Disobedience (2 Kings 1:13-18)

3/31/2011 5:30:21 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus: Disobedience

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  2Kings 1:13-18

 

            Message of the verses:  “13  So he again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, "O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14  "Behold fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight." 15  The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So he arose and went down with him to the king. 16  Then he said to him, "Thus says the LORD, ’Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron-is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?-therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’" 17  So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. 18  Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?”

 

            First I want to make it clear that Ahaziah ruled for about two more years and because he did not have a son his brother took over as king.  His brother had the same name as Jehoshaphat’s son, but he also went by Joram, and so that there is no confusion between the two kings I will call the king of Israel Joram.

In verse fifteen there seems to me a message that it would be the guards and the fifty men who would do harm to Elijah, and not the king, so when this company came to meet Elijah the captain humbled himself before Elijah and his God, and thus was spared, and so was Elijah.  However the first two companies were not spared along with the king because they did not repent.

This is a picture of the end when Christ comes back to earth:  “when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus (2Thes. 1:7b-8).

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Humility and repentance are two keys in my walk with the Lord.  I must be humble enough to realize when I sin so that I can confess my sin and repent my sin.  I cannot be like this wicked king or like the first two captains in this first chapter of 2Kings.  There are times when I do not want to confess my sin, and be humble before the Lord and this is not a good practice to follow.  Dr. Wiersbe finishes this section with these compelling words, “The gospel isn’t only a message to believe; it’s also a mandate to obey.”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Obey the gospel.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service.

3.      Remember that the battle rages on and I am in need of the Spiritual Armor.

4.      Trust the Lord to reveal to me any unconfessed sin in order to repent of it along with confession.

5.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

3/31/2011 5:55:57 AM  

Pride (2 Kings 1:5-12)

3/30/2011 5:30:35 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIAIRY

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Pride

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                             Reference:  2Kings 1:5-12

 

            Message of the verses:  “5  When the messengers returned to him he said to them, "Why have you returned?" 6  They said to him, "A man came up to meet us and said to us, ’Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, "Thus says the LORD, ’Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’"’" 7  He said to them, "What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?" 8  They answered him, "He was a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."

   “ 9 ¶  Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, "O man of God, the king says, ’Come down.’" 10  Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 11  So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, "O man of God, thus says the king, ’Come down quickly.’" 12  Elijah replied to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.”

 

            This is a fairly familiar story of Elijah sending fire down from heaven and this was the second and third time that this happened, as the first was on Mt. Carmel when fire came down to consume the sacrifice to the Lord. 

            The question was raised by Dr. Wiersbe as to why the envoys did not know who Elijah was, for after all he was an enemy of Ahab and had done some remarkable things in Israel.

            As far as whether or not the 100 men were innocent or not Dr. Wiersbe points out that the third captain who came down was very humble before Elijah and he responded by going with him, while the first two were very prideful ordering him to come.  This was a message to the nation of Israel that they had better repent or else they would face the same outcome.

 

 

God Judges the sin of Idolatry from 2 Kings 1:1-4

3/29/2011 5:29:03 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  God Judges sin (idolatry)

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                             Reference:  2Kings 1:1-4

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2  And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this sickness." 3  But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ’Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4  "Now therefore thus says the LORD, ’You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’" Then Elijah departed.”

           

            It has been a few days since I have written in my Spiritual Diary, and the reason is that at the end of most of Dr. Wiersbe commentaries he writes a chapter reviewing the book of the Bible that he has made commentary on and it took me a couple of days to read through that chapter, as they are always very rich. 

            Today’s SD begins 2Kings, and it pretty much starts where 1Kings left off, as some Bible translations actually only have a book of the kings as opposed to having two like our Christian Bible has.  Dr. Wiersbe points out at the beginning of this first chapter that Elijah and Elisha had probably been together for about ten years in the ministry, something that I had no idea of, but was keenly interested to find out. 

            Dr. Wiersbe breaks the first two chapters into four main parts with sub-divisions in all of them, and as usual he tells his reader how the chapter will unfold.  He writes the following about this first chapter:  “In closing events of this spiritual partnership, we see revealed four important truths about the God of Israel.”  The partnership is the combined ministries of Elijah and Elisha.  The first sub section is idolatry.

            Ahab is dead and his son Ahaziah is now king of Israel, and he falls through a lattice and becomes sick.  Instead of contacting the live God of Israel he sends envoys to seek the dead god of Baal in Ekron, where there was a famous temple there.  He does not ask for healing, but to find out if he will live or die as a result of this injury.  Elijah is spoken to by the Angel of the Lord, probably the Lord Jesus Christ, to go and tell the envoys that indeed the king will die.  Elijah asks the envoys why the king would go to Ekron and seek the god Baal-zebub, when there was a God in Israel.  Good question. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There seems to be a series of different tests given to me by the Lord since my retirement from Ford.  The loss of our retirement was surely my doing, and because of it there has been a series of other tests that I am going through including being here in Kauai working as somewhat of an outcast to my co-workers.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “When God’s servants are walking with their Lord, they can be confident of His directions when they need them.”  My prayer is to walk with my Lord and for Him to lead me and to guide me, and I believe that is why I am here, but at this present time I man not truly happy, but realize that that is not always the most important thing when walking with the Lord, rather to have the joy of the Lord, knowing He is in charge of my life and will work all of these things out for my good and His glory.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Continue to trust the Lord in this unhappy situation I find myself in.

2.      Remember the need for the spiritual armor, as I realize more than ever that I am in a battle.

 

3/29/2011 6:09:15 AM

Ahab Meets His Death from 1 Kings 22:29-53

3/27/2011 7:31:28 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Ahab meets his death

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 22:29-53

 

            Message of the verses:  “29 ¶  So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. 30  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. 31  Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone." 32  So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel," and they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33  When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34  Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the fight; for I am severely wounded." 35  The battle raged that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. 36  Then a cry passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, "Every man to his city and every man to his country." 37  So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. 38  They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there),according to the word of the LORD which He spoke. 39  Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40  So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.”

 

            The last part of this 22^nd chapter of 1Kings talks more about Jehoshaphat and so that is not included in this SD, only the part that speaks about Ahab and his death.  I have written about Jehoshaphat in recent SD’s, that he was a good king and that there was a blemish on his record in the Scriptures of connecting with Ahab through marriage of his offspring and Ahab’s, and that this would cause great difficulty for the nation of Judah in the future because the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel was married to the son of Jehoshaphat and she was a very wicked woman when she became the queen mother and tried to kill all of the children of David’s line, but was not successful for the Lord promised an offspring of David’s line to reign as king, and even though Judah would eventually go into captivity the line would remain up until the time that Jesus Christ was born,  and now He reigns forever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

 

            It is hard to figure out why Jehoshaphat would allow Ahab to talk him into wearing his king’s robe as they went into battle and not wear his.  God was in control of this situation as He is with all situations and a random arrow was shot into the air which killed Ahab and all the prophecies were fulfilled that were spoken of him by the Lord’s prophets, and so his wicked son would now take over and the prophecies of him will soon be fulfilled. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I go through a difficult time of my own here on this beautiful island of Kauai, it is comforting to be reminded that the Lord is in complete control of this situation, and as He continue to teach me contentment I pray that my life will bring honor and glory to Him, and to the cause of Christ.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Continue to trust the Lord to direct my path.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Continue to remember that I have a great enemy, but even much greater God who has provided the spiritual armor for me to wear each day.

3/27/2011 7:48:44 AM

Ahab Ignores God's Warning from 1 Kings 22:7-28

3/26/2011 7:47:14 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Ahab ignores God’s warning

  

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 22:7-28

 

            Message of the verses:  “7  But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?" 8  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." 9  Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah." 10  Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11  Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, "Thus says the LORD, ’With these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’" 12  All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king." 13  Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably." 14  But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I shall speak."

    “15 ¶  When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him, "Go up and succeed, and the LORD will give it into the hand of the king." 16  Then the king said to him, "How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" 17  So he said, "I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ’These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’" 18  Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?" 19  Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. 20  "The LORD said, ’Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. 21  "Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ’I will entice him.’ 22  "The LORD said to him, ’How?’ And he said, ’I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ’You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’ 23  "Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you." 24  Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?" 25  Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself." 26  Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27  and say, ’Thus says the king, "Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely."’" 28  Micaiah said, "If you indeed return safely the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Listen, all you people.’”

 

            This is a very familiar story to me as I have read it on different occasions and it makes me smile because there is coming an end to the story of the wicked king Ahab, and even though he does not believe it is the end for him it is, justice is about to be served.

            There is a mystery in this story and that is what was Jehoshaphat doing in it, for he is a very godly king from Judah, and really has no business dealing with this wicked king.  I suppose the reason that he is there is because of family, for his son is married to a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and this will prove to be great trouble for the nation of Judah.

            The four hundred prophets that serve Ahab all tell him that it is okay to go up against the nation of Syria, but the king of Judah wants to hear from a prophet of the Lord, so Ahab brings out Micaiah out of prison to speak on this issue.  He is out numbered 400 to 1 and is being pressured to go along with the others but he can’t so he gives to Ahab two visions of what will happen and how it will come to pass.  The first vision tells Ahab that he will die in battle, while the second vision tells how it was that the Lord got Ahab to go into battle, and here is a bit of a controversy.  Micaiah tell his audience that there was a meeting in heaven and the Lord wanted to know how He could get Ahab to go into battle against the Syrians, and one of the spirits speaks to the Lord saying that he would put lying words into the 400 prophets saying that the battle would be won by Ahab.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “That the God of truth should allow a lying spirit to accomplish His work is a puzzle to some people, but it’s no different from God permitting Satan to attack Job, or to motivate Judas to betray Jesus.  God deals with people on the basis of their character, ‘With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You show Yourself shrewd’ Ps. 18:26, NKJV.  Ahab was fighting against God, and like any good boxer or wrestler, the Lord anticipated his moves and countered with the right response.  Ahab was a consummate liar and the Lord dealt with him according to his character.”  I want to point out that in a verse note on this story that John MacArthur said that the lying spirit was Satan.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I would suppose that to a much smaller degree I am going through a similar situation at work that Micaiah went through in this story.  By the grace of God I don’t want to compromise my character, but stand firm in my belief and given an opportunity I want to tell others that if they don’t want to end up like Ahab then they have to receive the grace of God. 

            I also want to realize that I am building my character, and I want it to be godly at all times, but sadly it is not godly at all times.

            I want to provide the verses that show the test of a true prophet of the Lord.  “21  "You may say in your heart, ’How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ 22  "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”  (Deu. 17:21-22) 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.       Give myself to the Lord for worship and service this day.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Remember the battle is fierce and I need the spiritual armor in place.

4.      Search me O God.

5.      Seek the Lord to direct my path this day.

Ahab Compromises God's King from 1 Kings 22:1-6

3/25/2011 5:34:25 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                               Focus:  Ahab compromises God’s king

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 22:1-6

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. 2  In the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3  Now the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?" 4  And he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses." 5  Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the LORD." 6  Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king."

 

            The godly king Jehoshaphat comes into the picture in this last chapter of 1Kings,  His son was married to one of Ahab’s daughter and this would prove to be an almost disastrous situation for the nation of Judah latter on.  Jehoshaphat was a great king but had three sins recorded in the Bible that were compromises he had made and this was one of them, the fact that he was going to go into battle with Ahab.  This should not have happened and this will prove to be the end of Ahab as the battle develops.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Compromise is a very dangerous thing to do, and as Dr. Wiersbe points out one compromise often leads to another compromise.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.       Never compromise in an ungodly way.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

3.      Continue to learn contentment.

4.      Remember the battle rages on and I am in need of the spiritual armor.

 

3/25/2011 5:53:34 AM

 

Hearing God's Sentence from 1 Kings 21:16-29

3/24/2011 5:28:34 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Hearing God’s sentence

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 21:16-29

 

            Message of the verses:  “16  When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

   “ 17 ¶  Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18  "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19  "You shall speak to him, saying, ’Thus says the LORD, "Have you murdered and also taken possession?"’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ’Thus says the LORD, "In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours."’" 20  Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. 21  "Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; 22  and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. 23  "Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, ’The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’ 24  "The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat." 25  Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him. 26  He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel. 27  It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. 28  Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29  "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.’”

 

            Elijah is now on the scene again, as it has not been since Elijah called Elisha have the Scriptures spoke of him, and now he has an assignment from the Lord.  Amos, in his book of the OT says the following, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.”  (Amos 3:7).  The Lord revealed the punishment He was to impose upon Ahab and also on Jezebel and the sons of Ahab, but Ahab repents and so the Lord holds of his punishment until Ahab’s son Joram rules.  The dogs do lick up Ahab’s blood when he is killed in battle, and the lick up his son’s blood at the vineyard of Naboth.  The dogs will eat Jezebel’s body as Elijah told Ahab would happen.  

            One of the biggest problems Ahab had was listening to his wicked wife Jezebel, for she is the one who brought Baal worship into Israel and Ahab knew in his heart that this was wrong, but did it anyway.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am not sure exactly how the verse in Amos 3:7 is carried out today, but I believe that the Lord does reveal what He is going to do through His completed Word and also through the Pastors that He calls, and I am to listen to them along with the Holy Spirit who lives within my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service today.

2.      Trust the Lord to direct my path.

3.      Remember the fierce battle that I face and the need for the spiritual armor.

4.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

3/24/2011 5:49:43 AM

False Witness from 1 Kings 21:5-10

3/22/2011 5:39:01 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  False Witness

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 21:5-10

 

            Message of the verses:  “  5 ¶  But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?" 6  So he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ’Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ’I will not give you my vineyard.’" 7  Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." 8  So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent letters to the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city. 9  Now she wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people; 10  and seat two worthless men before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ’You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.’”

 

            I want to point out the commandment that is being broken here, which is bearing false witness, and that is the ninth commandment.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following “Truth is the cement that holds society together, and when truth is gone, everything starts to fall apart (Isa. 59:14).”  “Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.”

            I have outlined a portion of the Scripture that is today’s text and it is a question that Jezebel asks her husband Ahab, and the answer to that question is “no” for it is God who is the One who rules over Israel.  A good leader always realizes that he is second in command, and that goes for leaders of countries and also any other leader and that is a good thing to remember.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I must realize that a good leader always realizes that he is second in command.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Trust the Lord to guide my path today.

2.      I trust the Lord with the buying of this car that even though I am the leader of this household I realize that I am second in command.

3.      Remember that I am in a spiritual battle, and in need of the spiritual armor.

 

3/22/2011 5:52:10 AM

Breaking God's Law from 1 Kings 21:1-4

3/21/2011 5:24:54 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Breaking God’s laws

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 21:1-4

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2  Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if you like, I will give you the price of it in money." 3  But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." 4  So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food.”

 

            This section begins the last chapter in the book of 1Kings, and the story is a familiar one that shows the child likeness and evilness of Ahab.  As Dr. Wiersbe begins this section it is broken down into the commandments that Ahab and Jezebel broke and the first of these was the commandment of idolatry.  A. W. Tozer wrote the following about idolatry, “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.”  Ahab allowed his wife to introduce the worship of Baal into the nation of Israel, which was certain idolatry.  Dr. Wiersbe writes, “When you turn away from truth, it’s evidence that you’re believing lies, then you start loving lies, and before long, you’re controlled by lies.”  This is what happened to Ahab in this story of Naboth’s vineyard.  

 

            Covetousness is the next commandment that Ahab broke, and perhaps it is the most difficult of the Ten Commandments to follow.  This covers the first four verses of the 21^st chapter of 1Kings.

            I believe that this sin that Ahab commits is similar to the sin that David committed, but the difference is that when confronted by the prophet Nathan David realized that he had sinned and confessed his sin to the Lord to whom all sin is against.  This tenth commandment is a sin of the heart not like the first nine, and it was this sin that showed the apostle Paul that he was a sinner, for he had thought that he had never broken the first nine commandment, but in Romans 7:7-25 he reveals that the sin of covetousness is the commandment that he had broken.  Ahab coveted the vineyard of Naboth, and because he would not sell it to Ahab, Ahab pulled another of his fits.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Lord has impressed upon my heart that I do not want to trade places with anyone else in this world, not that I could, but in speaking to my heart in this way He is showing me that who I am is who the Lord made me to be, and that does not mean that I don’t sin, but it does mean that I am to be satisfied with who I am, because I am special in the Lord’s eyes, and to covet someone else’s life would be a form of covertness.

            Now as far as the definition of idolatry that Tozer gives, that makes it difficult not to be an a person who does not commit idolatry, something I surely need to commit to the Lord and not do.      

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Do not commit the sin of idolatry.

2.      Trust the Lord to guide my path today.

3.      Remember that I am to depend upon the Lord every minute of this day.

4.      Continue to learn contentment, knowing that this comes from the Lord.

5.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

6.      Remember the spiritual battle that I am in and the need for the spiritual armor.

 

3/21/2011 5:50:08 AM