Smarter Than He Thinks.

Proverbs 30

Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the LORD?" Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. ­– Proverbs 30:7-9 NLT

Agur, the author of this Proverb, had a somewhat diminished view of himself. He begins his proverb with the self-deprecating words, "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One" (Proverbs 30:2-3 NLT). It has been speculated that Ithiel and Ucal were his two sons and that they were claiming, as sons are prone to do, to be wiser than their dear old dad. In response, Agur agrees with them, painting himself as lacking in wisdom and limited in his knowledge of God. But he is not claiming to be ignorant or a fool. He is simply admitting the limited nature of his knowledge and understanding when compared to that of God. He has a humble view of himself and a high view of God. He asks Ithiel and Ucal, "Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! (Proverbs 30:4 NLT). For Agur, everything there is to know about God is wrapped up in the name of God. The answer to all of his questions is Yahweh, but he acts as if Ithiel and Ucal don't know the obvious. In their pride and arrogance, they appear to have forgotten about the greatness of God.

Agur has a humility about him that is refreshing. He knows his place. He is painfully aware of his limitations. And he knows that his needs are few. All he really wants is to know his God and to live a life that is free from anything that might tempt him to forget God or dishonor Him. That is his prayer in verses 7-9 – the only prayer found in the Proverbs. Agur asks God for two things. He asks God to keep falsehood and lies far from him. I think this is a request for protection from the falsehood and lies of others, but also the elimination of these things in his own life. The second request is for a life devoid of wealth of poverty. Why? Because he knows that both bring with them certain temptations that he wants to avoid. When we find ourselves blessed with abundance we can be tempted to become self-sufficient (Deuteronomy 8:11-14; John 15:5). When we experience the opposite extreme of poverty, we can be tempted to doubt God's goodness and to lose trust in Him. When that happens, we end up taking matters into our own hands in order to solve our problem. Agur wanted neither wealth or poverty. His real request was that he might live a life focused on God, trusting and relying on Him alone. Agur was a wise man. The kind of man most sons don't appreciate until they are much older. We need more men and women like in our world today.

Father, give me the heart of Agur. Let me learn to be satisfied with You and You alone. Don't let me long for wealth or fear poverty. Give me a life of simplicity, where You are all I need. Keep me from living self-sufficiently or self-reliantly. Help me to recognize each day that You are my sole provider and protector. Amen





You Can't Take It With You.

2 Chronicles 9

Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. When he died, he was buried in the city of his father, David. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king. ­– 2 Chronicles 9:30-31 NLT

Chapter nine of 2nd Chronicles is an almost word-for-word copy of chapter 10 of 1st Kings. In it we read about the incredible wealth and wisdom of Solomon. It seems almost over the top and too good to be true. He was able to answer all the questions of the Queen of Sheba with ease. The opulence is palace left her breathless. This would be like Rupert Murdoch being impressed with the wealth and wisdom of Bill Gates. She was blown away. "Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! I didn't believe it until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. Truly I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom is far greater than what I was told" (2 Chronicles 9:5-6 NLT). The amount of gold described in this passage is mind-boggling. His throne alone was worth a small fortune. Solomon had it all. Including a reign that lasted 40 years. But then the chapter ends abruptly. Solomon dies.

He knew this day would come. In fact, he wrote about it. "Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king's successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. Then I thought in my heart, 'The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?' I said in my heart, 'This too is meaningless.' For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!" (Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 NLT). Solomon knew death was inevitable, and all his wealth and wisdom couldn't prevent it. He would leave it all behind, including his wisdom – in the form of the Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes. His son Rehoboam would have the legacy of his father to live up to and his magnificent palace to live in. But Solomon left behind more than he could have ever imagined. We find out later that Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king and his reign would last 17 years. For the first three years of his reign he would follow in the steps of David and Solomon. But he shared some of his father's weaknesses, including his love of women. He had 18 wives and 60 concubines, 28 sons and 60 daughters. Idolatry would be a continual problem during his reign.

"And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, whom they provoked to jealousy with the sins they committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built themselves [idolatrous] high places, pillars, and Asherim [idolatrous symbols of the goddess Asherah] on every high hill and under every green tree. There were also sodomites (male cult prostitutes) in the land. They did all the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out before the Israelites.” – 1 Kings 14:22-24 Amplified Bible

Rehoboam would not inherit his father's God-given wisdom and would end up making decisions that split the kingdom in half. The halcyon days of Israel would become a memory. The glory days would end. The writer of 2nd Chronicles sets up the rest of the story with a reminder of just how good things were right before Solomon died. He describes the good old days. But things were about to take a dramatic change for the worst. Solomon had built himself quite a kingdom. He had established for himself quite a reputation. But he couldn't take any of it with him. He would leave it all behind. Would Solomon have been better off spending his time preparing his son to reign than amassing a fortune and turning Jerusalem into a show place? Rather than putting all his wisdom on paper, would he have been better off pouring it into his children? There's an old saying that says when it comes to our children "more is caught than taught." Rehoboam was watching his dad. He would try to emulate his father's wisdom and ways. He would try to rule like Solomon. But he would eventually fail. Solomon left behind a lot more than he ever imagined. What about me? What am I leaving behind?

Father, I don't want to leave behind a reputation or a portfolio of achievements and assets. I want to leave behind children who love You and who know how to obediently serve You. I want them to know how to live wise and Spirit-filled lives. I want them to live in dependence on You, not themselves. Help me not spend my years on this earth obsessed with myself and my own achievements. Give me an eternal perspective that looks beyond my days here on earth. May my children be my greatest legacy. Amen





Now Is The Time To Be Careful.

1 Kings 10

All of King Solomon's drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's day! ­– 1 Kings 10:21 NLT

What a time to be alive in the land of Israel. This nation had seen a lot of change take place in a very short period of time. No longer the poor, ragamuffin former slaves who had left Egypt, Israel had become a great nation with a powerful king and a growing reputation. They were a force to be reckoned with in the region. Their king was wise and extremely wealthy. They had a strong army. They sat at a strategic crossroads when it came to trade and commerce, occupying the land bridge that connected three continents. Money and goods flowed through their land and, as a result, the wealth of the Israelites increased greatly. So much so that silver was considered of little value! The abundance of gold made silver virtually commonplace and worthless. These were heady times in the life of Israel.

On her royal visit to Jerusalem, the Queen of Sheba recognized the hand of God in all that she saw. "The LORD your God is great indeed! He delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because the LORD loves Israel with an eternal love, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness" (1 Kings 10:9 NLT). She was impressed with Solomon and his God. So much so that she made Solomon even wealthier by sending him nine thousand pounds of gold, and great quantities of spices and precious jewels. Solomon and the people of Israel had been blessed by God. They enjoyed peace, prosperity and, more importantly the presence of God. But all this reminds me of the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 12:48: "Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." Was Solomon becoming distracted by his own celebrity and wealth? Were the people of Israel beginning to think that they were indestructible and untouchable? Was there a level of complacency and cockiness settling into the people and their wise king? The answer is yes. Chapter 10 is a set-up to chapter 11 of 1 Kings. We're going to see that all was not well in Solomon's Camelot. On the surface all looked well. But like a cancer that spreads unseen and undetected in the body, there was a subtle spirit of rebellion slowly infiltrating the people of Israel, and it began at the top. Success was breeding complacency. The abundant blessings of God were resulting in a loss of the fear of God. Solomon and his people were becoming self-sufficient and self-reliant. They were losing their sense of dependence on God. Years later, after Solomon's kingdom split in two, the prophet Hosea would end up giving the people of Israel a warning from the lips of God, "I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from your slavery in Egypt. You have no God but me, for there is no other savior. I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. But when you had eaten and were satisfied, then you became proud and forgot me" (Hosea 13:4-6 NLT). Prosperity was breeding pride. Ease and comfort was resulting in short-term memory loss and an inability to remember all that God had done. God had warned them that this might happen.

"When you have eaten your fill, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, that is the time to be careful. Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt." – Deuteronomy 8:10-14 NLT

That is the time to be careful! Could the same be said to us today? Are we enjoying the abundant blessings of God, but subtly turning away from our dependence upon God? Are we just as guilty as Solomon of accepting the gifts of God, while disobeying the Word of God? That is the time to be careful.

Father, I am so abundantly blessed. You have been so good to me and yet I can so easily forget You and just bask in the blessings. I almost come to expect it, even demand it. Never let me forget that I am what I am because of You. I would be nothing without You. I deserve nothing on my own. I don't merit any of the good things you shower on me every day. Don't let me become proud, arrogant and complacent in my walk with You. Remind me daily that now is the time to be careful. Amen





Remember God – While You Still Can.

Ecclesiastes 10-12

Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living. ­– Ecclesiastes 12:1 NLT

It was George Bernard Shaw who said, "Youth is wasted on the young." They have all the energy, enthusiasm, mental capacity, and vigor for life. They have years ahead of them to experience life in all its fullness. And for those of us whose hair is turning gray or simply turning loose, we find ourselves jealous of the young. We sometimes wish we were young again. Some of us spend way too much time trying to appear young in a vain attempt to hang on to something that is no longer there. Solomon seemed to hate the idea of getting older. It was a topic he discussed at length in his writings in Ecclesiastes. He knew his days were numbered. He was experiencing the effects of old age. His memory was not what it once was and he no longer had the energy he once had. He probably found himself exhausted, both mentally and physically, at the end of the day. And yet he probably found himself surrounded by young people. After all, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, so there is no telling how many kids he had running around the palace.

So Solomon had a lot to say to young people. The Proverbs are full of messages to the young, and in the closing chapter of Ecclesiastes we read more admonitions and warnings from the pen of Solomon to youth. He writes from the perspective of one who has seen the years fly by and is now looking back in retrospect. He encourages the young to remember God while they can. Old age can bring diminished capacities of all kinds. Memory loss, decreased attention span, poor vision, and weakened strength are just a few of the things that young people have to look forward to. So while they are young, Solomon warns, they need to remember God. They need to use their energy, enthusiasm, strength, and mental capacity to think about the One who made them. "Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well" (Ecclesiastes 12:6 NLT). Solomon uses poetic language to portray the fragility of life and the inevitable end we all face.

But Solomon is not all doom and gloom. He encourages the young to enjoy life. To take advantage of the years they have ahead of them. "Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness" (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 NLT). Solomon teaches balance. Enjoy life, but remember that all life ends in death. And none of us know when that time will come. Only God does. Youth is only wasted on the young if they refuse to live with wisdom and in the fear of God. That really seems to be Solomon's point. The lessons of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes are really for the young. They have the time to put them into practice and make their lives count. These are the same messages we need to convey to the youth of our day. Sometimes we think they can't handle it. We treat them as if they are too young and too immature to deal with deeper truth. But Solomon wanted to reach the young while they were young. He wanted them to make the most of their lives "under the sun." He wanted them to enjoy their lives, but to do so with a certain degree of soberness and seriousness. He concludes his writings with the following thought: "Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NLT). Encouraging our young people to live their lives with God as the focus is the duty of us all. But we need to do more than talk about it. We need to model it. Life is to be enjoyed – with God at the center of it. Life is to be lived to the full – with God at the center of it. Life is to be rich and rewarding – with God at the center of it. Otherwise, if God is left out of the equation – life becomes meaningless.

Father, give me an increased desire to share these thoughts with the youth in my life – including my own kids. But more than anything else, help me to live out the truths found in this book in my own life. Show me how to model a life of wisdom and the fear of God. I want to increasingly make You the center of all that I do – so that my life has meaning. Amen





His Ways Are Not Our Ways.

Ecclesiastes 7-9

I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover ; and though the wise man should say, 'I know,' he cannot discover. ­– Ecclesiastes 8:17 NASB

There was a limit to Solomon's wisdom. He was extremely wise, but he didn't know everything. Solomon was still a man who found himself limited in his understanding. He could not understand the inner workings of God's divine plan. He couldn't comprehend the confusing nature of life on this world. Why do the wicked seem to prosper and the righteous seem to suffer? We don't know. We can't answer those kinds of questions. But in his pursuit to know Solomon asks. He wants answers. And because he can't find them, it can lead to the conclusion that life is futile, meaningless and like chasing the wind. Solomon asks rhetorically and with a hint of frustration, "If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?" (Ecclesiastes 8:7 NASB). We are limited. We don't know what is going to happen. We don't know when we are going to die. We don't know how relationships are going to turn out. We don't know if adversity or prosperity is our lot. A life of righteousness can't guarantee one or prevent the other. Only God knows. And His ways are inscrutable, unknowable, unsearchable. There are things going on here "under the sun" that we will never understand this side of eternity. We have a limited perspective. We have limited knowledge. We are finite creatures. But our God is infinite in power, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. He is in control. He has a plan. And He doesn't always let us in on it.

Paul understood this. "Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back? For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen" (Romans 11:33-36 NLT).  God reminded the prophet Isaiah of the same thing. "'My thoughts are completely different from yours,' says the LORD. 'And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts'" (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT).

So what should be our reaction to the fact that God's ways are greater than we can ever understand? How do we respond when we finally realize that not everything on this earth is cut and dried, with the wicked always losing and the righteous always winning? Well, on the one hand, we could resign ourselves to a life of futility and determine to make the most out of this mess. That seems to be what Solomon did. He adopted the "eat, drink and be merry" philosophy – a life of hedonism. We could take a more restrained approach and simply tell ourselves to enjoy what you've got and not worry about the rest. "Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun ; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 9:9 NLT). Or we could learn to rest in the fact that God's ways, while impossible for us to know or understand, are always trustworthy and right. He knows what He is doing. We can learn to accept adversity or prosperity as both potential options in God's divine plan for our lives.

In his "Notes on Ecclesiastes," Dr. Thomas L. Constable says, "We cannot understand why God uses adversity and prosperity as He does. A man or woman of faith trusts God nonetheless (Romans 8:28). Therefore we should enjoy the times of prosperity and remember in the times of adversity that God is in control." Warren Wiersbe puts it this way, "God balances our lives by giving us enough blessings to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble." In the end, we need to trust that He knows what He is doing. Life "under the sun" can be confusing, frustrating, and at times, demotivating. It doesn't always make sense. It isn't always fun. There are things that happen that we can't understand or make sense of. But if we maintain a God-focused perspective and remember to keep Him as part of our equation, it can help us understand that trust sometimes has to take precedence over knowing. Faith has to stand in the place of understanding.

Father, what a life this can be at times. So many things happen even in a given day that confuse and confound us. And if we maintain a purely horizontal perspective it can become debilitating and frustrating. But Your ways are greater than my ways. Your knowledge is beyond anything I can begin to understand. Help me learn to trust You, even when things don't seem to be going the way I think they should. Don't let me try and measure Your goodness based solely on circumstances. Don't let me measure reality based solely on what I see going on around me. You have a greater plan. Amen





It's All About Perspective.

Ecclesiastes 4-6

Then I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind. ­– Ecclesiastes 4:4 NLT

Remember, the real theme of the book of Ecclesiastes seems to be about havinga God-centered worldview than a me-focused one. It is about learning to see life from God's perspective, not our own. We are limited in what we can see. We don't know what God is up to or what He has planned. So when we try to live our lives focused only on the horizontal, we end up with a warped perspective, and it skews just about everything we do. For instance, even our motivation to succeed in life is based on envy and jealousy. We take a look around us and see what others have achieved and the lifestyle their achievements have made possible, and we decide to work harder so that we can enjoy the same things. In the end, this kind of motivation proves futile and meaningless. It's a vapor that fades away. Why? Because our perspective is wrong. Solomon goes on to warn us,  "Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth -- except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers! People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich are always worrying and seldom get a good night's sleep. There is another serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, or they are put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one's children. People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born" (Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 NLT). So is Solomon saying hard work and wealth are wrong? No, he was a very wealthy man who worked hard at being the king of Israel. But he had learned that his wealth and hard work didn't bring him joy and fulfillment. When he made those things his focus and demanded that they meet his needs, he discovered that they could never deliver.

But with a slight change in perspective, things can take on a different light. "Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, and enjoy their work -- whatever they do under the sun -- for however long God lets them live. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life -- that is indeed a gift from God. People who do this rarely look with sorrow on the past, for God has given them reasons for joy" (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NLT). The ability to work is a gift from God. Any wealth I gain from working is a gift from God. Any pleasures that my hard work afford me are a gift from God. The food I eat, the home I live in, the friends I have, are all gifts from God. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life – that is indeed a gift from God. How many of us work, but rarely enjoy it? How often do we complain about how hard we work and how little time we have to relax and enjoy the benefits of our labor? When we sit down and eat a meal, we probably don't stop and think about the fact that the food we are eating was made possible by our hard work. We don't make that connection. We don't savor the moment. If we lived in an agrarian culture where we labored all day to plant, tend, and harvest the food we eat, we would probably more readily enjoy the consumption of the fruit of our labors. God used our labor along with His creative power to produce the food we are eating. It is a gift from Him.

I love Solomon's advice in chapter six: "Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind" (Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT). One of the curses of this world is our constant dissatisfaction and desire for more. We are in a constant pursuit for the next thing. The next job, the next relationship, the next new technological toy, the next great book, the next new diet, the next great vacation spot, the next …  And when we get that next new thing, we rarely sit back and enjoy it, because we are immediately distracted by something else we don't have. So Solomon says, "Enjoy what you have!" Savor the moment. Enjoy the meal you're eating, the friendships you have, the moment you're in, the home you're living in, the health you're enjoying. Remember that everything is a gift from God. The next new thing will never satisfy, if the old thing never did. Only God can bring satisfaction. Keep your eyes focused on Him.

Father, what a temptation it is to keep looking for more and never enjoy what we already have. I spend so much time thinking about what I don't have instead of enjoying what I do have. Help me to rest in You and be satisfied with what You provide. The constant quest for more is not only tiring, it is ultimately unfulfilling. It can't deliver. Thank You for all You have already given me. Help me learn to enjoy every moment of life as a gift from You. Amen





Chasing the Wind.

Ecclesiastes 1-3

I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done in the world. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. Everything under the sun is meaningless, like chasing the wind. ­– Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 NLT

Chasing the wind. Futility. Vanity. Meaninglessness. These are just a few of the words the wise man Solomon uses to describe life. At first glance, you would think these are surprising words coming from the pen of a man who seemingly had it all – health, wealth, wisdom, success, fame, and the respect and admiration of men near and far. But Solomon was human. He may have been rich, but he was still susceptible to the conditions that plague all mankind – fear of man, the desire for more, discontentment, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and the ever-present reality of sin. Solomon didn't live in a vacuum. He was surrounded by individuals who tested and tried him, sought to defeat him, played up to him just to get something out of him, lived off of him, and revealed the worst about him. In other words, Solomon lived in a fallen world. He may have been king of the people of God, but his life was not that much different than yours or mine. And when he looked at life from his own human vantage point, things could begin to look dim indeed. He could become disappointed and disillusioned.

But the book of Ecclesiastes is really designed to give the reader a God-centered perspective. It shows the futility of life when viewed from the vantage point of self. If we view life from our limited perspective, we will constantly find ourselves in a state of confusion. This life does not make sense. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. We can work hard all our lives and end up with nothing to show for it in the end. Life is not always fair. Justice doesn't always seem to win out in the end. The unjust do not always seem to get their just desserts. In fact, many of the most wicked in this world seem to get away with murder – literally. Evil men rise to power and grow wealthy as they abuse and exploit their own people. Corrupt corporate executives get filthy rich while their investors lose everything. Injustice and inequity are everywhere.

But one of the phrases Solomon uses over and over again is "under the sun." He is basically referring to life on the planet earth. It refers to a temporal mindset that can easily focus on the horizontal and leave out the vertical. Rather than living life with a God-centered worldview, we become fixated on a self-centered, me-focused worldview. It becomes life as I see it – limited, myopic, and incapable of seeing the bigger picture. One of the recurring themes of Ecclesiastes seems to be that life without God lacks real substance. There is no real value or permanence to it all. It's like a vapor or fog that is here one minute, then gone the other. It's transitory and futile. Solomon had all that life had to offer. But he seemed to know that all the wealth in the world was going to satisfy him in the end. You can't take it with you. And you could lose it all in the blink of an eye. Years of hard work and labor could be easily squandered, stolen, or wind up never delivering what you thought they would. It's the house that's never clean. The yard that continues to need mowing. The bills that are never finished being paid. The pain that never goes away. The hurt that never seems to get healed.

Solomon put it this way: " …as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere" (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT). But in the midst of all the doom and gloom, there is good news. God is in control. He has a bigger and much larger perspective. He views life from a better vantage point. Solomon says, "God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). We can't see what God can see. We don't know what He knows. We aren't privy to His plans. He doesn't consult or seek our approval for His actions. For Solomon it was a simple as, "I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God's purpose in this is that people should fear him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14 NLT).

Life is like chasing the wind, but only if you choose to ignore God's bigger plan. When we leave Him out of the equation, nothing adds up. It doesn't make sense. Nothing works. Nothing. No amount of money can make us happy. Nothing we can purchase or own can fulfill us. Nothing we eat or drink can fully satisfy us. But God can. It is a life lived without a God-centered perspective that ends up being like chasing the wind. But when we keep God at the focus of life and His will as the motivation for our obedience, life becomes meaning-full. It becomes rich, complete, fulfilling, satisfying, and worth living.

Father, help me to keep You at the center of my thoughts. Give me a growing You-centeredness instead of a me-centeredness. Open my eyes to Your divine perspective. Help me see life from Your higher vantage point instead of my earth-bound one. You are in control. You have a plan. Never let me forget that. Amen





The Fear of Man.

Proverbs 29

The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. ­– Proverbs 29:25 NASB

Virtually all of the Proverbs are relationship-based. They have to do with how we interact with others. And much of the negative behavior portrayed in these wise sayings is driven by the fear of man. To fear man is to be consumed about what another individual thinks about me, which can lead to flattery, pretense and show, as well as jealousy. Fear of man is an inordinate concern for acceptance. It is an unhealthy obsession with status and achievement. Fear of man is behind our need to impress and improve. Even those who the Bible describes as wicked are motivated by the fear of man. The oppress and mistreat others, fearing that if they don't they will somehow lose power and control. The manipulate and take advantage of others in order to prevent the same thing from happening to them. Fear of man is a powerful force in our lives. It can cause us to do things we wouldn't normally do. When we fear man we cease to fear God. In fact, we put man in the place of God, fearing more what man might do to us or think about us, than God Himself.

Fear of man is a lack of trust in God. We lie because we are trying to protect ourselves, somehow doubting that God can watch over us if we just tell the truth. Abraham did this on a number of occasions, telling lies that were motivated by the fear of man. His fear of man was greater than his trust in God. We flatter others, telling them how great they are, even when we don't really mean it – all because we think it might get us what we want or what we think we need. Again, when we do this we are expressing to God our doubt that He can or will meet our needs. We sometimes do unethical or questionable things in order to accomplish a certain goal. We bend the rules and fudge the facts, justifying our actions as necessary and acceptable. But when we do these things, we are not only showing God we don't trust Him to provide, we don't fear Him. He must not be serious about our holiness and obedience. He won't do anything. We fear man more than God.

The fear of man is powerful and ultimately destructive. Especially to those who call themselves followers of Christ. Over in the book of John we are told about some of the religious leaders who had become convinced that Jesus really was who He said He was. They began to believe in Him as the Messiah of Israel. But sadly, we are told, "…many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God" (John 12:42-43 NASB). They loved the approval of men more than the approval of God. Have you ever refused to pray over your meal in public for fear of what others might think of you? Have you ever decided not to share your faith with a co-worker out of fear of what they might say about you? Have you ever struggled with obeying what God has told you to do because you have feared that it might diminish your reputation in the eyes of others? That is the fear of man. And it is alive and well in our lives today. The alternative is to trust God and seek His approval. Men are fickle. God is not. Men can never be pleased. God doesn't have to be. Men will never love us as much as we would like. God loves us unconditionally and completely. Trust Him.

Father, the fear of man is a powerful force in my life. It makes me do things I don't want to do and it tempts me to doubt and disobey You. Help me to see that there is no need to fear man. You are on my side. You love me and care for me. You have my best in store. I can trust You. Amen





The Heart of the Matter.

Proverbs 27-28

As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person. ­– Proverbs 27:19 NLT

While the book of Proverbs appears to be a collection of disconnected sayings, there is a common thread running throughout them. They deal with a wide variety of issues ranging from gluttony and greed to pride and boasting. There are plenty of Proverbs about the fool, the deceitful man, the wicked, the boastful, the proud, the gossip, and the lazy. But these characters are almost always juxtaposed by the wise, the trustworthy, the righteous, the humble, and the diligent. For every negative example given, there seems to be a positive one. Because at the end of the day, the Proverbs are dealing with the condition of the heart. All these positive and negative character traits flow from the heart. The heart is the source and the characteristics listed in the Proverbs are what become visible to those around us. Pride is the fruit of a proud heart. It is not a character flaw, but a reflection of who we really are on the inside. Jesus put it this way, "A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say" (Luke 6:45 NLT). The heart is critical to living the life God has called us to live. Solomon understood this. It's why he warned, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do" (Proverbs 4:23 NLT). The heart affects everything you do. It is the source of all your pride, foolishness, humility, greed, patience, hope, hatred, and love. You can try and cover up what is in your heart, but eventually it will make its way to the surface for all to see. You can try and cover it up, but eventually the true condition of your heart will be exposed. Others will see it – even when we can't. Our efforts to appear as something we're not end up fooling only one person – ourselves. Everyone else sees through our charade.

The problem for mankind has always been the condition of the heart. The prophet Jeremiah said, "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT). Jesus echoed those same sentiments when He said, "For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God" (Mark 7:21-23 NLT).

The hearts of men are damaged. They are faulty because of the fall. They can't produce anything worthwhile or righteous. But there is hope and it is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. He gives us the capacity to live differently. He changes our hearts. "What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). So all the positive character traits listed in the Proverbs are achievable and possible for the believer. We have been given a new heart and a new capacity to live differently – from the inside out. We can produce new fruit because we have the Spirit of God living within us. But we have to remember, that we still have a sin nature. We still have a daily choice to either obey our flesh or listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit within us. Paul put it this way when writing to the Galatian Christians:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure,  idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. – Galatians 5:19-25 NLT

Following the Holy Spirit's leading is the key to living a life marked by wisdom, humility, and self-control. We have the Spirit inside of us and the Word of God to guide us. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of the power available to us in the Scriptures: "For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are" (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). As we read the Word of God with the help of the Spirit of God, the character of God becomes increasingly more prevalent in our lives. The Proverbs become more than a list of pithy statements. They become reality in our lives. We begin to live out in our lives what Solomon put down on paper. And the world sits up and takes notice.

Father, my heart is the battle ground. It is the source of what comes out of my mouth, what I do with my hands and feet, how I handle adversity and prosperity. It controls my thoughts, guides my actions, and determines my steps. Along with David I pray, "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me" Amen





The Three Stooges.

Proverbs 26

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. ­– Proverbs 16:11 NLT

I used to hate watching The Three Stooges even as a kid. Why? Because they were so stupid. Even as a young boy I couldn't believe three adult men could be that dumb. It drove me crazy to watch them continually get themselves into situations that resulted in pain, embarrassment and humiliation. Maybe it was because I hated all three of these things in my own life that I couldn't stand seeing it lived out right before my eyes. I wanted to scream at these three hapless and helpless guys to wake up and smell the coffee. They didn't have to live that way. They could have prevented all the things happening to them. But they were too stupid, lazy and, at least in the case of Moe, just too mean.

When I read this collection of proverbs I can't help but picture Moe, Larry and Curly . To me, those three guys provide a wonderful living illustration of the individual described in these verses. For the most part Moe, Larry and Curly were naive, unteachable, untrustworthy, and not very bright. Yet, they were clueless to their own ignorance. In fact, they thought they were pretty smart. They were always coming up with new business ventures: launderers, plumbers, painters, movers, even bakers. But everything they did resulted in failure and disaster. Anyone who hired them lived to regret it. Anyone who did business with them was always disappointed. Watching them was at times humorous, but more often than not, painful. Solomon says, "Trusting a fool to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off one's feet or drinking poison!" (Proverbs 26:6 NLT). You wouldn't hire one of Stooges. You wouldn't dare give them an important message to deliver, or share a secret with them and expect them to keep it confidential. Why? Because these guys were incompetent, lazy, and undeserving of trust. Solomon seems to be painting for us a stereotyped, over-the-top portrait of just such an individual. It's easy to read these proverbs and see them as descriptions of someone who doesn't really exist. But each of us carries these characteristics inside of us at all times. There probably is not anyone who lives out these characteristics 24-7, 365 days a year, but how often do we all exhibit the qualities of a fool at one time or another? How frequently do we allow laziness to show up in our lives and impact our decision making? And how many times have we tried to fool others into believing we were something other than what we really were on the inside? None of us would ever want to be thought of as a stooge or an imbecile. We would hate to think that others viewed us as lazy, deceptive, untrustworthy, two-faced, stupid, argumentative or contentious. Yet when we live our lives without God as our focus and the Word of God as our guide, that is exactly how we can come across. You see, the fool is simply an individual who lives as if there is no God. It doesn't mean he doesn't believe in God, he just lives his life in such a way that it is as if God does not exist. That's what makes him a fool. When I attempt to live my life and leave God out of the mix, it never turns out well for me. Sure, I could still end up successful. I could still make money, marry a wonderful person, live a good life, and have all the trappings of material success. But how many successful people do we all know who are foolish, lazy, untrustworthy, a danger to themselves and others, and generally deceptive?

The remedy for all the problems listed in these verses is God. He alone can make the fool wise, the lazy person diligent, and the deceptive person worthy of trust. Moe, Larry and Curly couldn't help but be what they were – stooges. They offer us a perfect caricature of mankind devoid of God: Simpleminded, lacking in discernment, wise in their own eyes, prone to laziness, and harmful to all those around them – all the while being being unaware of their own shortcomings. Yet Solomon gives us the secret remedy to all these problems – the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7) – a reverence for God and a willing submission to His Word and His will. That is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom; and the key to not living your life like a stooge.

Father, how many times have I lived my life like Moe, Larry and Curly? I can be so self-confident and wise in my own eyes, but because I choose to leave You out of the equation, I can end up making some really stupid decisions, that not only end up harming me, but everyone around me. Open my eyes and help me understand what is means to fear You. I want to be wise, trustworthy, diligent, and live my life in truth, not deception. Only You make that possible. Give me an increasing love for Your Word and a growing desire to do Your will. Amen





Wisdom Ignored Is Wasted.

Proverbs 25

Do you like honey? Don't eat too much of it, or it will make you sick! ­– Proverbs 25:16 NLT

I can't help but read this verse without thinking of yesterday's chapter – 2 Chronicles 8. If you haven't read that blog entry yet, you might want to or this one will make no sense. Yesterday we saw that with all of Solomon's wisdom, he had failed to apply it to his own life at times. And in one area of his life he really neglected this particular proverb. His words here speak of over-indulgence and a lack of self-control. You really can have too much of a good thing. But if you recall, Solomon had way too much of a one particular "good thing" in his life – women. One thousand of them to be exact – 700 wives and 300 concubines. And as we learned yesterday, they did make him sick. He succumbed to their influence and worshiped their gods, turning his back on the one true God. The result was the disfavor of God and the ultimate dividing of his kingdom. Because Solomon couldn't control his appetite for women and sex, he would destroy all that God had given him.

What strikes me about this is how a man so wise could be so stupid. He had been warned by God not to multiply wives for himself. But evidently he thought he knew better. He gave in to his fleshly appetites and suffered the consequences. I think it's safe to say that Solomon knew better. This was not a case of ignorance. He had both the word of God and wisdom from God. But he chose to ignore both. And how often do I do that in my own life? I know what God expects and, at times, demands, but I choose to do what I want to do. I ignore God and listen to my own flesh. I have the Holy Spirit living within me, providing me with guidance, but I can so often refuse to listen to what He has to say. Wisdom and the Word of God are both provided to guide my path, but if I ignore them, they become worthless in my life. We have been given the very words of God in the form of the Bible, but if we read it and then choose to ignore it, we are no better off than someone who has never seen a Bible before. In fact, we are probably held more accountable. It reminds me of something Jesus Himself warned us about.

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!" (Matthew 7:24-27 NET).

Knowing a lot of information is not enough. The proof is in the doing. It all comes down to the application of what we know. Solomon's wisdom was legendary. He was a celebrity when it came to his cerebral prowess. People came from near and far to witness the wisdom of Solomon. But wisdom is worthless if you don't apply it. It's wasted if it remains academic, but not realistic. I find it interesting that Solomon goes on to warn his readers, "A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls" (Proverbs 25:28 NLT). Wise words, and proven true in the life of Solomon himself. He also wisely warned, "It is better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a contentious wife in a lovely home" (Proverbs 25:24 NLT). Can you imagine the level of contention in the beautiful palace of Solomon living with 700 wives and 300 concubines? The arguments, jealousy, bickering, complaining, nagging, demanding – it's enough to make your head spin.

The wisdom of Solomon was really the wisdom of God. It was a gift given to him by God. But the gifts of God can be squandered, neglected, and ignored. Just because Solomon had the wisdom of God didn't mean he listened to what he knew. He didn't always apply that wisdom to his everyday life. And neither do we. So as we read the Word of God seeking wisdom from God, let's not forget that intelligence is worthless without obedience. Knowing is useless without doing. Head knowledge is a waste if it never penetrates into our hearts and impacts our behavior.

Father, I know more than I know what to do with. I have read far more Scripture than I have obeyed. You have given me the gift of Your Word and Your Spirit and I so often ignore both. Help me to apply what I hear. Give me a desire to obey, not just to know. We love to impress others with our knowledge. But You are impressed with our obedience. Amen





An Almost Spotless Resume.

2 Chronicles 8

Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, "My wife must not live in King David's palace, for the Ark of the LORD has been there, and it is holy ground." ­– 2 Chronicles 8:11 NLT

Chapter eight of 2 Chronicles paints a very glowing picture of Solomon and his reign. It speaks of his political, religious and economic successes. He continued to build cities and fortify them. He won some significant battles and secured more land for the kingdom, spreading its borders farther than ever before. He successfully completed the Temple and made sure the sacrificial system was faithfully adhered to. Solomon's wealth grew significantly over the years. His kingdom expanded. His army grew. His reputation spread. It was a grand and glorious time. But right in the middle of all this talk of success, there is a single verse describing a seemingly innocuous event in Solomon's otherwise meteoric rise to the top. Somewhere along the way, he had married the daughter of Pharaoh – obviously a politically motivated marriage. And we're told he moved her into his new palace because King David's old palace had once held the Ark of the Lord and was therefore considered holy ground. So he could not have a pagan idol worshiper set foot anywhere near it. Seems like a wise move and it all appears innocent enough. But this one verse speaks volumes. To see what is really going on we have to turn to the book of 1 Kings. Here we read:

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh's daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The LORD had clearly instructed his people not to intermarry with those nations, because the women they married would lead them to worship their gods. Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. And sure enough, they led his heart away from the LORD. In Solomon's old age, they turned his heart to worship their gods instead of trusting only in the LORD his God, as his father, David, had done. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. Thus, Solomon did what was evil in the LORD's sight; he refused to follow the LORD completely, as his father, David, had done. On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods. The LORD was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the LORD's command. – 1 Kings 11:1-10 NLT

Wow! Solomon the wise wasn't so wise after all. It would appear that he had a problem – women. He love them. He couldn't live without them. He couldn't say no to them. He couldn't get enough of them. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Some guys collect rifles. Some collect cars. This guy collected women! And in direct opposition to the command of God. But his disobedience was going to have consequences. These women were foreign-born, idol-worshiping pagans. His love for them would lead to his worship of their gods. His uncontrolled passion would result in unfaithfulness – and God's anger. He warned Solomon that He was going to rip the kingdom right out of his hands and give it to one of his servants. The only blessing was that Solomon wasn't going to have to live to see it happen. All he had built was about to be destroyed – because of disobedience to the revealed will of God.

Solomon was wise but he wasn't immune to the temptations of this world. He disobeyed God and the results to his kingdom would be devastating and long-lasting. It would not be long after his death that the kingdom of Israel would split in two. His disobedience would result in the disintegration of the nation. Things would go downhill from there.

So what do we do with all this? What can we learn from the life of Solomon? Here is a guy who had it all. Wisdom, wealth, success, and the favor of God. But in one significant area of his life he chose to do things his way. He allowed his physical appetites to influence his spiritual life. He let his worship of the things of this world interfere with his worship of God. His downfall was women. What could yours be? Is there an area of your life you refuse to hand over to God and give Him free reign? Solomon's Achille's heal was sex. What's yours? Why not ask Him to show you any area of your life where your passions are getting the better of you? We'd all be wise to learn from the mistakes of Solomon.

Father, it would be so easy to look at Solomon and shake my head in wonder at his stupidity. But I see myself in him. I do the same thing time and time again. I know Your will, but I refuse to obey it because my sensual desires and physical appetites tell not to. They beg me to cave in to what they want. But You have something far better in store for me if I will only obey the wisdom of Your commands. Solomon started strong, but ended poorly. I don't want that to be the story of my life. So give me the strength to obey You faithfully, trusting that obeying Your will is better than anything this world has to offer. Amen





Obedience and Blessing.

I Kings 9

But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ­– 1 Kings 9:6-7 NLT

After Solomon dedicated the Temple God appeared to him and renewed His covenant that He had made with David, Solomon's father. "As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'" (1 Kings 9:4-5 NLT). God uses a conditional if-then statement. If Solomon walked in integrity or wholeness of heart and with uprightness, obeying all of God's commands, then he could expect certain blessings from God, including a kingdom that would never end. But there is a second part to this covenant. If Solomon or any of his sons failed to hold up their end of the covenant, then God warned that three things would happen. He would remove the people from the very land He had promised. He would remove His presence from the Temple. And He would remove His power and protection from the people of Israel so that rather than being feared by the nations, they would be mocked and ridiculed.

You see this warning used time and time again by the Old Testament prophets as they attempted to warn the people about God's demand for obedience and faithfulness. It did not take long for things to take a turn for the worse in regards to Israel's ability to obey. Solomon himself would end up compromising his faith in Yahweh by allowing his foreign-born wives to keep the idols of other gods in his homes. We see in this chapter a little of Solomon's lack of integrity when he gives King Hiram of Tyre 20 cities in exchange for all the lumber and 9,000 pounds of gold that Hiram had contributed to the building of the Temple and Solomon's palace. King Hiram was not impressed and even named the region Cabul, which means "good for nothing." We see a little of Solomon's conniving side as he rewards King Hiram with worthless land in exchange for his help and generosity. Lack of integrity or wholeness of characters was to be a distinguishing characteristic of the people of Israel. It had been that way since they had left the land of Egypt. It can be seen during the period of the judges. They were a whining, complaining, stubborn and stiff-necked people who constantly proved themselves unfaithful to God – in spite of His ongoing faithfulness. They were constantly turning their backs on God, but He has never turned His back on them. Yes, He has allowed them to suffer defeat, humiliation, even annihilation at the hands of their enemies, but He continues to preserve both the people and the land. He has also kept His promise to preserve the throne of David by sending His own Son as a human baby, born in to the royal lineage of David. Jesus is the king who will one day sit on David's throne, ruling from the city of Jerusalem.

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.' And the one sitting on the throne said, 'Look, I am making all things new!' And then he said to me, 'Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.' And he also said, 'It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega -- the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.'" (Revelation 21:1-7 NLT).

Father, Your faithfulness to us is amazing. We have let you down time and time again, just like the people of Israel. But You never give up on us. You have never given up on them. You always keep Your covenant with Your people. And some day Your Son will sit on David's throne and rule from a renewed, revitalized Jerusalem. All things will be made new – including us. We will have new bodies and will worship You free from sin. Father, I can't thank You enough for Your covenant faithfulness. Forgive me for my weak faith, infidelity, and ungratefulness. You deserve my obedience and wholehearted commitment to You. Amen





Grace and Sacrifice.

2 Chronicles 7

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the LORD. ­– 2 Chronicles 7:4 NLT

The celebration lasted for eight solid days. For seven of those days, Solomon and the people offered sacrifices to God. So many in fact, that they had to consecrate the main courtyard because there were s0 many animals sacrificed that the bronze altar could not accommodate them all. We are told that Solomon himself sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. All of this can end up sounding like one big party to celebrate the dedication of the Temple, but there is something far more important going on here. Just a day or so earlier, Solomon had had the Ark of the Covenant moved into the Holy of Holies. This elaborately decorated box contained the original (2nd draft) of the Ten Commandments that God had given Moses on Mount Sinai. The lid of the ark was called "the mercy seat" or kappo„reth, This was God's throne so to speak. It was where His presence dwelt in the Temple. “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites” (Exodus 25:22). The ark was a symbol of God's presence, but also of His grace and mercy. In that ark was contained the law of God in the form of the Ten Commandments. These were God's expectations for His covenant people. These laws were given to be obeyed and followed. But God knew that His people would be incapable of keeping His commands faithfully and perfectly. So He established the sacrificial system as a means of providing atonement or payment for their sins. If they sinned, they could offer the appropriate sacrifice and receive forgiveness. The shed blood would cover their sins. They would receive grace and mercy from God as long as they were faithful to avail themselves of the sacrificial system that He had provided. But over time, this all became ritualistic and rote. The people learned to just go through the motions. They lost the true meaning and significance.

The altar was to symbolize the people's response to the grace of God. Because God had chosen them, set them apart, and agreed to dwell in their midst, the appropriate response was to be sacrifice. God had done much for them. The least they could do was offer up sacrifices to God in order to present themselves as a holy people, set apart for His use. You see throughout this chapter a series of if…then statements. The most familiar one is found in verses 14 and 15. "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, [then] I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. [then] I will listen to every prayer made in this place" (2 Chronicles 7:14-15 NLT). While this passage is often used by modern day Christians here in America as a call to prayer for our country, it was a promise given to the nation of Israel. It had direct ties to the land of promise. While there are principles we can glean from these verses regarding repentance, it does not contain a promise to America that God will restore our land if we pray. America is NOT the promised land of God. Americans are NOT the chosen people of God. Israel was and still is.

But God's blessings on Israel were conditional. If Solomon obeyed all of God's commands and laws, then God would not allow anyone to take his throne away from him. God expected Solomon to be obedient. If Solomon abandoned God and went after other gods, then God would abandon the people and allow them to go into captivity. He would remove His presence from the Temple, from above the mercy seat. He would even allow the Temple to be destroyed. God demanded sacrifice and a big part of that sacrifice had to do with obedience. Samuel put it this way: "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22 NASB). David echoes this thought: "For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:16-17 NASB). God wants the sacrifice of a broken, humble heart. He wants us to offer sacrifices based on an understanding of just how broken we are without Him. We have been extended grace and mercy. Our response should be gratitude and sacrifice, expressed in obedient service and submission to His will for us. The Israelites would fail miserably at this. But we do too in so many ways. The great news is that the new covenant under which we live is non-conditional. God's grace and mercy to me is not dependent upon anything I do or have done. It is all a free gift provided to me because of what Christ has already done on my behalf. And while I don't have to DO anything to remain in God's good favor and graces, I will do all things to the glory of God because of His good favor and grace. My response to His grace is obedient sacrifice and service. Grace like that deserves gratitude expressed in obedience and selfless sacrifice.

Father, Your grace for me is unbelievable. That You would choose me and shower me with Your grace and mercy is hard to understand. I always feel like I have to do something to earn Your grace. I keep thinking I have to do something to make You love me. I have to do something to stay in Your good graces. But Christ has done it all. My obedience should be an expression of my gratitude for Your grace. Help me understand more and more just how magnificent Your grace really is so that I might be willing to sacrifice more and more to You. Amen





Our Incomparable God.

2 Chronicles 6

O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. ­– 2 Chronicles 6:14 NLT

The Temple is complete. Solomon's grand project to build a house for God and fulfill the dream of his father David has been realized. The dedication is all that's left to wrap up this project. And as Solomon takes center stage, addressing the thousands of Israelites who have come to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event, he gives the speech of his lifetime. Like all good dedication speeches, it contains a prayer; and in that prayer, Solomon reminds God of His faithfulness. He acknowledges that God has kept the promise He had made to David to allow one of his descendants to build the Temple. He has made it possible for Solomon to complete this unbelievable building project. Solomon knows that he could not have done it without God's help. But Solomon also reminds God that there are other promises yet to be fulfilled. He was thinking about his kingdom. He recalled what his father David had told him. And he reminded God. "And now, O Lord, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, ‘If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow my Law as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel" (2 Chronicles 6:16 NLT). I have a feeling that Solomon could remember word for word the promise that God had made to David. He could quote those words from memory, and he was counting on God fulfilling them. "He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever" (1 Chronicles 22:10 NLT). Solomon had done his part. He had finished the Temple. Now he was asking God to fulfill the rest of His promise. He was asking God to secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.

Solomon knew he was nothing without God. He knew that the Temple was just another building if God chose not to inhabit it. He knew his kingdom was going to be short-lived and less-than-memorable if God was not on his side. He knew that tough times were going to come and that the people of Israel were going to encounter difficulties along the way, and if God was not faithful to hear their prayers and to intervene of their behalf, they would fail. Solomon knew just how much he needed God. Do we? Do I really understand just how dependent I am for EVERYTHING in my life. Without God in my marriage, all I have is just another marriage. Without God in my work, I am laboring in vain. Without God in my home, my family is no different than any other family on earth. Without God in my church, it is just another gathering of people. God is central to all that we do as Christians. We do not exist without Him. We cannot succeed without Him. We cannot survive without Him. Solomon knew that. He was well aware of the fact that his reign was on shaky ground without the abiding presence of God. So he called on God to remember His promises. Solomon was counting on the faithful and unfailing love of God. "O Lord God, do not reject the king you have anointed.Remember your unfailing love for your servant David" (2 Chronicles 6:42 NLT). Solomon's Temple would not last. Neither would his reign. He and the people would prove to be unfaithful. They would fail to keep their end of the bargain. You could almost sense that Solomon saw this coming. But God would be faithful in spite of their unfaithfulness. God would keep His end of the covenant. David's kingdom would last. One of his descendants would sit on David's throne and His kingdom will last forever. Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these promises. Listen to the words of the angel to Mary: "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" (Luke 1:31-33 NLT).

Father, You truly are incomparable. Not only is there no other god like You, there is no other god besides You. And that You have chosen to show Your love to someone like me is unbelievable. That You have chosen me and every day shower me with Your love is incomprehensible. You are so faithful. You never let a single one of Your promises go unfulfilled. Thank You for keeping Your covenant with David by sending Your Son to rule and reign. Thank You that I can rest in the knowledge that He is sitting at Your right hand even now, and is one day coming back to establish His kingdom on earth forever. Amen





Warriors, Not Just Worshipers.

Psalms 149-150

Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands. ­– Psalm 159:6 NLT

What an interesting phrase. "Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands -- to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with shackles and their leaders with iron chains, to execute the judgment written against them" (Psalm 149:6-9 NLT). These last five psalms of the entire psalter are hymns of praise to God, encouraging us to praise Him for His power, provision, mercy and grace. But right in the middle of Psalm 149 the psalmist mixes in a little weaponry and war-like language with his call to worship. He tells the people of God to praise God with their lips, but to have a sword ready in their hand at the same time. I think we sometimes forget that our God has called us to be a part of His glorious army. We are at war. We are engaged in an epic battle between the dark forces of this world that have aligned themselves against the rule and reign of God Almighty. Jesus told us that the enemy (Satan) seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Paul reminds us that we have weapons we are to use in this battle – the weapons of our warfare. "We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds" (2 Corinthians 7:4 NLT). Paul also tells us to equip ourselves with the armor of God. "Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm" (Ephesians 6:13 NLT). This is not Disneyland. This is a battle field and there are casualties of war all around us. Every day we see marriages destroyed, relationships blown apart, children rebel, individuals succumb to addictions of all kinds, and fellow believers fall prey to the attacks of the enemy because they were ill-prepared for battle.

This psalm is a vivid reminder that we have been called to praise God, but to also be ready to fight for God. As Paul tells us, our enemies are spiritual, not physical. Our weapons are not made of steel and chrome. They are the Word of God and the power of faith in God. Paul tells us, "Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT). We have the promises of God's Word, the power of believing prayer, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the protection of our faith in God's love for us, and the peace-providing reality of our ultimate salvation and victory over the enemy. So praise God and be ready to defend the cause of God. One day His Son is going to return. This time He is not coming as an innocent, helpless baby in a manger. He is coming as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is coming in might and power and He is bringing the army of heaven with Him. And He will put an end to this war once and for all. He will destroy the kingdom of Satan and restore the earth back to its former glory. We fight for the side that is going to win in the end! And that's something worth shouting about.

"Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True. For he judges fairly and then goes to war. His eyes were bright like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him, and only he knew what it meant. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword, and with it he struck down the nations. He ruled them with an iron rod, and he trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God. On his robe and thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord of lords." – Revelation 19:11-16 NLT

Father, we praise You, but we also want to be ready to fight alongside You in this earthly struggle between the kingdom of righteousness and the kingdom of wickedness. Never let us forget that we are at war. While we sing songs and worship You on Sunday, there are countless people dying at the hands of the enemy all around us. As we read our Bibles and study Your truths, there are people who are being destroyed by the enemy and his lies, and we have the means to rescue them. Show us how to be warriors, not just worshipers. Amen





Hear Our Prayers.

1 Kings 8

May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive. ­– 1 Kings 8:30 NLT

In this recalling of Solomon's dedication of the Temple, we are given a word-for-word account of the prayer Solomon offered up to God on that solemn occasion. We are told that Solomon prayed this prayer with his hands upheld as he kneeled in front of the altar of the Lord. He had just built a magnificent structure, a testimony to the greatness of God. This impressive building was intended to be the house of God – His literal dwelling place. But even Solomon knew that no man could build a building big enough or grand enough to contain the God of the universe. He stated, "Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27 NLT). Solomon's God was bigger than Solomon's Temple. And Solomon knew that his Temple, his kingdom and the people of Israel were hopeless and helpless if God did not continue to fulfill His promises and keep His hand on them. So Solomon prayed. He begged God. And the one word he repeated over and over as he prayed was, "hear." He wanted to know that God was going to listen to the cries of His people. Solomon was wise. He knew human nature. He knew that a Temple alone was not going to make the people of Israel obedient and sin-free. The sacrificial system had yet to produce a perfect people. So he went to God and begged Him to be available during those time when the people sinned, turned their backs on God, or found themselves in desperate circumstances. Solomon leaves nothing to the imagination. He gave God scenario after scenario – countless examples of situations in which the people might find themselves calling out to God for help and mercy. When they were wrongly accused. When they suffered defeat at the hands of their enemies due to sin. When they find themselves in times of drought. When they suffer the effects of a natural disaster or calamity. When foreigners hear of the greatness of God and call out to Him. When they need help during times of war. When they sin and find themselves exiled to a foreign land.

It is almost as if Solomon knew exactly what the people of God were going to do in the years ahead. They would sin. They would find themselves at war. They would encounter diseases and disasters. They would end up in exile. And much of it because of their own sin and stubbornness. So Solomon, knowing the sinful nature of man, begged His God to never stop hearing the repentant prayers of His people.He wanted to know that, whatever happened, God would be there to hear from and respond to the people when they called out to Him. And over in 2 Chronicles we have God's condition for His response: "Then one night the LORD appeared to Solomon and said, 'I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. I will listen to every prayer made in this place, for I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be my home forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here. (2 Chronicles 7:12-16 NLT). God wanted prayers mixed with humility, brokenness and repentance. He wanted to know they were sorry for their sin and serious about changing. And God wants the same things today. God still hears. But He wants to hear sincere prayers prayed from sincere hearts. He wants repentance not remorse. God hears, but He also perceives. He knows the difference between a prayer prayed from a broken heart and one prayed to simply to get out of a circumstance of brokenness. God hears. But what kind of prayers does He hear His people praying today?

Father, may we learn to be broken over our own brokenness. We are going to sin. We are going to let You down. We are going to do things that break Your law and Your heart. May we learn to cry out to You in repentance, not remorse. May we long to be forgiven more than we long to be released from whatever pain or difficulty we find ourselves in. Give us the capacity for praying prayers of sincerity. Amen





Our Great and Gracious God.

Psalms 146-148

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension! ­– Psalm 147:5 NLT

These three Psalms are three-fifths of the closing hymns of the entire psalter. They help wrap up this collection of songs by offering praise to God for His power, provision, grace, and mercy. They remind us of just how great a God we serve. He is not a mere concept or force, but a being of immense power and intelligence. He is a loving creator who made all that we see by simply speaking it into existence, and He sustains it all with ease. When we consider the immensity of God, it seems ludicrous to trust in men. God alone has the power to rescue, redeem, and restore. He brings healing to the brokenhearted, sight to the blind, support to the fatherless and widows, food for the hungry, freedom to the captives, support to the afflicted, and favor to those who fear Him. As followers of Christ, those phrases should sound familiar. On a visit to His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus stood in the synagogue and read from Isaiah chapter 61 the following words: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come" (Luke 4:18-19 NLT). Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of God's grace and mercy. He is the real answer to oppression, illness, disease, inequity, spiritual blindness, hunger, affliction, fear, and even death.

God does not offer just temporary relief from the cares and concerns of life. He offers eternal salvation from the rule of sin and the penalty of death. He has provided a way for men to be restored to a right relationship to Him, in spite of their sin and rebellion against Him. He has made possible a way to remedy the results of the fall and restore mankind and the earth to their former glory. He not only created the earth and all it contains, He is one day going to recreate it – restore it to the way it was intended to be all along. Only God can do that. Any attempts by man to improve the earth and our lives on it are fleeting and temporary. In many cases, our attempts at improvement have resulted in greater devastation. From nuclear power that resulted in nuclear weapons to the combustion engine that has polluted our atmosphere, every "improvement" by man has ended up having a negative impact. God alone is our salvation. He alone has the power to provide us with hope and healing. So the Psalmist reminds us to praise Him. From the oldest to the youngest, the rich to the poor, the wealthy to the needy – everyone and everything should praise the Lord. "Let them all praise the name of the LORD. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven!" (Psalm 148:13 NLT).

Father, only You are worthy of our praise. Only You have the capacity to do anything about our neediness and hopelessness. I can praise You even before You answer because I know You will – You always do. You have sent Your Son as the answer to every single one of our problems and as the solution to all that's wrong with our planet and the people who occupy it. Even as I read the news this morning I am amazed at all that is wrong in our world. Earthquakes, riots, rebellions, murders, genocide, war, hatred, greed, and immorality of all kinds. But I can praise You because one day You are going to make all this right. You are going to restore Your creation to the way it was meant to be. And even in the midst of all this, You have given me hope through Jesus Christ, Your Son. He is the ultimate expression of Your favor to man. So I praise You! Amen





Unseen, But Far From Unappreciated.

Psalm 134

Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord. ­– Psalm 134:1 NLT

Just three verses long, this Psalm seems to be a short, simple conclusion or benediction to the Song of Ascents, the hymnbook used by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Booths. The Song of Ascents included Psalms 120-134. In this particular concluding Psalm the emphasis turns toward those who serve God in the Temple at night. Care for the Temple was an around-the-clock affair. While the people slept, the priests were busy caring for, cleaning, purifying and readying the Temple for the following day. It seems that there was a group of the Levites whose duty it was to perform some of the more mundane or less-than-glamorous duties associated with the Temple. According to 1 Chronicles 23, "The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron's descendants in the service of the temple of the LORD: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.  They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening, and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They were to serve before the LORD regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them (1 Chronicles 23:28-31 NLT).

This Psalm was meant to be an expression of encouragement to those who serve the Lord at night, in relative obscurity – serving Him joyfully, offering Him praise even in the midst of their nightly duties. It was a reminder to the pilgrims and the priests that the role these priests played was far from unimportant. While no one saw what they did, God was watching. Their duties were just as important as those of the priests who offered up the sacrifices in the courtyard. Without their careful purification of the utensils and objects used in the sacrificial system, the sacrifices offered up to God would have been considered unclean and unacceptable. I can only imagine the cleanup job each evening after a full day of sacrifices with the blood of thousands of animals having flowed within the grounds of the Temple. Everything had to be cleaned and purified. These men played a critical role in the sacrificial system of Israel. And their efforts were a blessing to God.

What a reminder to us that there are those who serve the body of Christ in obscurity, doing roles that many of us would think are unglamorous and even unimportant. I think of the men and women who serve each week on our Parking Posse, overseeing the flow of cars on to and off of our campus each week. Without their efforts, the chaos that would ensue would be unbearable. Yet many don't even notice these people are there. I think of the hundreds of Sunday School teachers and volunteers who serve each and every Sunday throughout the year, caring for and teaching our children. We take them for granted. We come to church knowing they will be there to provide our children a safe environment in which to learn and grow in their knowledge of God and His Word. What about the maintenance staff who work all throughout the week, caring for the buildings and grounds, ensuring they are clean and that everything works properly? They operate behind the scenes, invisible and unknown to most of us. But just think about how their efforts enhance our worship of God on Sunday.

From those who design and print the worship folders each Sunday to those who prepare the coffee, countless individuals serve behind the scenes in an effort to make our worship of God as comfortable and hassle-free as possible. May God bless them for their efforts. And may we learn to thank them for all that they do.

Father, thank You for reminding me of all those who serve You selflessly each week. Create in me a heart of gratitude, expressing my thanks to them for all that they do to enhance our worship experience each week. May You bless them Father for their willingness to serve in ways that many of would not do. Amen





His love endures forever.

Psalm 136

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. "His love endures forever." ­– Psalm 136:1 NLT

In this Psalm we are encouraged repeatedly to give thanks to God. But we are also given the reasons why. Over and over again, the psalmist provides us with the countless examples of God's love that we encounter each and every day. The word the psalmist uses that is translated love in The New Living Translation and mercy in The New American Standard version is chesed, which means "the grace, favor, and mercy of God toward man." The things the psalmist lists are examples of God's favor and mercy toward us. His creation is an example of His grace, mercy and favor. His redemption of Israel from captivity in Egypt is an expression of His grace, mercy and favor. His splitting of the Red Sea and miraculously rescuing the Israelites from certain destruction at the hands of the Egyptians was an expression of His grace, mercy and favor. His provision and protection of the Israelites during all their years of wandering in the wilderness was an expression of His grace, mercy and favor. His victories over the enemies who occupied the Promised Land was an expression of His grace, mercy and favor. His provision of the land was an expression of His grace, mercy and favor. His recognition of Israel's weakness and inability to save themselves, then stepping in and redeeming and rescuing them, is an expression of His grace, mercy and favor.

Over and over again, the psalmist paints a picture of God's unending grace, mercy and favor expressed to the people of God in a variety of ways. And what should our response be to all this? Thanks! Gratitude! A recognition that God has been and is at work in and around our lives in so many ways. Some obvious, and some not so obvious. The very creation of the world in which we live is an expression of God's love for us. The provision of the food we eat is an expression of God's love for us. But how often do we thank Him for our meals or for the beauty we see all around us? We take it all for granted. One of the problems the Israelites faced was that when they finally got into the land and enjoyed all that God had given them, they would take credit for it all and forget God. And God knew this was going to be temptation for them. Listen to His warning to them just before they entered the land. "When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (Deuteronomy 6:10-12 NLT). Cities you did not build, good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, vineyards and groves you did not plant … all of these things were provided by God in His great grace, mercy and favor. They were undeserved and unmerited. God gives us so many things each and every day that we do not deserve. We enjoy so much that is just a result of His unmerited favor toward us. And our response should be (1) a recognition of it as an expression of God's love, and (2) thankfulness to God for His love. God's love is everlasting and everywhere we look. It surrounds us. It protects us. It provides for us. It sustains us. And for that we should be eternally grateful.

Father, thank You for Your everlasting, undeserved love that You shower on me day after day in so many ways. Thank You for my health, my home, my cars I drive, the clothes I wear, the wife I love, they children You have given me, the job I go to each day, the paychecks I cash, the food I eat, the friends I enjoy … they all come from You. Because You love me. Amen