July 28th readings
~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
2 Chronicles 21:1-23:21 ~ Romans 11:13-36
Psalm 22:1-18 ~ Proverbs 20:7
Old Testament - Today in Second Chronicles 21 verses 12 through 15 we read about a letter that one would really not want to receive... "Then Elijah the prophet wrote Jehoram this letter: "This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: You have not followed the good example of your father, Jehoshaphat, or your grandfather King Asa of Judah. Instead, you have been as evil as the kings of Israel. You have led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship idols, just as King Ahab did in Israel. And you have even killed your own brothers, men who were better than you. So now the LORD is about to strike you, your people, your children, your wives, and all that is yours with a heavy blow. You yourself will be stricken with a severe intestinal disease until it causes your bowels to come out." The face on Jehoram in this image below captures well what one would be feeling like after receiving a letter like this from a prophet of God...
In Second Chronicles 23 today Jehoiada the priest leads a revolt against Queen Athaliah. Below is French artist Antoine Coypel's (1661-1722) take on the scene-
New Testament - Paul bursts out in some great praise and worship of God today in Romans 11 verses 33 through 36 - "Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back? For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen." Great stuff! I love that second to last full sentence that tells us that everything is intended for God's glory. So true. And yet so easy for us to forget. You my friend are intended for God's glory! It is a beautiful truth to consider. Are you living your life fully for God's glory? Are there any areas of your life that would not be seen as giving glory to God? Will you let those un-glorious aspects of your life go? Will you walk fully into the light of God's glory?
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings from Romans titled "The Kindness and Severity of God" is at this link and "The Wisdom of God and the Wisdom of Man" is at this link.
Psalms - Psalm 22 is an amazing Psalm. Re-read this Psalm again and see if you see parallels to Jesus' crucifixion? There are a lot in this Psalm. I'll list a few - Psalm 22:1a was quoted by Jesus on the cross - "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?" As we see in Matthew 27:46 - "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”[
Verse 8 - ""Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the LORD save him! If the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!"" we see in similar fashion in Matthew 27:42-43 - "“He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
Verses 16 & 17 make me want to cry... "They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count every bone in my body." The piercing of the hands and feet of Jesus are apparent with how the crucifixion took place. And these Psalm 22 verses are similar to John 19:33-37 - "But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”"
And verse 18 - "They divide my clothes among themselves and throw dice for my garments." compare to John 19:23-24 - "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let's not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let's decide by lot who will get it.”"
Proverbs - Proverbs 20 verse 7 today is a wonderful reminder that the way we live our lives today sets an example for children - "The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children after them." What type of example are you setting for children in your life? Are you walking with integrity? Do you believe children will be blessed after you because you walked with integrity?
What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!
Grace,
Mike
I know this is the 2nd time reading throught the Psalms, but this is the first time I realized the similarity of Jesus' crucifiction...eerie because I didn't read it as "David" at all this time..Almost as if David was providing the script for what would happen later. Left me with a bit to think about today.
Posted by:Colleen | July 28, 2005 at 07:04 AM
ROMANS 11
OUR GIVING – GOD’S RESPONSE OF LOVE
35
And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back?
When God accepts our giving and multiplies it back for His use and our benefit, it is ONLY because of His mercy and Love !
Jesus said, “Give, and it SHALL be given back to you—GOOD measure, PRESSED down, SHAKEN together, and STILL RUNNING over! For according to the measure you give, shall it be given to you.” Luke 6:38
(Also see 2 Corinthians 9:1-10 on sowing and reaping)
GOD’S GLORY
36
For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen.
THE MESSAGE
36
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I like the thoughts given earlier:
Will you let those
un- glorious aspects of
your life go? Will you
walk fully into the light
of God's glory?
Walking fully in the light of God’s glory.....
This reminds me of Exodus 33 (Amplified Bible)….
Insights into God’s
Glorious Presence
The people of Israel had just poked God “in the face” so to speak by deliberately rejecting Him and making their own golden calf idol to worship.
Amazingly, they proclaimed in Exodus 32:4 (Amplified):
4
And he received the gold at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it a molten calf; and they said, These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!
This is the Father’s response to them in chapter
chapter 33
1
THE LORD said to Moses, Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought from the land of Egypt, to the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, To your descendants I will give it.
2
I will send an [a]Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite.(A)
3
Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I destroy you on the way.
4
When the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned and no man put on his ornaments.
Notice verse 3: “I will not go up among you…lest I destroy you on the way.”
Some people have interpreted that as part of a false dichotomy between the “God of the Old Testament – who is always angry and vengeful” and the “God of the New Testament – who is always loving.”
Nothing could be further from the truth! God is the same. “I the Lord do not change. Therefore, you are not consumed,” is what the Lord said in Malachi 3:6. And, of course, “Jesus is the same – yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
Rather, this is simply a statement of the excellence and brightness of God’s very Glorious Presence will destroy us!
And… of course, God was displeased with them.
Thank God that when we have sinned, God’s full Presence does not simply manifest Himself—we would not survive the experience !
Note that Moses sets up a tent where God’s Presence is more obviously manifested:
7
Now Moses used to take [his own] tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with His own people]. And everyone who sought the Lord went out to [that temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp.
8
When Moses went out to the tent of meeting, all the people rose and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he had gone into the tent.
9
When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the Lord would talk with Moses.
10
And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tent door, and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man at his tent door.
It is interesting that Moses would take HIS OWN tent and pitch it outside the camp, and he called his personal tent the “tent of meeting of God with His people.
This speaks volumes of
our ongoing PERSONAL
relationship with the
Lord. This speaks of the
need to “pray without
ceasing” throughout the
day…AND of the need to
set aside what Pastor
David Wilkerson calls
the “trysting place”—the
regular place to go to
seek the Lord.
Then notice in verse 7: “And everyone who sought the Lord went out to that temporary tent – Moses’ personal tent – of meeting outside the camp.”
Moses was welcome. And in all times – all are welcome in God’s Presence, too! Even in time of severe discipline for sin.
Moses’ prayer should be ours:
14
And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.
15
And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!
It is true that it is not ONLY our discipline or devotion that are the keys. After all, there are very devout Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, etc.
"It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you sincerely and wholeheartedly believe it"... IS NOT TRUE !
(The terrorists have wholeheartedly belief too!)
Rather, it is GOD MANIFESTING HIS GLORY IN OUR LIVES…
Notice Moses’ continuing prayer:
18
And Moses said, I beseech You, show me Your glory.
19
And God said, I will make
ALL MY GOODNESS
pass before you, and I will
PROCLAIM MY NAME, THE LORD,
before you;
for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy and loving-kindness on whom I will show mercy and loving-kindness.(C)
Then it HIT ME: how is God’s glory and Name injected into our lives and revealed through our lives?
THROUGH HIS WORD ! Of course, yielding ourselves and praying are part of this.
2 PETER 1
3
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [[d]full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).
4
By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.
NOTE:
(verse 4) By means of His Glory and Goodness, the Father has given us His precious and exceedingly great promises.
When we meditate on His Word, yielding to His Word and His Presence—this releases the glory and goodness of God CONTAINED IN THE PROMISES… into our lives!
ISN’T THAT GREAT !
(verse 4)
…and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.
GOD IS SO GOOD
Posted by:Vance Brown | July 28, 2005 at 09:44 AM
II Chronicles 21:1-23:21
“There is no success without a successor.” If that statement is true then both Israel and Judah were not successful kingdoms. Today’s reading, no all the readings of the Books of the Bible that are known as History, 1 Samuel through II Chronicles, show the failure of each king, including David and Solomon to rule sin free and to reign in total and perfect righteousness. But in the horizon waited the King of kings standing ready to awaiting His entrance in the fullness of time. And that King is Jesus. No matter how good an earthly king was, the missteps made by each one, no matter how many or few, brought upon themselves and the people they ruled consequences they were unable to bear.
But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
(Gal 4:4-7 KJV)
Johoshaphat left no heir waiting in the wings upon his death. He left his oldest son to take his place but age nor was birth order ever used by God to call or appoint someone to a leadership role. David was the youngest of Jessie’s sons, yet he was the one God picked to be king over Israel after having rejected Saul. Jacob, the younger brother, was chosen by God to rule over Esau, the older. God looks at the heart, man looks at the appearance and the customs of the day to pick leaders who can’t lead.
The last part of verse nine in the twenty-second just floored me, “None of the surviving members of Ahaziah's family were capable of ruling the kingdom”
I believe this sad state of affairs can only come abut when we focus our attention on the immediacy of the now and fail to understand we owe the future generations a continuity of right living, right thinking and right believing. We cannot just tell them to do as I say and not as I do; it does not work. Our behaviors speak so loudly that our words are drowned out by our actions.
Romans 11:13-36
Jew or Greek (non-Jew), it doesn’t matter all our made righteousness not by works or linage, but by the root of the tree of righteousness and the root is the, God and His Son, Jesus. There is nothing we can give to God, there is nothing we can do to earn or inherit righteousness and favor with God. God shows mercy on whom He desires to show mercy.
Psalm 22:1-18
8
"Is this the one who relies on the LORD?
Then let the LORD save him!
If the LORD loves him so much,
let the LORD rescue him!"
These word were not only spoken by the crowd as they watched Jesus hang on the cross, but these words are spoken about every person who calls on the Name of Jesus. Ever here some people talk about someone behind their back who is in some kind of trouble who they know is a Christian,? I have heard conversations laced with vitriol as I rode home from work on the train talking about people who found themselves in trouble who happed to be believers. And if you’re a Christian there are folks talking about you.
Proverbs 20:7
Did not realize this Proverb would apply to what I wrote about today’s reading in Chronicles.
The righteous man walks in his integrity; blessed (happy, fortunate, enviable) are his children after him.
(Pro 20:7 AMP)
Grace and peace,
Ramona.
Posted by:Ramona | July 28, 2005 at 10:52 PM