MAY 17^th

READ:

1 Kings 21

THINK:

You’ve probably heard someone say at some point that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath and judgment, while the God of the New Testament is a God of love, mercy, and grace.  There are lots of problems with a statement like that, not least of which is the suggestion that either there is more than one God, or that God somehow drastically changed His personality!  But, mostly, when you actually read the Bible carefully, you realize that it’s just not true.  You see New Testament accounts like the story of Ananias and Sapphira – a couple who lie to the Holy Spirit and are struck dead by God on the spot.  Then, you see Old Testament passages like the one you read today.  It’s a passage the records the terrible and shocking sin of Ahab and Jezebel against both God and His people.  Equally shocking, though, is the great surprise of the passage: God’s mercy.  You see, God does not change!  He is a holy God – a God of justice, power, truth, love, mercy, and grace.  The Bible, more than anything else, reveals Him to us.  So, let’s dig into this passage for a few minutes today and learn about God.

The sin that we read about in this passage is so terrible that it ought to make us weep.  Ahab, the king of Israel, sees something that he wants: a vineyard, owned by a man named Naboth.  When Naboth refuses to sell it to him because it’s part of his family’s inheritance, Ahab pouts around like a big baby (21:4).  Enter Jezebel.  Ahab’s wife – who we discover is far more evil and cunning even than wicked Ahab – tells him that she’ll take care of the situation.  She sets Naboth in a public place, and gets some “worthless fellows” to bring false charges against him in front of all the people (21:10).  The plan works perfectly; Naboth is convicted of speaking words against God, and he is dragged out of the city and stoned to death (21:14).  With Naboth now out of the way, Ahab can swoop in and take the vineyard he coveted.  It’s almost hard to count the sins that Ahab and Jezebel have committed in doing this terrible act!  Envy.  Greed.  Corruption.  Lying.  Murder.  Abuse.  Ahab has absolutely abused his position as a king of God’s people.  He has taken advantage of his power and used it for murder…and for his own gain.

God is not happy with Ahab’s actions, to say the least!  He sends our faithful friend Elijah to speak to the king…and his words are not happy ones.  Because of the sin of Ahab, Elijah declares that death with come to him and his house, and that dogs will lick up the blood of both Ahab and Jezebel when they are killed (21:19, 23).  It’s a gruesome prophecy of the coming end for Ahab’s reign, and it will surely come to pass.

The shocking moment in our passage comes right at the end, after a brief reminder from the narrator about how bad Ahab really is (see 21:25-26).  Ahab, after hearing God’s Word through the prophet Elijah, tears his clothes (a sign of repentance and mourning for sin), fasts from food, and walks around with an attitude of mourning.  God takes notice of this, and tells Elijah that because of Ahab’s repentance, he will not completely wipe out Ahab’s house during the days of his reign.  Was Ahab’s repentance real and lasting?  Maybe, but probably not.  It seems that is was a short-lived response to the Word of God’s judgment against his sin.  Still, God shows mercy – even to Ahab! He does not bring the full weight of judgment on King Ahab and his house, even though He would have been completely justified in doing so.

PRAY:

When we read the Old Testament carefully, we begin to see that instances of God’s great mercy and restraint in His punishment of sin are all over the place!  God is slow to anger; He is rich in mercy, and abounding in love.  That is who He is!  He extends to sinners the opportunity for repentance, forgiveness, and salvation.  That is the glory of the cross of Jesus – the place where sin was dealt with forever for those who repent and put their faith in Him.  Thank God today that He shows mercy to you.  Ask Him to help you respond to Him today with repentance that lasts, so that you can walk with Him every day in obedience to His Word.

MAY 16^th

READ:

1 Kings 19

THINK:

The “health and wealth” gospel.  Definition: The message that, if you follow and obey God, your life will get easier, safer, and more comfortable.  The problem: Nothing in Scripture gives us any indication that anything resembling the “health and wealth” gospel is the usual experience for the followers of God!  We might expect that Elijah, God’s faithful prophet to His people during the days of the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, would experience great earthly blessing, success, and fame.  After all, he had just won a great battle (with God’s help, of course) over Ahab and hundreds of priests of the false god Baal.  Yet, that is not Elijah’s experience.  He does not strike it rich, or settle down to retire.  But, 1 Kings 19 does give us a few very important lessons for those who would serve God with their lives.

First, it may get worse before it gets better. Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal and escaped from the hand of Ahab, but it turned out Ahab wasn’t his most dangerous enemy.  It was his wife, Jezebel!  Probably the most wicked woman we read about in all of Scripture, Jezebel immediately sends forces after Elijah to try to kill him.  All of a sudden, Elijah is on the run – fleeing into the wilderness for his very life (19:3).  Elijah’s struggles are not over as a result of his faithfulness to God.  In fact, they are just beginning!

Second, we will not always understand what God is doing during every situation in our lives. We see, in our passage today, a very human Elijah.  This is no spiritual superhero!  This is a man who is struggling, confused, and worn out by his life-endangering service to his God.  Listen to some of his exclamations to God: “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (19:4).  He goes on later in the passage, and complains a bit to God, “reminding” Him that he has been very faithful to the Lord…and look where it has taken him!  Elijah – the great prophet of God – was in a very dark place.  He was questioning God’s plan for his life.  He was frustrated that serving God had not turned out like he thought it might.

Third, God always remains faithful to those who serve Him. God had not abandoned Elijah…even though he may have felt that way.  God first sends His angel to strengthen him with some food and drink (19:5-6).  More than this, though, God draws near to Elijah with His very presence and His Word.  In this great scene, God sends several natural signs to Elijah – a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire – indications of God’s power and might, like He had demonstrated on Mounth Carmel with the priest of Baal.  Yet, God chooses to visit his prophet in the sound of a “low whisper” (19:12).  He reminds Elijah of his plan.  He gives him instructions for the coming days.  And, most importantly, he calls him to anoint the man who will minister with him and then take over when he is gone: Elisha.  God has not left His servant alone.  He remains faithful to Elijah, and to His people.

PRAY:

Do you sometimes expect that following Jesus will be easy?  Do you privately anticipate great blessing, success, popularity, or comfort as a result of your faithfulness to Him?  If you do, you may have bought into some version of the “health and wealth” version of the gospel…which isn’t the true gospel.  If we learn anything from Elijah’s story, it’s that a servant of God can expect hardship – perhaps even suffering and death.  There are many in this world that oppose God’s purpose and God’s people!  But, while we may not understand every hard thing in our lives, we can be completely confident that God will be faithful to His people.  He will not abandon us, but will always draw near to us with His presence and His word.  Ask God today to remind you of these things.  Thank Him for His faithfulness.  Ask Him to give you strength and perspective to put your hope in Him, not in “health and wealth.”

Last week I had the joy of participating in the final graduate program of a former music intern. Michael Devine sang in the Chancel Choir as an undergraduate student at Wheaton, where he was a vocal performance major studying with College Church member Jerry Sundberg. Michael served for a time with another church in the Chicago area, and then entered the Master of Sacred Music program at Luther Seminary (St. Paul) and St. Olaf College (Northfield) in Minnesota. Michael’s capstone project was a “recital” of sorts: a fully formed service of worship with hymns, anthems, scripture, prayers, and ministry of the Word. Michael conceived the program, wrote the reflections on the Scripture, led in some of the prayers, conducted the choir and instruments, and led the congregation in song. It was much more than a “recital,” and would have been a well-received service of worship here at College Church.

We see our interns move into places of service and influence, and rejoice in how God continues to shape them. College Church shapes them, and also learns from them. Then they go on to be shaped in, and to shape others in new contexts. It was fun to talk with some of the faculty in Michael’s program, and to hear how his Word-centeredness worked its way out in this context – which admittedly is not the usual academic route from Wheaton College and College Church.

And his two years there have paved the way for another College Church intern. Andy Bruhn is also a Wheaton graduate, who approached me last summer to ask about church music. It seemed that his interest, our music ministry’s needs, and the context of this church were the perfect combination for an internship. Andy began in September, and we have seen his work with Hyacks (working both with brass players and singers) and will see it again at the end of the choir season, in a festive communion service on June 3. Andy and Lydia have also been very involved in our brass ensemble, and he was on the planning and conducting team for an extraordinary concert here of brass and organ music.

Andy will also pursue graduate work in theology and music. He is following Michaels’ path to the Twin Cities, to spend the next two years at Luther/St. Olaf. This is an interesting and unexpected route. It is also a great opportunity for our interns to exercise their gospel commitments in a church context where the gospel can often be unclear. Their musical skills provide an excellent entre into a setting where their biblical commitments and faithfulness will be evident and influential among their peers. Just as with women and men in the workplace – often it is the excellence of the Christian worker that provides the best hearing for the gospel.

The training ground of a College Church internship prepares for advanced study, hard work, and influence in unexpected places.

MAY 15^th

READ:

1 Kings 18:1-40

THINK:

We read today about one of the greatest and most epic confrontations in history – first between Elijah and Ahab, and then between God and Baal.  Elijah, up to this point in the story, has been working in private, speaking God’s Word to the people, but staying hidden from King Ahab (who, we learn from our passage today, has been searching everywhere for him and trying to kill him).  Now, though, it is time for Elijah to “go public.”  He will go before Ahab in the name of God, with one clear purpose: to remind the king and the people of the power and identity of the one true God of Israel.  It’s a sad day in the life of Israel, really, that would call for a prophet – and God Himself – to remind the people that God is more powerful than a lifeless idol.  Yet, that is what it has come to.  And, in this confrontation, God will not disappoint!

Before we get to the “battle” on Mount Carmel, though, let’s take a moment to focus on this amazing man Obadiah.  The ruler over the household of the evil King Ahab, this man had nevertheless continued to fear God and reject the idolatry of the nation.  He had even proved his faithfulness to God by hiding 100 prophets of God from Jezebel, who was trying to slaughter them (18:4).  While he shows us he’s quite human by his reluctance to bring Elijah’s message to Ahab, Obadiah is still a faithful man to emulate.  He stayed faithful to God in a time of idolatry and sin, and at the risk of his own life.

Elijah comes to Ahab with a challenge – one that Ahab accepts.  It’s essentially a prophets’ dual, and a dual between “gods.”  On one side, 950 prophets of Baal and Asherah – the idols of the people.  On the other side, 1 prophet of the God of Israel – Elijah.  Perhaps the reason Ahab accepted this challenge is because of the lopsided numbers.  He probably thought that this would be an opportunity for Elijah (and God) to publicly fail before the people; the day might even end with his long-awaited execution of his enemy Elijah!  So, they all gather together on Mount Carmel, and Elijah puts forth the challenge.  Whatever “god” answers his prophets by sending fire to consume the animals on their altar has proved himself as the true and most powerful deity.  The people agree to this challenge (18:24).  First, the prophets of Baal are up.  It’s really a pitiful scene: they cry out to their “god” for hours, even cutting themselves with knives as part of their religious rituals (18:28).  But…nothing.  Silence.  No fire from heaven.  Next, Elijah is up.  The one remaining public prophet of God in the land.  And…he stacks the deck against himself…drenching the altar with jars and jars of water!  Then, God shows up.  Fire rushes down from heaven, consuming not only the burnt offering, but also the altar, the wood, the stones, and the water in the trench.  The passage ends with the people falling on their faces, and obeying Elijah as he commands the execution of the priests of Baal, who had led God’s people into such sin (18:40).

It shouldn’t have had to come to this.  God shouldn’t have had to remind His people so powerfully that He alone is God – not some lifeless idol named “Baal.”  They should have remembered that God was the one who had brought them out of slavery into Egypt, who had sustained them in the wilderness, brought them into the Promised Land, and set King David over them.  But God’s people are always good at forgetting.  And so, in our passage today, we see God remind them – with fiery heavenly power – that He alone sits enthroned in the heavens.  His people are to worship and fear Him alone.

PRAY:

We forget too, don’t we?  Of course, very few of us are tempted to bow down to literal idols made of wood and stone, but we find other ways to fail to worship and obey God alone.  We get consumed with relationships, money, sports…or ourselves.  We give our “worship” – our allegiance and commitment – to things other than the one true God of the universe.  Let’s let this passage remind us today that nothing compares to the power and holiness of God.  Pray that God would remind you that He is utterly unique – merciful, just, powerful, holy, loving – and therefore is the only one worthy of your worship.  Give your worship to Him today.  Ask Him to help you give your life and heart to nothing less than Him.

On Sunday, May 20, at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 a.m., we continue in our series “The Bible Explained” with Work from Colossians 3:22-4:1.

MAY 14^th

READ:

1 Kings 16:29 – 17:24

THINK:

We ended yesterday with the reign of King Omri – a man who the writer of 1 Kings told us did “more evil” than all of the evil kings who had come before him.  For the Northern kingdom of Israel, it seems like it can’t get any worse; their leadership has descended as far as possible into sin, right?  Wrong.  Enter King Ahab, son of Omri.  Even with all of the evil of the kings of Israel who have come before him, Ahab finds a way to become the worst king yet!  Listen again to the description of his reign: “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.  And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel…and went and served Baal and worshiped him” (16:30-31).  King Ahab will become infamous for his evil.  He not only allows the people to continue worshiping idols…he leads the way in a personal commitment to idolatry and the worship of Baal. And, he somehow finds a way to locate a wife who is even more evil than him (which is, in some ways, quite an accomplishment!).  The kingship in Israel has descended to its darkest and most sinful point yet.

And yet, at the darkest point for the monarchy of God’s people, He sends them a ray of light: the prophet Elijah.  Chapter 17 begins with the entry of this man – the prophet who will serve as the foil to the evil King Ahab.  His first word to Ahab is a word of judgment and punishment for the king and the land: there will be a drought for 2 years (17:1).  Elijah, after prophesying this drought, runs for his life and hides from Ahab.  His word comes to pass, though, proving the reality of his calling as a true prophet of God.  After this, we read about his interactions with an unnamed widow from the region of Zarephath.  Elijah performs two miracles for this woman.  First, God allows him to miraculously provide her with an unending supply of flour and oil (17:16).  Second, God allows him to miraculously raise her dead son to life (17:21).  Two amazing miracles!  But, what is God doing here?  God is establishing Elijah as a true prophet; He is identifying Himself with this man.  God is demonstrating that Elijah speaks true words of God by allowing him to perform mighty signs from God. The widow herself sums this up for us, after the raising of her son: “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth” (17:24).

So, at the darkest point of Israel’s history – a point when the king of Israel has descended into unimaginable sin and idolatry – God raises up a true prophet for His people.  Elijah will speak God’s Words into the situation.  He will (we’ll see tomorrow) confront the sins of Ahab.  And God will be with this wandering prophet.  God will allow this “nobody” to speak and act powerfully in the face of even the mighty King Ahab.  In other words, God is not silent. He is not ignoring the sins of the leaders of His people.  He is faithful to keep speaking His Word into the situation, and He will do this through His faithful prophet: Elijah.

PRAY:

We’ll talk more in the next few days about how the great prophet Elijah points us forward to prophets to come – most notably, John the Baptist, who immediately precedes the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.  Today, though, I want you to consider God’s faithfulness to His people in the midst of the darkness of the situation.  A king was on the throne of Israel who neither feared nor obeyed God.  God, at this moment, sends His Word into the situation through His chosen man.  God is obviously with Elijah (He proves it through incredible miracles), and He will use him to confront the wicked king and point His people back to Him.  Thank God, today, that He does not abandon His people.  He does not abandon you and me!  He has spoken His Word into the darkness of this sinful world, most powerfully through the Word made flesh: Jesus, His Son.  Thank God today as you consider these things.

MAY 13^th

READ:

1 Kings 15:33-16:1-28

THINK:

“You’ll get what’s coming to you; just you wait.”  Have you ever said that to anyone – or at least thought that about someone?  It does often seem, in this sinful and fallen world, that judgment is a long time coming, doesn’t it?  There are so many things that need to be put right – so many broken and seemingly hopeless situations.  The Northern kingdom – the kingdom of Israel – had become that way during the reigns of the kings following Solomon.  In fact, we won’t read about any more “good” kings that reign over Israel, although there will be a few more good kings over Judah.  Hanging over the story is a dark and heavy sense that God’s people, and certainly the Northern kingdom’s kings, are going to “get what’s coming” to them.  It’s only a matter of time before God’s judgment against sin and idolatry comes on them with fury.

We know that judgment is coming because of what we’ve learned so far in the story about God.  He is perfectly holy; He will not allow sin against His holy name to go unpunished.  But, Ahijah the prophet had also specifically prophesied as much to Jeroboam – do you remember?  Back in 1 Kings 14, he gave these strong words to the first king of the divided Northern kingdom:

“The LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today.  And henceforth, the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger.  And he will give Israel up because of the sins of jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin” (14:14-16).

Ahijah, in the midst of the sin of Jeroboam, lifts up his eyes and looks forward to a future day when the Northern king of Israel will be terribly judged through exile in a foreign land.  Because of their idolatry, and because their kings led the people into sin against God, they will one day be defeated and taken out of the “good land” by enemies who do not love God.

While we don’t see this exile judgment in our passage yet today, we do see the continued downward progression of the wicked kings of Israel.  First, we read about Baasha.  He, like Jeroboam, led the people of Israel into sin – so much that he invoked a word against him by a prophet named Jehu (16:2-4).  After Baasha’s reign ends, his son Elah takes over.  He too was an evil man!  After only 2 years of his reign, a man named Zimri plotted against him, killed him and the people in his house, and took the throne for himself (16:10).  While Zimri’s plot took a bad man off of the throne, his reign was short-lived – only 7 days!  His end is awful; when the people close in on him, he burns the king’s house down around him and dies in the blaze (16:18).  Finally, today, we come to Omri, who takes over the kingdom after Zimri’s conspiracy fails.  He, too, does what is “evil” in God’s sight, sinning against His Word and leading the people in “provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols” (16:26).  Baasha.  Elah.  Zimri.  Omri.  Things are not looking up for the Northern kingdom.  In fact, Omri’s reign is summarized with these chilling and hard-to-believe words: “[He] did more evil than all who were before him” (16:25).  The kings of Israel and therefore the people of Israel are spiraling further and further into sin and rebellion.  God will not wait forever; judgment is coming soon.

PRAY:

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of hope in a passage like you read today, does there?  Things keep getting worse, and king after king of God’s people are filled with evil acts and evil intentions.  Judgment is coming soon.  God will not be mocked, and He will not forever allow His people to worship idols and reject His Word.  As the months continue, we’ll read some of the prophetic books in the Old Testament that were written during these dark days of Israel’s history.  You’ll see that, all through the reigns of evil kings, God was speaking to His people through His prophets – warning them about judgment and imploring them to return in repentance and worship to Him.  Today, as you pray, spend some time thanking God for His patience.  Thank Him that, while He is just, He is also merciful and patient, giving time for people to repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ.  Judgment is coming for Israel…and for this world too.  Thank God for the refuge from judgment that is found in Jesus Christ alone.

MAY 12^th

READ:

1 Kings 15:1-24

THINK:

Do you have an older sibling who was always a high achiever?  You know – straight “A”s, captain of the soccer team, president of student council, and extremely popular?  If you do, chances are you had to constantly fight the feeling of being compared to that older brother or sister.  Living “in their shadow,” so to speak.  You may have even heard, at one time or another, this terrible phrase coming from a teacher, a coach, or perhaps even your parents: “Why can’t you be more like _______?”  For the kings of Judah, King David was that older sibling figure – that one to whom they were always being compared.

In our passage today from 1 Kings, we begin to see this pattern: the kings of God’s people are judged based on the extent to which they walked in the ways of David. Now, before you start feeling too badly for these kings who followed David, make sure you don’t overestimate the standard to which they were being held.  The demand from God for these kings was not total perfection, but faithfulness to His Word personally, as well as in their leadership of God’s people.  David was not perfect!  We are reminded of this fact in the first few verses of 1 Kings 15 (as if we had forgotten it): David was faithful and obedient to God, “except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (15:5).  Still, the pattern of David’s life – though not perfection – was a steady obedience to God, and heartfelt repentance when he fell into sin.  So, each king we read about as this book continues will be judged – sometimes in just one short summary paragraph – based on their faithfulness to God’s Word and the pattern of obedience and faithfulness established by King David.

First, today, we read about Abijam, the son of Rehoboam.  He takes over when Rehoboam dies, and his reign over Judah does not last long – only 3 years!  While we aren’t told much about his life and reign, we know the most important fact: he “walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father (15:3).  While God did not take away the kingship from his line (mainly out of loyalty to David), his short reign was plagued by war with the Northern kingdom, and he was soon dead and gone.

Second, today, we read about a contrasting king: Asa, the son of the wicked king Abijam.  Asa, we read, “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done” (15:11).  For him, this meant working to rid the land of idols and prostitutes, not to mention a wicked and manipulative queen mother.  Even though Asa did not completely get rid of the “high places” of worship – where much idolatry occurred – he is remembered as a king who was faithful to God and walked in the pattern of King David before him.

The book of 1 Kings will continue with these summaries of the reigns of the kings who would follow David and Solomon in both Israel and Judah.  Some accounts are lengthy, with accounts of battles, interactions with prophets, and important leadership decisions.  Some kings are summarized with little more than a sentence – their reigns summed up with either a word of praise or condemnation.  While there will still be some good kings to come in Judah, the downward trajectory of God’s divided kingdom has already begun.  There will not be another David for God’s people – at least humanly speaking.

PRAY:

Imagine that you died suddenly, and someone you knew well was asked to sum up your life in a short paragraph.  That’s a scary thought, isn’t it?  I’m sure that King Abijam never thought that his life would be summed up in just a few sentences – “he walked in all the sins that his father did before him.”  What about you?  We know that perfection is impossible; salvation comes only through God’s grace by faith in the sacrifice of Christ for sin.  Still, faithfulness to Jesus is what should summarize our lives.  Pray about this today.  Consider the “summary” of your life.  Are you walking with Jesus?  Is your life a pattern of faithfulness to Him?

MAY 11^th

READ:

1 Kings 14:1-20

THINK:

Republican vs. Democrat.  Leno vs. Letterman.  Magic vs. Bird.  Yankees vs. Red Sox.  Those are just a few of the famous and classic rivalries of our time.  During the days following the reign of King Solomon, a far more deadly rivalry had begun – a rivalry between Israel and Judah.  The Northern and Southern parts of the kingdom of God’s people had been divided under the foolish leadership of Rehoboam; Jeroboam had taken the Northern region under his command, and the two sides opposed each other for many generations (we’ll read more about this ongoing civil war as the book of Kings continues).  Chapter 14, which you read today, captures the lives and legacies of both of these kings.  While they were on opposite sides of a bitter rivalry, they actually had much in common.  Rehoboam and Jeroboam – though rulers of different sides of the kingdom – are brought together by one common trait: a rejection of God’s Word and a heart of disobedience to Him.

Before wrapping up the account of the life and reign of Jeroboam, the writer of 1 Kings gives us a brief story about him…which explains a lot.  His son has gotten sick, so he sends his wife to the prophet Ahijah.  The fact that he sends her in disguise gives us a good indication of his reputation with the prophets of God!  The message that he gets from Ahijah is not a positive one; it is a word of judgment against him and his house.  Because Jeroboam has not followed God’s Word like David did, God promises to bring “harm” upon his house, even swearing to make an end of every man associated with him (14:10).  On top of this, Jeroboam’s son – the one member of his family that is “pleasing” to God – dies as soon as Jeroboam’s wife returns to him with the message from the prophet.  This seems extremely harsh, doesn’t it?  We’ve said this before, but this passage forces us to affirm this truth again: God takes sin extremely seriously.  God will not be mocked.  Jeroboam not only sinned against God in his personal commitment to idolatry, but he also “made Israel to sin” through his sinful leadership of God’s people (14:16).  While Jeroboam’s son is mourned by the people of Israel, his death is mentioned in a matter-of-fact fashion; he dies and is buried, and his son Nadab takes his place on the throne.  So ends the reign of Jeroboam – the man who led the Northern kingdom away from the Southern kingdom…and into sinful idolatry.

Jeroboam’s rival, Rehoboam, does not come off much better!  The second half of chapter 14 gives us a summary of his life, and particularly the effects of his leadership on the people of Judah: “And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done” (14:22).  Rehoboam is a serious step backward from his Father Solomon, especially when it comes to spiritual leadership of God’s people.  The effects of the people’s sin under him begin to show immediately, as Shishak king of Egypt wars against Jerusalem, and takes away much of the treasure that Solomon had gathered (14:15-26).  Rehoboam dies while ruling over a divided kingdom that has far less wealth and security than it did under his father.

Two men.  A rivaly between the two parts of the kingdom.  Set against each other, yet brought together by a common rejection of God’s Word and failure to lead God’s people in the right worship of Him.  These are sad times for God’s people.

PRAY:

We are now only two generations removed from King David, and it has already become clear that his merely human sons will not be the answer for God’s people; they will not be the ones to rule and establish an eternal kingdom under God.  Solomon began to slip; Rehoboam went into a full freefall!  The story will only get worse as the sin of God’s people pushes them closer to punishment through exile.  As this story develops, let’s make sure that we find ourselves – our own attitudes and behavior – in the descriptions of God’s people and their kings.  We tend to follow the wrong leaders.  We tend to want to worship other things than God.  We need a Savior. Take some time in prayer and confession to God today about these things.

“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” is perhaps one of the best known phrases penned by our founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence.   They considered these to be three unalienable rights of human beings.   I find it interesting that it is the right to the pursuit of happiness, not the right to happiness.  Our society sometimes gets that confused and our culture seems to think that we have the right to be happy and if something doesn’t make us happy, we should avoid it or remove it from our lives.    And this right to happiness seems to be my individual right to happiness which has no thought about how my happiness might impact anyone else’s happiness.  

This sense of entitlement has impacted how we as a society view people with disabilities.   The thought of having a child with a disability might mean that my life might not be as happy as I would like it to be, so it would be better to abort a baby with Down Syndrome.  Ninety percent of women who discover they are carrying a child with Down syndrome, abort the baby.   However, I’m guessing that most of those women have never met someone with Down syndrome.      Recently our STARS sang “You’ll be in My Heart” at the You Raise Me Up concert to benefit Special Olympics and they will definitely always be in my heart.    The International Down Syndrome Coalition used this song for the video they produced about having a child with Down Syndrome.   These parents let the world know how their children have positively impacted their lives.  Check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watchv=jVxz71ygHbk 

Another tribute to the value of the lives of people with Down Syndrome is written by George Will of the Washington Post.  He says of his son, Jon, ” Judging by Jon, the world would be improved by more people with Down syndrome, who are quite nice as humans go.”   You can read the entire article at:     http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/jon-will-40-years-and-going-with-down-syndrome/2012/05/02/gIQAdGiNxT_story.html

At our recent Disability Ministry Sunday, Glenn and Debbie Kosirog shared how their faith in Christ and experience of having a daughter, Christy, with Down Syndrome has impacted their lives.   Glenn is a pharmacist and he took the unpopular stand of refusing to sell the “morning after pill” in his pharmacy.  The state of Illinois theatened to take away his pharmacy license and his pharmacy, but Glenn and Debbie decided to fight the action in the court system.     Glenn said, During the court battle, I was asked  “What does my religion have to do with abortion pills?”   It is not about religion for me.  It is about a relationship with JESUS.  GOD loved me so much that HE gave HIS only SON JESUS to die for me.  What great value I must be to our FATHER GOD!!  What great value each of you ….  each of the yet unborn…..  each of you STARS  must be to our CREATOR GOD!

Then Debbie added, We have our own STAR teaching us about the value of life.  Our youngest of 5 children,  Christy was born with a serious heart defect and with Downs Syndrome.  After Christy’s birth we told GOD we could deal with the heart issues, but we could not deal with the Downs.  Well meaning family said  “It’s a mistake”  NO – The Downs was no mistake but instead the Sovereign hand of GOD showing us HIS goodness in an unexpected way.”  

In 2011 the 17th district circuit court ruled it was unconstitutional to mandate that all pharmacists dispense abortion pills.  This was a tremendous victory!  However, the state of Illinois is appealing the decision.   

 Let’s fight in the court and in prayer so that our brothers and sisters with Down Syndrome can pursue happiness and be all that God intends them to be.  Would you join me in praying that the ruling of the 17th district circuit court would stand?