Nov 10: Matthew 4, Jeremiah 19, Psalm 89
Nov 11: Matthew 5, Jeremiah 20, Psalm 90
Nov 12: Matthew 6, Jeremiah 21, Psalm 91
Nov 13: Matthew 7, Jeremiah 22, Psalm 92
Nov 14: Matthew 8, Jeremiah 23, Psalm 93
Nov 15: Matthew 9, Jeremiah 24, Psalm 94
2 Kings 8
Scripture
“Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.”
2 Kings 8:19 NIV
Observation- What does it say?
The leadership in Judah were doing evil in the sight of the Lord. For instance, Hazael murdered Ben Hadad in order to succeed his throne as the new king. It was an event that Elisha had prophesied about. Also, Jehoram, king of Judah, did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Scripture stated that “he followed the ways of the kings of Israel”, which was not a good thing. Ahaziah was another king mentioned in this chapter who “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” (Verse 27)
Although all the evil warranted God’s justice and consequence of destruction, the Lord would not destroy them because of a promise He had made to his servant David. There is a parallel to 2 Kings 8:19 in 2 Chronicles 21:7, where yet again, Scripture talked about how Jehoram, king of Judah, did evil in the sight of the Lord, yet God was not willing to destroy the house of David.
“Nevertheless, because of the covenant the LORD had made with David, the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever.” 2 Chronicles 21:7 NIV
Understanding- What does it mean?
God keeps His promises and His promises are always good.
"The Hebrew Bible makes it clear that all of the kings of Judah were descendants of David (Bibleodyssey.org)." Although he was a man after God’s heart, unfortunately, not all of his descendants were. The worship of foreign gods all occurred after Solomon’s (his son’s) death. They did evil in the eyes of the Lord, yet God wouldn’t destroy them because He stayed true to His promise to not destroy the house or descendants of David.
God knew what He was doing. There was a purpose behind it despite all the evil happening around them and how hopeless the situation may have looked for Israel.
““Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.” Psalm 132:17 NIV (Commentary: "Horn" symbolizes strong one, that is king in this verse).
Life Application
All hope is not gone or lost.
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a hopeless situation with no end in sight? Imagine how the people of Israel felt.
It really looked like a hopeless situation for Israel because of the corrupt kings in leadership. But (BIG but), God saw the bigger picture, as He always does and knew that His promise included a better King who would come through the line of David. That King is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
The enemy’s job is to steal, kill and destroy and to make us lose all hope. However, even when it feels like all hope is gone, it never is when we trust that God is in control and knows what He’s doing.
Thank You Lord that You always see the big picture. May we trust that Your plans are always for the best and put our hope solely on You. Help us to put our faith on the unseen and not lean on our own understanding. Amen.
2 Corinthians_12
Scripture
2 Corinthians 12:9-109 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Observation
Paul speaks to the type of man he would boast about – a man he knows who was “caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell;” then he makes a clear delineation that he will not boast about himself, except about his weaknesses – “so no one will think more of [him] than is warranted.” He recognizes God’s power and work in his life, but also recognizes the “thorn” that was given to keep him humble.
Understanding
What a refreshing view of weakness in a world of social media highlight reels – with picture perfect poses, photo staging, filters, etc. But God’s not looking for perfection…he’s looking for humble hearts, ready to serve. In fact, it’s in our weaknesses, if we’re willing to be vulnerable and submit them to Him, that His power is made perfect. His perfection takes all forms – healing, feeling loved, being known…the point is, it takes humble and willing hearts. And our “worst” weaknesses can be the source of God’s greatest good, greatest power!
Life Application
May we boast in our weaknesses – for it is in our weakness that we are made strong in God. To check out the discussion or to join in click here.
2 Corinthians_11
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Observation-What does it say? In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote to deal with some areas of sin that they desperately needed to uproot. In 2 Corinthians, we see Paul praising them for their repentance (7:8-13). In chapter eleven, we see Paul making a defense for his ministry to them, and in doing this he warns them to guard themselves and stay away from the false profits. All throughout the Bible, we see the importance of guarding ourselves against the world. In Proverbs 4:23-27 we learn to guard our hearts because from here “flow the springs of life.” To the Ephesians, Paul writes about the armor of God and using the shield of faith to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (6:16). Peter, the rock, tells his readers not to be surprised by the trials of fire which we will endure as the price of following Christ (4:12-19). Suffering, attacks from the enemy, and false teaching are to be expected in our walk with Christ.
Understanding-What does it mean? One of the things I have learned, during the twelve years as a police officer I have had thus far, is that I have to enter every day being prepared to fight. And that fight might possibly be for my life. When I get ready for my shifts, I hide my body armor under my shirt, lace up my heavy leather boots, secure my gun-belt, and I check to make sure the ballistic shield and helmet are in my car. When I am at home, I exercise my body to prepare it for a fight that may or may not come. I watch videos on tactics, both good and bad, in order to develop a plan on how to overcome an attack. I have worked to develop the warrior mindset needed to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
I often think of the language from Paul and Peter of our Christian walk, and know that we live in a world that is under siege from a spiritual enemy. We are fighting a spiritual war, and if we are not careful we will be just another casualty. We need to train our hearts and our minds to decipher the attacks, and we need to diligently train ourselves to be prepared for a battle that will most definitely come. “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).