Daily Thoughts From God's Word

722 B.C. – The fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. “And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (17:7). The Lord had done so much for Israel. Yet, she was so ungrateful. A good reminder, specifically, that we should always be grateful to the Lord for his goodness toward us and, more generally, we should always show gratefulness and t

“In the second year of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued

So many miracles in the days of Elisha! The widow’s oil. A child for the Shunammite woman. The deadly stew purified. Namaan healed of leprosy. The axe head recovered. Deliverance from Syria. And now, in chapter 11, the report of the prophet’s death. But even in death his influence continues: “So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen

Elisha and the time of miracles. The miracle of the widow’s oil strikes me as similar to Jesus’ feeding of the thousands. Elisha asked, “What have you in the house?” It’s as though the man of God can work with whatever is present. That’s the way it is with God. He can work with whatever we have. He can take this talent or that, this item or that, this desire or that, whatever, and use it for his purposes. I suspect, if the widow had answered, “A little firewood” rather

What a damning question from Elijah to Ahaziah, when Ahaziah had fallen sick and inquired of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron! “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?” At another time, the prophet Isaiah warned: 1 “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;

These are the “Elijah chapters” -- Three great confrontations between the prophet Elijah and Ahab and Jezebel: The announcement of famine (ch. 17), the destruction of the Baal prophets on Mt. Carmel (ch. 18), and the announcement of God’s judgment because of Ahab’s murder of Naboth and the taking of his land (ch. 21). God will not leave evil alone; he will judge it and be victorious over it. In a world that is full of evil and evildoers, it is good to know that our God wat

The kingdom divided! Rehoboam heard counsel both wise and foolish. He took the foolish counsel, and the results are there for everyone to see: a pagan, idolatrous nation in the north and a sharply reduced kingdom in the south. Both were nothing much more than weak rump kingdoms at that point. Bad decisions. Bad results. For generations, though, the Lord continued to send his prophets and to rescue the people. It’s certainly not a license to sin and to disobey, but how

Solomon accomplished so much during his reign: the building of the temple and his own palace, he built up Israel’s army in order to defend the nation, he built a great administrative state, he built structures (both military and civilian) all over Israel, and he built a fleet of ships that traded all over the Mediterranean and brought him great riches. So rich did Solomon become that the queen of Sheba said to him, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your wo

A firmly established fact is that Solomon was a flawed character. Wiser than all men, obeying God and trusting him in so many things, ruling wisely and protecting the nation; on the other hand, allowing idolatry, even introducing it to the nation through his many wives and concubines, and putting all sorts of burdens on the people by way of taxes and forced labor. But there is also this, he built the temple, and the Lord said to him, “Concerning this house that you are buil

For Resurrection Sunday, how about we read Isaiah’s great prophecy and just meditate on it? 52 13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 14 As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they

“Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places” (3:1-2). Solomon fell into the trap so many leaders succumb to, i.e., trusting in treaties and alliances rather than God and, especially, this was a problem for Israel, a nation tied to God by covenant.

The royal intrigues continue: “Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, ‘I will be king.’ So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never rebuked him by asking, ‘Why do you behave as you do?’ He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)” (1:5-6). All this is to say that Adonijah was a spoiled and entitled brat. Entering into a conspiracy with Joab and Abiathar in the last days of D

“David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: ‘The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me’” (22:1-3). David knew who “buttered his toast.” You know, that wording s

After his son Absalom’s rebellion and death, David returned to Jerusalem where he pardoned his enemies, those who had opposed his kingship. Among them was Shimei who pleaded for forgiveness: “And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, and said to the king, ‘Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart. For your servant k

David’s life and reign seems filled with trouble and heartache, beginning with yesterday’s episode with Bathsheba and Uriah. Troubles, however, continued: Amnon and Tamar, the murder of Amnon by Absalom, Amnon’s attempted coup, Ziba’s rebellion, Shimei’s cursing of David, and the death of Absalom among many trials and tribulations. We might wonder, how in the world did David keep his sanity? How did experience any joy at all? How was he able to remain so resolutely a kin