studied and compared scriptures about the future to develop your grasp on these ideas if you wanted to discuss them? How deeply do you choose to investigate these matters for yourself, compared to where you stop, considering that if you wished to examine the issue further you would take a question to a “Paul”?
  3. Do you find it hard to imagine a time when there will be no room for shifting between those who are fully committed to evil and those who serve God with their whole hearts? If you thought such a time was coming soon, are there things you would be doing today to prepare?
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What’s in Your Future?

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 3-5

Poetry: Psalm 1

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 1

     Yesterday we read some of Paul’s words about the future, along with his instructions about preparing for the future through good conduct. In 2 Thessalonians 1 Paul chose to say more about coming events to the same audience. (Your Bible may have notes suggesting that only four to six months passed between the two letters.) Paul remains proud of the people’s conduct, and again mentions their shared status with him as persecuted believers (1 Thessalonians 2:2, 14; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-7). But here Paul emphasizes the coming of a “just” repayment for the poor treatment they have received: “when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (7-8).

     Paul tells the Thessalonians that God intends to “repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted” at the appearance of Jesus (6-7). I think it is worth noting that God’s justice for those who mistreated the believers is not about providing ongoing torture, as some have imagined, but “the penalty of eternal destruction” (9). Paul used the same Greek word for “destruction” here and in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (when he wrote of “sudden” destruction), but here he emphasized a link to the coming age. (To say “eternal” destruction, as the NASB chose to do, is not a great translation of the Greek. What Paul wrote conveys more “of the aion” or “of the age”.) But, to those who have believed, the Lord Jesus “comes to be glorified in His saints” and “to be marveled at among all who have believed” (10). That is a lovely image.

     In a way Paul repeats his theme of preparation for the future at the end of the chapter. Paul says he always prays for the people in Thessalonica that God will count them worthy of their calling, and “fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power” (11). So, he wants them to be able to be as good and as faithful as they are desiring to be, knowing that it is God’s power which permits that desire to be fulfilled.

     It feels like Paul is inviting the Thessalonians to think about their lives more in terms of the future. We don’t know what he has heard about them in the last few months, but he is concerned over them. They are afflicted, we don’t know how badly, perhaps they are very frustrated. But Paul wanted them to realize that what they were waiting for was more than worth all they were going through. Of faith, hope and love we know that love is the greatest (1 Corinthians 13:13), but it would never be enough on its own. As Paul also said, if Christ had not been resurrected we would be in an awful state (15:13-19). We would have no future to look forward to no matter how much God valued us, and no matter how much we valued God or each other. But we do have a future, a glorious future we can tell others about and seek for them to share with us, and a savior on whom to put our faith and our hope. Rejoice, brothers and sisters!

     Lord, please help me to desire greater goodness, and more works of faith in my life. Please also clear out of the way whatever would prevent me from serving you as I ought to do, so that I can be the servant you desire me to be. Knowing that the day will come when Jesus is glorified in his saints, and that I hope to be among those saints, help me not to hold back from any good thing that I know I ought to do. Relying on you, I pray these things, Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. How different do you think the New Testament would appear to us if we had not only the letters Paul sent, but also messages he received which prompted those letters, so we could better understand things like the situation in Thessalonica which prompted what he wrote? Do you think that not having the specific causes for the letters may help us to treat what Paul wrote as being more universal in its application? If so, is that sometimes a problem?
  2. How often do you find yourself dealing with frustrations or concerns about your daily life by looking to the hope you have in the return of Christ? What aspects of that return do you find the most compelling to your thoughts? Is there some particular passage of scripture that draws you, or an image, or a piece of a song? Have you ever shared your perspective with someone else?
  3. Paul reminds us that in large measure what our lives becomes is about what we decide to aim for. Words like “perseverance” and “desire for goodness” and “the work of faith”, these are about the choices we make, particularly the choices we make against external and internal opposition. When did you last examine your life to decide what you will seek?
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The Times

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 150

New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 5

     1 Thessalonians 5 carries on Paul’s discussion from the end of chapter 4 about death and resurrection (13-18). Paul had just said what it meant for a person to be dead (asleep, as a metaphor), awaiting resurrection. He said this instruction was intended to avoid the Thessalonians being “uninformed” and allow them to “comfort” each other (4:13, 18). But it is hard to imagine that Paul had not already told them about these things. We aren’t told that the people received conflicting teachings from another source. Perhaps after members of the congregation died confusion developed about how events were meant to work out. It may be that they asked, through Timothy, for more instruction on the topic of death, resurrection, and the future.

     In 5:1 the discussion shifts to when these things could be expected. Paul wrote “you have no need of anything to be written to you” on the subject of “the times and epochs” – a phrase used by Jesus in Acts 1:7 apparently to describe the basic idea of events for the future including his return. When Paul wrote “you have no need” it doesn’t seem like Paul meant that the believers in Thessalonica had a clear understanding of everything related to the future, but rather that they have heard about these things before and should not need to ask for more information on the topic. The essence of the situation, as Paul lays it out, is that believers know about what is coming and non-believers don’t – in the sense of being forewarned. It is not just this awareness that affects their conduct, of course, but they will behave quite differently. One group is in preparation for that time and the other is not (Luke 21:34-36). But the future issue of knowing when that time will come is beyond both groups. Jesus had earlier declared it was even unknown to himself and to the angels in heaven (Matthew 24:36, 43). It is for God to set the schedule, and to declare it.

     The events of “the times and epochs” relate to judgment, rewards, resurrection, death, joy, sorrow, renewal, and discovery. There is more tied up in that than I would try to express in one devotional, and I don’t understand it all anyway. But even with the Thessalonians clearly not having understood all that was involved in that, Paul felt that he could write: “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” (5:11). He felt good about them, and what they were getting done, although they didn’t have their eschatology (ideas about the future) all straightened out. That is comforting. Still, Paul figured they were about to have it cleared up, since he had written his letter. I’m not saying none of this mattered to him (he didn’t want to leave them uninformed and figured it would have made them uncomfortable). But it is nice to think there is some room for uncertainty, while we seek to build each other up.

     Lord, thank you for those who have built me up and encouraged me. Help me to accept the strengthening they have offered me, and to not allow myself to be torn back down by the world. Let me use that strength for useful purposes. Help me to encourage and build up others. Please let me take that goal seriously and give me opportunities to do so. Let your Spirit work in your people to draw us closer together and show your love more clearly. Thank you, Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. We hear a lot about the day of Christ’s return being “like a thief” meaning it will catch people unawares – but it seems like that is meant to emphasize the effect on unbelievers. Do you think the real effect of the metaphor might have been to make us concerned about other people not being ready for that day?
  2. We don’t know what confusion the believers in Thessalonica had about death, we could imagine all kinds of things. Maybe they just assumed that believers weren’t supposed to die before Jesus returned, having heard of believers who were returned to life. What difficulties do you think there were for Christians as they moved into a second generation of believers?
  3. How might things have been changed if God simply told the first generation of disciples exactly when Jesus was going to return? Do you think they might have left that information out of the Bible if they had received it? What if Jesus promised to give the believers a 30-year warning alert of when he would return? Is it better to be left with each generation not aware if it is the generation that will be alive when the trumpet sounds?
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A House for God

*Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 28 & 29

Poetry: Psalm 149

New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 4

     First Chronicles 28 and 29 relates the end of David’s time as king. Mostly it discusses an assembly where David laid out responsibilities his son Solomon would have for building God a temple and encouraged the people to join in that work with him. By gathering that assembly David was also making it clear that Solomon was the chosen heir – chosen by God. The line of succession had been contested before, and David called on all present to commit their loyalty to both God and Solomon (28:5; 29:24).

     David had desired to build God a dwelling place but was denied that role because he had shed blood. Joyfully for David, the time when he learned of his rejection was paired with learning about the promise of a special covenant with God. In the years that followed David stockpiled resources in preparation for the Temple to be constructed by his promised son. In 22:14 we read of huge amounts of gold and silver David stored up. In 29:4 we are told of additional sums he provided near the end of his reign. That was followed by him encouraging the people to offer their own commitments (6-9). They gave tons of gold and silver and brass and iron, along with precious stones. And “the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and king David also rejoiced greatly.” (9). As David had said, this was not a temple “for man, but for the Lord God” and they were able to rejoice in the idea of giving to the project (1).

     I read some years ago about a study in which people of varying incomes were asked what they considered would be enough money for them to be content. There was a remarkable similarity in the answers given to the researchers, from those who made fairly little, on through those who made far more. People tended to want 15% more income than they currently had. Knowing this, of course, we can guess that very few people whose income increases become content – instead they adjust to their new circumstances and change their target for “contentment.” Of course we are not to view the world in that way, though we can all too easily become caught up in the distractions of worldly thinking. If we are seeking to store up for ourselves treasure in heaven, rather than on earth, we are less susceptible to such errors.

     I find it a matter of joy that the people of Israel in David’s time chose to join in setting up the Temple. They could have hesitated to give, and left matters to David and Solomon. They could have suggested that the vast amounts David had already collected would be enough for the task. (To try to put some numbers to this, we are told in 22:14 that David had collected 100,000 talents of gold. One calculation puts a talent at about 75 pounds, which would mean David had collected about 3,000 tons of gold. By a useful coincidence it is estimated that 750,000 pounds of gold were collected during the California Gold Rush, so a tenth of what David had gathered.) But the people still wanted to be involved with honoring God by contributing from their own wealth, which had itself come from God’s blessings (29:14, 16).

     (I find it interesting, as well, how God’s intentions may have been set up across the generations. David being a man of war could tie in with the extent of the nation’s wealth and how he prepared the way for Solomon. David was not accepted to build God a Temple, but he was freed to go forward in fighting against the enemies of God’s people and to help prepare a time of peace for Solomon. At the same time David’s victories brought in wealth that would enable the Temple to be funded to an incredible degree.)

        While David thought of the promises he had received in terms of Solomon, and prepared for his reign, we recognize a greater fulfillment in terms of another son, Jesus. Even in the text of these chapters there are hints at that, statements that “if” Solomon will serve God “with a whole heart” his descendants will continue to possess the land forever (28:8, 9). That kind of obedience was not available from Solomon, or any of the kings in David’s line who lived in Old Testament times. So while Solomon was able to fulfill the prophecy in one sense, building a house for God, it was destroyed after only a few hundred years. Another house waited to be built by a son yet to come.

     Lord, please help me not to be caught up in material concerns to the detriment of spiritual calls. Please let me have my daily bread so that I will not be distracted by wants, but please help me not let desires for more than I actually need get in the way of things that truly matter, like other people, and worshipping you. Help me to recognize how truly kind you are to me, and to give you credit and praise for your blessings to me and my family. Help me be willing to go out of my way for things that are important to you. Thank you for your care, Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. David and Solomon approached worship very grandly, perhaps more so than anyone today. What lessons might we be meant to take from the stories of the Temple?
  2. It may seem like an absurd amount of gold and silver was collected for use with the Temple construction, and we aren’t sure how all of it was used, but what impression do you think it would give to worship at a Temple where the walls were coated with gold? What if you knew that you, or your ancestor, contributed to building that Temple?
  3. Do you think it is harder to see yourself as receiving blessings from God when your income is from wages instead of through farming or spoils of battle?

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