Tag: history of Israel

2 Viewpoints

1 Kings 9 & 2 Chronicles 8

1 Kings 9:1-7(NLT) So Solomon finished building the Temple of the LORD, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do. 2 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had done before at Gibeon. 3 The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.4 “As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, 5 then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: ‘One of your descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ 6 “But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, 7 then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations

2 Chronicles 8:12-15(NLT) Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple. 13 He offered the sacrifices for the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals, and the three annual festivals—the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters—as Moses had commanded. 14 In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God. 15 Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries.

A great question we can ask about Kings and Chronicles is “why were the histories of the children of Israel recorded twice?”

I think that the answer is in the perspective of the leaders and kings actions in the books of Samuel and Kings where the perspective is that of God and how He sees what the kings and men do, and where their hearts are.  In Chronicles it is much more the picture from the historical standpoint of man to the things that the kings do.  When we read, we see motive from God’s viewpoint in the Samuel and Kings records. We see more of a historical view in Chronicles.  I am not a student of who wrote down the Chronicles, but scholars who are think that maybe one or two men wrote down the book after the return from Babylon, perhaps Ezra.  They wrote because it would give their people a history that maybe they did not know. And also to help to give legitimacy to their present kingdom after the captivity.  By emphasizing the faithfulness of God they were giving hope to the people that God would reestablish them in the land and as a kingdom.

Are you inspired by this history to be more trusting of God and His Word?

Kings has unique information that is not in Chronicles, and vice versa.   The information and perspective are different, and we need to read both books.  Also the Chronicles are considered to be the last books added to the Hebrew cannon of scripture and are last in their scrolls of books.  The reason for the first and second books of both is related to the size of a scroll that could be produced at that time, not to a discontinuity between the first and second books. 

-Tom Siderius

Reflection Questions

Do you feel it is important for us to read these records?

What perspective should we have on these historical records?

I hope and pray today that God is giving you more confidence in His faithfulness and care as we read through these OT records.

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A Tale of Two “PKs”

*Old Testament: 1 Samuel 7-8

Poetry: Psalm 66

New Testament: 2 Corinthians 8

As a preacher with kids, married to the daughter of a preacher, who was the son of a preacher, I know a fair share of PKs. You’ve heard the term, or maybe something like it : preacher’s kid, pastor’s kid. It is at once a purely descriptive term and a stereotype; his father is a pastor, so he must have problems. I think any such stereotypes are untrue; again I am married to a pastor’s daughter and have my own! But, the stereotype comes from somewhere. Often kids of prominent figures must do more than the average kid to “find themself” and feel like they are being defined by their family of origin. This can lead to precocious behavior and rebellion. I have also heard sad stories of men and women who “gave everything to the church,” to the work they were called to do, forget that their first calling was to their home, to love and raise their children first. 

The sad truth is that, whatever the reason, Samuel’s faith didn’t make it to his sons. Preacher’s kids (prophet’s kids?) through and through, they fit the unfortunate stereotype. They did not follow the ways of their father. We can’t know if Samuel did everything he could and they rebelled or Samuel was absent and they didn’t have the chance to learn. But they were dishonest and greedy. They were being set up to be the next leaders (judges) of Israel, but Israel did not want them. 

Remember the pattern of Israel through Judges. The nation of Israel is oppressed and cries out to the Lord. The Lord provides a judge to crush their enemies and guide them well. Israel thanks God but over time loses sight of his ways. They disobey God and turn away from him and he causes a nation to go in and remind them to follow him. So a nation goes in to oppress Israel and the nation of Israel cries out… and the cycle repeats. The time had come however, when the Israelites didn’t want to rely on the Lord for their deliverance. They want to have a king, a Powerful King (PK) to rule over them. 

Why? Because, though the people of Israel might think they are avoiding those who are greedy and rebellious, the greedy rebellion is happening as they speak: they are rebelling against God by asking for a Powerful King over them. How? Didn’t God want them to have a king? Maybe, in his own time and in his own way, he would bring about a king after his own heart without the elders asking for it, but it was the motive of the elders that was terrible. The elders say “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” (1 Samuel 8:5) They say “God, we don’t want to rely on you. God, we don’t want you to be our king and to speak to us through prophets. God, we want to have a king like everyone else!”

We don’t want to be special. To be different. To stick out. We want to be like everyone else. And God hears their hearts “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” Samuel warns them kings are powerful, kings are harsh… “Davids” will be the exception; “Sauls” will be the rule. But they say “There shall be a king over us, that we may be like all the nations, that our king may rule us and go out and fight our battles.”

Why talk about prophet’s kids and powerful kings? Both are a rejection of the best God has for us; the sons of Samuel rejected the words of their father and lived lives that were corrupt and evil and despised. They had the opportunity to lead the people of Israel, to be remembered as a judge over God’s people, and they squandered it. But the elders fared no better. Rather than asking for a word from the Lord, they want to get away from God being their only king and have a king like everyone else, to be like everyone else. 

May you today accept that you are called to be different, and accept Jesus Christ as the King who rules over you, to make you different, unique, and not like everyone else.

May you not rebel against the good things taught to you by your parents or parents in the faith. When you learn true thing about the Lord, from whatever source, may you honor it, and not reject the good things that come to you from those who came before. 

May rebellion and rejecting God be far from *us* today. 

The Lord help us, judge us and lead us. Amen.

-Jake Ballard

Reflection Questions

  1. Faithful Kids: Who were your parents in the faith? Was it your mom and dad? An aunt or uncle? A friend or pastor or youth worker? What did they teach you that stuck with you? If they are still alive, do they know the impact they had on you? Reach out and let them know how their life impacted your own!
  2. Not like Everyone Else: How many times have you wished to be like everyone else? That your clothes, your hair, your face, your nose, didn’t make you stick out? That the way you walked or talked or believed didn’t make you weird? The message from scripture is to embrace the weird way Jesus calls us to because normal doesn’t seem to be working! It’s weird to have a full life, a hopeful life, a passionate life. That’s weird… and it’s what Jesus offers!
  3. A Good King: Jesus has the right and ability to take everything, but I have found that the more I give to Jesus, the more he gives back to me. I give him my home for his use, but I have been given the home of every believer who shows hospitality. I give him my money for his use, but I know that if I need support, I will find It. I give him my very life, and he gives me a life worth living. Will you let the good king have all that he demands? Will you be ready to receive the blessings that he will give in return?
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1 Samuel – Day 1

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 63

New Testament: 2 Corinthians 5

People have done so many word studies on the Bible that, based on the translation and the parameters, we know almost everything there is to know about word usage. Take, for example, this link : https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/ken.flerlage/viz/BibleWordAnalysis_0/Books

The guy who made this “tableau” was simply trying to understand all world religions, starting with the Bible; similar to the way someone might analyze the words of a politician to see if they should vote for him or her. What I found fascinating is that if you focus on 1-2 Samuel, the word “Samuel” is used 126 times. The guy the books are named after only shows up that many times, and only a little bit after he dies. I also don’t mean he is *mentioned* after he dies, I mean he literally *shows up*. However, besides “Lord” there is one word used more than any other:

David. 484 times. “Lord” is only used 517. 

Over the next two weeks, we are going to focus on the story of the kingdom of Israel and the earliest part of the story of their kings.

But today, as you read about Elkanah, Hannah, Peninnah, these baby-mamas and their baby-drama, it is important to set the scene for the next few books. The life of Samuel, born to Hannah and raised in the temple, was a time of transition. The people of Israel have been led for hundreds of years (something between 350-410 years) by judges. Judges were men and women who were divinely empowered to rule the people of Israel after they cried out to the Lord. And they ruled well. But the problem, as the Israelites will come to see it, is that Israel is not like the other nations. They wanted a king upon the earth, so that they could look like everyone else. But, in doing so, they rejected God, who was to be the only king who would reign over them.

So, through Samuel, God institutes the first kings of Israel. While this is not the path God wanted for his people (as we shall see), God, ever good and ever wise, allowed his people to make this choice and then used their choice, their rebellion, their sin, to be a way that he would show his glory. He took the people of Israel turning their back on him and worked it into his plan to bring about the Messiah. The judges ruled through empowerment, but the kings ruled through birthright. God indicated that the Messiah would be the child of King David. You have just finished reading Ruth, and God used this Moabitess in order to bring about the Great King of Israel, even the man after God’s own heart. God is in the business of using things we would never think to use in order to bring about greater things than we could ever imagine; he is an artist that strikes the canvas with a color that at first doesn’t look right, but with the right blending, the right technique, and the right eye, turns what seems to be a mistake into a work of art. 

We have two weeks to cover 1 Samuel, the Kingdom of Israel, and King David. 

Let’s begin. 

  1. Comparing Judges and Kings: While it’s true that God did not want his people to have a King (because they were rejecting God’s Kingship), the book of judges itself does not paint the kingship in a bad light. Read Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, and 21:25. Why does the author use the specific refrain we read in those verses? What is the king implied to bring?
  2. Faith History: Jesus’s family tree includes the neglected Tamar, the harlot Rahab, the Moabite Ruth, the survivor of assault Bathsheba, and the many murderers, liars, cheats and swindlers that make up everyone’s family tree. What stories about your history can you bring to the foot of the cross because it doesn’t define you? God does not care where you came from, only the faith you have today.
  3. Personal History: While it should not cause us to misbehave on purpose, it is an encouraging thought that God can take even our mistakes and use them for our good. What are parts of your life that you would like to forget? Parts that when you tell your story you leave out? The power and goodness of our God and the love and grace of Jesus means that even those parts can become cause for joy about what God has done in spite of our evil, or the wickedness or brokenness of the world. 

-Jake Ballard

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Covenant with the One True God

Theme Week: 1 God, 1 Messiah: Nehemiah 9

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 3 & 4

Psalms Reading: Psalm 78

To read Nehemiah 9 after Deuteronomy 6 could make a jarring shift of perspective, as we are skipping almost to the end of Old Testament history. But certain elements remain the same. The group that has gathered in mourning is the Hebrew people, hearing Moses’ words from Deuteronomy (“the Book of the Law”). They have received a call to commitment, but not in preparation for the people’s history with God in the promised land. Rather, after looking back on many centuries of Israel’s history, leaders of the people (who at this point are not a nation but under the rule of Persia) are signing a pledge to serve God as they were always meant to.

     A poor understanding of God’s intentions from the Book of the Law was part of the problem. That book is meant to be read aloud to the nation every seventh year (31:9-11), but such readings rarely took place. In fact we are told more than once in Nehemiah that the people had forgotten about certain laws. Just before our chapter the people learned about the existence of the Feast of Booths, and they commemorated it for the first time since the days of Joshua (Nehemiah 8:14-18).

     Reading through the people’s history as the chapter describes it may make it difficult to understand why God did turn back in mercy so often, but God set the precedent at the very start. God “chose” Abram because of his faith and made a covenant with Abram which included blessings on Abram’s descendants; they had to survive (v. 7, NASB). And at the very base level God fulfills promises because God is righteous, not because anyone else is (v. 8). That is part of why God deserves and receives the praise He is given throughout the chapter. God is not like the idols, not only in being real, God is not like the selfish and inconsistent beings they were described as being.

     In jumping from Deuteronomy to Nehemiah we have skipped over centuries of difficult history, full of incomplete response to God’s direction. If you haven’t read the events of that history it might be unclear to you how idolatry maintained its presence in the promised land during those centuries. But even when reading those texts you may be left muttering “why?” at different points. God showed His power in judgment time and again, as well as demonstrating powerful mercy when the people called out to Him, but time and again the people turned away. The mourners did not intend to sugarcoat that history. They arrived at this balanced plea about their situation: “Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before you . . . However, You are just in all that has come upon us” (v. 32, 33). In effect they said ‘Please don’t decide that we should suffer more for our past failings, but we will not question what you have done.’

     Coming after all that pain, it would be nice to think that the people had finally ended the cycle of idolatry, and established a commitment to the Law, but it seems they had not. The “last straw” event for idolatry in the land was tied to the Maccabean Revolt (160s B.C.). So while the pledge of devotion was a heartfelt effort at a changed relationship with God, it was not permanent, or it did not sweep over the whole people. (The Bible does not record what happened, the events occurred in the 400-year gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament.)

     Lord, I think it can be easy for our own lives to resemble the history of Israel in Nehemiah 9, for you to choose to enter a covenant with us and bring great moments of rescue, and food and water as support in our personal deserts. But many of us have also been through some cycles where we turned stubborn shoulders and stiff necks and wouldn’t give you our ear. Thank you that you are patient and righteous. Thank you that you do not give up on what you know to be true. For myself, at least, thank you for putting me through enough hardship, at least in my heart, to keep me attentive to you and your will. In the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions:

  1. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties. God chose to put Himself under a covenant with Abram and then reemphasized and clarified it with his descendants. Verse 32 describes God as “the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness” – how important do you think the fact of covenant is to God’s willingness to maintain patience with His people?
  2. Have you felt that you were caught in a cycle of struggles with God? Do you remember that God is in a covenant with you? Recall that God isn’t going anywhere.
  3. It can be striking how unthankful the Hebrews sometimes seemed. Looking through the chapter, find five or so good things God did for the Hebrews – do you think they gave God enough thanks for them?   With that in mind, can you identify items or events that are in any way comparable that God has done or promised for you? Do you think you have thanked God as much as you think the Hebrews should have done in your place? If you have not, what do you think causes the difference? (Is it one of perspective, in perceiving another person’s issues compared to yourself? Is it about thinking the Hebrews should have been more thankful because you know they were punished for their behavior?) How highly do you value the expression of thankfulness to God, in itself? How highly do you think God values it?

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Keep These Desires

1 Chronicles 29

March 20

Our reading today of 1 Chronicles 29 is from a book in the Bible that I realize I have often overlooked and not fully appreciated for its historical significance. Because of where it falls in our Bible, if I am reading through the OT when I run into it, I find myself thinking, “didn’t I just read that?”  because of its retelling of some stories from 1 and 2 Samuel and I and 2 Kings.

Since I like history and context in what I’m reading, I thought I’d dig around for a little information to help me understand more as we jump into this last chapter of 1 Chronicles. While 1 Chronicles falls mid-way in our Old Testaments, in most Hebrew Bibles it forms the conclusion as the last book. 1 Chronicles was originally combined with II Chronicles when written in the 5th century BC , and it was written ~ 600 years after the stories it tells.  Time wise, that would be like me writing about what happened in the Middle Ages today. During that long period of time, some major things had changed in the world. The fall of Israel, the exile of the Jews, the growth of the Roman Empire and emerging development of the Greeks, and the eventual return of Ezra (believed by many to be the author of Chronicles) and some exiled Jews to rebuild the temple centuries later.

As Chapter 29 starts with verse 1, we are reminded that GOD does not choose people to serve Him as the world chooses, and the tasks He calls us to are great because He is worthy.

“Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God.”

As the chapter goes along, we get some of the details of the temple reviewed which are pretty noteworthy. Like umm….100 metric tons of gold! It makes me think a little more about what the kingdom will be like given what His earthly temple included.

Verses 10-19 are such a beautiful prayer of David in his later years, and we hear fatherly wisdom and child-like humility all at once.  In his prayer for his son, he understands what to ask for. Not health, happiness, security, peace, or victories, but what he knows matters most,

v. 19  “And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees. . .”

The chapter ends retelling the stories of Solomon being made king and his unprecedented level of splendor, and ends with David dying, to sleep with his fathers until the return of Jesus.

I am glad these parts were some of the ones chosen to be retold, and I can see why they were worth the reminder for the Israelites at that time. Despite everything else changing around them, God was sovereign. With or without a temple, God was sovereign. With or without a king, God was sovereign and had a plan to continue King David’s line forever through the coming Messiah. Thousands of years later, David’s prayer and hope is still applicable for all of us.

-Jennifer Hall

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What changes have you seen in your lifetime? What has changed in the past 2000 years? How do you see a sovereign God over all history?
  2. David and the people gave generously a great amount of gold, silver, bronze, iron and precious stones for the building of the temple. David said, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” What has God blessed you with? How will you use it to honor Him?
  3. David prayed, “Keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.” What desires and thoughts was he referring to? Are these desires and thoughts in your heart today? Is your heart loyal to God? Are there areas you want to be more loyal to God? How?
  4. What do you most look forward to in God’s Coming Kingdom?
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Counting in the Wilderness

 

Numbers 1 & 2 Cain

Do you ever feel like you’re in your high school math class reading through the book of Numbers like a timeworn Algebra 2 book? Rest assured there’s no Pythagorean theorem in this book of Numbers! The name ‘Numbers’ actually comes from an old Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. The Septuagint translators gave the book that title because of the listing of the numbers of the tribes of Israel in the first four chapters. It is a shame that the title of this great book is defined by only a small portion of its contents. The Hebrew name given to the book is much more accurate to its true contents, בְּמִדְבַּר (bemindbar). The Hebrew word bemindbar actually means “in the wilderness” which is exactly what the book of Numbers covers. After a long-awaited return to the land, which was promised to their fathers, the Israelites can finally take the journey through the desert back to Israel. The trip from Egypt to Israel shouldn’t have taken more than a couple of weeks on foot, but somehow the Israelites found a way to make the journey last 40 years. There is a lot that happens in these 40 years.  This book is filled with rich history that is very dear to the Israelite people and events that would shape their faith and ours forever. If anyone has ever told you that Numbers is a boring book, I stand opposed. As we spend some time traveling though the beginning of this book I hope you see the importance that God has placed in its words.

The first words of the book are its name sake. “Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting.”  There you have it, these words literally are the title of the book. I want to point out something that can easily be over looked by long-time Christians, and that is the phrase “the LORD spoke to Moses”. When was the last time that God chatted you up to give you direct commands? It’s not every day that the Creator of the universe talks directly to people. Only a few times in the Bible do we see God in direct communication with people in this way. I think as Christians we become numb to the stories we read as if everything is a normal day occurrence when it isn’t. For the first time in history there is a place that God has designated to dwell among His people. For the first time in history God is setting up a nation to call His own. God literally creates the nation of Israel before our eyes in the book of Numbers. When you stop to think about it, what is happening here is a monumental shift in history, setting the world on a course for God’s redemption plan to take place.

We find the book of Numbers picking up the story of God’s people two years into their time in the wilderness. During this time God has made a covenant with His people and they have built the tabernacle. Then we find that God wants Moses to count the number of able bodied men that could fight. These are the numbers that we find in the first chapter. Remember these are just the men 20 years of age and up who can fight; this doesn’t include all the men unable to fight, women, and younger people. Just the fighting men numbered 603,550! No one knows the exact number of the Israelites, but many estimates put the total number of people at around 2-4 million. As we read all the numbers of the first chapter we might be tempted to drift off to sleep, but an interesting point to realize is just how accurate the numbers are. The accuracy and attention to detail, to me at least, is evidence towards the validity of the scriptures. These aren’t details that someone would make up. If you look at any mythology or creation story, you don’t frequently see detailed accounts with genealogies such as we do here in Numbers. The detailed records of the Old Testament are proof to God’s care and intent for truth. Even with counting, our God is faithful and true.

As we move into the second chapter we see a rehashing of the numbers of the tribes and explicit directions from God as to how the Israelites are to set up camp. Imagine a square with the tabernacle at the center.  Directly around the tabernacle are the Levites. On each side of the square we find three tribes. I think there are two things we can glean from Chapter 2 about how God chose to design the camp. First, I think we can see how orderly and intentional God is with His people. I think no small part of having the Levites around the center was to help maintain a health boundary around the tabernacle to keep it holy. Holiness is one of the most important things to God. We can see how seriously God treats His holiness when He strikes now Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons, in Leviticus 10. I think another reason God laid out the camp like He did was so that not one tribe was favored by being closer to the Tabernacle than another tribe. Imagine the fights that could have started if the tribes were allowed to camp wherever they wanted. If Dan claimed a spot right next to the Tabernacle, Judah might have started a fight because they were closer to God that day. Although these might not be the most glamorous chapters of the Bible, they do show us that God set up a very good system for His people. The first two chapters of Numbers show us a glimpse into God’s intentionality and love for His people.

I’ll admit, the first few chapters of this book aren’t the most exciting.  However, the book of Numbers holds many interesting stories and important lessons for us to learn as followers of God.  Many of the greatest teaching points for the prophets and apostles come from the stories in this book.  It is through the miracle of the exodus and the hardships of the wilderness that the nation of Israel is birthed.  I can’t wait to explore more of this book with you in the coming days!

Josiah & Amber Cain

 

Today’s Bible reading can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+1-2&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s Bible reading will be Numbers 3&4 as we continue our 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan