hardship

2 Chronicles 28 – We All Have a Little Something in Us

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Most of us have been taught that if we look hard enough, we will find some good in everyone.

But there’s a person in 2 Chronicles chapter 28 who challenges that. There, King Ahaz is portrayed as someone totally devoid of righteousness.

  • He followed after the false gods of his enemies and burned his own children as a sacrifice to these false gods. (2 Chron. 28:3)
  • He turned to his own resourcefulness and to pagan nations rather than to God.
  • He closed the temple of God and broke all its artifacts hoping to win the favor of pagan gods.
  • He wasn’t even deemed worthy to be buried with the other kings of Judah.
  • His enemies had more compassion and righteousness than Ahaz (2 Chron. 28:6-15)

No matter how hard you look, you cannot find anything good about king Ahaz.

He became this way through a series of refusals.

  • Refusals to hear God.
  • Refusals to humble himself before God.
  • Refusals to obey God.

God brought repeated defeat and hardship on Ahaz, hoping to get his attention and turn him around. But Ahaz became more deaf and disobedient to God. (2 Chron. 28:22)

Ahaz is so bad it’s hard to see what his story has to do with us. But think about it:

  • Have you ever responded to hardship by turning to your own resourcefulness, or looking to someone else for help, rather than God?
  • Though you’ve never sacrificed your children in fire, have you ever pursed your own desires to the point where you sacrificed your children?
  • Have you ever been tempted to turn away from God when it seemed that He was thwarting you more than helping you?

We might not be all bad, but we all have a little Ahaz in us. (Rom. 3:23) And every decision and attitude we entertain will either shape us more like Ahaz or more like God.

1 Samuel 23-24 – How to Go High When They Go Low

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As children, we’re taught to play fair and do what’s right…even if no one else is…then things will turn out alright for us.

But what do you do when doing the right thing seems to make matters worse?

In 1 Samuel chapters 23 and 24, David is taking the high road and doing what’s right and honorable, yet matters keep getting worse.

  • David rescues a town of people, and they sell him out to King Saul. (1 Sam. 23:12)
  • David defeats Saul’s enemies (1 Sam. 23:5) yet Saul moves in to kill him. (1 Sam. 23:7-8)
  • David retreats from Saul, refusing to challenge or threaten him, yet Saul pursues David night and day. (1 Sam. 23:14)
  • David has the opportunity to kill Saul, yet chooses to show him honor instead. And still, Saul continues his homicidal pursuit of David.

How did David continue to take the high road rather than give Saul a taste of his own medicine?

  • David made God, not Saul, the object of his focus and asked God to show him what to do. (1 Sam. 23:2-6, 9-12)
  • David focused on God’s long-term plan, rather than his short-term relief. (1 Sam. 23:16-17)
  • David trusted God to rightly settle accounts, even if Saul didn’t. (1 Sam. 24:12,15)
  • Finally, David protected himself, while giving God time to work.

David had learned from his youth that his battles were not his to fight. He learned he should stay close and right with God and trust God to fight the battle. (1 Sam. 17:47)

What battle are you trying to fight in your own strength? What wrong are you trying to right in your own way? Perhaps David (and God) is trying to tell you something.

What Can A Marriage Learn From A Suicide?

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EV007909Last night I learned of the suicide of Robin Williams. I was shocked and saddened by the news. I’ve always been in awe of his ability to riff and improvise on the spot.

It’s confusing when someone with so much to live for can’t see a reason to live. It’s jarring to think that someone could be so bright on the outside and so dark on the inside. Yet this is the reality for many people.

This is also the reality for many marriages.

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