Daily Thoughts From God's Word

The story of Asa’s rule began in chapter 14. Chapter 15 continues the story. Azariah recounted times past when Israel had turned away from God and were graciously restored and blessed when they turned back to him. Asa took to heart what he was hearing. He “put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin” (15:8), and he and the people “entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul” (15

“When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. . . . [The Lord said to Rehoboam], ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’ Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, ‘The LORD is righteous.’ When the LORD saw that they

931 B.C. and the kingdom divided – A reminder that one generation cannot presume to rest on the successes of a previous generation. In fact, the seeds of the division had already been sown by Solomon. Nevertheless, Solomon bequeathed to Rehoboam so many successes and so many advantages. Yet, Rehoboam squandered it all, and the result was that he ended up ruling over a significantly reduced rump state that never really again amounted to much. I am responsible for my own ac

From the previous chapters, we learned that true greatness is measured not in terms of worldly wealth but by personal character. That said, it’s impossible to overlook all the great accomplishments of Solomon, perhaps the greatest being the building of the temple in Jerusalem. But even there, the principle stands. Even in celebrating this great architectural and religious accomplishment, the character thing shines through in Solomon’s prayer of dedication. Solomon’s praye

“Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great” (1:1). Of course, Solomon accomplished so much: the building of the temple, the building of his own palace, he built a great defensive military, he formed a mighty trading fleet of ships, and he possessed gold and silver in great quantities. In fact, the Queen of Sheba could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the wealth of Solomon. But his exce

David did not get to build the temple but he sure played an important part in preparing for its building and use. Not only did he gather materials, he did a lot of organizing for the temple and national life: the musicians, the divisions of gatekeepers, treasurers and other officials, military divisions, and tribal leaders. Perhaps most importantly of all, David charged, first, the people of Israel and, then, Solomon, his son. To the people: “In the sight of all Israel,

As we know, the Lord prohibited David from building the temple in Jerusalem, reserving that task for David’s son, Solomon. Surely David would have been disappointed; nevertheless, an important, even necessary, task fell to him, that is, the gathering of materials and preparing the people for the work. David accepted his role in the matter, and he declared, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel” (22:1). David said to his so

An interesting note: “Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel . . . [which] was evil in God’s sight, so He afflicted Israel” (21:1,7). This is one of the difficult texts in the OT. Here’s what I think is going on, though. In numbering the people, particularly those who could go out to war, David was turning from a full trust in God and to his own devices. How faithful God had shown himself to be, time and time again, yet David fails

Have you ever stopped to wonder why we celebrate Easter? One needs only look at neighbor yards and see Easter bunnies and Easter egg hunts banners on every corner. Pastel colors are in and people may dress in their best and trickle into a church. This is how people celebrate Easter, not the reason why. However, Easter is not about bunnies, eggs, or pastel colors but about a story. The story starts at the beginning of time. God spoke and the world came into being. Stars forme

The ark of the covenant was brought into the tent that David had prepared for it. The ark had been carried through the wilderness. The people had faced many dangers. The people had even, at various times, rejected the Lord and followed after idols. Still, God was faithful and, now, the ark of his presence was set up in the midst of the people. David had every reason to rejoice and give thanks, and he sang: 8 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his n

Chapter 12 tells about the mighty men of David, those who were loyal to him when Saul was seeking to kill David. Also, they were “among the mighty men who helped him in war” (12:1-2). Whether out of character or not (Actually, I grew up fascinated with professional wrestling/entertainment.), I found myself, the other day, watching a TV show: “WWE Rivals.” This particular episode focused on two wrestlers from the 1990s, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. They were rivals in

The genealogies continue with Saul’s family, his rule, his death, and the anointing of David as king. Leadership transitions are always a challenge; sometimes, they go smoothly, sometimes not; sometimes, good preparation has taken place, sometimes, they are sudden, even happening because of some unforeseen crisis. But the Lord had ready Saul’s replacement. In fact, even while Saul was still king, David was chosen and prepared as the future king of Israel. There was no dou

I will be honest, I more quickly perused these genealogies than I would normally read chapters. I think we all must admit that it’s just hard to focus on all those names one after another. But we need to be careful that we do not “miss the forest for the trees.” These historical genealogies remind us, once again, that our story is not fictional; rather, it is historical. The names, places, dates, and events are real. And all these details trace out clearly God’s redempti

“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. A nd he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left” (22:1-2). That’s the sort of biographical reflection we all hope to receive upon our deaths. Of course, Josiah was far from perfect. And, in his day, the kingdom

Hezekiah began his reign, and “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD . . . He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel . . . He held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him” (18:3-7). During Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and took the people and scattered them throughout the nations “because they did not obey the voice of the LO