David was old. Weak. Near death. And yet the future of the kingdom still depended on what happened in those final moments.
1 Kings opens with confusion, ambition, and uncertainty. Adonijah tried to take the throne for himself while David was still alive. He gathered supporters, hosted public celebrations, and acted like the kingdom already belonged to him. But God had already chosen Solomon.
There is an important lesson here: Not everyone who promotes themselves has been appointed by God.
Adonijah looked impressive. He sounded royal. He had influential friends. But appearances are not the same as obedience.
Meanwhile, David gave Solomon final instructions before his death. He did not simply tell his son how to rule politically. He told him how to live spiritually:
“Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands…” — 1 Kings 2:3
David understood something many people never learn: success is not measured merely by how long we live, how much we accumulate, or how powerful we become. A life is measured by faithfulness to God.
Even David himself was a reminder of that truth. His life had victories and failures, courage and sin, repentance and heartbreak. Yet through it all, David still trusted the promises of God. He died looking ahead to a kingdom he would not fully see in his lifetime.
That hope matters.
The Scriptures repeatedly point beyond temporary kingdoms toward the coming Kingdom of God — a kingdom ruled by the promised Son of David. David himself knew he would one day rest in the grave awaiting resurrection and restoration under God’s final King.
That is our hope too.
Not escape from earth. Not floating away forever somewhere distant. But resurrection, restoration, and life in God’s coming kingdom.
The beginning of Solomon’s reign reminds us that every generation must choose whether it will submit to God’s wisdom or chase its own ambitions.
And the ending of David’s life reminds us of another truth: Starting well is good. Finishing well is better.
Three Things to Remember
1. Self-promotion is not the same as God’s calling.
Adonijah exalted himself, but God had already chosen someone else.
2. The condition of the heart matters more than outward success.
David’s final concern was Solomon’s obedience to God.
3. Our ultimate hope is still future.
Like David, we wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises and the resurrection of the dead. The world teaches us to chase comfort, status, and recognition now. But Scripture constantly points us forward.
Toward a better King. A better kingdom. And a better future than this world can offer.
Reflection Questions
How do you tend to measure success in your own life or in the lives of others?
“A life is measured by faithfulness to God.” How is your life measuring up?
What have you started well that still needs to be finished well? What steps can you take toward that purpose?
Who has shared spiritual wisdom with you? What spiritual wisdom have you gained thus far that you can pass along?
What evidence can you find regarding David’s view of death? How is it like or unlike yours?
Prayer
Dear God – I thank You for the wisdom found in Your book and in Your people. Help me grow in wisdom, seeing what is most important, and faithfully living in obedience to You. Thank You for the promises You give, including the coming resurrection and kingdom with the Son of David (who is Your Son, too). In his name I pray.
In today’s 1 Corinthian 3 reading, there is a beautiful imagery and phrasing that really helps to understand many things. There was a devotion recently about “The Temple” (March 28) that gave some interesting facts about the importance of the Temple to the Jews, and some historical information that helped give context to some scriptures, but it didn’t really talk much about the layout and function of the temple itself. Today, we’ll partially correct that (with the understanding that due to brevity and space limitations, we’ll probably not ever get a full and deep understanding without branching off and digging vigorously).
So as far as the Temple, here’s how it was laid out. The whole complex in it’s entirety was about 500 x 500 cubits (that’d be about 750′ or 229(ish) meters per side) encompassed by a stone wall and then separated into distinct “courts” by a stone retaining wall (called the “soreg”). This fence separated the sacred inner areas from the Court of the Gentiles, beyond which Gentiles and the ceremonially unclean were forbidden to enter. Inside the soreg, the layout progressed through increasingly sacred zones: the Court of the Women: (the outermost court accessible to Jewish worshippers, featuring four corner chambers for storage and ritual purification). Then the Court of the Israelites: (a strip for men, separated from the priests’ area by slats, containing the Altar of Burnt Offering and the Laver for ritual washing). Then the Court of the Priests: (the innermost courtyard where priests conducted sacrifices, containing the Hall of the Priests and the Chamber of the Hearth).
The temple building itself, known as the Hekal, sat at the western end of the complex and consisted of the Vestibule, the Holy Place (housing the Menorah, Table of Showbread, and Altar of Incense), and the Holy of Holies (or, the Sanctuary). Unlike the First Temple, the Holy of Holies in the Second Temple was empty of the Ark of the Covenant, containing only the exposed foundation stone, and was separated from the Holy Place by two curtains rather than a solid wall (those were the curtains that were torn from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified, and were about 30′ tall). Whenever God’s presence was in the Temple, He was always in the Sanctuary or “Holy of Holies”. That was a long way to go to get here, but the point I was working at is: God was in the Sanctuary (the Holy of Holies), which was separated in layers going from the most sacred (closest to God) and working out to the least sacred (furthest from God).
In our reading of 1 Corinthians 3 today, after being told to make sure that our foundation in building is Jesus, the Christ, Paul goes on to say (in 1 Cor 3:16): “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (NASB). The translation here doesn’t do it justice, because the literal translation would read “that part of the temple where God himself resides”: the sanctuary, or “Holy of Holies”. Think about that for a moment, and then allow me a moment to wax poetically.
When God removed the temple, he replaced the temple of stone with a temple of flesh. YOUR flesh, if you are submitting to God’s authority. I speak often of “letting God sit on the throne of your heart” and this gives it an entirely new and deeper meaning to me, if I am the Sanctuary of God: of course he should, because that’s where God lives when he comes to the temple. WE are the temple.
In 1st Peter 2:4-5 we are described as “living stones” being formed into a spiritual house (or, temple). This tracks perfectly with what Paul is telling us here. To take that a little further, when we go through trials and tests, that is God smoothing the edges of His stones so they’ll fit better. Whenever we are tested in the fire, that is the kiln of God, strengthening us to make His temple stronger. We are just pieces of the master building that God is currently constructing, of which Jesus is the cornerstone, and the spirit of God is dwelling in each of us. When it is completed, and joined together and solid, imagine what a beautiful temple God will have.
There are some warnings and considerations though, think it through. God is a master builder, He will try to smooth our edges so we fit in properly, and strengthen us in the kiln, but if we are not fit to build with structurally we will be discarded. Good builders don’t use sub par materials, it puts the whole structure at risk. This is clearly told to us in the parable of the vine in John 15 where the vines that do not bear fruit are thrown into the fire and burned up.
If we allow God to sit in the Sanctuary of our heart, and His spirit to dwell within us, we will be found worthy, strong and able to bear a load. With God leading us, we will endure and persevere as the rough edges are smoothed and we are chiselled into the shape of His desiring. With the spirit of God dwelling inside us, the heat of the furnace will only strengthen us. If the Lord wills it, we will at the end of days be found to be pleasing and strong stones, built and mortared firmly together as a dwelling place for the Most High God, and built upon the strong cornerstone of His anointed king, Yeshua (Jesus). The imagery is so beautiful to me, I pray that I may not be found wanting and that I may honor the unwarranted favor which I’ve been shown. I pray the same for you.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Did you ever understand that when we had trials, God was shaping us? (See James 1:2-4)
What rough edges do you have left to smooth?
What particular fires are you going through now that will strengthen you?
How can we all grow stronger, and more suited to become the Temple that God desires?
PRAYER
Father God, break me, mold me, form me, fill me. Help me to become the thing which You wish me to be, to become a servant who is pleasing to You, and to fully submit to and appreciate the efforts and purpose to which I am being formed. Please grant me your wisdom and strength, so that the fires of life do not break me, but strengthen me. Forgive me when I fail you, and please teach me to be better at doing Your will. Thank you for everything You have done for me, may the lips of all of Your creation offer You praise. In Jesus name, Amen.
In our reading of Psalms today, we are reminded as the “sons of men” that we ALL have fallen short. In Ps 53:2-3 we see that, “God looks down from heaven…to see if there is anyone who has insight, anyone who seeks after God.” and that “Every one of them has turned back: together they have become worthless; There is no one who does good, not even one.” This is pretty harsh but if we are being completely honest, which one of us comes even close to accurately reflecting the merciful, loving character of our God? David notes this communal shortcoming on our part and laments (and prophecises) in Ps 52:6 “oh that the salvation of Israel would come…!”. At our very, very best we all don’t even hold a tiny sputtering candle to the blazing glory of God’s love and mercy.
Well, I say “all” but there was one son of man that did a pretty good job of it later. Here’s just one more of those really, really cool bits of foreshadowing in scripture that you don’t even see unless you’re digging a little. “The salvation” here in Ps 52:6 is literally יְשֻׁע֪וֹת (yeshuot), a variant of Yeshua. There are all kinds of hidden subtleties in scripture just like this one. David is lamenting that the salvation of God, Yeshua, hasn’t come yet; but when Jesus (Yeshua) came there was one son of man who did NOT fall short, the man whom God sent and would anoint as our King later in scripture, the Christ (Christ means simply “The Anointed One”, ie, anointed by God). Our role model Jesus (who self-identified as the “son of man” 72+ times in the scriptures) lived as an example to all of us other sons of men (ie, us human beings).
When the son of man came, Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, he completely submitted to the will of God. When his will and God’s will differed (and they did at times, see Mt 26:39), he sacrificed his own desires and submitted to the Most High God. As our role model and as our anointed King, it’s our job to strive to imitate that humility before God. In our Romans reading today, it speaks at length of submitting to the governing authorities. I suggest that additionally our governing authority should be our King, Jesus, who represents perfectly the will of God who sent him. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt 6:33), and “make no provision for the flesh in regards to it’s lusts” (Rom 13:14, one of my favorite self correction verses).
In 2 Sam 5-6 today we see David is coming in to power and is made king, and eventually the split kingdoms of Judah and Israel are once again reunited (@1004 BC) under his monarchy. In chapter 5 it details the elders coming to David and asking him to be king, his initial victories and accumulation of power, gathering more wives and concubines, and battling the Philistines. Then in the beginning of chapter 6 we see David gathering up a large group of men and going to recover the Ark of the Covenant from Abinadab’s house, where it had been sitting for 40-60 years. Wait a minute, why has the most precious relic of Israel been sitting at some guy’s house for the last half century-ish!? Well, to find that answer we’ll have to dig a little, and flip back over to 1 Sam. To really get the full flavor of the story I recommend starting about 1 Sam 2:12 and reading (slowly and carefully) through about 1 Sam 7:2 (this is a great story).
In 1 Sam 2:12-17 it details some of the sins of Eli’s children (priests, sons of the High Priest) against God, and the High Priest fails to honor God over his sons. This provokes a dire promise from Yahweh to Samuel in 1 Sam 3:11 that “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle“. The only time this specific verbage was used later (2 Ki 21:12, Jer 19:3) was just before the temple was destroyed and the Babylonian exile commenced, so you know that this was going to be a really big deal, and really bad. As a culmination of this particular warning, Eli and his sons die, and the Ark of the Covenant (the most holy relic) was captured by the Philistines (1 Sam 4). This was bad.
Speaking of bad, the Philistines soon learned to their dismay that taking the Ark of the Covenant and keeping it were two very different propositions. God struck them with confusion, plagues, and tumors (*the afflictions seem to be in the form of confusion, desolation causing/crop eating mice, and tumors based on their proposed solution in 1 Sam 6:1-18). They brought it initially to Ashdod and set it up in the temple of Dagon (a pagan ‘deity’, ie, idol), and it broke their “god” (repeatedly) and then “made them desolate and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and it’s territories.” (1 Sam5:1-6). So, in terror, they sent the Ark to Gath (where Goliath was from), and they too were struck with confusion, tumors, and plagues (1 Sam 5:8-9). The Gath lads had enough and sent it to Ekron, where the Ekronites cried out “They have brought the Ark of the God of Israel around to us to put us and our people to death!“, were similarly afflicted, and then they all decided to get rid of it by sending it back off to Israel (1 Sam 5 10-12).
When it arrived in Beth-Shemesh over 50,000 men were “struck down” because they foolishly looked into the Ark (1 Sam 16-21). They asked the folks at Kiriath-jearim to come take it please, and there it sat in Abinadab’s house (who took special precautions) for the next 40-60 years. Please recall God’s warning (and the cautionary tale of Nadab and Abihu) in Lev 10:3; God will be treated as holy by those who come near Him. Brian Froehlich did a great devotional on this on 5/3.
So now back in 2 Samuel, David has become king, and sets out to retrieve this most holy relic for the nation of Israel. So, he got a new cart to carry it on and set out with much pomp and celebration (2 Sam 6:1-5). Then, the new cart almost tips over so Uzzah (Abinadab’s son) reaches out to steady it and is struck dead (2 Sam 6: 6-8) and “David was afraid of Yahweh that day” (2 Sam 6:9), and decides to leave the cart (and the Ark) there nearby along the route in the house of Obed-edom (2 Sam 6:9-11). When David later hears that Obed-edom is being blessed, on account of the Ark, David decides maybe he should go get it after all (2 Sam 6:11-12). Thus begins Operation Retrieve The Ark, take 2.
The second attempt, they had the celebration music again as before, but this time whenever those who were carrying the Ark took six paces he sacrificed an ox and a fatling (2 Sam 6:13). Think about that a moment: step, step, step, step, step, step: stop, sacrifice. Repeat, all the way to Jerusalem. How far was it from Obed-edom’s house to Jerusalem? I’m not sure, but I’d wager “too far” if you were an ox or a fatling. Do you think they’d learned their lesson, and began to treat God as holy? It rather sounds like it to me, and the whole time this was going on, David was dancing with all his might in an ephod (his underwear) before Yahweh (2 Sam 14). Almost manically as if his very life depended on it, you might say (and you would be correct). Clearly David thought so, at the very least. “…“It is what Yahweh spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be glorified.’” (Lev 10:3). Dance, with all your might!
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
We know that we have all fallen short. How can we stand, and get closer to God? (list or think of 3 actions that will personally assist you in getting closer to God)
At times, do you “make provision for the flesh”, and how can you instead make provision for heavenly matters? (list or think of a couple specific personal changes in behavior)
When you come near God, do you treat Him as holy? How can you do better?
PRAYER
Lord God, Most Holy God, I know that I have fallen short of your will for me so many times and I am so sorry. Forgive me, Father. Please help me to draw nearer to you, to humbly seek to do your will at all times, and to listen and obey when you speak to me. Please guide me, instruct me, and discipline me when needed. Help me to reflect your character to all of my brothers and sisters, to honor You, and to be a servant that pleases You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I don’t know if any of you have noticed recently, but the world sure isn’t getting any better to live in. There’s still a lot of really terrible things that happen all the time, everywhere. There is rarely harmony and peace when I happen to check the news. Across the world we see the ongoing impact of a lack of peace from country to country, state to state, and family to family.
‘Peace’ can be both a verb, and a noun, and has six different meanings according to Merriam-Webster. In Romans 12:18, the Greek word for “living at peace” or “live peaceably” is εἰρηνεύοντες (Thank you, Google!). It is a present, active participle. This means it is an action assigned to a subject (in this case, a person) to do consistently.
This peace is much more than just a lack of conflict or disagreement. This peace is one that takes ongoing work. This same Greek word is also used by Jesus in Mark 9:50 where he reminds those to “have salt, and be at peace with one another”. In this passage, it seems Jesus is tying this peace to a distinct trait amongst Christians. Paul is doing the same in his letter to the Roman church. He is listing out many unique traits believers should portray to live out their lives as “living sacrifices” (v.1).
Consider what Paul writes about in this chapter – humbling yourself, working for the betterment of one group, hating evil, honoring others above yourself, being joyful and patient and faithful, blessing those who persecute, living at peace, not taking revenge, feeding your enemy, overcoming evil with good… All of these things are downright WEIRD in our society! And that’s exactly the point – this is how we are not conformed to the pattern of the world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds (v.2). As believers, we should be standing out as total weirdos in our world.
Peace that takes work doesn’t always look like staying silent. Certainly in some moments it can, however, in many situations it looks like asking thoughtful questions, respectfully sharing truth, being willing to disagree and yet still show love to others. Being peaceful may often look like standing up or standing out from the rest of the crowd. It is not something that will come naturally, or even be easy to do.
While “living at peace” is an active verb, where the subject has to take action, “be transformed” is a passive verb; the subject here has to receive the action. What does this mean for us? It means that we are not the ones doing the transforming by ourselves… we are not the ones that can renew our own minds. This is something that is done to us, so that we can do all of those other wonderful things Paul describes for others. Which is why it makes sense that the world simply cannot be better than it is, unless it too experiences the transforming renewal that Jesus Christ can offer. We eagerly await his return, knowing that with it, he will bring a forever peace to this earth. I am truly so excited for that day!
Reflection Questions:
How would you describe the differences between the types of ‘peace’ that is in the world today, versus the type of peace Paul calls believers to?
In the list of traits and characteristics Paul calls the Church to have and be, which stand out to you most as areas for improvement in your life? What could you do today to practice?
Prayer:
Thank You Father for Your good, acceptable and perfect will. I want to be smack dab in the middle of Your will. Thank You for your tranforming me when I renew my mind and focus on You not on the world. I do not want to look like or follow the world. Help me always desire and put forth effort to do the hard work of living at peace with humility, service, and Your wisdom, direction and love. We pray for the return of Your Son!
I have personally never practiced tree grafting. I did a quick online search to better understand the process, where I learned a few things. Although the process is not very labor intensive, it requires a lot of precision and time before there is any success. Those branches tend to be very easily torn away from the root when disruption occurs, or just reject the graft and die out. Grafting is known in many circles of horticulture as a science and an art.
When considering this metaphor, it highlights to me the real validity to Paul’s warning to us Gentiles in verse 20. We have been grafted into an amazing promise, but we aren’t naturally connected to the root. This should cause us to tremble! Indeed, we know nothing can separate us from the love of God, but we also know our own rejection of the root will certainly cause us to lose our life source. We need to take a moment to understand that God’s kindness will continue, provided we continue in His kindness (v. 22).
What would it look like to reject the root we have been grafted into? It could be rejecting the truth of Jesus Christ, by denying him as the Messiah. It could look like ignoring the expectations we have for humbling ourselves, or not confessing and turning away from sin. It could also look like attempting to keep ourselves connected by our own hand, thinking we can create our own life source out of “doing good”, ultimately rejecting grace (v.6). David writes with similar imagery in Psalm 52:3-7, describing the man who trusted himself rather than making God his stronghold, and as a result, was uprooted! In all of these things, our own actions are the common denominator. No, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. And yet, we must cling to the life-giving root in order to be saved.
More than that, we should be rooting for others (pun only slightly intended) to also cling to the same source of life we are! Our God has the desire to graft ALL in – the root is not going anywhere, and all are welcome, but they must accept the source.
I learned something else in my searches on tree grafting… a failed graft can be redone until it’s completely dead. It may take extra time and attention, some readjusting, pruning, and reconnecting, but it can be done and still become a successful branch that bears fruit! Failures in our faith walk can often be corrected, and we have an incredibly patient and merciful God who loves to give second (and third, or fourth) chances. To Him be the glory forever!
Reflection Questions
Have you had moments where you have experienced being “re-grafted” back to the root? How have those experiences shaped and changed how you grow today?
Why do you think some people may reject the “root”? What way could you share the gospel with them that would be more impactful?
Prayer:
Dear God, I praise You for the life You give and for Your wisdom and knowledge which are so far beyond my own. Help me not be blind to You, Your purpose, Your kindness, as well as Your severity. Help me see Your ways and walk in them always, guiding others also to come to You to be miraculously grafted into Your life-giving way through Your Son.
For anyone who is married or in a long-term relationship, do you recall when you first started dating your significant other? Or, perhaps when you first met your best friend? You may have rearranged your schedule to spend more time with them, told your friends about their good qualities, and depending on your generation, maybe you started posting pictures or even changed your relationship status on social media to show the public you were connected to them. The relationship impacted, and even interrupted, your life and caused you to act differently in your day-to-day.
Coming off of Romans 9, it can be challenging for Christians to take seriously the responsibility of spreading the gospel. We just read that God saves who He decides, right? So what does it matter if we tell others, if it’s not really up to us at all? Well, for one thing, it’s a pretty clear expectation that Jesus commands as an act of obedience (see Matthew 28:19). But beyond that, we should desire to share the good news of our Messiah simply because we love our relationship with him! Throughout chapter 10 of Romans, Paul describes a proclamation and confession of faith that should impact our life and cause us to spread the good news – ultimately creating an opportunity for others to hear and experience salvation should they choose to confess Jesus as their Lord. Not only is it a life-changing blessing for them to hear, but often it can be a life-changing blessing for those who speak it as well!
Our confession of Jesus Christ as our Lord is not only through our mouth, or even only through baptism; it is through our daily lives and how we reflect Christ to others, especially non-believers. Our proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah must go out beyond our church walls, or it’s not really being proclaimed. You and I must be the beautiful feet spreading the greatest news, because of how head-over-heels in love with it we are.
It’s not our job to bring salvation to the world (we sure couldn’t even if we tried), but it is our job to share about the one who already has. Our faith should change every part of our life so that simply by existing, we are confessing Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
We change our lives when we meet someone we know is going to be important to us. We get excited to tell other people about them. How much more then, should we be shouting from the rooftops how wonderful our Messiah is?
Reflection Questions
Sometimes people may hide behind perspectives such as “I’m too introverted to share Jesus with others” or “I don’t really have the gift of evangelism”. While there is a chance those things are true, we all still have our lives changed by Jesus, and as a result, have the opportunity to share him with others. What are ways you could confess Jesus outwardly in your life this week, even if it doesn’t look like what you may expect it to?
Think back on your own personal testimony. Whose beautiful feet may have introduced you to Jesus? Have you thanked that person, or persons, recently for blessing you with that beautiful message? If not, I challenge you to do that this week!
Prayer
Dear Father, I thank You for Your goodness and love and plan of salvation through Your Son, the Chosen Messiah. Thank You for putting me in a place where I could hear and accept and now share the good news. Thank You for all the mouths and hearts and actions confessing Jesus as Lord. I want to love Jesus more and more. Help me share You and Jesus with more zeal, knowledge, boldness and compassion.
I am excited to be back with you all again this year! We will be focused primarily on our Romans passages this week, but will pop back and forth between our others as well. Be sure to take time to continue to read the story of David, and enjoy the Psalms!
In Romans 5, we read about the abundance of grace God offers to us through the death of Jesus. Paul begins chapter 6 assuming the rigid Romans would now be attempting to “logically justify” their own fleshly desires, to which Paul gives them NO opportunity to misinterpret his message. In verses 1 and 15 Paul calls out “By NO means” are we to continue to live in our sinful nature! We are set free from whatever struggles we may face, and instead bound to a loving, faithful, and holy God that promises us an everlasting life with Him when we become slaves to righteousness.
What’s more remarkable is that this ‘slavery to God’ does not fit the typical role of slavery. Slaves offered something to their masters – labor resulting in some profit. Their sacrifices brought about something of value and worth to their masters. In case you forgot, God needs no laborers. He needs no profit. There is nothing we could ever do that would give something to God He could not get Himself. There is no sacrifice we could offer that would bring more value or worth (see Psalms 50) to us in His eyes. AND YET, we are called to offer every part of ourselves as instruments of righteousness (v. 13). Why? Because we know the wages of sin is death, and we have been given a gift of eternal life (v.23) when we submit ourselves to the One who created us.
This simple truth of the gospel so easily loses its grandeur. Pause a moment here and reflect on this:
You are no longer bound to sin that leads to death.
You are free to accept the gift of eternal life.
Jesus Christ has indeed died to sin once for all, so we may reap the benefits of eternal life.
You are under God’s grace.
You too, may live a new life, my friend.
Reflection Questions:
Is there a sin in your life you are allowing to hold you captive? Confess it now, and experience freedom.
What practical way can you offer every part of yourself to God today?
Prayer:
Dear Father,
Thank you for being a great God and master who gives the incredible gift of grace through Your son Jesus. Thank you for making a way out so I no longer need to be a slave to sin. Help me walk in newness of life now and eternal life in Your Coming Kingdom.
Today’s reading in 1 Samuel 5-6 is so thought-provoking. I can’t help but wonder, how could these people be directly confronted with the power of God and not be convinced to follow Him as the one true God and to forsake all other gods? They literally witnessed firsthand the terrifying wrath of God Almighty as they were plagued with tumors and their “god” Dagon was reduced to a beheaded and dismembered statue. In our modern times, it is truly mind-boggling to me that anyone can see the beauty and splendor of earth (the variety of flowers, trees, natural landscapes, etc.) and our amazing bodies (immune system, regeneration, etc.) and conclude it happened by mere explosive chance. It reminds me that we can’t take it personally when people don’t accept the gospel message in spite of our best efforts. We have to be faithful that God knows hearts and He can find a way to reach them if their hearts are open. Today’s reading in Acts 26 is such a great testimony to that concept. Paul testifies to King Agrippa about his actions toward Christians while he was a Pharisee:
9 In fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them. 11 In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme. Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities. (CSBA)
God knew Paul’s heart and he used Jesus Christ to reach Paul. Paul had to literally be struck blind before he could finally “see” the light. We are wisely advised in Matthew 10:14 regarding what to do when others reject the gospel message we share:
14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.
It’s also important to remember that we could be planting a seed that might bear fruit down the road because God will see to it that it comes to fruition based on that person’s heart. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 reminds us of this important point:
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. (ESV)
In the meantime, we must not give up as advised in Galatians 6:9:
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (ESV)
When I signed up for today’s devotion, I did so specifically because Psalm 46 is one of my absolute favorite passages in the Bible; therefore, I can’t end this devotion without tying in this beloved chapter. This passage is a great reminder that when we encounter trouble in this world (including resistance to the gospel message), we can be comforted by verse 1 that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (ESV) Be obedient and share the gospel message, and then give it to God.
9 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress . (ESV)
Reflection Questions
What were some of Paul’s experiences in sharing the gospel message?
What have your experiences been in sharing the gospel message? Do you let the fear of, or past negative reactions keep you from trying?
What can you learn from Paul?
What makes God and His Son so worthy of sharing with others? What happens when we don’t?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, You are the One True God – worthy of all praise and worship and worthy of our dedication to sharing the good news. I confess the times I have not taken advantage of all the opportunities You place before me to share what a great, worthy God You are. Help me be who You want me to be. Help me learn from Paul and boldly, with a heart of compassion and urgency, share with others who You are and what You and Your Son have done and will do. Thank You for opening and changing hearts and being the help I need today.
Psalms 42 is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. This song of the Sons of Korah is replete with suffering and lamenting coupled with a deep yearning for God’s rescue. I appreciate how the subject of this song is recognizing his downcast and disturbed emotional state and is questioning why he feels that way and then reminds himself to put his hope in God and then makes a conscious choice to still praise Him in spite of how he feels.
In verse 6, the Psalmist decides to manage these downcast feelings by remembering better times. In verse 8, it seems to me that this person uses daily prayer to try to stay close to God:
“By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.” (NIV)
In spite of these efforts, doubts start to creep in during verse 9. The person feels forgotten by God, taunted by their foes who ask “Where is your God?” As they notice their faith wavering, we see them circling back in verse 11 to the same questioning we saw in verse 5 about why they feel so downcast and disturbed. This questioning is then once again quickly followed by a reminder that they will put their hope in God and still choose to praise Him. It’s a resounding chorus that comes around at just the right time.
This roller coaster of feelings is so relatable to me. We can get so bogged down in our trials that God can start to feel so very far away, but that’s when we need to take a cue from the Psalmist here and remember to put our hope in God and make a choice to praise Him. We need a resounding chorus at the ready that reminds us that we can trust God to care for us in our time of need. What would your resounding chorus sound like?
Reflection Questions
What do you generally do when your soul is in despair? Do any of those things put your soul in deeper despair?
What does it look like and sound like to put your hope in God?
When does God deserve our praise? When was your hardest time to praise God, but you did it anyway?
Prayer
Dear God, You are a great God! My desire is to put my hope in You, fully and completely, even and especially on the days my soul is in despair. I want to praise you well all of my days. You are worthy and deserving, my Savior and my God, the giver of all good gifts, including Your Son and salvation. Help me see, feel and remember with deep gratitude. I love you, LORD.
Acts 16:25: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them” (NIV). I am always deeply moved by this passage and always wonder what those hymns consisted of. According to the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary, “As the word here employed is that used to denote the Paschal hymn sung by our Lord and His disciples after their last Passover (Mt 26:30), and which we know to have consisted of Ps 113:1-118:29, which was chanted at that festival, it is probable that it was portions of the Psalms, so rich in such matter, which our joyous sufferers chanted forth; nor could any be more seasonable and inspiring to them than those very six Psalms, which every devout Jew would no doubt know by heart.”
Of course I had to rush to read Ps. 113-118 to try and imagine what that might have sounded like. I noticed several lines from these passages that are found in modern-day worship songs like
“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Ps. 113:3, NIV)
and
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever”. (Ps. 118:1, NIV)
Further down on Ps. 118, I spotted some great words of comfort that no doubt really resonated with the other prisoners:
5
When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7
The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
What an incredible witness they were to the faithfulness of God and their faithfulness to God! They were so kingdom-focused that they didn’t dream of taking the opportunity to escape when their shackles fell off. Not only were they a tremendous witness to the prisoners, but to the guard when they refused to escape. Their faithfulness to their God-given mission resulted in the guard and his household becoming believers. Praise in the midst of hardship is a recurring theme in this week’s readings. Many are watching us and listening to us and we have the opportunity to be a great testimony by how we react to our trials and struggles. Do we reflect the faith of Paul and Silas?
Reflection Questions
When faced with a difficult (or worse) day, what are some of your first responses? Are there times you let worry, fear, complaining, blaming, self-pity, negativity, shutting down, lashing out, or other harmful responses take over?
How might praying, and singing hymns and worship songs (especially those created from Scripture, so I will even add recalling and reading the Bible) be helpful to you? And beneficial to those around you?
Do you reflect the faith of Paul and Silas? What could you commit to working on this week to boost your faith and your testimony of God’s faithfulness, even when your life has some challenges along the way?
Prayer
Dear God, Thank you for being a faithful God. You do not desert Your children. I am sorry for the times I have neglected to turn to You first with prayer and worship and filling my mouth and mind and heart with Your perfect words of hope, comfort, righteousness, correction, mercy, love and faithfulness. Help me see that You and all of the good gifts You have already supplied are sufficient for my needs, even on days I experience trials. May I forever be a faithful witness of Your faithfulness to me.
Seek Grow Love 