Devotion.al

Tag: enemy

  • Knowing Whose

    2 Chronicles 6:32–42; Jeremiah 31:7–14

    Solomon was ceremoniously the newly constructed . There is a lot of political pomp and circumstance that is part of the ceremony. It would have been expected, and much of the political speech dressed up in religious language had the firm foundation of the people and Solomon being very much aware that all of this was possible only underneath the protective wings of God. Solomon had completed a huge number of projects that were large and public. This is the height of national pride. In the midst of this national event, there is a humble recognition that the people will fall away from God (including Solomon), and a request that God be gracious and forgiving to those that repent.

    This wasn’t just a request of God, but a reminder to the people (the political and religious leaders would have had a “front-row” seat to the speech/prayer) to remember whose they were. They were God’s chosen people, and yet, Solomon included the God-following people that weren’t Israelites. He included them in this prayer. In the prayer of national importance, displaying national and tribal glory, Solomon included those outside of “the people.” Solomon, whose ancestors includes a prostitute (citizen of an enemy city), a foreign widow (from the ancestral enemies), and a mother who had a potentially coerced adulterous relationship with his , who had had his mother’s husband killed. Solomon, as he was praying, very likely had his own family story in mind as he prayed. He was proof that God called and blessed people outside of the traditional boundaries.

    National boundaries will not prevent God from acting, calling, and redeeming. Even in exile, Jeremiah’s words are saying that the Jews will be called back to their ancestral lands, regardless of national boundaries. National boundaries are the works and rules of men. Though far away from home and culturally their identity, God still knew who they were, and was calling them home. The to shout for joy on the heights of Zion would be a public statement of their restoration, and their security in God.

    Cultural and national boundaries still do not prevent God from acting, calling, and redeeming. As Epiphany comes, most of us need to recall that we are God’s children not because of who we were born to or where we born, but because of ‘ on the cross. That sacrifice crossed boundaries of , “”, age, gender, and even time itself to bring us into God’s family.

    1. Even before Jesus was born, God moved among the . Why do you think that this is important?
    2. If God sets asides human barriers for relationship with him, why do we make so many? What barriers have you put between people and a relationship with God? What barriers have people put between you and your relationship with God?
    3. [KD] Why is it important to you that God ignores barriers between people?

  • Guilty and Free

    Psalm 103, 1 Samuel 4:1-22, Isaiah 43:14-25

    Imagine being someplace you’ve never been and driving down the road only looking at the rear-view mirror. Your peripheral vision would catch some of the more dangerous things, but you would miss a lot. All too often we go through life this way. You may not have escaped your past, but you cannot embrace the without looking forward.

    Much of life is common among people. We live and die. We love and hurt. We fail and succeed. We have regrets and we have gratitude.

    For many people, this year has been very hard: huge changes; life-changing events; lives lost; lives gained; big mistakes; new jobs; loss of jobs; moving; being forced to move. There are many that are looking to this year, and so very to start the new one, yet many will be filled with , unsure of what will come.

    In 1 Samuel, we read of a very bad time. The Ark of the Covenant, a Godly object—that many staked their and security on—was lost to a powerful . Their (judge) and his sons have died. All seemed lost. The Israelites were fearfully looking toward the future.

    By the time of Isaiah, the people were again looking to the future with fear. There had just been a declaration of (Isaiah 42) and failure. The so-called People of God had been reminded of their failure to fulfill their role. The judge of the universe had declared their guilt. Just as many are fearfully looking to the new year, so, too, were the People of God fearful of what came after their conviction.

    “Do not the past events, pay no attention to the things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming…” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

    1) Be deeply honest with yourself. What do you fear in regards to the coming year?

    2) One can fear what is coming and still God. It is the type of fear that is the key. How can fear be good or bad?

    3/KD) What is the one thing you are most worried will happen next year? What is the one thing you are most looking forward to next year?

  • The Hope Beyond Us

    Psalm 38, Isaiah 32:10-20, Joel 2:12-13

    In regards to their salvation, many people struggle with two particular areas. The first is pride. Realizing that one’s salvation involves the surrendering of self, a person can stop right at the . Holding onto one’s self (one’s pride) can keep a person from taking the final step of surrender into God’s salvation.

    The other area is . Often the struggle with sin goes hand-in-hand with pride. If we look around us at the world, however, we can see that the world’s definition of a “good” person might not God’s definition of “good.” You may have heard a phrase similar to, “good enough is the of great,” usually used in the business world. Let’s take that with sin. Good enough could be “better than the other person” or “everybody’s doing it” or “no one else is getting hurt by it.” Great is God. If we’re “good enough” are we the enemy of God?

    It sounds harsh. David, according to the world, was “good enough.” He committed sins, just like other leaders. He killed people in war, just like others. He was, it seems, a weak parent. While he wasn’t an enemy of God, per se, at the , his greatest project of building God’s was handed over to his because of the blood he had shed.

    There are consequences of doing wrong. Our legal system takes care of some things. Our social circles take care of other things. At the end of our lives, God takes care of the heart things, as we stand before the throne.

    The passage in Isaiah takes us through the good enough, through the consequences, and to the . The passage in Joel calls on us to be honest with ourselves, and what we have done, all in the context of God’s , , and love.

    To get to the best part of the story of ourselves, we need to dig into the ugly part of ourselves, hearts conflicted with pride and sin.

    1) Why do you think it is important to know the starting point of a journey?

    2) Does the starting point of a journey determine the end of the journey?

    3) Why do you think people judge/condemn others (or themselves) for the starting point of their journey, rather than focusing on getting to the right end?

    KD) What does it mean to you to be good enough? Why would you want to be better?