I don’t know why, but these are some of my absolute favorite chapters in all of the Bible. Totally weird, I know. We start in chapter 26 with a warning, but also a promise. God provides a prophet to warn the people and call them back to the good way, the righteous path. If Read more »
Sorry, everyone that it has been so long since this has been updated. I spoke this morning about the devastating nature of sin, but also about the crouching nature of it. How sin creeps up on us unannounced and catches us off guard. It all started when I skipped one posting one day. Then it Read more »
“For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offering and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it Read more »
This story is fairly straightforward. Just one thought…. - Josiah hears the words from the Book of the Law and hears how the people have chosen not to follow the commands prescribed here and tears his robes in sorrow. We are then told, “because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before Read more »
What a stark contrast to the God who showed Manasseh mercy yesterday. Just read through chapter 1 again. Then read chapter 2-3 again. The God described here doesn’t even sound like the same person as the God who showed Manasseh mercy. This God sounds like an angry mother bear. Her cubs, Judah, have been Read more »
Here we get a bit more of Manasseh’s story. In 2 Kings we just hear of all the evil things he did and how God was going to reign down judgment. Now we hear that Manasseh humbled himself later in life. The story goes like this: God is angry with all the evil Read more »
Ever heard the phrase “beating a dead horse?” Sometimes I feel like that’s what I’m doing in some of these blog postings. But I can’t change what the Bible says, so forgive me if it feels like we are beating a dead horse. In these two chapters we hear about the end of Read more »
Sometimes when I’m reading the Bible things just jump off the page at me. I haven’t thought about Martin Luther’s four questions he asked of ever Scripture passage in quite some time, but today, I was hit between the eyes with one of them, “Is there a promise of God we can claim in this Read more »
Fear. I’m sure Hezekiah felt it. It doesn’t get much worse. Israel (the northern kingdom) has just been destroyed. Carried off into exile by the Assyrians after 3 years of battle. They were carried off because “they neither listened to the commands (of the Lord) nor carried them out.” 2 Kings 18:12. Now Read more »
“Go marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord” (1:2) “I will not show love to her children, because they are the children of adultery. Their mother (Israel) has been unfaithful and has conceived them (descendants) in disgrace.” (2:4-5) “They Read more »