Today's passage took me through the closing chapters of 2 Chronicles, through King Josiah (one of my favorite kings) to his son and grandsons (all evil) to the exile to Babylon. The end had been decreed during King Josiah's reign (he changed the fate of his nation during his life time, one of the reasons he's my hero.)
But God . . .didn't let it end there.
Thank God for the "But God"s in our lives!
God moved the heart of a pagan king to fulfill His promise. He attributed his success to the "God of the heavens" and reversed the exile. God. . .has also assigned me to build him a Temple of worship at Jerusalem in Judah. All who belong to God's people are urged to return--and may your God be with you! Move forward! (2 Chronicles 36:22-23)
God may use an unexpected means to relay His plans.
God may move at an unexpected time.
God won't always move when we would like him to.
But when God makes a promise, we can be certain it will happen!
With God, the end is just the beginning of the next chapter.
Showing posts with label 2 Chronicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 Chronicles. Show all posts
Sunday, June 9, 2013
TELL, DON'T SHOW (2 Chronicles 32)
I write my nibbles from the standpoint of a writer, thinking how I would write the stories instead of the way they're written. No respect to the inspired word of God; but it makes me sit up, listen, take note of the way things are written, and think about why.
As an editor, I definitely would have sent back today's passage for rewriting. It breaks the cardinal rule of all writers: Show, Don't Tell.
Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. He prayed to God and was given a reassuring sign. But the sign, instead of making Hezekiah grateful made him arrogant. This made God angry, and his anger spilled over on Judah and Jerusalem. But then Hezekiah, and Jerusalem with him, repented of his arrogance, and God withdrew his anger while Hezekiah lived. (2 Chronicles 32:24-26, MSG)
Wow, if I were writing a book about this incident, I would spend at least a chapter describing the illness, Hezekiah's arrogance, God's anger unleashed, and his repentance and restoration. Even the writer of 2 Kings spent most of chapter 20 describing the event.
But not here.
Let's look at 1 Kings 20 for the answers:
As an editor, I definitely would have sent back today's passage for rewriting. It breaks the cardinal rule of all writers: Show, Don't Tell.
Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. He prayed to God and was given a reassuring sign. But the sign, instead of making Hezekiah grateful made him arrogant. This made God angry, and his anger spilled over on Judah and Jerusalem. But then Hezekiah, and Jerusalem with him, repented of his arrogance, and God withdrew his anger while Hezekiah lived. (2 Chronicles 32:24-26, MSG)
Wow, if I were writing a book about this incident, I would spend at least a chapter describing the illness, Hezekiah's arrogance, God's anger unleashed, and his repentance and restoration. Even the writer of 2 Kings spent most of chapter 20 describing the event.
But not here.
Let's look at 1 Kings 20 for the answers:
- Hezekiah was "deathly" ill. Isaiah the prophet came for a visit, warning Hezekiah that he would die.
- Hezekiah pleaded that God would spare his life, because he had lived for God. (By the way, here again we see the principle of God allowing, perhaps even planning, trials to beleager believers. Hezekiah joins a long line including Job and Joseph.)
- God gave Hezekiah a sign of his choice: the sun dial went back ten degrees.
- Hezekiah was healed.
- A some point after that, Hezekiah showed an emissary from Babylon all of Judah's riches.
- Isaiah warned him that Babylon would conquer Judah.
- The record in 2 Kings doesn't reflect Hezekiah's repentance, but relief that the punishment wouldn't happen during his lifetime.
Why did the writer leave out such an exciting story? It can't be because it reflects poorly on Hezekiah. God doesn't shy away from showing us Bible heroes' weak spots.
Perhaps precisely because we would focus on the story, and not on the moral of the story.
The lesson God wants us to take away: When God gives me a sign, do I respond with arrogance or with gratitude?
Every time recently when I have severely whether or not I should continue writing (my continued poor health raises a lot of questions), God has responded with what I call "neon writing in the sky" kinds of affirmations.
This week, after a troubling phone call from my son, I wondered if all the sacrifices I have made along the road to becoming a writer were worth the price I paid. It was a painful feeling, especially coming on top of bed rest.
God knew I needed encouragement. I received word that I would get another 3-book contract; and an editor requested a proposal from me based on a 100-word blurb that I submitted to her.
Also, I've had four books released in May-June. I've done a lot of interviews about the new books, and all kinds of people are saying "Oh, I love this author! Can't wait to get this book!"
And have heard from fellow authors that I am an inspiration to them.
I face the same choice that Hezekiah did: do I thank God for His continued hand of blessing? Or do I become arrogant and claim it's all my own talent?
If God wrote the account of my life using the tell, don't show, method, how would the description read? Well done, thou good and faithful servant or "I know her not"?
Saturday, June 8, 2013
ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP
Hezekiah organized the groups of priests and Levites for their respective tasks, handing out job descriptions for conducting the services of worship: making the various offerings, and making sure that thanks and praise took place wherever and whenever God was worshiped. (2 Chronicles 31:2)
All my life, worship services have held some variation of the same elements: music, whether hymns or praise songs, congregation, solo, choir or orchestra. Prayer. Sermons. Announcements. Offering. Lord's Supper. Baptism.
2 Chronicles 30-31 describe a Passover celebration under King Hezekiah. They feasted (two weeks of celebration). They repented of their sins and smashed idols. They participated in the sacrament of Passover. I expect that priests taught about the Passover, the law, about God. Prayer, confession, repentance. Oh, the slaughter of the animals in the offerings.
Worship services today have become a lot cleaner, you could say.
I read the verses above, liking the idea of "job descriptions" for the Levites. (Good old Hezekiah must have had a gift for administration along the way,)
But what really tickled my fancy was the instruction, "making sure thanks and praise take place wherever and whenever God was worshipped."
Aren't thanks and praise, thanking God for what He has done, and praising Him for who He is, at the heart of worship?
I asked my FB friends for non-dictionary definitions of worship. This is what they said:
- love
- praise
- our expression of his worth
- adoration
- service
- entering God's presence
- responding to the worthiness of God
- all of you responding to all God is
- centering all your being on God
- expressions of a God focused heart
I love the definitions, their depth and breadth. Several fall under the "praise and thanks" category. Others fall into worship being the guiding rule of our lives: Loving God with all our hearts, strength, souls, minds. It's our living sacrifice.
Perhaps the takeaway is that worship should be an attitude, a habit of our lives. It's not confined to certain places or times.
And looking to God with thanks and praise is always a good place to start.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
JUDAH'S KNIGHTS TEMPLAR (2 Chronicles 23)
Earlier I noticed that one group of priests received the responsibility of guarding the Temple (the other divisions were music and offerings, I believe). I didn't discuss in my "nibbles," however.
But today it jumped out at me again, so I decided to write about it. The priest Jehoida protected young Joash from the time his grandmother killed his father for seven years. Then he decided to act, to remove Athaliah from the throne, and to crown Joash.
To accomplish this, Jehoida turned to the one group he felt he could trust: his fellow Levites.
Do you remember the nibble where all the people, from infants to grown men, worshipped and went to war, only to find that all the enemy soldiers were dead?
This time, they didn't worship together. Instead, all of the Levit3es acted as soldiers. Only one thing mattered on that day: protecting the young king, the living reminder of God's promise that a son of David would always sit on Judah's throne. (Grandma Athaliah had killed all his uncles.)
Imagine this with me: suppose ministers from across the country met for a convention. Only, instead of worshipping together, or preaching, the leader split them into teams and furnished them with all the weapons they need. Of course preachers can also be fighting men, but most of us don't expect our pastors to stand guard at the church while carrying a a revolver.
Neither was their guard purely in defense. They are told to "kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks." When it came to Athaliah, the death sentence had already been pronounced. They dragged her outside the Temple--to the smells of a corral--and killed her there.
I have often mentioned how God has something different for each of us to do. This is very true, in terms of my life's call.
However, at other times, God calls all of us to do the same thing at the same time. Even if we can't sing, we'll put on our choir robes, Even if we don't know the barrel of a gun from the trigger, we take a weapon in hand and march with the army.
Americans in general are too independent, too committed to free speech and the such, not to have some dissention among the ranks.
Neither do I think we should follow every leader blindly. We need only think of Hitler and Jim Jones to understand that truth.
But if God calls us to unified action, through our leaders, are we ready to listen? To obey?
Hmm. Maybe I should call today's post "God's Gun Store."
But today it jumped out at me again, so I decided to write about it. The priest Jehoida protected young Joash from the time his grandmother killed his father for seven years. Then he decided to act, to remove Athaliah from the throne, and to crown Joash.
To accomplish this, Jehoida turned to the one group he felt he could trust: his fellow Levites.
Do you remember the nibble where all the people, from infants to grown men, worshipped and went to war, only to find that all the enemy soldiers were dead?
This time, they didn't worship together. Instead, all of the Levit3es acted as soldiers. Only one thing mattered on that day: protecting the young king, the living reminder of God's promise that a son of David would always sit on Judah's throne. (Grandma Athaliah had killed all his uncles.)
Imagine this with me: suppose ministers from across the country met for a convention. Only, instead of worshipping together, or preaching, the leader split them into teams and furnished them with all the weapons they need. Of course preachers can also be fighting men, but most of us don't expect our pastors to stand guard at the church while carrying a a revolver.
Neither was their guard purely in defense. They are told to "kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks." When it came to Athaliah, the death sentence had already been pronounced. They dragged her outside the Temple--to the smells of a corral--and killed her there.
I have often mentioned how God has something different for each of us to do. This is very true, in terms of my life's call.
However, at other times, God calls all of us to do the same thing at the same time. Even if we can't sing, we'll put on our choir robes, Even if we don't know the barrel of a gun from the trigger, we take a weapon in hand and march with the army.
Americans in general are too independent, too committed to free speech and the such, not to have some dissention among the ranks.
Neither do I think we should follow every leader blindly. We need only think of Hitler and Jim Jones to understand that truth.
But if God calls us to unified action, through our leaders, are we ready to listen? To obey?
Hmm. Maybe I should call today's post "God's Gun Store."
Monday, June 3, 2013
A DEGREE IN DOOM (2 Chronicles 22)
I have a couple of degrees and have heard of many others. But this was a school and a degree not recognized by any academic body in the United States.
As a writer, I love the descriptive writing of this description:
After the death of his father, [Ahaziah] attended the sin school of Ahab, and graduated with a degree in doom.
Ouch.
How unlike his grandfather. God allowed kings like Ahaziah to reign because of David and the jewels along the way, such as Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat named his oldest son as his heir. Jehoram was an evil, evil king (he killed ALL his brothers), and his son, Ahaziah, was even worse.
Any measure of respect shown to Ahaziah resulted from people's respect for his grandfather. Jehoshaphat was famous. One might expect a king to be famous. But no, his fame came about because he was a "sincere seeker after God."
How do I want my diploma to read?
A Masters Degree in Doom from Sin Seminary?
Or a practioner's license as a "sincere seeker" in God's School of life?
As a writer, I love the descriptive writing of this description:
After the death of his father, [Ahaziah] attended the sin school of Ahab, and graduated with a degree in doom.
Ouch.
How unlike his grandfather. God allowed kings like Ahaziah to reign because of David and the jewels along the way, such as Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat named his oldest son as his heir. Jehoram was an evil, evil king (he killed ALL his brothers), and his son, Ahaziah, was even worse.
Any measure of respect shown to Ahaziah resulted from people's respect for his grandfather. Jehoshaphat was famous. One might expect a king to be famous. But no, his fame came about because he was a "sincere seeker after God."
How do I want my diploma to read?
A Masters Degree in Doom from Sin Seminary?
Or a practioner's license as a "sincere seeker" in God's School of life?
INCLUSIVE WORSHIP (2 Chronicles 20)
Everyone in Judah was there--little children, wives, sons--all present and attentive to God. (2 Chronicles 20:11.)
Jehoshaphat and Judah were under attack from neighboring countries, and the king called for a national day of prayer. One might expect men of fighting age to show up. "Everyone was there." The writer felt compelled to clarify whom he meant by "everyone." Little children, wives, sons--the majority of the people of Judah came to Jerusalem for the occasion.
Two verses later, Jahaziah gave the multitude God's answer: "Attention EVERYONE. . .God's word:
This is God's war, not yours. . ."
It's not surprising that the men brought their families for worship. What is jaw-dropping odd to me is that they brought them to war.
The next morning, they left for the battlefield (after a rousing worship service, complete with choir and orchestra). It doesn't say only the men followed the king. Perhaps the same "everyone" came along. After all, the prophet had promised, "You won't have to lift a hand in this battle." and God had commanded, "March out boldly." What could be bolder than bringing along entire families as if this was a picnic?
Of course, our 20-20 hindsight tells us that God set the armies to fighting each other instead of Judah and they all died. It took the Judeans three days to clear the loot. Maybe they needed all the hands to carry the extra!
There are times that God calls us to act as a single body. Each body part has a different role to play, but all are needed. Even the women and children. :)
Not to mention they started with prayer, music, and preaching. Hey, that sounds like church! We enter to worship together and leave for the battle . . .
Jehoshaphat and Judah were under attack from neighboring countries, and the king called for a national day of prayer. One might expect men of fighting age to show up. "Everyone was there." The writer felt compelled to clarify whom he meant by "everyone." Little children, wives, sons--the majority of the people of Judah came to Jerusalem for the occasion.
Two verses later, Jahaziah gave the multitude God's answer: "Attention EVERYONE. . .God's word:
This is God's war, not yours. . ."
It's not surprising that the men brought their families for worship. What is jaw-dropping odd to me is that they brought them to war.
The next morning, they left for the battlefield (after a rousing worship service, complete with choir and orchestra). It doesn't say only the men followed the king. Perhaps the same "everyone" came along. After all, the prophet had promised, "You won't have to lift a hand in this battle." and God had commanded, "March out boldly." What could be bolder than bringing along entire families as if this was a picnic?
Of course, our 20-20 hindsight tells us that God set the armies to fighting each other instead of Judah and they all died. It took the Judeans three days to clear the loot. Maybe they needed all the hands to carry the extra!
There are times that God calls us to act as a single body. Each body part has a different role to play, but all are needed. Even the women and children. :)
Not to mention they started with prayer, music, and preaching. Hey, that sounds like church! We enter to worship together and leave for the battle . . .
Saturday, June 1, 2013
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP
King Asa made a big enough impact on the history of Israel that he takes up three chapters in 2 Chronicles. The story we read in today's chapters tells a sad story of a bad ending to a good king, one who did it right until the end of his reign.
I'm going to talk about three different ways Asa sought to solve his problems. One of them is an awesome promise. Another is a sad commentary. And the third? Well, what we can do help ourselves.
The promise: God will let himself be found. (2 Chronicles 15:1-2 MSG) When Asa paid attention to God--God promised to be available. No silent heavens. God communicated His will to Asa (even when he got into trouble.) No silent treatment.
The response? Asa helped himself. When he heard the prophecy, he "took a deep breath, then rolled up his sleeves, and went to work." (2 Chronicles 15:7-8 MSG). God didn't just give Asa the solution. He told him how to do it - and Asa went to work. The reward was amazing, "peace within and without." Peace with myself and with my fellow man? Isn't that what we all want?
And then. . . in the 36th year of a 41 year reign. . .he messed up. Early in his reign God had given him victory of the million-plus Ethiopian army. Now Baasha king of Israel attacks him--and he turns to the king at Damascus for help.
Had he forgotten that God invited--commanded--him to seek God first?
Did he, perhaps, wonder if God would play favorites between Israel and Judah?
Whatever his reason, the results were disastrous. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help. (2 Chronicles 16:9 MSG)
I don'ta think the problem was so much in asking for help. It was that he didn't ask God for battle plans first. From that point forward, he faced one military encounter after another.
There is a time and a place to ask others for help (consider the huge worship services in his reign, and the way he drew true Israelites to Judah.) But there is a wrong time, as well.
Whenever we face a decision - let's ask God first. Ask God whether He's going to do it for us, if there is something we should do--or if it's time to ask people for help.
I'm going to talk about three different ways Asa sought to solve his problems. One of them is an awesome promise. Another is a sad commentary. And the third? Well, what we can do help ourselves.
The promise: God will let himself be found. (2 Chronicles 15:1-2 MSG) When Asa paid attention to God--God promised to be available. No silent heavens. God communicated His will to Asa (even when he got into trouble.) No silent treatment.
The response? Asa helped himself. When he heard the prophecy, he "took a deep breath, then rolled up his sleeves, and went to work." (2 Chronicles 15:7-8 MSG). God didn't just give Asa the solution. He told him how to do it - and Asa went to work. The reward was amazing, "peace within and without." Peace with myself and with my fellow man? Isn't that what we all want?
And then. . . in the 36th year of a 41 year reign. . .he messed up. Early in his reign God had given him victory of the million-plus Ethiopian army. Now Baasha king of Israel attacks him--and he turns to the king at Damascus for help.
Had he forgotten that God invited--commanded--him to seek God first?
Did he, perhaps, wonder if God would play favorites between Israel and Judah?
Whatever his reason, the results were disastrous. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help. (2 Chronicles 16:9 MSG)
I don'ta think the problem was so much in asking for help. It was that he didn't ask God for battle plans first. From that point forward, he faced one military encounter after another.
There is a time and a place to ask others for help (consider the huge worship services in his reign, and the way he drew true Israelites to Judah.) But there is a wrong time, as well.
Whenever we face a decision - let's ask God first. Ask God whether He's going to do it for us, if there is something we should do--or if it's time to ask people for help.
Friday, May 31, 2013
GOOD KING ASA (2 Chronicles 14)
Asa was a good king. ( 2 Chronicles 14:2)
Yesterday I wrote about Rehoboam, who was a "bad' king, not an "evil" one.
Asa is an example of the other end of the spectrum. He is one of only a few kings called "good" (Jotham, whom we'll meet later, is another). In the same way Rehoboam was bad two ways--bad in behavior and bad in effectiveness--Asa was good both ways. He was a righteous man, and because he led his nation to righteous living, his kingdom was at peace. As verse 6 says, "God kept the peace."
Sigh. What a wonderful eulogy for a man.
What earned Asa the appellation of "good"?
Yesterday I wrote about Rehoboam, who was a "bad' king, not an "evil" one.
Asa is an example of the other end of the spectrum. He is one of only a few kings called "good" (Jotham, whom we'll meet later, is another). In the same way Rehoboam was bad two ways--bad in behavior and bad in effectiveness--Asa was good both ways. He was a righteous man, and because he led his nation to righteous living, his kingdom was at peace. As verse 6 says, "God kept the peace."
Sigh. What a wonderful eulogy for a man.
What earned Asa the appellation of "good"?
- He did things right in God's eyes. This must have started in his personal life. He not only obeyed the law, his heart matched his behavior. In all the myriad of ways we have a choice of how to behave, Asa did things right. Not 100% of the time. None of us (except Jesus) do that. Shall we say an A for effort.
- He got rid of the centers of pagan worship, including the sex-and-religion groves that popped back up as soon as they were smashed.
- He led his people back to God. He not only told his people to follow the commandments, he also told them to "center their lives in God"--probably a reflection of the way he lived himself. He urged to do as God commanded through Moses--to write the law on their hearts and to talk about it wherever they were, whatever they were doing.
God honored their obedience with peace--which in turn allowed Asa to turn to fortifying Judah's defenses. Success followed success.
Don't get sidetracked--make God the center of your lives.
That's God's measure of a good man.
Pray God I have enough left over to fortify my defenses, and not only repel attacks. (don't seem to be so well in those areas, however.)
Thursday, May 30, 2013
REHOBOAM, THE LUKE WARM KING
But the final verdict on Rehoboam was that he was a bad king--God was not important to him; his heart neither cared for nor sought after God. (2 Chronicles 12:14, MSG)
After these months of studying the kings of Israel and Judah from Saul to Jehoichim, we have seen some truly evil kings, men who actively encouraged their people to idol worship and who sacrificed their own children.
The writer of Chronicles doesn't say what Rehoboam did wrong. He doesn't even call him an evil king, just a bad one. Bad in a moral sense, perhaps, but also ineffective. He let his nation down. 2 Kings only mention what the people of Judah chose to do. Rehoboam didn't lead in idol worship, but neither did he interfere.
As Chronicles says, God wasn't important to him. Rehoboam didn't care about God enough to seek after him. If David's approach to worship was whole-hearted, and Solomon's approach was philosophical, Rehoboam's was--going with the flow.
His approach reminds me of Jesus's words to the church at Laodicea: I know you inside and out and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot--far better to be either or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant.
I suspect God's command to Rehoboam would have resembled what Jesus command the Laodicean church: buy medicine from me so that you can see, really see.
Rehoboam didn't see that his inattention to God set his kingdom on a downward spiral that they never fully recovered from.
Moral for the day? Check your temperature--turn on the heater for God.
After these months of studying the kings of Israel and Judah from Saul to Jehoichim, we have seen some truly evil kings, men who actively encouraged their people to idol worship and who sacrificed their own children.
The writer of Chronicles doesn't say what Rehoboam did wrong. He doesn't even call him an evil king, just a bad one. Bad in a moral sense, perhaps, but also ineffective. He let his nation down. 2 Kings only mention what the people of Judah chose to do. Rehoboam didn't lead in idol worship, but neither did he interfere.
As Chronicles says, God wasn't important to him. Rehoboam didn't care about God enough to seek after him. If David's approach to worship was whole-hearted, and Solomon's approach was philosophical, Rehoboam's was--going with the flow.
His approach reminds me of Jesus's words to the church at Laodicea: I know you inside and out and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot--far better to be either or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant.
I suspect God's command to Rehoboam would have resembled what Jesus command the Laodicean church: buy medicine from me so that you can see, really see.
Rehoboam didn't see that his inattention to God set his kingdom on a downward spiral that they never fully recovered from.
Moral for the day? Check your temperature--turn on the heater for God.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
STRENGTH TURNED INSIDE-OUT (2 Chronicles 8)
Solomon built impulsively and extravagantly--whenever a whim took him. (2 Chronicles 8:6)
Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to a house built especially for her. "Because," he said, "my wife cannot live in the house of David king of Israel, for the areas in which the Chest has entered are sacred." (2 Chronicles 8:11)
I believe that my weaknesses are my strengths carried to excess.
My ability to focus on writing in excess has led to a lack of physical exercise with fairly bad consequences.
I see the same principle at work here. Solomon clearly had great skills as an administrator. He led two detailed building projects (temple and palace) plus a long list of other places. He made sure the accounts were handled to the penny.
But he was impulsive in his building. In fact, Solomon liked it so much, that he ended up building temples to his wives' gods. Starting with the holy-sounding reason, "I can't let Pharaoh's daughter live in a place which housed the Chest of God."
Sounds good, especially if she made no effort to worship Solomon's God.
But . . . would Solomon's story have ended differently if he had sought to include his wife in worship? If instead of shutting her away from God, he had introduced her to Him instead?
In his impulsive building decisions, would Solomon have listened to a prophet warning him, "God says no," the way David listened about the temple? (In fact, I find it hard to believe that prophets didn't warn Solomon about building those temples. But that's only supposition, no record kept.)
God has generously given each of us gifts, of personality, and family, work and spiritual gifts, material goods and immaterial blessings. But they still belong to Him--and perhaps we should check in more often before we get carried away.
Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to a house built especially for her. "Because," he said, "my wife cannot live in the house of David king of Israel, for the areas in which the Chest has entered are sacred." (2 Chronicles 8:11)
I believe that my weaknesses are my strengths carried to excess.
My ability to focus on writing in excess has led to a lack of physical exercise with fairly bad consequences.
I see the same principle at work here. Solomon clearly had great skills as an administrator. He led two detailed building projects (temple and palace) plus a long list of other places. He made sure the accounts were handled to the penny.
But he was impulsive in his building. In fact, Solomon liked it so much, that he ended up building temples to his wives' gods. Starting with the holy-sounding reason, "I can't let Pharaoh's daughter live in a place which housed the Chest of God."
Sounds good, especially if she made no effort to worship Solomon's God.
But . . . would Solomon's story have ended differently if he had sought to include his wife in worship? If instead of shutting her away from God, he had introduced her to Him instead?
In his impulsive building decisions, would Solomon have listened to a prophet warning him, "God says no," the way David listened about the temple? (In fact, I find it hard to believe that prophets didn't warn Solomon about building those temples. But that's only supposition, no record kept.)
God has generously given each of us gifts, of personality, and family, work and spiritual gifts, material goods and immaterial blessings. But they still belong to Him--and perhaps we should check in more often before we get carried away.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
OUTCOME OF WORSHIP (2 Chronicles 2)
He placed the pillars in front of The Temple, one on the right, and the other on the left. The right pillar he named Jakin (Security) and the left pillar he named Boaz (Stability). 2 Chronicles 2:16-17, MSG
My mother loved to tell me that the sign over the door to the chapel at her college read, "Enter to worship, leave prepared to serve."
The pillars at the front of Solomon's temple said, "Enter to worship, leave in security and stability."
Reading the description of Solomon's temple, trying to really imagine it, boggles my mind. The interior was gold-plated? Coated with precious stones? An entire building, 30'x90'? What was worship like for those few generations of Israelites who worshipped there in all its glory, before kings stripped more and more gold for other purposes?
Even stripped, it was built of the finest cedar from Lebanon. Fragrant, shining, amazing.
At the front of the Temple stood two pillars, seen upon entering and upon leaving. Solomon named them "Security" and "Stability."
If I asked 100 Christians what they expect to receive from worship, I would probably receive 100 different answers. Somehow, though, I suspect few if any would mention security and stability.
I remind myself that this was a house of worship for an entire people, not a place for a local group of believers, such as the synagogue in the New Testament. That political Israel and God's people Israel were one of the same. Praying for our nation, security and stability would rank high on our list, especially after the recent horrors in Boston.
But although the Temple was for the entire nation, they worshipped as individuals. While I might not associate security and stability with worship, they are things I crave. In faith I reach for security in Christ, for stability that I can finish the books God has called me to write even when each project becomes a challenge to complete because my health is iffy.
Security and stability might not be the emotional highs I associate with worship, but they are what I need. And after worship, I should be more prepared than ever to depend on the God who is my sure foundation.
P.S. I am on bedrest, trying to get some pressure sores to heal. From one day to the next I am unsure of my availability to write, or my own strength. So I will write as I can, and crave your prayers when I can't!
My mother loved to tell me that the sign over the door to the chapel at her college read, "Enter to worship, leave prepared to serve."
The pillars at the front of Solomon's temple said, "Enter to worship, leave in security and stability."
Reading the description of Solomon's temple, trying to really imagine it, boggles my mind. The interior was gold-plated? Coated with precious stones? An entire building, 30'x90'? What was worship like for those few generations of Israelites who worshipped there in all its glory, before kings stripped more and more gold for other purposes?
Even stripped, it was built of the finest cedar from Lebanon. Fragrant, shining, amazing.
At the front of the Temple stood two pillars, seen upon entering and upon leaving. Solomon named them "Security" and "Stability."
If I asked 100 Christians what they expect to receive from worship, I would probably receive 100 different answers. Somehow, though, I suspect few if any would mention security and stability.
I remind myself that this was a house of worship for an entire people, not a place for a local group of believers, such as the synagogue in the New Testament. That political Israel and God's people Israel were one of the same. Praying for our nation, security and stability would rank high on our list, especially after the recent horrors in Boston.
But although the Temple was for the entire nation, they worshipped as individuals. While I might not associate security and stability with worship, they are things I crave. In faith I reach for security in Christ, for stability that I can finish the books God has called me to write even when each project becomes a challenge to complete because my health is iffy.
Security and stability might not be the emotional highs I associate with worship, but they are what I need. And after worship, I should be more prepared than ever to depend on the God who is my sure foundation.
P.S. I am on bedrest, trying to get some pressure sores to heal. From one day to the next I am unsure of my availability to write, or my own strength. So I will write as I can, and crave your prayers when I can't!
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