1 Chronicles
I'm not going to lie - after now having read 7 chapters of genealogy in 1 Chronicles, I'm a little bored... The Chronicler sure liked to chronicle things! However, I understand that there is a point to all the names. He is showing the lineage and heritage of the great kings of Israel - David and Solomon. God made a number of promises to King David, stating that he would always have someone from his line on the throne. God keeps his promises! Nonetheless, it seems that maybe the information could have been presented in a more interesting manner.
Here's a fun fact, though. The Chronicles tell roughly the same story as 1 and 2 Kings, but the focus is different. In Kings, the author seems keen on showing how the Israelites failed to follow God's commands and subsequently, God would punish them, show love to them again when they started obeying, and then punish them when they fell back into pagan, sinful ways. In Chronicles, I believe we will see how God's promises to King David came true. Track along with me as we read continue to read the Chronicles and we'll find out!
Showing posts with label 1 Kings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 Kings. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
In a gentle whisper
1 Kings
This is one of my favourite passages in the bible.
1 Kings 9:9-14 -
This is one of my favourite passages in the bible.
1 Kings 9:9-14 -
The Lord Appears to Elijah
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord
God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down
your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the
only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord
God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down
your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the
only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
In this passage, Elijah is at his wits' end because of the persecution in Israel. God comes to him, but not in power or violence, rather, in a gentle whisper. I think that helps us stop and think, reflect, and really pay attention to what God has to say. It's easy to get caught up in a windstorm, and afterwards to forget about God when it gets quiet. But when we start out quiet, and hear God then, maybe then it's easier to hear him in the noise?
Sunday, April 24, 2011
God is powerful
1 Kings
Where is God's power in your life? 1 Kings 18 shows that even when society seems to be going downhill and people give themselves to false gods, God will still come through and show himself in powerful ways to those who follow him.
Elijah taunted the prophets of Baal and had them try and get their god to set fire to their sacrifice to him. No matter what they did, Baal did not respond. He couldn't; he wasn't real. These prophets were the ruling priests of the day, endorsed by the king, but they still couldn't make anything happen. Elijah was one of the king's major enemies, he was on the run and living in the wilderness. When he doused his sacrifice in litres of water, an onlooker may have assumed he was committing "spiritual suicide" as it were, ensuring that his sacrifice would not be burnt up. However, God sent his fire down and burned down the sacrifice, the altar of stones, the soil around it, and all the water! That's power!
We have access to that power on a daily basis because Christ opened up the way for us to talk with God whenever we want. Let's not waste this access, but like Elijah, live in constant communion with God, and when we need him to, God will come through for us.
Where is God's power in your life? 1 Kings 18 shows that even when society seems to be going downhill and people give themselves to false gods, God will still come through and show himself in powerful ways to those who follow him.
Elijah taunted the prophets of Baal and had them try and get their god to set fire to their sacrifice to him. No matter what they did, Baal did not respond. He couldn't; he wasn't real. These prophets were the ruling priests of the day, endorsed by the king, but they still couldn't make anything happen. Elijah was one of the king's major enemies, he was on the run and living in the wilderness. When he doused his sacrifice in litres of water, an onlooker may have assumed he was committing "spiritual suicide" as it were, ensuring that his sacrifice would not be burnt up. However, God sent his fire down and burned down the sacrifice, the altar of stones, the soil around it, and all the water! That's power!
We have access to that power on a daily basis because Christ opened up the way for us to talk with God whenever we want. Let's not waste this access, but like Elijah, live in constant communion with God, and when we need him to, God will come through for us.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Solomon and his gold
1 Kings
In 1 Kings 10:14, we read that Solomon received yearly 666 talents of gold. That number made me curious, but many theologians don't bother to comment on the significance (or insignificance) of this number. Some websites do mention this link between Solomon and 666 and other mentions of 666. However, my personal and somewhat uneducated opinion is that we really shouldn't bother to place much stock in the appearance of the 'devil number', at least in this context. Even with a simple comparison of when the book of 1 Kings was written versus the book of Daniel (the next Old Testament book to mention 666), we can see that 1 Kings came before Daniel. Daniel was the first to link the number with the 'Beast', so it seems somewhat straightforward that the author of 1 Kings did not equate Solomon with the devil or some other such evil figure.
What does this mean for us today? I wouldn't put much stock in trying to find symbols and meanings in the scriptures. If you are reading the bible with an open heart and mind, ready and waiting to hear from the Holy Spirit, you will likely garner all the teachings you need to live a holy and godly life. Though sometimes finding conspiracy theories are kinda fun...
In 1 Kings 10:14, we read that Solomon received yearly 666 talents of gold. That number made me curious, but many theologians don't bother to comment on the significance (or insignificance) of this number. Some websites do mention this link between Solomon and 666 and other mentions of 666. However, my personal and somewhat uneducated opinion is that we really shouldn't bother to place much stock in the appearance of the 'devil number', at least in this context. Even with a simple comparison of when the book of 1 Kings was written versus the book of Daniel (the next Old Testament book to mention 666), we can see that 1 Kings came before Daniel. Daniel was the first to link the number with the 'Beast', so it seems somewhat straightforward that the author of 1 Kings did not equate Solomon with the devil or some other such evil figure.
What does this mean for us today? I wouldn't put much stock in trying to find symbols and meanings in the scriptures. If you are reading the bible with an open heart and mind, ready and waiting to hear from the Holy Spirit, you will likely garner all the teachings you need to live a holy and godly life. Though sometimes finding conspiracy theories are kinda fun...
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