Tag: Good and Evil

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Just as God Said

Daily Reading

2Kings 9-11

Daily Thought

God spoke through his prophet Elijah against the evil King Ahab, “Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel” (1Kings 21:20-21). 

Time passes, Ahab passes, and Israel has a new king, Jehu. “Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria” (2Kings 10:1 ). Jehu did what kings do and eliminated the competition. “They took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel” (2Kings 10:7). Just as God said, the legacy of Ahab was over.

God means what he says and his judgment teaches one thing, at least–we should take God seriously because he takes us seriously, for evil or good. Ahab was evil, but there were good kings, as well–King David, most of all. Long before Ahab, God had spoken through his prophet Nathan to the righteous King David, “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2Samuel 7:16). 

While Jehu ruled in Israel and put an end the line of Ahab, Athaliah reigned in Judah, and she attempted to destroy the house of David. One newborn, however, Jehoash, was hidden away for six years in a bedroom in the house of the Lord. Athaliah would not find him there because she did not go in there–she worshipped in the house of Baal. Her reign was evil and ended terribly and “Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign” (2Kings 11:21). Just as God said, the throne of David continued. 

The Bible you are holding is not just a book, it is God’s Word, and he means it and he keeps it and it is good.

Daily Prayer

My God, You are King of kings and Lord of lords. Earthly kings sit on earthly thrones, while You sit on the throne of heaven and rule over all. I pledge my allegiance to You and Your kingdom forever. Your will be done as it has always been.

I serve at Your pleasure and for Your pleasure, God. May the desires of my heart be shaped by You, so that I will seek after what is righteous and good, pure and holy. May I delight in following You and may You be praised by my works and my words. May all that I do declare that You are my King. 

Amen

Daily Question

Is the judgment of God something you should fear or something you should hope for?

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Shades of Gray

Daily Reading

Deuteronomy 28-29

Daily Thought

Davy Jones died leap year day, February 29, 2012. When I heard the news, I did what many my age did–listened again to my favorite songs from The Monkees. One of them, “Shades of Gray”:

When the world and I were young, just yesterday,
Life was such a simple game a child could play.
It was easy then to tell right from wrong,
Easy then to tell weak from strong,
When a man should stand and fight, or just go along.

Things were simple and clear when we were young. In Deuteronomy 28, Israel is young, a new nation, pre-teen. The first fourteen verses list the blessings “if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God.” The remaining verses, the curses “if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God.” Black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. 

But today there is no day or night, today there is no dark or light,
Today there is no black or white, only shades of gray. 

50 shades, apparently. As we get older, we begin asking “what if” and “why not.” We begin to color gray, but to God, it is still black and white, because he is forever young. 

I remember when the answers seemed so clear.
We had never lived with doubt or tasted fear.
It was easy then to tell truth from lies,
Selling out or compromise.

“Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16), said Jesus to a gray church.

Daily Prayer

God, thank You for life itself, and for this instruction book, Your Word, which shows me how to live. Thank You, as well, that I may pray to You for wisdom and You promise to give it to me. Help me never to doubt You. I am so glad Your Holy Spirit lives in me and guides me toward Your truth. I live in a world upside down, and I need You to show me what is what.

Father, I know as I trust You more I will trust You more. I know I repeated myself, but that’s how faith works. The more often I have faith, the stronger my faith gets, and the more willing I will be to walk in faith the next time. Strengthen me, God, as I train my mind by putting Your Word into practice. 

Amen

Daily Question

When have you had trouble determining if something was right or wrong, and what did you do about it?