Category Archives: 1 Kings

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Man Up!

ThanksLivingThanksLiving: 365 Days of Gratitude

Gender is under assault in our culture: manhood is emasculated, femininity ridiculed or clownishly sexualized, and childhood obliterated. Christians need to stand against that demonic doctrine by offering living proof of the Creator’s brilliance in designing us male and female, and by giving our children the path to grow into biblical manhood or womanhood in loving, protecting, nurturing, stable homes where God’s Word is honored.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Kings 2:1-4

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’”

Most of the commentaries you read on 1 Kings 2:2 skip over the line, “act like a man.” There are likely many reasons for ignoring it, but in the modern era where great energy is expended and demands are made to neutralize gender difference, my guess is one of those reasons is that pastors and theologians want to avoid any hint of political incorrectness.

But if God is unchanging—which I believe, and the Word of God is true—which I believe, and if scripture speaks with relevance, sensitivity, grace and fairness to every age and culture, including ours—which I believe, then what about this line? Did God through King David just tell the king-elect, Solomon, to “man up”? Yes he did! The Apostle Paul said similarly in 1 Corinthians 16:13,

Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong.

Now if you use a modern thought-for-thought translation of the Bible, like the NIV or the NLT, which I think are wonderful options for reading God’s Word, they leave out the phrase, “act like a man.” As an aside, that is why it is not a bad idea when you study a passage to compare translations, like the ESV or the HCSB, which are excellent word-for-word translations (see https://www.biblegateway.com as an excellent online option for side-by-side Bible translations). But the point I want to make is that in the Greek text, the word for man is there—it is andridzomahee, which most definitely refers to masculinity.

So does the Bible recognize gender differences? Yes—God made us male and female, and we are to celebrate God’s design. No matter what a our crazy culture insists on today (believe me, it will be different tomorrow, and worse!), God’s Word is unchanging, perfect in all its way, and will lead us to “prosper in all you do and wherever you go,” as David said to Solomon. God has built in to humanity differences that are existential. If you don’t believe me, just hang out with me while my little grandsons are at my home. Boys are very different, intrinsically, from the little girls my wife and I brought into this world.

But does the Bible promote male superiority? Not a chance. You will never find that in scripture, including here, and if you do, you are fundamentally misreading God’s Word—and that misreading is a grievous error. It just so happens that in the two instances I’ve quoted where men are told to “act like a man,” the conversations happen to be with men. If the speakers were talking to women, they would say, “now act like a woman.” Similarly in scripture, sometimes people that are being childish are called out for “acting like a child” or “acting like an infant.” Nothing more is meant to be read into the author’s words. Simply put, men are called to biblical manliness in the sense that they are to courageously and confidently pursue the mission that God has assigned them. That is what it means to “man up.”

So what were David and Paul saying to the male listeners standing before them at that moment? Simply this: the walk of faith to which you are called is not for the feint of heart, so be courageous; put on your big boy pants and do the right thing. If you do, God will bless you. If you don’t, you are going to get run over. If you won’t, then get out of the way.

We are at a time in our culture where maleness is being emasculated, femininity is either put down or clownishly sexualized and childhood is being obliterated. As Christians, we need to stand against that demonic doctrine by offering living proof of the Creator’s brilliance in designing us male and female and then giving us the path to grow into biblical manhood or womanhood through the process of childhood in loving, protecting, nurturing homes that honor God’s Word. We will be going against the grain if we live out this orthodoxy, but it will be the only way to save our kids and our culture. And it will take from us, male and female, what both David and Paul called forth:

Now man up!

Yes, man up, and put mature courage on display before a watching world!

Going Deeper With God: The best witness to God’s design in a culture that has “exchanged the glory of God” for caricatures of the divine design (Romans 1:23) is to display through your daily life God’s ideal for human beings. Today, with God’s help, being living proof of an all-wise Creator.

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Power Praying

Reflect:
I Kings 16:29-224; 17:1-19:18

“And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.’ So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.” ~I Kings 18:41-42

Someone once made a study of all the promises that God has made in the Bible, and came up with a total of 7,474. That’s a lot of promises! Now some of those promises are general in nature. Others are specific; ones that we can appropriate in response to specific needs. Whatever the case, one thing we know about God: He makes promises—and he fulfills them!

Yet we have a part to play in securing God’s promises for our lives, because even though his promises are sure, they are not automatic. Often, there is a gap between God’s promise and its fulfillment, and that gap can be closed only through our prayers.

That’s the truth we observe with Elijah in I Kings 18:41-46. God had sent Elijah to pronounce drought against King Ahab and Israel because of the sin—a severe drought of three and a half years. Then in I Kings 18:1, God is ready to call off the drought, so he commands Elijah to go present himself to the king. So Elijah announces to Ahab that the time has come for God to end Israel’s punishment by sending rain: “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” (I Kings 18:41) “Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.” (I Kings 18:44)

Now here is a powerful point to this story that might be easy to overlook: Not only did Elijah proclaim God’s promise concerning rain, he then obtained God’s promise of rain in prayer. Elijah did some major power praying to procure God’s promise. Notice seven actions:

  1. Elijah separated himself to pray. “So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel.” (I Kings 18:42)
  2. Elijah took a posture of humility. “He bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.” (I Kings 18:42)
  3. Elijah expected results. “Go and look toward the sea.” (I Kings 18:43, compare James 1:6-7)
  4. Elijah persisted. “Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back’” and look for rain. (I Kings 18:43)
  5. Elijah acted upon his prayer in faith. “The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab, hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” (I Kings 18:44)
  6. Elijah’s praying produced results. “And there was a great rain.” (I Kings 18:45, compare with James 5:16.)
  7. Elijah’s prayer produced empowerment. “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel.” (I Kings 18:46)

Could it be that Elijah’s story is there to remind us that this is what we should experience in prayer? No doubt about it! In fact, we are told in James 5:17-18 that the drought began because Elijah prayed and the rains returned after three and a half years of drought because he prayed. Then James adds that Elijah was a man just like us, who just happened to pray earnestly.

The implication from this is that we too can become powerful people for God—if we pray. And if we are to pray those Elijah-like prayers that are “powerful and effective” (James 5:16), we must understand how to link our prayers with God’s promises, and then start doing some major power praying to procure those promises.

Think about it: Power praying is simply obtaining what God has already provided.

“Our prayer pleases God because he has commanded it, made promises, and given form to our prayer. For that reason, he is pleased with our prayer, he requires it and delights in it, because he promises, commands, and shapes it…Then he says, ‘I will hear.’ It is not only guaranteed, but it is already actually obtained.” ~Martin Luther

Reflect and Apply: Before you pray today, take a moment to reflect on I John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

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Why God Answers Your Prayers

Reflect:
I Kings 8:1-9:9

“And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.” ~I Kings 8:59-60

In I Kings 8, Solomon has just prayed one of the most moving prayers you will ever encounter in Scripture. It is long, but worth reading—and if your heart is tender toward God, you will be moved, for Solomon is really praying what you and I often pray. He asks for forgiveness—repeatedly and even in advance; he prays for protection; he requests provision; he invites God’s abiding presence; he appeals for success.

We pray those prayers, too. And God is faithful to answer our supplications—even when it doesn’t seem like he is or it feels like his answer is way too slow in coming. God forgives—repeatedly, he protects—constantly, he provides—daily, he is with us—always, even when we can’t see or feel him, and at the end of the day, he grants us the kind of success that heaven eternally celebrates.

So why does God do that? Why does he answer the prayers of little ol’ insignificant us? Is it because we are just so lovable? Perhaps—he really does love us, you know. Is it because we are so deserving? Not a chance! Is it to make us more comfortable? Maybe—but probably not, since he is much more concerned with our character than our comfort. Is it to relieve our pain and soothe our hurt? It could be—he really is moved with compassion by our plight. God answers prayers for a variety of reason, some of which we will never grasp. God has his reasons, and for those of us who call out to him, whatever his reasons, we are eternally grateful that he is a God who not only hears but answers prayers. How blessed we are to be the people of God!

Yet there remains a reason God answers our prayers that we don’t often think about. If we could ever get our brain around this, I think we would probably present our prayers and petitions in a lot better frame of mind and with a great deal more trust than we are prone to do. What is the reason God answers?

“So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.” ~I Kings 8:60

There you have it. Not for our petty purposes—although God graciously takes those into account—but for his redemptive purposes God supplies our needs and fulfills our desires. He blesses us with abundance, graces us with favor, covers and cares for us, supplies us with success so that people will look at us and be attracted to him. Through his blessings upon us, he receives glory, honor and praise. As we were created to do, we bring glory to him by being a real, live example of answered prayer.

Now understanding the purpose of answered prayer in that light ought to make praying a whole different—and better—experience for us, wouldn’t you say? Get addicted to God’s glory—even in your praying—and you will likely see a significant uptick in your prayers being answered.

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” ~John Piper

Reflect and Apply: Take a moment to reconsider what you’re asking God for in prayer. Rather than making relief, comfort or success your most urgent outcome, try making the glory of God your chief aim! I guarantee, you will pray a lot differently—and more effectively.

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If You Could Ask God For Anything

Reflect:
I Kings 2:1-3:28

“At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered, “Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” ~I Kings 3:5 & 9

If you could ask God for anything, what would that be? Riches? Fame? Power? Those would certainly be temptations, at least they would for me. But there is something far better than wealth, celebrity and position, and in fact, without it, those are at best, short-lived, perhaps even squandered, and at worst, misused to our detriment.

I am talking about wisdom, of course. Wisdom is the ability to discern good from bad, the discipline to choose right from wrong, and the habit of putting truth into practice in every day life, in matters great and small. And wisdom at its most noble, at its greatest impact, at its most enduring, comes from God.

Solomon could have asked God for anything else—wealth, power and fame—but he asked for the wisdom to lead the people over whom God has placed him. Now presumably, since God asked, he would have given Solomon those things. But Solomon asked for wisdom instead, and the Lord was pleased with his request. (I Samuel 3:11)

Greater than all the good things we might want from this world, the best is something not of this world: To please God. For when we sincerely desire that which pleases him, God happily blesses us with his abundance as well:

So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” (I Samuel 3:11-14)

Solomon could have asked for anything, he chose wisdom. Good choice! That’s a good pattern for us to follow. Ask for the things that please God, he may just give you the things that please you.

“Aim at heaven and you’ll get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” ~C.S. Lewis

Reflect and Apply: What are you asking for in prayer? Make sure you’re sincerely asking for the things that please him. He has said that when we “delight in him, he will give us our heart’s desires.” (Psalm 37:4)

 

 

 

 

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Mercy!

But when Ahab heard Elijah’s message of impending judgment, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning. Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime…” (I Kings 21:27-29)

Food For Thought: No one deserved judgment more than King Ahab. He raised the bar on wickedness (I Kings 21:25). Among many other things, he followed the evil advice of his nefarious wife, Jezebel, he threw a tantrum over a piece of property he wanted and murdered to get it, and if that weren’t bad enough, he personally raised idolatry to an art form in Israel! Ahab was one bad dude!

Yet when Elijah pronounced judgment on him, he humbled himself to the point that God relented and withheld Ahab’s much deserved punishment. Now make no mistake, we should not take God’s patience with Ahab to mean that he winks at sin. As someone has said, “there is a payday, someday” for wickedness. And Ahab will get his!

But what is most interesting about this story is what it reveals about God. What a patient and merciful God we serve! And the same God who would delay much deserved judgment for evil Ahab in order to give him time to change his ways will also be patient and merciful with you and me—hallelujah—and also with a sinful world that God doesn’t want to perish. Now again, let’s not equate God’s longsuffering with tolerance for sin. There is a payday, someday—and we need to take that most seriously. This reality of a day of reckoning ought to be one of the things that prods us to a life of purity and motivates us to share the Good News with those who are bound for a Christless eternity.

And likewise, the fact that we have obtained a “redemptive pass” on Judgment Day through Christ’s substitutionary death ought to inspire us to greater gratitude to God for his grace and mercy. How fortunate are we that as much, if not more, than any other attribute of God, his longsuffering heart and willingness to forgive defines our relationship with him. Not only is he willing to put up with our waywardness, but amazingly, he actually goes out of his way to show us his love. Think about these words from Micah 7:18,

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”

Let me suggest that you reframe this Ahab story. Try reading yourself into Ahab’s character, because in truth, you and I are the ones to whom God has extended such amazing and undeserved grace. As you do that, it would then be approapriate to take some time today to offer heartfelt thanks to God for what he has done for you…and for what he has not done to you.

And by the way, don’t make Ahab’s mistake: He didn’t recognize that God’s patience and mercy was meant to transform his character. So offer God your heart, and allow him to remold it.

Prayer: Holy Father, you are a gracious and merciful God. You have extended your patience to me well beyond what I deserve. I deserve punishment, but you offer forgiveness. I don’t deserve heaven, but you’ve given me eternal life. How I thank you for who you are—a God of grace and mercy; how I praise you for what you’ve done—you’ve pardoned all of my sins and granted salvation. I stand in awe of you, and throughout time and all the way through eternity, I will proclaim your greatness to all creation. I owe you an un-payable debt of love, and as just a small token of what I will give to you for the rest of my existence, I offer you this prayer of praise and thanksgiving. It is in your gracious and merciful name I pray, amen!

Great Cloud of Witnesses: Martin Luther, speaking of God’s grace, said, “Although out of pure grace God does not impute our sins to us, He nonetheless did not want to do this until complete and ample satisfaction of His law and His righteousness had been made. Since this was impossible for us, God ordained for us, in our place, One who took upon Himself all the punishment we deserve. He fulfilled the law for us. He averted the judgment of God from us and appeased God’s wrath. Grace, therefore, costs us nothing, but is cost Another much to get it for us. Grace was purchased with an incalculable, infinite treasure, the Son of God Himself.”

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The Box

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (I Kings 19:11-12)

Food For Thought: Elijah was depressed—and who could blame him. He’d just come off a spiritual high when fire had rained down from heaven and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice in his contest with the prophets of Baal. God had answered Elijah so dramatically that even wicked King Ahab was impressed, and it seemed, ready to repent and turn to God. All Israel was abuzz with the God of Elijah, and Elijah assumed that a spiritual awakening was about to sweep the wayward nation back to faith in Yahweh.

But Queen Jezebel put a damper on Elijah’s momentum. She threatened to kill him, and the guy who’d just called down fire from heaven, who just executed 850 false prophets, who’d single-handedly led the nation to the brink of revival, let one mean, nasty, notorious woman ruin his day. Word came to Elijah that the queen had ordered him killed, and now, the prophet’s faith gave way to fear.

Just a momentary sidebar here: Fear is the greatest enemy to your faith. You cannot be a fearful faithful person. The battle in your life will always boil down to fear and faith. Faith calls you to trust God for provision and protection; fear tempts you to look at your circumstances—which will always overwhelm you and call you to trust in your own ability to overcome them. Fear is one of Satan’s chief weapons to get your eyes off God and onto circumstances. That’s why the number one command in Scripture is to “fear not.” Someone has pointed out that there are 365 “Fear Not’s” in the Bible—one for every day of the year—and you’ll need each one to follow faith instead of fear!

Back to Elijah—this prophet of fire fled. He got depressed. He even contemplated ending his life—“I have had enough, Lord, take my life…” (I Kings 19:4). His perspective was so messed up and he was so disappointed with God that he sunk to an all-time low. But as the story progresses in I Kings 19, God does several things for Elijah that will pull him out of the pit and back onto his prophetic path.

First, God gave Elijah to physical renewal. He allowed him to rest—“then he lay down and slept…” (verse 5) Sometimes taking a nap is a very spiritual thing. You don’t always need revival, sometimes you simply need rest. And God allowed him to eat—”Get up and eat!” (verse 6) There are times when faith is not the issue, it’s food God. Perhaps our emotional depletion could be the result of the improper care of our physcial lives.

Second, God led Elijah to a quiet place where he allowed him to pour out his heart—“Elijah came to a cave…the Lord said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (verses 9-10) Now keep in mind, God knew why Elijah was there—so God is not in the dark as to why Elijah is physically standing there. Rather, what God is doing is giving Elijah the opportunity to get some things off his chest. This is God’s invitation for Elijah to pour out his heart. Likewise, we will find holy therapy whenever we pour our heart out to God openly and honestly.

And third, God focused Elijah back on the mission—“Go back…and anoint Hazael to be king of Aram…Jehu to be king of Israel…and Elisha to replace you as prophet…” (verses 15-16). Rather than allowing him to stew in his juices, God gave Elijah a new assignment—a purpose that would energize him for the next phase of his ministry. God wants Elijah, and by extension, you and me, to be mission-driven rather than emotion-driven.

What is God doing in this story with Elijah? He is graciously showing this faithful prophet who’d made the mistake of putting God in his little “prophet box” that he, the Sovereign Lord, is, has been, and always will be in control. He’s got a plan, and he is working it out, even if it isn’t according to Elijah’s expectations. He is the God who doesn’t answer by fire each time…as you’d expect. He doesn’t always make a grand entrance with an earthquake…the mountains don’t rattle and the wind doesn’t always rip the roof off when God acts. Sometimes the Almighty answers in a gentle whisper.

God is God, and he will not be confined to our expectations. That’s the bottom line to this story. God has a plan, and he’s sticking to it. We don’t always know all the details of that plan, and we don’t need to. All we need is to trust and obey…and God will take care of the rest. So take the lid off your box!

What are you fearing today? Where are you doubting God? How are your expectations forcing God into your little box? Reject fear and follow faith—and remember, faith makes things possible, not easy! Get your eyes off your circumstances and back onto God! Consider that God may have some creative alternatives to accomplish his plan through you, so let him blow your little spiritual box to smithereens! And don’t be surprised, God may call to you in a gentle whisper today!

Prayer: Dear Father, how many times have I been guilty of trying to force you into my little box? Forgive me, and give me a fresh dose of believing faith today. Blow my box to smithereens. Open my eyes to the unlimited possibilities in you. God, you can come to me in a spiritual earthquake or a gentle whisper—it doesn’t matter as long as you are there. So I open my heart to your creative ways and I renew my commitment to trust you and obey your perfect plan for my life. May your will be done, may your kingdom come this day. Amen.

One More Thing…

Fear is faith in Satan;
Faith is fearing God.
Ever see it that way?
Does seem rather odd.

Fear says, “God may fail me!”
Faith knows He keeps His word.
Hitherto the Lord hath helped us;
Doubting now would be absurd.

He careth for the sparrows;
Are you not more than these?
Why are you then so fearful?
Stay longer on your knees.

Dismiss your doubts and feeling,
Stand still, and see it through.
The God who fed Elijah
Will do the same for you!

—Author Unknown