Contemplative Bible Reading

2 Chronicles 17:10 (New Living Translation)

10 Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat.

This is part of the (hi)story of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. During a time of trouble (seems it was always a time of trouble), the fear of the LORD Jehovah the God of Israel fell on all the surrounding kingdoms, their peoples, and especially their kings.

No one wanted to mess with Jehoshaphat, King of the people of God.

And what was it about Jehoshaphat that scared off all these others? Verse 9 tells us, “9 They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.”

That’s it? The people had been re-taught the Law of the LORD. Huh? That’s it? Yes, that’s it. And these other kingdoms had copies of the law of the LORD (good literature traveled well). These other kings could read Leviticus 26, “7 In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword.”

These other kings realized that if the people of God knew the law of God and obeyed it, these people of God would slaughter the armies of the other kings. These other kings believed what they read. The people of God seemed to have great difficulty believing what they read and greater difficulty even reading what was in front of them.

Gosh, these people of God were an odd lot. All the folks I know and myself, why we would… probably be just as foolish as these people thousands of years ago. We are an odd lot ourselves. God, please help me in my unbelief.

Romans 12:12 (Christian Standard Bible)

12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.

This short statement is from Paul in the letter to the church in Rome. Many of today’s Bibles attach a heading to this section titled “Christian Ethics.”

One Internet definition of ethics is: Ethics is based on well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues.

Hence, Paul is writing about actions Christians ought to do. One is to be persistent in prayer.

Let’s go to another Internet definition, this time for persistence: firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

In spite of difficulty or opposition, pray. Pray, pray, and pray some more. No one can stop me from praying. I guess if someone saw me kneeling with folded hands on a street corner, they could clobber my noggin. If I stood erect with eyes open and prayed, no one could stop me.

My only opposition is myself. Hmmm, odd how that is. Whey would I stop myself from speaking to God? We are an odd lot as that is what I do to myself sometimes. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

2 Chronicles 12:12 (Christian Standard Bible)

12 When Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned away from him, and he did not destroy him completely. Besides that, conditions were good in Judah.

King Rehoboam of Judah chose the path of unrighteousness. He forgot about God and went the way of the pagan idolaters. God was punishing Rehoboam. Rehoboam finally recognized his folly, humbled himself, and turned back to God.

In turn, God didn’t destroy Rehoboam, but made life tough enough for a lesson to be instilled.

Besides that, conditions were good in Judah. Note, God was in Judah. God was and is everywhere. Where there is God, there is some good. God’s creation, this whole earth, is good. Hence, life anywhere on this whole earth is pretty good. If you don’t think so, go live on the moon or Mars and see how it is.

Besides the actions of some people, conditions are good here. If a few people would be faithful to God, conditions would improve.

Lots of folks hate the above statements. Faithfulness to God improves the situation. That isn’t a popular statement. Still, it seems to me to be true. I should be able to convince others of that. Please God, help me to be a better convincer.

Mark 13:5-6 (New Living Translation)

5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.

Jesus is telling followers about things that will happen in the future. People will appear claiming to be the Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah. Those others claiming such will be lying.

Note, however, the reaction to these liars: many people will be deceived.

Lying works. It always has. If it didn’t work, why would people lie? Perhaps that is another discussion for another day. But we read here that Jesus tells people that lying and deception works because these liars will deceive many.

Why do we fall for deception? Why are we deceived by lies that are so apparent? Someone walks in and claims to be the Messiah. How could anyone believe that? Yet, there are those who do and will continue to do so.

What does deception bring us that we want so badly? Misery causes belief in almost anything and anyone. “Please, bring me some relief to my misery.” Misery exists today and always has. It is part of the human condition. I should be able to reach the miserable with the Good News of the true Messiah. Please God, help me.

2 Samuel 14:25-26 (New Living Translation)

25 Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot. 26 He cut his hair only once a year, and then only because it was so heavy. When he weighed it out, it came to five pounds!

In the Old Testament is the (hi)story of David’s son Absalom. It seems that Absalom lived and died by his hair. The verses above describe the thickness and weight of his hair. Everyone wanted hair like that, or so it seems.

Then, the thickness and strength of his hair brought death.

2 Samuel 18:9 (New Living Translation)

9 During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David’s men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.

The enemies of Absalom found him hung up in the tree and killed him. Note that his hair was so thick and strong that it held the full weight of his body and military armor that he wore. That is strength. That is strength that he did not want at that time. Come on hair, break loose so I can get away!

The hair didn’t break away. Absalom was killed. His glorious hair led to his death.

I guess I could write about pride and arrogance and reliance on things that make us beautiful in life yet bring death. Absalom is an example that warriors still use to force “GI haircuts” and such. This brings calls of “utility over beauty” and things like that.

Absalom was a handsome young man with great hair. Nevertheless, he was not chosen by God to be king. He fought God. The outcome was predictable. Please God, help me to accept what wonderful things you have deemed for me.

1 Kings 8:59 (New Living Translation)

59 And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the Lord be before him constantly, day and night, so that the Lord our God may give justice to me and to his people Israel, according to each day’s needs.

These words were spoken by King Solomon on the occasion of dedicating the Temple. I have read the above verse some 30 to 40 times over the last 30-something years. And this year I noticed the last phrase, “according to each day’s needs.”

And the first thing that hit me was the Lord’s Prayer with one sentence given below:

Matthew 6:11 (King James Version) 11 Give us this day our daily bread.

There it was: daily needs and daily bread. It all connects. Sometimes it takes 30-something years for a person like me to notice. It is all there folks. How complete and thorough is God? How much higher and greater is God than me? There is no measure.

Deuteronomy 6:24 (New Living Translation)

24 And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.

Moses is delivering the law from God to the people. (The prior chapter listed the ten commandments.) Wrapping up the commands, Moses adds that we obey so that God, “can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.”

(1) Obedience brings blessings from God.

Let’s ponder that one for a moment or a lifetime or two.

(2) Obedience continues the blessings that have been coming from God.

Same pondering as with (1).

I guess we could try disobedience to see what that brings. The historical records show that didn’t turn out well for the people. Still, they continued in disobedience. I can assume that I am smarter and would have done so much better, but really? Am I that smart? Nope.

Let’s start with (2). God has blessed. I would be a fool to look at my life and claim something stupid like, “I did it all on my own!” Nope, the pleasant life I have is a blessing from God.

Now to (1). God will continue to bless. I don’t have a rosy day everyday. Nevertheless, any rational examination of my life reveals I have it much better than the great majority of persons on planet earth.

Thank you God for blessing me. Help me in my unbelief. Help me to be a bit more worthy today than I was yesterday.

1 Kings 21:7 (New Living Translation)

7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”

Queen Jezebel is talking to her husband, King Ahab. King Ahab wanted a vineyard from a neighbor named Naboth. Naboth wouldn’t sell, so King Ahab was dejected.

Queen Jezebel was quite practical. “We are King of Israel!” This is a simple matter. We don’t have to listen to some neighbor who wants to hang onto his family land. We are King! Squash the neighbor like a bug. We are King!

Ah, the reality of political power. There are those who do not hesitate to use the power any which way that pleases them.

Jezebel arranged some friends to lie about Naboth and have him killed. It all seemed legal enough if you were watching from afar. The insiders knew the truth. Jezebel was Queen. We are King! Squash people like bugs and move on happily ever after.

It is a shame that there were people like Jezebel in positions of earthly power way back when. It is a shame that we have the same today—a terrible shame. Sometimes it is difficult to live under these conditions. Let us not imitate what we see.

Numbers 27:12-13 (New Living Translation)

12 One day the Lord said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river, and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron,

God is talking to Moses. Go do this. Then you will die. Wait a minute. Step 1: do something. Step 2: die.

If I don’t do Step 1, Step 2 won’t happen to me, right? Maybe? Is there a trick here or something? Who wants to die?

Moses did Step 1. Step 2 happened.

I have known people who were ready to die. I have known people who were happy to die. Life was too tough and had been too long already. Let’s move on.

This is not a happy topic. Is it? I don’t want to die, yet.

Still, Moses obeyed. Moses did Step 1 and Step 2 followed. Moses obeyed. What faith.

Judges 21:25 (New Living Translation)

25 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

This sentence appears four times in the book of Judges. There are many explanations and interpretations of it. Some reflect good on the people while others reflect bad.

There are times when it is best for individual followers of God to do what they believe is best. These followers need no instruction from someone else. They are following God and they continue to follow God in what they decide to do. Some human leaders lead people in the wrong direction in some situations. It is better not to follow them.

There are times when it is best for individual followers of God to follow the lead of a person provided by God. The leader from God knows better.

During the times recorded in the book of Judges, it appears that most of the people were weak in how they followed God. For one reason or another, they just didn’t have what it took to tell right from wrong and do what was righteous.

I can sit here in the coffee shop this morning and proclaim that us coffee shop dwelling Christians of 2024 have what it takes to tell right from wrong and do what is righteous. Please, quiet the laughter at the foolish arrogance of that statement.

Let’s return to the subject at hand and the time of the Judges. The people were looking for a man to sit in a fancy chair and show them righteousness. No one appeared. The people floundered about with some of them being righteous. The cream, however, didn’t rise to the top.

It took a prophet named Samuel, born miraculously of a dejected mother, to be righteous and show righteousness. God eventually told Samuel to anoint a man as king. God then told Samuel to anoint another man to replace the first man after the first man strayed away from God’s instructions. A long list of kings followed. Some were worth following while many weren’t.

God remained faithful and steadfast the entire time to this day. Thank you God. Please keep guiding me in my weakness.