 David starts off so well. When you read the story of David as king you read the story of an underdog that came to great power and prominence and still loved God and did his best to follow him. As we already know, things will change for David and he will not keep to his current convictions. It is a reminder to me that I could take steps backward if I don’t tend to my relationship with God. Just because I’ve grown spiritually does not mean that maturity stays if I quit working on it. My spiritual life will deteriorate just like unused muscles in the body. Let’s keep working out!
-Pastor Doug
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 We have to have a serious discussion here. You have probably noticed that men married many different wives in the Old Testament (polygamy). The proper response to this question is to claim that it was a sin and that God’s desire is for marriage to be one man and one woman (monogamy). God’s example to us in the Garden of Eden was monogamy and I believe it is the best way for men and women to marry and live. But…yes, but…every time men like David marry more than one wife, it does not seem to arouse a response from God. Other sins cause people to die, like Uzzah just touching the Ark to keep it from falling. I don’t exactly understand it but it seems like polygamy has some level of acceptability in those days. What do you see?
-Pastor Doug  God killed Saul. God was so displeased with Saul’s actions, as king, that he ended his reign. The only way to change kings is through death…you can’t lose your position as king until you lose your life. God made a change. I find it interesting that the people still had enough respect for Saul and his position to go and retrieve his body, bury it in the proper location and fast for seven days. I only have one question, where is his head?
-Pastor Doug  The temple musicians were an important part of the worship service. They were the organ, choir or praise band of their day. It is interesting to see the transformations that have taken place with music in the church over the millennia. There are times that simple instruments were used and other times when no instruments were allowed. A couple of hundred years ago, the church brought in the wildest instrument to date. It was a powerful and noisy monstrosity called the organ (it was never created or intended for church). It was a risky way to get non church goers to connect with the church music, much like the electric guitar and drums today. If you don’t like the current style of church music, wait 10 years because it’s always changing. If you love the music today, enjoy it because it will not be around forever.
-Pastor Doug  Today’s reading is not exactly attention grabbing, in fact it can cause you to do some skimming. It’s a lot of names and lineages but they have value. The Bible is filled with these lists because it is also a record of history. The lists help us fit the pieces together and give credibility to the text. Other historical documents corroborate the Biblical text and the text helps fill in the other historical information. It may not make great reading but it is very important to have. Don’t worry, it gets easier.
-Pastor Doug  You now know what they call this book Chronicles! And in case you didn’t know, there are two of them! Don’t be afraid, it gets way better after the first few chapters. This will be your first big example that the books of the Bible are not put in chronological order. They jump around from different time periods. If you are interested in seeing a chronological listing of the bible, check out this site. I almost structured this blog like this but decided a straight reading would be the best way to start off my new friends in Bible reading. Maybe next year we will do it the other way…next year? Yep!
-Pastor Doug  The end of 2 Kings is a sad story to me. Josiah did everything right, but it really didn’t matter. The sins of the people were so great that God had already decided to get rid of Judah. Even though Josiah did everything he could, the people were doomed. God said he would not forgive them. Fairness has never been one of my issues. I don’t believe things are fair and I don’t immediately expect things to be done fairly. But when I read about what Josiah did it feels unfair, if not for the people as a whole, then for Josiah himself. Josiah does all this good and the goes out to fight against Egypt and Assyria and he gets killed. I’m not sure I could serve God like Josiah did if I knew that my actions were not going to matter in the long run. This passage really accentuates the need for a Savior. Jesus was needed because we cannot appease God with our words or actions. Sin requires punishment.
-Pastor Doug  It is shocking that God’s people had gone so far in the wrong direction that they forgot there was even a Bible. The scroll was the first five books of the Old Testament. The priests were in charge of it and it is amazing to think that the worship of God and the ministry of the priest was in such disrepair that they had lost the Word from God!
This is a reminder that we need to keep God’s Words in our hearts. It is his instruction, warning and counsel that will help us live lives he is pleased with. -Pastor Doug  Hezekiah is the first king to tear down the temples and shrines of the other gods. He is the first one in a long time to restore a true and proper worship of God. It would seem to me that this act would be rewarded by God in a big way, but Hezekiah finds himself in a battle for his life and the lives of his people. Does this seem fair to you? Do you believe that when people get their lives right with God that things should be easier? I wonder how many people are setting themselves up for disappointment?
-Pastor Doug  I guess the time comes when God has had enough. Over and over the kings’ rise and fall and none of them worship God alone. As God looks down on his people he sees them doing the most detestable acts. Worshiping other gods and sacrificing their own children to these false idols!
I see a connection to our culture today. I believe that we are not far off from these kings and these people. We worship many other gods and sacrifice our children to them. We want money and neglect our children to get it. We want leisure and sacrifice our children by disengaging and ignoring them. We want ease and don’t parent our children as a result. The worst is that some will actually kill their children through abortion to keep from having to be inconvenienced by their very existence! -Pastor Doug |
AboutThis blog was originally written by Pastor Doug Bartel of Hillcrest Church, starting in Spring 2009. Keep that in mind if you read anything that doesn't quite add up to the time of year. Archives
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