Month: April 2025

What causes you to be anxious? Is it because of outside influences or something within you? The psalmist echoes his anxiety by telling us about his lifestyle. What is it that has caused this in his life? In vs 8 he writes in his diary: “All day long my enemies taunt me; those who mock me use my name in their curses.” So from this we gather that it is outside influences that are affecting him and he seems powerless to change his circumstances and he rehearses those to his detriment. He has insomnia and he has forgotten to eat (I don’t seem to have that problem). Because of these, he is losing weight. 

If you are facing these and you are anxious, remember the words of Paul to the Philippian church: Phi 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

That is good advice. It would be good to not just take that advice but to meditate on it and memorize it for times when you feel anxious. 

The consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin was death…death of people, death of animals, death of all that grew. So in today’s reading that is the thought that the writer of Chronicles wants us to see. Death is the end of all living matter all because of sin. Depressing. Absolam dies, Saul and his three sons die and soldiers in battle die. Depressing. Oh Lord, come quickly that this depressing tale will end and life will be forever more. 

In the midst of all this reading we see that the sin of Judah has taken the lives of many but some lived on to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. The Chronicler records for us the many who returned from Babylon to rebuild. He specifically records not just the people but their jobs in the “new” Jerusalem. Their names are recorded so that we can see the truth of God that He said they will return. 

What should we glean from all of this but to know the truth of Isaiah 55: God’s ways are not our ways, His ways are superior to ours and that He lives forever more. One day we too shall live with Him in heaven. 

How often do you stand apart and observe and then consider what is before you and your nation? It is then you can see what God sees and it is this, the people are disobedient and You have laid a burden upon them. The author, if it be  David, observed that ‘if only’ the people had obeyed, just as Deuteronomy reminds us, the blessings of God would be upon them. But, as the author notes, the people are not of one mind toward God, but their minds reflect where their heart lies and it is not with God. The consequences of sin are ever before them and they bring a nation down. Psalm 81:12 summarizes God’s thoughts: “I gave them over to their stubborn desires; they did what seemed right to them.” 

These words remind us of the book of Judges and the first chapter of Romans. It is an ever recurring theme of those who disregard the words of God suffer the consequences of their sin. 

Today would be a good day to stop and read these Psalms, Deuteronomy 8-9 and Romans 1 as a reminder of what God requires to be blessed by Him. 

Hannah is one of the most gracious of women in biblical history. She may have been barren, but her spirit revealed that God had impacted her life in ways that are beyond description. Her husband said he loved her, but his actions spoke louder than words. Instead of being an example of a man of God, he chose to model selfishness and breaking the Mosaic Law by marrying a second wife from whom he could get children. How unlike Zechariah and Elizabeth who the scriptures note were blameless. When we usurp God’s ways, the end result is never peace and contentment. And so, year after year, the second wife continued to belittle Hannah for her barrenness. But Hannah was filled with the spirit of grace and had a relationship with God by which she could pray to Him. God heard her humble prayer, and in time, He opened her womb. In turn, she brought forth a son named Samuel. When weaned, she left him there to grow into manhood, but each year, she brought him new clothes.

What can we learn from Hannah? Faithfulness to God is rewarded as Hannah had five more children. If only Elkanah had been patient, he would have seen the power of faithfulness to Jehovah and the power of prayer. We never heard of him or the other children from the second wife after Samuel’s birth, teaching us that God is displeased with our earthly ways but is pleased with our faithfulness to Him.

When God blesses you with His gifts, be it strength, wisdom, wealth or “fill in the blank,” we are to humbly accept and utilize them for His glory. It seems that Samson forgot those wise principles and in the end he sought revenge for his eyes, but not for his people. How tragic is that? 

What is the lesson we are to glean from Samson? It is this: when God blesses you or your family with His divine gifts, offer them for service to honor Him, not for selfish reasons, which Samson did.  He was chosen before birth to bring honor and glory to God but sin took over his heart and the blessings were never his first calling. 

I think there is another lesson we can glean and it is this: parents of gifted children are called to a higher standard. Often as a teacher of these children I have found the traits of selfishness and misplaced pride but not humility. 

Parents, if God has blessed you with one of these exceptional children, walk closely with the Lord. Memorize and teach 2 Tim 3:16 to and for them. A second verse to teach these precious children is Prov 16:18 “18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.” God honors humility, not pride. 

Judges 13-15 Samson

I have never understood why God raised up and then let Samson die.His story befuddles me. He was a womanizer and had a problem with being wholly sold out to the Lord. Yet, once again I see the proof of Isaiah 55:8 God’s ways are not our ways, they are higher than ours. How like Samson we are! We say we are God’s chosen ones yet our lives prove otherwise. We fail just like Samson in so many similar ways. 

So the lesson for me in this sordid tale is to keep our eyes on the Lord and not on our circumstances. God will place people into our lives that seem to make no sense at all and yet God uses them for His glory. Take time today to bless the Lord and see each person He brings into our lives for His purpose, not ours. 

Judges 10-12 Seek God First…

Jephthath was a man of passions and he was unimpressed with the tribes on the west. He was an outcast of his family but in times of distress they came to him to save them. How often do we do much the same?  We fail to keep families together but seek to use excuses to divide. Paul taught the Corinthians to be unified and here we see that Israel is divided because of a foolish decision. 

The question is why were they divided? It all goes back to a dishonoring of Jehovah and how Satan used the tool of idolatry. God was right to say to them, you have dishonored me, why then should I come and rescue you? Go and call upon your idol Baal. This seems to be recurring theme. Men are only pleased when all goes their way but when trouble comes, they seek anything to solve the problem, even to idolatry. 

The lesson here is to honor God not an idol. Idols will never save but God will. There is another lesson here and that is God allows all troubles to come our way until we are at the end of ourselves and then as the scripture says: “Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much.” [Judges 10:16] How gracious is our God and how patient.