Devotion#8

                            When the Lord was a bout to take Elijah up to heaven in  a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from gilgal.      2Kings 2:1(niv)            

                                                                                             

                                                                                                ELIJAH AND ELISHA

Elijah’s times, and the events concerning him, are as little dated as those of any great man in scripture; we are not told of his age, nor in what year of Ahab’s reign he first appeared, nor in what year of Joram’s he disappeared, and therefore cannot conjecture how long he flourished; it is supposed about twenty years in all. Here we are told,

I. That God had determined to take him up into heaven by a whirlwind, v. 1. He would do it, and it is probable let him know of his purpose some time before, that he would shortly take him from the world, not by death, but translate him body and soul to heaven, as Enoch was, only causing him to undergo such a change as would be necessary to the qualifying of him to be an inhabitant in that world of spirits, and such as those shall undergo who will be found alive at Christ’s coming. It is not for us to say why God would put such a peculiar honour upon Elijah above any other of the prophets; he was a man subject to like passions as we are, knew sin, and yet never tasted death. Wherefore is he thus dignified, thus distinguished, as a man whom the Kings of kings did delight to honour? We may suppose that herein, 1. God looked back upon his past services, which were eminent and extraordinary, and intended a recompence for those and an encouragement to the sons of the prophets to tread in the steps of his zeal and faithfulness, and, whatever it cost them, to witness against the corruptions of the age they lived in. 2. He looked down upon the present dark and degenerate state of the church, and would thus give a very sensible proof of another life after this, and draw the hearts of the faithful few upward towards himself, and that other life. 3. He looked forward to the evangelical dispensation, and, in the translation of Elijah, gave a type and figure of the ascension of Christ and the opening of the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Elijah had, by faith and prayer, conversed much with heaven, and now he is taken thither, to assure us that if we have our conversation in heaven, while we are here on earth, we shall be there shortly, the soul shall (and that is the man) be happy there, there for ever.

Devotion#7

When the time drew near for Davidto die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.  1   King 2:1

                                                           

                                                                              KING DAVID AND SOLOMON

2:1 When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack [1] a man on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging [2] in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war [3] on the belt around his [4] waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6 Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But deal loyally with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty [5] they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”

Ditty#8

Discuss the relationships of the prophets of Ancient Israel with the throne, the temple, and the people.

The story of the birth of Jesus is a sample of how the Israel Truth is woven into the prophecies which had long before established and proclaimed in Israel. Therefore, it can be positively stated that no one can really understand Jesus; His mission; His message, without the Israel “KEY” which opens up the treasuries of His life and teachings. When one realizes that we are Israel (Not the Jews), it can be clearly seen that God has kept His Word to our Father Abraham. That it is true, that centuries ago God Almighty made an unconditional irrevocable covenant with Abraham to increase and preserve his posterity throughout all generations. David is one of the most popular Prophets 10% of their job to tell about the future and 90% they hadr turning job from moral and spiritual changes. Prophet uesd perfect and there was writing prophet and non- writing prophets like Elijah and Elisha book of kings. Lamentation was written by Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet during exile and after exile and Isaiah too. The messages of the prophets are not new. The message they give are rooted in the covenant Like Lleviticus and Malachi messages. They remind the covenant to the people. udges are Deuteronomy not new and it says  you will eat your son or offspring punishment its in deuteronomy and they reinforce the law. They come i the authority of yahweh. thues says the Lord or theis what the lord says. Amos  was commission to go to the north to the Isarael. The prophets have a school to back up the prophets.

Ditty#7

Choose a king from the north. Summarize his reign and the evaluation of it. What could have he done different in order to have he done different in order to have a positive evaluation from God?

Omri was the sixth king of the northern kingdom of Israel  reigning from about 886 to 875 B.C. Beginning as an army commander, he was made king after Zimri assassinated Elah and seized the throne. Omri is the first Israelite monarch found to be mentioned in historical records other than The Bible itself. The “Moabite stone” states that “Omri, king of Israel, oppressed Moab many days and his sons after him.” Assyrian records refer to the area of northern Israel as “the land of Omri.” His dynasty ruled until 842.   When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp. Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. “In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.” But Omri did evil in the eyes of The Lord and sinned more than all those before him. He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked The Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols.  As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king. (1 Kings 16:15-28). Reference: By Wayne Blank 

Ditty#6

What is the biblical text disclosing? What is the relationship of the Bible with History? According to Dr. Isbell’s.

The biblical text is disclosing because the book of Isaiah was respected enough to be preserved  studied, copied, and transmitted from generation to generation until it became an essential part of the sacred text of Judaism, “The Bible” is less concerned to be used as a source of “history” than it is to offer a prophetic, a moral, a Yahwistic interpretation of the true meaning of history! Whenever we encounter biblical stories clothed in the format of historical narrative, this prophetic or interpretative perspective of the Bible can never be overlooked, just as it is essential to know the perspective of the author of any book. Jeroboam II certainly viewed his rule over Israel more positively than did Amos or Hosea.  And the biblical writers tell us openly that what we are reading in the Bible was not intended to be balanced and fair to all sides. These authors doubtless believed their perspective on each king was correct, and in each case we can detect a defense of the prophetic view of strict loyalty to the one true God.  The dates of a king’s rule may be synchronized with Babylonian or Assyrian sources, and Isaiah’s account of the siege of Sennacherib can be compared with the Assyrian view of the same incident because of this the Bible and history have a relationship.

    Finally, we should remember that the most fundamental of all “facts” can never be verified by any modern method. I refer here to the most common statements of “fact” in the Bible: “Then God said,” or “This is what YHWH has said,” etc. We can no more prove or disprove such assertions than we can verify or dismiss the existence of a divine Being. Yet “objective” history would need to interview each of the witnesses cited in Scripture and quoted as having “heard” the voice of YHWH.  Reference: Charles David Isbells

Devotional#6

 

 

 

 

                                                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

When a Ruler weeps and prays

2kings 20 – 23:6

Judah’s king Hezekiah was about 39 years old, and he was dying from an infection – a boil – which the LORD, through the prophet Isaiah, said would be fatal. His response? “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” He prayed and wept in secret. The LORD responded quickly, sending Isaiah back to tell the king the LORD would heal him. More than that, the LORD understood Hezekiah’s concerns beyond his health. The LORD would add 15 years to Hezekiah’s life, deliver him and Jerusalem from the arrogant king of Assyria, and defend the city for both the LORD’s sake and for his servant David. In three days Hezekiah would be well enough to go worship at the temple of the LORD. Isaiah ordered a poultice of figs for the boil, and Hezekiah asked for a sign to prove the promises were from the LORD. The sun’s shadow went backwards 10 steps. The king was convinced.

Soon the son of the king of Babylon came to offer his now unnecessary condolences about Hezekiah’s illness. In another example of one’s actions determining or demonstrating what will happen in the future  Hezekiah showed the messengers from Babylon ALL of his wealth and treasures. Afterwards Isaiah told the king the LORD said that ALL these treasures would be carried off to Babylon including some of his descendants, who would become eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace. Hezekiah was glad it wouldn’t happen during his lifetime.

Three years after Hezekiah was healed, his son Manasseh was born to him and Hephzibah. Manasseh was a disobedient rebel of a son, and when – at age 12 – his father died and he became king, Manasseh did all he could to undo the good his father had done in Judah.

Devotional#5

           2 Samuel: The story Of David By Ray C. Stedman 

The story of David is a picture for us of what happens in a Christian’s life as he gives it to God  a place of dominion and reign. Every Christian is offered a kingdom, just as David was offered a kingdom. That kingdom is the kingdom of our own life and it is exactly like the kingdom of Israel. There are enemies threatening it from outside. There are enemies threatening from within to undermine it. The kings of Israel were never able to get rid of the Philistines. They form a picture for us of those internal enemies that threaten to undermine and overthrow the dominion that God intends us to have as we learn to reign in life by Jesus Christ. We don’t call them Jebusites and Perizzites we call them jealousy, envy, lust, bitterness, resentment, worry, anxiety and all the other ites, isms, chasms, and spasms that afflict us in our daily walk.

As we see David being brought by God to the place of reigning over his kingdom, we will see how the Holy Spirit is working in our lives to bring us to the place of reigning in life by Christ Jesus. What an accurate picture this is! David is called in the Old Testament “the man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14), just as King Saul, the first king of Israel might be labeled “the king like the nations around. ” Saul, portrayed in 1 Samuel, represents the man of the flesh, the man who tries in his own right to please God by his good intentioned, highly sincere efforts to be religious. Yet everything falls apart. It never works. The Christian life is not just a shabby imitation of the life of Jesus Christ. It must be the real thing. It must be Christ himself living his life in us. As Saul is the picture of the flesh and its attempt to imitate, David is the picture of the man after God’s own heart — a believer in whom the spirit of God dwells and who is open to the instruction of the Spirit, who is taught to walk in the Holy Spirit.

Ditty#5

Is David the first King of Israel? Why o why not?

Yes David was the first king of Israel who fulfilled God’s promised.He belongs to the tribe of Judah and very intelligent man.When David was just a shepherd boy, he was called to play music for King Saul in order to cure his melancholy. David also gained fame as a youth when he killed the Philistine Goliath (Galyat) with his slingshot. Saul made David his armor-bearer and son-in-law, and Saul’s son Jonathan became David’s loyal friend. When Saul died, David rose to power by conquering the south and then Jerusalem. The northern tribes of Israel voluntarily submitted to David. David was the first king of a united Israel. He founded a dynasty, centered in Jerusalem, that remained in power for about 500 years. David brought the Ark of the Covenant into the center of the Jewish nation, thereby infusing the Jewish national home with religion and ethics. By creating a nation for the Jews with Torah at its center, David brought the work of Moses to a practical conclusion and laid the foundation that would enable Judaism to survive for thousands of years to come, despite the efforts of many other nations to destroy it.  David was the ultimate Jewish leader. He was courageous and strong in war, as well as an intelligent statesman. He was a faithful friend and an inspiring leader. He was skillful at playing musical instruments and gifted in his ability to write Psalms (Tehilim) or songs of praise to God. In his relationship with God, he was pious. Mistakes he did make can be attributed to his rapid rise to power and the spirit of the times in which he lived and ruled. According to Jewish Tradition, the Messiah (Mashiach) will come from the descendants of David. Reference: Jewish Leaders-King David

Devotional#4

 

 Saul and David

1 Sam 18:12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. Another tool of the devil is fear Who would you think had fear? The one throwing a javelin, or the one who is the target? It was Saul, the aggressor, he feared. When you are a target. It is because someone fears you; satan fears you. Satan fears the presence of God’s Spirit. He tries to cause it to go away. Do not let the enemies fearful attacks lodge in your heart. You belong to God. It is a bad spirit, do not receive it. 2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 1 Sam 18:13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. To remove David from his presence he made him an officer in command of a legion. 1 Sam 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
1 Sam 18:15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. Another tool of satan is jealousy Like the story of Joseph, David was favored by God and men. This made the bad spirit in Saul even more afraid. 1 Sam 18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. The people loved and honored David, yet he did not let it go to his head. He remained a humble servant. It is the devil who tempts us with the world’s honor and praise. We are not to fall for it any more than we listen to accusations and fear his fiery darts or javelin. We are servants of God, blessed by him and we do everything to bring him honor. We live by faith in God and His promises, directed by His Spirit. 1 Sam 18:17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.
1 Sam 18:18 And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? Saul promised his oldest daughter to David and set him out to battle, supposing he would be killed. David spoke humbly as not deserving to be a kings son-in-law. He and his family were unworthy. 

Ditty #4

Is the book of samuel pro-monarchy or anti-monarchy? Why/why not?

The call of Samuel to be the prophet and judge of Israel formed a turningpoint in the history of the Old Testament kingdom of God. As the prophet of Jehovah, Samuel was to lead the people of Israel out of the times of the judges into those of the kings, and lay the foundation.The announcement of a faithful priest, who would walk before the anointed of the Lord, also contained a prediction of the establishment of the monarchy, which foreshadowed its worth and great significance in relation to the further development of the kingdom of God on for a prosperous development of the monarchy. The Israelitish monarchy could never thus acquire the power to secure for the kingdom of God a victory over all its foes, except as the king himself was diligent in his endeavours to be at all times simply the instrument of the God-king, and exercise his authority solely in the name and according to the will of Jehovah. And as the natural selfishness and pride of man easily made this concentration of the supreme earthly power in a single person merely an occasion for self-aggrandisement, and therefore the Israelitish kings were exposed to the temptation to use the plenary authority entrusted to them even in opposition to the will of God; the Lord raised up for Himself organs of His own Spirit, in the persons of the prophets, to stand by the side of the kings, and make known to them the will and counsel of God. The introduction of the monarchy was there.Through the establishment of the monarchy, the people of Jehovah’s possession became a “world-power;” the kingdom of God was elevated into a kingdom of the world, as distinguished from the other ungodly kingdoms of the world, which it was eventually to overcome in the power of its God. In this conflict Jehovah manifested himself as the Lord of hosts, to whom all the nations and kingdoms of this world were to become subject. Even in the times of Saul and David, the heathen nations were to experience a foretaste of this subjection. When Saul had ascended the throne of Israel, he fought against all his enemies round about, and extended his power in every direction in which he turned (1 Sam 1:14,47- 48). But David made all the nations who bordered upon the kingdom of God tributary to the people of the Lord, as the Lord gave him victory wherever he went (1 Sam 2:8,14-15); so that his son Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms, from the stream (the Euphrates) to the boundary of Egypt, and they all brought him presents, and were subject to him (1 Kings 5:1).