Restoration Promised

Focus verses: Ezekiel 38:25-29

After the diaspora, God has promised to bring Israel back to the land He gave them. His promise is to unite the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah as one nation. And further to pour out His Spirit on the house of Israel.

In this passage, He is called the Sovereign Lord. Sovereign means above all things, superlative, absolute. Check out the complete definition of the adjective.

When a promise is based on the nature of God, it is infallible. It will come to pass if He says so.

The Sovereign Lord has promised compassion to His people. Compassion means that He is aware of the suffering of His people, and He wants to alleviate that suffering.

However, God gave man a free will - the ability to choose. When we freely choose to follow God and His precepts, the blessings of God can flow to us. That doesn't mean that our circumstances will be any different from those around us. It doesn't protect us from all the evil of the world.

It does assure us that whatever has been lost to us will be restored in eternity. It does mean that the fullness of God's Holy Spirit can rest upon us in the midst of suffering and loss. It does mean that we can experience the full comfort and assurance of God.

Father, God,

As You promised restoration to Israel, grant us that same restoration of fellowship with You. Help us to come into line with Your will that we may be in unbroken relationship with You, our Abba, Father.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

The Messianic Promise

Focus verses: Jeremiah 31:29-37

Today's reading is full of promise - and personal accountability. After the diaspora, God is going to restore Israel and Judah to the land of Canaan where He planted them in the first place.

This is to be a new covenant, not the same one He made with Abraham, nor the one He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.

This covenant is no longer about ritual and sacrifice. It is about knowing Him. Each person is to have a personal relationship with Him.

They will all know me from the least of them to the greatest.

And He promises forgiveness, no longer remembering their sins. The descendants of Israel will only cease to be a nation in the eyes of the Lord if all the other things He created vanish from His sight. This means He has decreed Israel to be a nation in perpetuity.

The rest of us are wild shoots, grafted onto the cultivated plant. In effect, we are part of Israel and Judah - by God's grace. Let us never forget the root that nourishes us. Let us remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Father, God,

We thank You for the grace with which you bestow Your blessings upon all those who believe in You. We are grateful for Your sending us Your Son that we might be reconciled to You. And we thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit through Whom we can know You better, more intimately.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Fear Not

Focus verses: Jeremiah 46:27-28

After God has told Jeremiah about the destruction of Judah and the scattering of the people, He goes on to tell Jeremiah about the destruction of the nations which He has used to punish Judah. Can you imagine the consternation of the people? Not only will they be forcibly ripped from their homes, but the nations to which they will be scattered will also be destroyed. What is to become of them?

These two verses are filled with reassurance. He calls the people by the name of their father, Jacob. You will remember that Jacob wrestled with God and his name was changed to Israel.

It would seem that the descendants of Jacob continue to wrestle with God. They worship Him and then they are drawn away. They cannot seem to remain faithful in their obedience. They struggle with the world and the flesh.

But God reassures them here. He tells them he will not utterly destroy the descendants of Jacob, but He will completely destroy the nations to which they have been scattered.

Then He tells them He will discipline them with justice but He will not let them go entirely unpunished. In effect, they will reap the consequences of their infidelities.

God is always just. He may be merciful, but justice demands a discipline from a righteous God.

Father, God,

Help us to see Your righteousness and Your justice in the disciplines You enforce in our lives. Make us willing to see Your perfect plan as You reveal it to us day by day.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Our Compassionate God

Focus verses: II Chronicles 30:1-9

King Hezekiah returned Judah to the worship of the Lord. He had the Levites purify the Temple, and he invited the northern tribes to a Passover feast. While most did not participate, a few did.

The invitation that went out said "return to the Lord, The of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, the He may return to you who are left." And it ended with "the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to Him."

Hezekiah knew the Lord well. He did what was good and right. Therefore he prospered.

Righteousness is its own reward. But it seems that prosperity of one sort or another follows the righteous person. Prosperity is not always financial; frequently it takes the form of spiritual well-being and contentment.

The wealth of the Christian is the favor of the Lord. It is the knowledge that God is always in control of whatever circumstances may be around us. For our God is compassionate and forgiving to those who love and serve Him.

Father, God,

Keep us ever mindful that our life, our hope, and our prosperity is to be found only in You. Help us to purify our temples for Your service.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

A Righteous King In Judah

Focus verses: II Kings 18:1-7

After all the prophecies of doom and gloom, both against the children of Israel and against their enemies, we have a moment's respite.

Hezekiah, king of Judah, trusted the Lord and did what was right in His eyes. He removed the high places of worship to idols and cut down the Asherah poles. He took anything that could have been called an idol and destroyed it. And the Lord prospered all that he did.

In the middle of all the corruption and evil, one king brought Judah back to the worship of the true God. There are consequences for righteousness as well as consequences for sin.

The consequences of Hezekiah's faithfulness are just what you would expect. Everything he undertook was successful.

God has given us a blueprint for success and prosperity. He handed it to Moses on Mount Sinai. We are not able to follow that blueprint precisely because we are a fallen people, but God has even given us His Son to cover our shortcomings. God looks at our hearts, not just our actions.

Because we are children of Adam and Eve, we will never be able to keep the law completely. But that shouldn't keep us from striving to keep it all. Nor should it give us an excuse for not trying.

If we are faithful to Him, God will prosper the work of our hands. That doesn't mean we will all be millionaires. It does mean that our efforts will be rewarded in one fashion or another.

That reward, however, should not be our goal. Our goal is complete fidelity to the Lord. We may fall short, but we can always pick ourselves up and start again. The more we seek to follow, the better we will get at it.

Father, God,

Save us from being deluded by the lures of this world. Keep us faithful, single-minded on serving You alone.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

The Beginnings Of Diaspora

My apologies. This scheduled post didn't post at the appropriate time for yesterday.

Focus verses: I Chronicles 5:23-26

The infidelities of the children of Israel have exceeded the Lord's forbearance. So the Assyrians swept down and carried off the descendants of Reuben, the first born of Jacob and Leah; the descendants of Gad, the first born of Jacob and Zilpah; and the descendants of Manasseh, the first born of Joseph and Asenath.

It is interesting that these are all the "first born" of their mother. Even more interesting is a look at the meaning of their names. Reuben means "look, a son." Gad can mean either "a troop" (like an army) or "good fortune." Manasseh means "to forget."

I find it fascinating that the Assyrians carried off the first born and good fortune because the children of Israel had forgotten the Lord.

You would think that the remaining tribes would fall on their knees, pleading with God for restoration. But the king of Israel allied with the king of Syria (Aram) and marched against the king of Judah instead.

Why do we not turn to God when the world goes against us? We seem to want to take on the world on its terms - on its turf - without the benefit of our Father's knowledge and power. We seem to think our battles are on a physical plane, when they are most often spiritual in nature.

Father, God,

Help us to see Your permissive hand in our adversities. Use them to draw us closer, more dependent upon You in every way. Grant us victory in Your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Internal and External Influence

Focus Verses: II Chronicles 24:6-22

We've been back and forth between Judah and Israel during today's reading, but I want to focus on Judah for the moment.

Joash was the child-king. Jehoiada acted as guardian and regent for him when he was underage and wielded a large influence as he grew. Joash had decreed the repair of the temple of the Lord, but by the time he was thirty, the priests had not yet begun those repairs. So Joash told them to collect money from the people only for the repair of the temple. The priests were to hand over the collected monies which were to be used to hire workmen to repair the temple.

So the temple was repaired. As long as Jehoiada lived, the offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord. But Jehoiada was old, and he died. Immediately thereafter, the officials of Judah came to the king and paid homage. So he listened to them and the worship in the temple of the Lord was abandoned.

Joash was influenced from the outside. While he had Jehoiada, he was faithful to the Lord. But when Jehoiada was no longer with him, the pagan influences came back, and Joash fell right into line with "political correctness" -- expediency. Joash was not strong enough in the Lord to withstand the pressures of paganism. His fidelity to the Lord was dependent on the influence of Jehoiada.

Who influences you? Why are you faithful to the Lord? Is it because of your hunger for Him? Or is it because of family or community influences? Only an internal influence can keep you faithful to Him.

Father, God,

Imbue us with Your Holy Spirit. Help us to make Him the most important influence in our lives, that we may never be led astray.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Restoration of the Law

Focus verses: II Chronicles 17:1-19

Jehoshaphat became king in Judah after his father Asa, the son of Abijah, the son of Rehoboam.

Judah prospered under the reign of Jehoshaphat because he walked in the ways of his ancestor, David. He sought the Lord and walked in his ways. The people had not yet followed. But Jehoshaphat remedied that as well.

He sent teachers throughout the land to teach the law of the Lord. Imagine, the king sent teachers of the law to the people.

How I wish we taught the law of the Lord in our land at this time. We have a legal system that seems bent on removing the laws of God from the laws of the land.

How shocked and disappointed our founding fathers would be to see this turn of events. Our country was founded as a Christian nation. The separation of church and state that people keep referring to is a misinterpretation of their intent. They intended to keep the state out of the church, not the church out of the state.

I'm afraid we don't know our own history well enough, but we've seen how God deals with the nation of Israel when they forsake him for other deities. We've allowed our country to follow the deities of materialism, hedonism, greed and perversion. Can we expect the favor of God on our nation?

Father, God,

Open the eyes of our nation to the truth of your sovereignty. Turn our hearts toward you and away from the worldly distractions that would hold our attention and keep us from you.
In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

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A House Divided

Focus verses: 2 Samuel 2:1-10

Life is messy. Even when things are progressing toward fulfilling God's plans, man generally finds a way to complicate the issue.

The nation of Israel had been divided into two nations: Israel and Judah. David was make king over Judah, but God had anointed him to be king over all Israel.

Today's reading encompasses the seven plus years from David's coronation in Judah to his being crowned king of Israel. The passage chronicles a civil war between the house of Saul and David. Filled with treachery murder and revenge, it seems like chaos reigns.

Even when circumstances look bad, God is in control. Our sovereign God gave man free will, so we can mess things up royally, but He will see His plans come to fruition.

David did one thing right. He sought the Lord's counsel before undertaking any actions. He was constantly mindful of God's authority and God's presence. In another place, he is called a man after God's own heart. David sought the heart of God and was content to wait until God brought about His plans.

Father, God,

Imbue us with a hunger for Your heart. Keep us seeking to know You better, to know Your will in all our lives. Grant us the patience to wait upon Your timing, to be content to let You have Your way in our lives.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.