Thursday, December 20, 2007

Nehemiah and Work II

When the wall of Jerusalem was finished in spite of the opposition of the surrounding nations. Nehemiah reports this reaction.

And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
Nehemiah 6:16 (ESV)

I have to think about this passage's implications. I tend to doubt people should use this verse to support their building programs.

Nehemiah and work

All the returned exiles were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Each tribe was assigned a section. The author of Nehemiah noted this attitude among the Tekoites.
And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.
Nehemiah 3:5 (ESV)

This was a great work, but since it was manual labor, the nobles of the Tekoites would not stoop to serve the Lord. Wow. What arrogance! May we all be willing to stoop to server our Lord.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Edwards and Affections

If the great things of religion are rightly understood, they will affect the heart. The reason why men are not affected by such infinitely great, important, glorious, and wonderful things, as they often hear and read of in the Word of God, is undoubtedly because they are blind; if they were not so, it would be impossible, and utterly inconsistent with human nature, that their hearts should be otherwise than strongly impressed, and greatly moved by such things.
p. 50. Religious Affections

One of the treasures that abound in Edwards's writings.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Uzziah and Prosperity

2 Chronicles 26:3-5
Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.
(ESV).

Again, can we really translate what God did for a godly king of Judah to the Church?

Work and Jehoshaphat

2 Chronicles 20:35-37
After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly in so doing. So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works." So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.
(NASB)

Because Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahaziah and did not trust the Lord, the Lord destroyed his works.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Asa and Work (2 Chronicles).

2 Chronicles 15:1-7.
The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."


Is this promise for us? Asa and his people were in the process of rebuilding the walled cities and fighting the invaders. They sought to restore Judah back to its former glory.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

God given Wisdom

And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put into his mind. (ESV) II Chron. 9:22

God's wisdom can be attractive to the world rulers.