June 26th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
2 Kings 9:14-10:31 ~ Acts 17:1-34
Psalm 144:1-15 ~ Proverbs 17:27-28

Old Testament - Well... Jehu kills a lot of people in today's readings.  I realize that the violence in the Old Testament can often bring up some questions.  Rather than me diving into why there is violence in the Bible - which would be about as easy as diving into why there is violence in our world - I'll defer to a couple of theologians at this link and at this link.  Unfortunately, our human history is full of violence - from Cain and Abel until this very day.  The Bible does record human history.  There will come a day where there is a new heaven and a new earth, free from violence.  But that day has not come yet - but will with Jesus's Second Coming.

2 Kings 10 verses 25-27 definitely demonstrated Jehu's initial apparent zeal for God - "Then Jehu's men went into the fortress of the temple of Baal. They dragged out the sacred pillar used in the worship of Baal and destroyed it. They broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and wrecked the temple of Baal, converting it into a public toilet. That is what it is used for to this day."  But we soon learn in verse 31 - "But Jehu did not obey the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins of idolatry that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit"  It is thus thought that Jehu's action of destroying the idols of Baal were more political than spiritual - as Baal worship was associated with the dynasty of Ahab, whereas the golden calves had a longer history in the northern kingdom of Israel and were valued by most people.

Bible.org's commentary on today's Second Kings readings titled "Jehu Cleans House (Ahab's House)" is at this link and "Three 'Birds' With One Stone" is at this link.

New Testament - Today in Acts 17 verses 22 & 23 we will read - “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Paul then went on to introduce to the Greeks our personal Creator, in contrast with their views of pantheistic Stoicism. Are there people in your life today that are perhaps like the Greeks Paul was speaking to? People who are religious but do not yet know our personal Creator? Are there people in your life who are seeking the Unknown God? Will you begin conversations with these people that God has placed in your life and let them know about the living God that you know and love? Will you let them know, as Paul let the Greeks know in verse 28 – “For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'”?

Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "The Evangelization of Thessalonica and Berea" is at this link and "The Apostle in Athens, Preaching to Philosophers" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 144 verses 3 & 4 are fairly well known - "O LORD, what are mortals that you should notice us, mere humans that you should care for us? For we are like a breath of air; our days are like a passing shadow."  If our days are like a passing shadow, how then should we be spending our days?  What types of things should we be investing our time & money into?  What should we be investing our very hearts and minds into?  Are you wisely spending your passing days in godly ways?

Proverbs - Proverbs 17:27 is so true - "A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered."  And with this I will very mellowly close out today's posting with few words.  :)

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

II Kings 9:14-10:31

All this killing in the Old Testament is no different then what went on in the New and what goes on today. God plays out the Old Testament over a longer period then the New so we have a greater overview of history and can see how history, which is confined by boundaries placed on events and times and seasons put in place by God, plays out. In fact in our New Testament reading today Paul as much says that.

What Jehu did had already been ordained by God in I Kings the nineteenth chapter. When the prophet Elijah was having his “Pity Party” and was told to go to the mountain and after he experienced the wind, earthquake and the fire the Word of the Lord came to him and said,

15 … "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." (I Kings 19)

If we can get past the destruction and believe, by faith, that God has the big picture and knows what He is doing, there is a warning that can be seen in all of this. It is about having a right attitude when we have been given directions by God. When we hear the voice of God and are given directions, we cannot become arrogant thinking that God gave us an assignment because we are, “All that and a bag of chips!” Our job is to follow God’s directions and His only. It is very easy to fall into the trap of assuming that God gives us an assignment because we were all that. That is the trap. Israel fell into thinking that God chose her to be His because she was special. No, she was special only because God chose her.

After Jehu finished his assignment he though he was “the king.” In fact Jehu’s name means, "Jehovah is He” (Strong’s Number 03058) Jehu believed his own press. He thought the “He” in his name referred to himself.

Acts 17:1-34
Paul speaking to the inhabitants of Athens gives me understanding that God is in control, even when we don’t think he is, even when the world asks us, “Where was God?” (That was asked a lot on 9/11/01 especially in NYC. I’m a citizen of the city). Paul’s argument tells me He is where He has always been, “The same place He was when Jesus was being crucified, the same place when you were committing adultery and cheating on your taxes, on the Throne, and not the one in the bathroom.”

24"He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, 25and human hands can't serve his needs--for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. 26From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

Psalm 144:1-15

Everything that I have, God Is. Everything that I need, God is. Everything that I can every hope to be, God is. Glory to God.

2 He is my loving ally and my fortress,
my tower of safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him.
He subdues the nations under me.

Proverbs 17:27-28

28 Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

Today’s Proverb according to Ramona:

Keep your mouth shut!

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[Sunshine]

hey;) thanks for dropping by my blog!... i also noticed you have a World Vision banner on here!! lol thats so cool!! i work for WV!!!its such a blessing!!

God Bless!

:)