Month: July 2018

2 Chronicles 8 records many of King Solomon’s accomplishments. They included the construction of the Temple and his palace; the defeat of a number of Israel’s enemies; the remnant of the indigenous people of Israel were subjected to forced labor, while the citizens of Israel became soldiers and other workers for Solomon’s kingdom. Solomon followed his father, David’s desires when it came to having the Levites manage the Temple’s work. We find an interesting comment in 2 Chronicles 8 that will ultimately be the undoing of Solomon. We’re told he married Pharaoh’s daughter, but he wouldn’t let her live in David’s home or be where the Ark of the Covenant was, because it was holy. What we see here is Solomon knew he was compromising by marrying this woman, yet he did so anyway. Eventually, he married hundreds of wives, with many of the marriages being for political advantage. The result was Solomon’s zeal for the LORD declined, and eventually he worshiped foreign gods. We must learn the lesson Solomon didn’t: compromising in matters of our faith in the LORD, will always lead us to a place we don’t want to go.

2 Chronicles 9 records the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon. During Solomon’s reign many leaders who heard of his wisdom and wealth came to see for themselves, and all were astonished, but none more than the Queen of Sheba. As we read of Solomon’s wealth, we realize the tremendous blessing God poured on his life, and it is important for us to remember the reason for all this material blessing, was Solomon had asked for wisdom to rule God’s people well. Keeping first things first, always brings God’s blessing. As Jesus would put it 1,000 years later, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well. Chapter 9 closes out with a record of Solomon’s death. He ruled over Israel for forty years, which was consider a generation in Old Testament times. The Chronicler doesn’t go into the gory details of Solomon’s abandonment of the ways of the LORD in his old age, but simply tells us he was buried with his father, David.

2 Chronicles 10 starts with the account of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, becoming king. We find out right away that Rehoboam was not as wise as his father, because when the people of Israel, led by Jeroboam, come and ask him to ease the burden on them, and they will remain loyal to him, Rehoboam asks for three days to consider their demand. During that time, he asked the elders who had guided his father. They suggested he agree with the peoples’ demands. But then he went to his advisors, young men as he was. They told him to tell the people he would increase the burden on them. When he did so, the people rebelled, and the nation was divided into Israel and Judah. The Chronicler uses chapter 11 to tell us Rehoboam was going to attack Israel, but the LORD told him not to do so. So, Rehoboam secured the borders of Judah, and brought the priests and levites to Judah. This would leave Jeroboam in a position where he thought he needed to set up his own worship places, including two golden calves, so the people of Israel wouldn’t go to Jerusalem to worship and offer sacrifices, and then persuaded to turn back to being loyal to Rehoboam. This turned out to be a fatal mistake, as the northern kingdom abandoned the true God of Israel, and would never have an honorable king throughout their history.

As we turn to Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable of a man who threw a wedding feast, but the invited guests wouldn’t come. Then the man had his servants go out into the highways and byways and call anyone who would come to join them. As the man walked through the wedding banquet, he found a man without wedding clothes, so he cast him out. The point of the parable is clear. Many who thought they were God’s people rejected Him, (this would include the Pharisees, and Sadducees of Jesus’ time), and many who were considered outcast would be included. Yet, even the outcasts who were included needed to be “dressed” appropriately. Jesus said many who are last will be first. That’s good news for all of us, who don’t think we’re all that, and who come to Jesus humbly accepting His salvation in our lives.

After Jesus’ parable, the religious leaders took turns attempting to trick Jesus into saying something for which they could arrest Him, or something that would turn the people away from Him. First, they asked Jesus whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. They thought he would be trapped regardless of how He answered, because if He said the ought to pay taxes to Caesar, the Jewish people would be upset. If He said they ought not to pay taxes to Caesar, then the could turn Him into the Romans. Instead, Jesus had them show Him a coin and asked whose picture and inscription it was? When they said, “Caesar’s.” He responded, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s! Next, the Sadducees attempted to trip Jesus up by asking a question about the resurrection. Because they didn’t believe in the resurrection, they used an example of a woman who was married to seven different brothers in succession. Each brother married the woman after the brother before them, died. Then the woman died. They asked Jesus, “So, to whom will she be married in the resurrection, since they all had her?” Jesus wasn’t challenged at all by this question. He responded that they were wrong, because they didn’t know the Scriptures or the truth of God. He pointed out we are neither married or given in marriage in heaven, but we are like the angels in heaven. He then gave a powerful illustration of the resurrection, by reminding the Sadducees when God spoke to Moses in the burning bush, He said, “I ‘am’ the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” even though they had all been dead long before Moses came along. Jesus’ point was they were alive when the LORD spoke to Moses, because He said, “I ‘am’,” not “I ‘was’ the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Another attempted to trick Jesus by asking Him, which was the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus responded quickly, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength,” and offered a second one that as like it, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No one could argue with that. Finally, Jesus turned the tables back on the religious leaders by asking them how the Messiah could be the Son of David, when David called Him LORD? After this no dared to ask Jesus anything. We do well to remember Jesus can answer all our questions, and we cannot outwit Him. As we go about our lives, we can rely on Him to guide us in any and every situation we face.

2 Chronicles 4 lists the making of the articles for use in the Temple. Over and over again we read either that King Solomon or Hiram made this item or that. We read of dozens and dozens of items and of one thing we can be sure: King Solomon most likely didn’t make any of the items himself. Hiram oversaw the casting of the items, but he probably did make any of the items himself. Currently, we are in the final phases of constructing the Children’s Nurture and Discipleship Center at New Life. A number of you have said, “You have certainly done a lot of work!” The truth is on this particular building, I haven’t done any work. When we built the first building, I did a good deal of hands on work on the project, but I haven’t done anything on this one. When such a major project is undertaken, the leader receives credit for “building” it, but the workers are the ones who do the building. It was true in King Solomon’s era, and it is true in ours. Each of you who have prayed for the project, or given money toward the project have been part of building the building. In the end, though, God will receive the glory for any good thing that takes place in it, and for seeing the project through to completion and putting the building into use. King Solomon would undoubtedly have said the same thing in his day. Let’s acknowledge the many workers who have overseen the project, coordinated the project, and poured and leveled the concrete, nailed the walls and trusses together, installed the wiring and plumbing, and all the details to get us to where we are. Let’s continue to pray for the materials we need to arrive–fifty-seven of the doors arrived yesterday!, and to lift up the workers in prayer, so we’ll be able to start using the building as soon as possible.

2 Chronicles 5 records the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple. The process involved a great procession, so many sacrifices that the number of animals could not be counted, and eventually the presence of the LORD filling the Temple as the Ark was placed in the inner sanctuary of the Temple. This was a memorable day for every person who saw it. If we fast forward to this moment, something much more incredible is taking place: inside each of us who bear the name of Jesus the presence of the living God lives. While we gather in church buildings or houses to worship with one another, and the LORD’s presence is with us in that, wherever we are, and wherever we go, God is in us and goes with us by His Holy Spirit. Let’s remember to thank God for this amazing reality, and to live in His power every moment of this day, to His glory and praise!

2 Chronicles 6 records Solomon’s dedication of the Temple and his prayer to the LORD. While the entire chapter is significant, let’s focus on Solomon’s humility before the LORD. Before he prayed, Solomon fell to his knees. He was the king of a great nation, and yet he humbled himself before God in prayer. He thanked and praised God for humbling Himself to be with Israel. He prayed for the LORD to respond to the prayers of the people offered in the Temple, or even offered facing toward the Temple, and to do so especially when the people had sinned, and repented before Him. Solomon acknowledged the people would sin, and the necessity of repentance for God to respond to our prayers. While we live in a time when Jesus has sacrificed Himself for us and become both LORD and Savior of our lives through His resurrection and return to heaven, we, too, must repent when we have sinned for Him to hear and respond to our prayers. We see this clearly throughout the Bible, but never more clearly than in 2 Chronicles 6-7.

In 2 Chronicles 7 we read God’s response to Solomon’s prayer. The response came in three parts. First, God sent fire and burned up all the sacrifices offered by the people. Second, God’s presence filled the Temple, so that the priests couldn’t even go inside it. Finally, God appeared that night to Solomon and gave him a personal answer to the prayers he offered in 2 Chronicles 6. Significantly, God said, “¹³When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (ESV) This response of the LORD is quoted often during National Day of Prayer celebrations, and at other times when we focus on God corporately, particularly as He relates to nations. This is a good use of this response. Note the order: 1) the whole people who are called by God’s name; 2) humble ourselves; 3) we pray and seek God’s face; 4) we turn from our wicked ways, or we repent, then God will hear our prayers, will forgive our sins, and will heal our land. We live in an incredibly individualistic culture in America, but as those belonging to the LORD, we must not only pray for ourselves and our own needs, but for our church family, and for our nation. As we do, and as we remember we are God’s people first, as we humble ourselves, as we pray and seek God’s face, and repent, God will hear, forgive and heal us. What an amazing promise! It was true when God spoke it to Solomon, and because Jesus came, lived, died, rose again, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to us, we can be sure it is just as true for us today.

As we turn to 2 Chronicles, the Chronicler continues his record of Judah, starting with  the record of King Solomon’s reign. As we move through 2 Chronicles the Chronicler recounts Judah’s fall into sin, and the resulting consequences. In 2 Chronicles 1, we read of King Solomon presenting a 1,000 burnt offerings at Gibeon. Then Solomon has a vision of the LORD in a dream, and in it the LORD asks Solomon what he would like to receive from Him. When Solomon asks for wisdom to rule the people, rather than riches or military victory, the LORD promises to give Solomon all three! Finally, we read about Solomon’s wealth, and to give us an idea of how wealthy Solomon was, we’re told during his reign gold was as common as stones during that time.

Throughout the Old Testament we read of the LORD blessing the obedience of His people through giving them wealth, good health, and victory over their enemies. We find times when this “rule” doesn’t hold, such as in the life of Job, but typically it does. As we turn to New Testament, we will see that obedience isn’t always blessed this way. God’s people often face obstacles, and Jesus, the Son of God, Himself faces death after a life of complete and total obedience. The reward of obedience shifts from nearly always being seen in this life, to being the promise of heaven.

In 2 Chronicles 2 & 3 we read of Solomon’s preparation for building the Temple, and of its construction. As we read the detail of all the materials collected for the Temple, let’s remember much of the material was collected by King David, and left for Solomon, his son, to use for the Temple’s construction. David’s vision was fulfilled by his son.

As we turn to Matthew 20, Jesus tells a parable of a landowner who hires workers throughout the course of a day. He promised the ones he hired first a denarius, which was a fair day’s wages. Each of the other workers he promised to give “what was right.” At the end of the day, the landowner paid those who had only worked one hour a denarius. Those who had worked all day assumed they would receive more, but the landowner gave them the denarius he had promised. Those workers grumbled, but the landowner pointed out he had treated them fairly, because he paid them what he promised. Then he asked a vital question: “Are you angry because I am generous?” The workers had seen the landowners’ action from their perspective, not his. He was generous to the last workers and fair to the first. As we follow Jesus, we are not to compare our work with that of others who started before or after us, but submit ourselves to His authority, knowing He is generous and will reward us according to that generosity.

Next, Jesus tells the disciples again He is going to be arrested, tried, convicted, and crucified. He tells them not to worry, because He will rise from the dead. After this, the mother of James and John comes and asks Jesus if He will do her the favor of setting her sons at His right and left hands (the positions of greatest power) when He comes in His glory. (Mark tells us the sons came on their own.) Jesus tells the mother (and the sons) the position isn’t His to give. When the rest of the disciples hear about this, they become indignant, but Jesus reminds them all the greatest among them is the one who serves the most. He concludes by reminding them that He came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. We must always remember this in our lives as Jesus’ followers. We aren’t to push or pull to get “ahead” as God’s people. We ware to live as faithful servants, knowing we are also His children, and He has saved us to share that blessing with everyone we can. The world tells us the positions of “honor” are to be the goal of our lives. Jesus tells us serving others is the greatest honor we can experience.

Finally, Matthew tells us two blind men cried out from the crowd for Jesus to heal them. Jesus called them to come to Him and asked what they wanted. When they said they wanted to see, Jesus told them their faith had healed them and they received their sight. They immediately started following Jesus. As we look at the many healings Jesus performed during His ministry, we see that sometimes it is the faith of the one to be healed, which Jesus points to as the reason for their healing. At other times it is the faith of the ones requesting the healing for another, as in the case of the healing of the paralytic brought to Jesus by four friends. At times Jesus heals and no mention is made of whose faith was involved. The point is: Jesus healed people, because that’s the nature of the Kingdom of God–people are well and whole. Faith is always a component of the Kingdom of God, because as the Apostle Paul will remind us in 1 Corinthians 13, faith, hope, and love are three attributes that “remain” in God’s Kingdom. As we live this day, let’s remember to exercise our faith, because it is the stuff of which miracles come!

1 Chronicles 26 lists the gatekeepers and treasurers in Israel. Again, the lists are long, and the details minute, because this information was quite important to the Chronicler. As we read through the names and duties, they might not seem so important to us, but if we were Levites, priests, musicians, gatekeepers, or treasurers in Israel, or our ancestors were, these lists would be quite important to us.

1 Chronicles 27 lists the military leaders and the tribal leaders over the twelve tribes of Israel, along with some of the key counselors in the nation. 1  Chronicles concludes in chapter 28 with David’s charge to the people of Israel regarding the construction of the Temple, which would fall to his son, Solomon. Then chapter 28 concludes with David giving a charge to Solomon concerning his supervision of the construction of the Temple. To the Chronicler the Temple and everything concerning the Temple and the priesthood were of paramount interest. While other biblical writers focused on the same matters along with other matters, the Chronicler paid particular attention to the Temple and the priesthood. This is the same as any of us who have a particular interest in a specific area of life, as I do with sports, and specifically baseball. I tend to know more facts about baseball than any other sport, because I have focused on it my whole life. While the illustration breaks down a bit, because there’s nothing divinely inspired about my knowledge of and interest in baseball, the Chronicler’s knowledge and inspiration came from the LORD!

Matthew 19 begins the same way as Mark 10, with the Pharisees coming to Jesus to ask whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. While the order of the response is changed by Matthew, he offers the same response from Jesus as Mark: No. It was not God’s intention for a man to divorce his wife. God ordered it in creation for a man and woman to leave their families of origin and be one as husband and wife. When the disciples questioned Jesus about this matter, He told them not everyone can receive this message, and that some in hearing it would even become celibate in service of the LORD. (He used the term become a eunuch.) This passage speaks clearly to those who say Jesus made no comment about homosexual relationships. He didn’t use the term homosexual, but He spoke clearly about marriage being as God ordered it in Genesis 2 between one man and one woman.

As in Mark 10, after this conversation some parents brought their children to Jesus for Him to bless them. When the disciples rebuked the parents, Jesus told the disciples to let them come, because the Kingdom of Heaven is made up of such as they.

Finally, as in Mark 10, Matthew 19 records Jesus interaction with the rich, young man who wanted to know what to do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to obey the commandments, the man responded he had obeyed them all his life. Then Jesus told the man he lacked one thing: he needed to give away all he had to the poor, then he would have riches in heaven, and then come follow Jesus. The man couldn’t part with his riches, so he parted company with Jesus. When Jesus told the disciples it was hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven they were amazed, because they had been taught riches were a blessing from God. That idea is still prevalent in many places around the world, including the United States of America. When Jesus told the disciples it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, they asked in amazement, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus told them it was impossible in human terms, but possible with God. Finally, Peter asked Jesus what the disciples would receive, because they gave up everything to follow Him? Jesus responded anyone who had given up homes or family or land for Him or the Kingdom, would receive many times as much in return, and eternal life. (Mark adds that in this life we will face persecution with it.) Jesus concluded with the statement, “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” As always, Jesus wanted us to understand that the way we think things are isn’t always the way they are. The ways of God’s Kingdom are often strange to our ears, and challenging to our hearts. It’s important for us to understand, though His ways are always best for us. Only then will we put Him and His Kingdom first in our lives.

In 1 Chronicles 23, David passes the kingdom to Solomon, and then the remainder of the chapter records David’s ordering of the Levites. These details were of great importance to the Chronicler, because he was of the priestly sect. We find more details in sections that deal with the Levites and priests in 1 & 2 Chronicles than in 1 &2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. In keeping with this reality, 1 Chronicles 24 records David’s ordering of the priests, and 1 Chronicles 25 records David’s ordering of the musicians. The roles of the Levites, priests, and musicians was important in the life of God’s people. After all, they were the ones responsible for ordering worship among the people of Israel.

As we turn to Matthew 18, the disciples ask Jesus an important question: “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God?” Jesus responds by bringing a child into their midst and telling them that those who respond to God as a little child are the greatest. He then tells them how bad it is for anyone who leads one of His little ones astray. This wasn’t what the disciples were wanting to know, but Jesus wanted all of us to understand if childlikeness is the quality we need to be great in the Kingdom of God, then anyone taking that away from a child, or causing a child to sin in any way is a devastating offense.

Next, Jesus reminded the disciples of the value of one person to His Heavenly Father. The reminder comes in the form of a parable of a shepherd with 100 sheep. Jesus tells them if one of them goes astray, the shepherd will leave the 99 on their own to go and look for the one. What comfort that brings to us, because it is not God’s will for even one person to be lost!

Jesus then tells the disciples how to respond when a brother or sister sins against us. We are to go to them and confront the sin. If the person repents, we have restored the situation. If the person won’t repent, we are to take another person with us to join the conversation. Again, if the person repents, the situation is restored. If the person doesn’t repent he or she is to be brought before the whole church, and then if there is no repentance, the person is to be cast out and treated as a Gentile. This seems harsh in a world with no accountability, but when we hold each other accountable for sin, we all benefit through the repentance of one another.

Jesus tells us that whatever two or more of us bind or lose in His name is bound or loosed in heaven. He tells us when two or more of us are gathered in His name, He is with us. That doesn’t mean He isn’t with us when we’re alone. It means He’s with us in a special when we were are in community with one another, even if it’s only a community of two!

Perhaps, because of the conversation about confronting brothers, and forgiveness, Peter asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive a brother who sinned against him? Peter offered seven as the number of times.  Jesus responded, “Not seven, but seventy-seven (or seventy times seven.) times.”  Jesus’ point is we are to forgive time and time again, when the person repents. Jesus followed up with a parable of a servant who owed a great debt to his master. The master was going to imprison the servant, but when the servant begged for forgiveness, the master forgave the debt. The servant went out immediately and found a fellow servant who owed him a small debt. The other servant begged for forgiveness, or for more time, but the forgiven servant failed to forgive the other, and had him put in prison. When the other servants saw this, they told their master. The master called the forgiven servant in again. Calling the man ungrateful, the master told him he ought to have forgiven as he had been forgiven. Because he didn’t forgive, the forgiven servant was thrown into prison. Jesus concluded the parable by telling us God will treat us the same way if we don’t forgive others who sin against us! What a powerful reminder of the principle that we must forgive others in Jesus’ name, because He has forgiven us for all our sin, through His blood shed on the cross.

1 Chronicles 20 records several victories David and his man had against the Ammonites and the Philistines. Notable points are: 1) the Chronicler fails to mention the battle against Rabbah is the battle during which David failed to go out to battle, stayed home and committed his sin with Bathsheba. That sin resulted in his murder of Uriah to hide his sin; and 2) In the battles against the Philistines several Philistine giants were killed. When David killed Goliath, no one in the Israelite army had the courage to face Goliath, even though he came out and taunted them for forty days. Many years later after David had both killed Goliath and become king, David’s men were able to kill the other Philistine giants. This is often the case in life, both the life of faith and everyday life: Before someone accomplishes a feat it is considered “impossible,” but once the feat has been accomplished it is repeated and sometimes even becomes commonplace.

1 Chronicles 21 records David’s numbering of the people of Israel. It is the same as the account we read earlier in 2 Samuel 24. The major difference is in 2 Samuel 24 we read the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He caused David to harm them by taking a census. In 1 Chronicles 21 we’re told it was Satan who incited David to take the census. As we consider how such a different source could be behind David’s taking the census, let’s remember nothing happens apart from the LORD’s approval. He doesn’t “will” or approve much of what the devil does, but the devil must have the LORD’s permission to act. We will see this clearly when we read the book of Job. It may be seen subtly in Chronicler’s reporting of David’s census.

1 Chronicles 22 records David’s preparation for the building of the Temple. David provides the materials that will be needed, and he tells his son, Solomon what he is to do in seeing the Temple gets built. The Chronicler seems to “compress” history a bit here, because the transition from David being king to Solomon being king is less detailed, and seemingly smoother than in the accounts we read in 1 Kings. This does not mean one of the accounts is not accurate. It simply means each writer emphasized different aspects and details of the transition. We see this frequently in the Bible when there is more than one account of a matter, such as in the four Gospels in the New Testament. The details differ at times, but the overall accounts remain faithful and consistent.

As we turn to Matthew 17, we see a perfect example of this. The first account in Matthew 17 is that of Jesus being transfigured with Moses and Elijah, and then his healing of a demon-possessed boy. If we read Matthew’s account and compare it with Mark’s we find the details differ, but the overall account is consistent. As you read the Bible remember this principle: Each passage of Scripture is to be examined for what it says, and then compared with all of Scripture to understand it’s full meaning.  Many times people take a verse of Scripture out of context and use it to make a certain point. This is called “proof texting,” because the text is used to prove the person’s point of view. The key is to be certain the verse means what we are “proving” it means not as an isolated verse, but as it fits within the paragraph, chapter and book that contains it, as well as all of Scripture. The best way to avoid proof texting is to become acquainted with the whole Bible, and then compare the passages you read with the rest of God’s word.

After this account, Jesus tells the disciples again He will be arrested, tried, and crucified, but afterwards He will rise again. We aren’t given much detail about the disciples’ response this time, except that they were distressed by it. The closing account of the chapter tells of Jesus providing funds for the Temple tax for him and Peter, by having Peter going to catch a fish, and the fish he catches has a coin that covers the cost of both of their taxes! We might think, “Really? Isn’t that a little far-fetched?” After all, would Jesus really orchestrate such a situation simply to obey the rules? Apparently. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the account in God’s word. As Donald Baillie said nearly a hundred years ago, “God’s ways aren’t always logical to us. It isn’t that they are ‘illogical,’ but by our standards they are “alogical.” That is they don’t correspond to the laws of human logic.

 

In 1 Chronicle 17 we read of David’s desire to build a Temple or house for the LORD! While the LORD was honored by David’s desire, He told David it was not for him, but for his son to build the Temple. He also promised David to that one of his sons would rule over Israel forever. David responded with a prayer of praise and gratitude to the Lord. One of the details of this account is the LORD reminding David that He called David from watching sheep to be the king over Israel.  David didn’t start out as a  military or political leader. He started out tending sheep.  Moses was also a shepherd for forty years before he became the leader of Israel and led them out of slavery in Egypt. David wrote a psalm in which he said, “The Lord is my Shepherd….  Jesus would one day call Himself “the Good Shepherd.” The imagery of tending sheep is important in the life of God’s people. We could undoubtedly come up with many reasons for that. Let’s consider this one: human beings, for all our self-aggrandizement, are simple, sheep-like beings. We are easily led and misled. We aren’t as bright as we think we are. We die easily. The image of “sheep” is not a compliment to us. It is an accurate description. As we go about our daily lives, we must always remember the best way to “succeed” in life is to follow our Shepherd, Jesus, where He leads us.

1 Chronicles 18 offers us a list of the nations David and his army defeated. It then records the people in David’s administration. The chapter is brief and states matter-of-factly the great accomplishments of David. 1 Chronicles 19 follows in a similar vein as chapter 18, but records only the account of how the Ammonites disgraced David’s envoy, which he had sent to express condolences, when the king of the Ammonites died. David’s response was to send his army against them. In hopes of standing against Israel, the Ammonites called on the Syrians for help. Despite their having to fight on two fronts, the Israelites soundly defeated both the Ammonites and Syrians.

Matthew 16 starts with a brief account of the religious leaders asking Jesus for a sign. Jesus tells them they are able to read the signs of the weather, but He will not give them any sign of His authority except for the sign of Jonah. This means just as Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, Jesus would be three days in the “belly” of the earth following His crucifixion. Next, as Jesus and the disciples are traveling, Jesus warns them to reward of the “leaven” of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They misunderstand Jesus, thinking He was talking about literal bread. Jesus reminds them about His ability to multiply bread for thousands of people. Then they understand Jesus was talking about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This is an important reminder to all of us, because it shows us that a leader’s teaching is “leaven,” that is it eventually sinks into the minds and hearts of the people being taught, and changes the way they think. This ultimately leads to a change in actions, habits, and eventually brings about a new destiny. Be careful whose teaching you hear, learn and live! After this Jesus asked the disciples who the crowds said He was? They gave various answers of famous people who had come before Him. Then He asked, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God.” Jesus told Simon he was blessed for this response, because it was given to him by God. He also said that response would be the foundation on which He would build His church. After this, Jesus told the disciples He would be turned over to the religious leaders and be crucified, but would rise on the third day. Peter rebuked Jesus for this statement, but Jesus rebuked Peter, calling him Satan, and telling him to get behind Him. Then Jesus told the disciples they must deny themselves and follow Him, and that any who save their life will lose it, but those who lose their lives for Him and the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven will find it. This charge is one each of us must remember and live. It is always easier to choose the path of least resistance, to go along with the world, but following Jesus, while difficult in the short run, and even over time, will bring eternal reward in the end.

 

1 Chronicles 13 records David’s first attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant back from Kiriath-Jearim. The account is similar to that found in  2 Samuel 6. As the Ark was being moved, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady it. The LORD struck him dead, which both angered and frightened David, so he decided to leave the Ark at the home of Obed-edom.

In 1 Chronicles 14, we read the record of the children born to David in Jerusalem. Then we read the account of David defeating the Philistines twice. The second time, David and his men didn’t even have to fight, because the LORD sent His army into the battle. While this might seem difficult to believe from our perspective, the reality is spiritual warfare is going on around us all the time. the LORD’s angels are fighting against Satan and his minions. At times, the LORD makes these battles apparent to us, and at times He even sense His warriors to engage in our battles.

1 Chronicles 15 records the successful transportation of the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-edom to Jerusalem. The Chronicler gives us a much more detailed account of all the Levites who were involved in the procession, and the roles they played. We are told once again that King David danced before the Ark wearing a linen ephod, and that this caused Michal, his wife, to despise him. While we were told in 2 Samuel that because of Michal’s disdain for David’s dancing, she remained barren for the rest of her life, the Chronicler did not include this detail in his account.

Matthew 15 begins with the account of the Pharisees and Jesus in disagreement, because Jesus’ disciples ate without practicing the Jewish ritual of hand washing. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites for practicing this aspect of tradition, while ignoring the weightier matters of the Law. Jesus made it clear, and even explained in detail to the disciples, that whether we wash our hands before we eat, and whatever we eat does not make us unclean. It is not what we ingest into our bodies that make us clean or unclean, according to Jesus. Rather, it is what comes out of our hearts that demonstrates our state of being. Next, we read the account of Jesus healing a Canaanite woman’s daughter, even though at first He was not going to respond to her request, because she was a “foreigner.” During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He only healed non-Jews on a couple of occasions. He kept His focus on “the lost sheep” of Israel, while at the same time equipping the disciples to be ready to minister to the people of all nations. The chapter closes with the account of Jesus healing many sick and demon possessed people, and then feeding the 4,000. Jesus’ compassion is once again accounted as the reason for these amazing practices.  Jesus would one day remind us in John’s gospel that we who follow Him will do greater things than He has done, which is an incredible promise given what he did in this chapter. The key is for us to trust and obey Him and follow wherever He leads us and to ask whatever we need from Him be done in His name.

1 Chronicles 10 records the death of King Saul and his sons in battle. The record is virtually the same as the one found in 1 Samuel 31. The details vary slightly, but the gist of the account is the same.

1 Chronicles 11 and 12 start with the announcement of David becoming the king and moving to Jerusalem. But the remainder of these two chapters backtrack a bit, listing the names and backgrounds of David’s mighty men, and telling us when they came to him. The focus seems to be more on showing God’s favor on David as he developed a following and then became king, that we found in 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel gives much more background about the transition of the kingdom of Israel to David after Saul died, and has much greater detail about the fighting that went on between David and Saul’s sons, before David ultimately became the king of all Israel.

As we turn to Matthew 14, we read the account of King Herod telling others Jesus was John the Baptist come back from the dead. We are told of Herod arresting John, and then executing him, because of his step-daughter’s request that he do so. The request came after Herod had promised to give her anything she asked, even up to half of his kingdom, because she entertained Herod and his guests at a party. Herod had no idea, she would be prompted by her mother, Herodias, to ask for John’s head on a platter, but when the request came Herod fulfilled it rather than be viewed as a liar by his guests. When Jesus heard of John’s execution, He withdrew to an isolated place to pray. The ever-present crowd heard of Jesus’ whereabouts, and came to Him with their sick and demon-possessed. As usual, Jesus healed them. Then when it was evening, Jesus told the disciples to feed them. Because they had no food, Jesus multiplied the little they had. We are told Jesus fed 5,000 men and women and children in addition to that with five loaves of bread and a couple of fish. After this Jesus withdrew to a quiet place to pray, and sent the disciples on ahead by boat.  Jesus often withdrew to pray after a major “success” in His ministry. The wisdom of this is obvious. The devil doesn’t only tempt us when things are challenging for us. He pushes us to display pride, when we go through positive events. Later, Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water. They thought He was a ghost, but He assured Him it was He. Peter told Jesus if it was He, to call him to come out on the water. Jesus did. Peter walked on the water, but eventually, he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink. He cried out, “Lord, Save me!” Jesus did. I’ve always been comforted by that brief prayer, and Jesus’ immediate response to it. Sometimes we have such an urgent need, all we can say is “Lord, Save me!” He does. We simply need to remember to turn to Him instead of to our own solutions in such moments.

If you looked at the title and thought, “Why are there nine chapters covered in today’s Bible plan summary?” The short answer is 1 Chronicles chapters 1-9 is all genealogies and records of the names of priests, kings and other leaders of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. 1-2 Chronicles was written originally as one book. It provides much of the same material as 1-2 Kings, although some of the details and names vary. Many biblical scholars assert the “Chronicler” wanted to re-record the history of Judah to encourage those exiled in Babylon, and to remind the people to remain faithful until the time of their deliverance.

Briefly, 1 Chronicles 1 covers the generations of people from Adam through Jacob. It also records the lists of many of the indigenous kings in the Promised Land. Chapter 2 records the genealogy of Jacob (Israel) through David, but also lists a number of generations of other descendants who weren’t of the line of David. Chapter 3 records the sons and descendants of David into the time of Judah’s exile in Babylon. Chapter 4 records the descendants of Judah and Simeon. In verse 10, we read what has become famous as the prayer of Jabez: ¹⁰Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. After this brief prayer, the Chronicler returned to recording the genealogies as before. Chapter 5 records the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. All of Chapter 6 records the descendants of Levi, including breaking them down into the various divisions of service among the Levites. Chapter 7 records the descendants of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh (again), Ephraim, and Asher. Chapter 8 records the descendants of Saul, the first king of Israel. Chapter 9 records the genealogy of the exiles who returned to Judah from Babylon, as well as a repeat of the genealogy of Saul. While we could have taken several days to cover these chapters, and gone into greater detail, most of us would find such an exercise tedious. For those who are interested in the study of genealogies, you always have the opportunity to use your study Bibles or online resources!

Matthew 13 begins with Jesus telling the crowd the Parable of the Sower. After He tells the parable, the disciples ask Him why He teaches in parables and Jesus responds that it is for them to understand the parables, but not for everyone. He then proceeds to tell the disciples the meaning of the Parable of the Sower. Next, Jesus tells the Parable of the wheat and the tares. In this parable, Jesus makes it clear that the good and bad will grow together until the time of judgment at the end of time. At that point they will be separated, and the good will go to heaven with Jesus, while the bad will be cast out. Of course, Jesus wasn’t saying that some of us are good and others bad. He was telling us that those who respond to Him and His good news of salvation will be redeemed and considered good. Jesus followed this parable with the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and the Parable of Leaven, both of which show us how the Kingdom of Heaven starts out small in our lives, and becomes all-consuming. After explaining the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Jesus tells the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price.  All of these parables show us the Kingdom of Heaven is worth more than anything, and we must put our pursuit of it before everything else in our lives. After telling the parables, Jesus travelled to His hometown and went to the synagogue. When He taught there, the people were amazed by His teaching, but at the same time they “took offense at Him” because they knew Him from His youth. Therefore, He didn’t do many miracles there. Mark’s gospel tells us Jesus “couldn’t” do many miracles there, because of their lack of faith, but Matthew tells us he “didn’t” do many miracles there. In any case, He did some miracles, but not as many as in the places where the people received Him in faith. In the same way, we must receive Jesus in faith if we are to experience the fullness of His Kingdom work in our lives.