Isaiah 10-12 -- We Really Have NO IDEA How To Govern!

These verses do so much to describe the power and might and majesty of God.  While we humans try to believe that we have conquered nature and even learned to govern in superior ways, God reveals our ignorance here!  We make unfair laws that make life hard for people and actually rob them of rights rather than protecting those rights.

Assyria thought of itself as a lone superpower, yet it was actually being used by God as a tool.  Assyria’s pride in its successes caused it to do evil things, and God promised that no tool would be better than the One wielding it.

God continued to promise that a remnant of His people would survive, despite all odds and all the powers lined up against them.  I imagine that modern day Israel is clinging desperately to those promises today.  What a shame that they have been judicially blinded and cannot see or understand the descriptions of Jesus given in chapter 11 – from their own prophet!  And our own arrogance regarding the civilized society we’ve created will vanish when we see the world that will live in perfect peace once Messiah rules.  Even nature will bow to His sovereignty.  Creation will once again be fundamentally changed!  Yet only God can cause the change in men’s hearts required to create such a world.

That’s what will make this difference:  “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is full of water.”  Because all mankind and all nature have been unable to comprehend, understand, or fathom the knowledge of the Lord, we are fundamentally flawed.  It is only when He enables us to understand Him that peace will reign on earth.

Father, our hubris – and particularly the hubris of our politicians, I suppose – leads us to falsely believe that we are capable of creating heaven on earth.  Our understanding is flawed and even with the best of intentions, the laws we make to try and accomplish such an existence will be inherently flawed and unfair to someone.  Only  You and Your Son can govern us fairly.  I’d love to see the look on the faces of politicians when You show them the real way to govern!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah9 -- Startling Similarities To America Today

Despite all the gloom in the land, God tells Isaiah to proclaim that the land will be made great.  That was to happen when Jesus was born, grew up, and ministered there.  Its spiritual darkness would be broken by the light of His word.

I saw something in verse 3 that I believe reflects poorly on America:  “God, You have caused the nation to grow and made the people happy, and they have shown their happiness to You.”  Similarly, God has caused our nation to grow and prosper, yet over the last half century it seems that our society has not shown their happiness to Him.  Instead, like ungrateful children, we have mocked Him and as a nation tried to remove His influence from government.

Isaiah was given very clear references to Christ, for both His First AND Second Advents, letting us know what it will be like when He returns.  God’s motivation for seeing that all this is carried out is His strong love for His people, despite our sins.

Isaiah was told that the northern kingdom of Israel, in their sinful pride and arrogance, would threaten to rebuild more gloriously than before, my commentary said.  “But the Lord was still angry; His hand was still raised to punish the people” (not raised in mercy).  Their plans would be for naught.  They would find no satisfaction spiritually, and their country would not prosper until they returned to Him in repentance.

Father, our nation so resembles that description today – stuck on itself, sure of itself, and thinking that by marginalizing You, it is somehow becoming kinder and more humane!  Your Word says that those who do not return to You will be cut off – the older leaders and important men, and the prophets who speak lies – those who lead the nation in the wrong direction.  God, please cause our leaders to heed this.  Let them understand that You are God and they are not.  As You did back then, remove them if they fail to honor You.  Then lead the nation as You desire.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 7-8 God's Intervention -- We Need It Now As Well

Judah was facing war with Israel & Syria.  King Ahaz was frightened.  But God sent Isaiah to him with the message, “They have made plans against You, … but I the Lord God say, ‘Their plans will not succeed; it will not happen.”

God also said that within 65 years, Israel would no longer be a nation, and warned the people of Judah that if their faith was not strong, they would not have strength enough to last.  Sixty-five years seems like forever to us.  Sixty years ago, World War II had just ended.  Over three generations have been born since then.

Yet God told them to endure in faith.  He asked them to trust Him and His wisdom.  God told Isaiah to have Ahaz ask for a sign.  My commentary said that Ahaz was still trusting in Assyria’s intervention on his behalf and not God’s, and with false piety he refused to ask.  So God Himself chose the sign and gave it through Isaiah.  My commentary said that chapters 7-12 are often referred to as The Book Of Immanuel because of all the references to Christ.

Father, I pray that You won’t make us wait 65 years for salvation from terrorist plots, from economic upheaval, and from a government that seems hell-bent on taking us away from You.  Come quickly.  Show Your power and Your strength.  We need Your help.  Israel needs Your help today as well.  Be God.  Be our Rescuer.  Bring our nation back to You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 5 & 6 -- From Woes To Friend

Isaiah hears God telling him to pronounce more “woes” on Israel and Judah – that some people would collect houses during the coming bad times as their greed led them to put profit above charity; that people would try to escape the bad times through drunkenness; that people would be brazen about their sins, pulling them around behind them for display; that people would turn the meanings of god and evil upside down; that men would become conceited due to their intellect and could not be corrected; and that people’s sinfulness will cause them to pervert justice by accepting bribes.

The rocksolidness of Isaiah’s faith in God, despite the sure knowledge he’s just been given about what God has already decided to do to his nation glowed brightly in the words Isaiah used to describe his God:  “Now I will sing for my Friend … My Friend …. My Friend….”

That relationship hadn’t always existed at that level, for in chapter 6 Isaiah remembered his commissioning when he was transported into God’s presence and he quickly came to the realization that his own impurity left him utterly defenseless before the holiness of God, saying, “I am not pure … but I have seen the King.”

How did he transition from this fear of being in the presence of God to calling God his friend?  It was the forgiveness of his sins, provided by God – the One who chose love over judgment, and who called him as he was to serve Him.  That is how we know we too can sing, “I am a friend of God ….He calls me ‘Friend’!”

Father, thank You for loving me even at my most unlovely.  Thank You for accepting me as I am and for motivating me with Your love to change.  Help me to show that same love to others.  Purge me of anything that doesn’t resemble You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 3-4 Responsible Leadership Removed

I fear that chapter 3 definitely could be describing our country today.  As my commentary put it, “In that day … the Lord will take away the responsible leadership that the people had depended on … There will be a lack of capable, mature leaders in every walk of life.  It will be a time of oppression, anarchy, insolence, disrespect, and insubordination.”  People will try to draft anyone to take charge of “these ruins”.  “No one is to blame for the calamity but the people themselves,” Isaiah said.  He tells us that one result of their sin is that they are being led by the inexperienced and immature, by the weak, and by deceivers, according to my commentary.

Father, we need strong, godly leadership at every level of government and society in this country.  But since post posts are elective, it goes back to exactly what You say here:  Our populace is becoming shameless and filled with partiality.  Call us to repentance, Father.  Heal our land.  Bring spiritual healing.  Bring us back to You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 2 -- It's Still Happening

“Lord, You have left Your people … because they have become filled with wrong ideas from people in the East.  They try to tell the future … and they have completely accepted those foreign ideas.”

What are some examples of this today? 

                Buddhism;

Hinduism, with its false claims that through reincarnation and karma we will be able to live additional lifetimes until we “get it right”.  God says this life is our only chance to make our eternal choice;

The New Age Movement, which seeks to have us believe that we are gods;

and even the Muslim faith, since several of its tenets are in direct opposition to those of God’s Holy Word.  (And yes, the center of Muslim faith is located east from Jerusalem.

Yet what have the people of that time and even today done with those religions?  Instead of debunking them as being the opposite of what God desires, many people select bits and pieces of each one, fashioning what seems to be a desirable buffet du jour of beliefs that leave them feeling comfortable with their sins rather than having to face God regarding them.

Father, I made the mistake of dabbling in such beliefs years ago, letting my intellect tell me what seemed right, rather than listening to my heart, and it was tantalizing.  But thankfully Your grace and mercy led You to seek me out and call me back to You.  Thank You for not giving up on me.  Please call out to others who are now being deceived by Satan as I once was, and draw them to You as well.  As Isaiah said, You are the only One who can help us.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Isaiah 1 -- Getting Right Down To Business

Isaiah didn’t mince words.  God had given him a message and he delivered it full force from the first chapter.  The message was deeply personal, revealing exactly how God felt about being ignored and even patronized by His people.

My commentary boiled it down:  “God despises ritual without reality, sacrifices without obedience, gifts without the givers (That’s worth reading twice). 
As long as people are living in sin, their attendance at the Temple services is an insulting trampling of His courts.  The mixing of iniquity and solemn assembly is hateful to Him.  He will pay no attention to their outstretched hands or many prayers … The conscience of the believer may become so seared that a person can practice religion while yet living in sin.”

Yet, as repugnant as their behavior (and ours) appears to Him, God still invites:  “Come, let us talk about these things …”  God wants to be our accountability partner.  He wants us to readily and freely admit the sin that is holding us back, separating us from Him.  He says, “No matter how bad you think they are, I can cleanse them if you’ll only give me a chance.  TRUST ME!”

In describing our sinful condition, God is right on target:  “Your whole heart is sick … No medicine takes away the pain.”  Only the Great Physician can do that.

Father, I’m so thankful that You allow me to come to You; that in spite of my sin, which You know all too well, You still want me back.  Yes, You forgive, but You also forget!  Help me never to dread hearing You say, “Come, let us talk …”  Instead, remind me of how relieved I feel once we bring out into the open the sin that causes me to be separated from You.  Thank You for Your grace!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 28-29 The Prayer Of A Leader And A Father

David was readying his son Solomon to take on the duties of kingship and to begin construction of the Temple.  He also spoke to the leaders of the people to get them onboard as well.  Such a large undertaking by such a young man had to be daunting for Solomon.  David knew this and finally told him, “Be strong … and do it.”

As David prayed to God to direct his son and his people, several things he said really stood out to me.  My commentary described them:  “He acknowledged that he and his people were unworthy to give to God, and that what they gave had come from Him anyway.  He prayed that the present devotion of his people would become a permanent trait, and that his son would have a loyal heart in building the Temple.

Father, I pray part of what David prayed for my family as well.  Make us want to serve You always.  Make us want to obey You.  Give my sons a desire to serve You always and make them want to obey You, for we can do no better in this life than to do that.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 27 -- An Overseer For Everything ... NOT Such A Good Idea

With David’s growing wealth and fame came the bane of any government:  bureaucracy.  The twelve commanders of the army (one for each month) were listed, and many times I noticed that the commanders’ sons were also part of the bureaucracy, whether by nepotism or strong family heritages.  We’ll never know for sure which it was.

David even put together a huge bureaucracy just to oversee his personal holdings.  He had overseers for the royal storehouses, the rural storehouses, the farm hands, the vineyards, the wine being stored, the olive and sycamore TREES, olive oil storage, the herds on the plains and the herds in the valleys, the camels, the donkeys, and the flocks.  These men mentioned probably never dreamed that God would take note of their service by putting their names in the Bible!

But there was one overseer I wish I hadn’t read about.  His name was Jehiel.  King David overstepped what God intended, I think, by delegating too much authority.  David should have done Jehiel’s job himself.  And we have to be careful today not to make the same mistake.  Verse 32 tells us that Jehiel took care of the king’s sons.  Those sons later went to war with each other at various times.

Like many busy fathers, David left the raising of his sons to others and by doing so he failed to personally pass along the valuable wisdom garnered from being a man after God’s own heart. 

Father, I feel so fortunate and humbled by the fact that You chose me to be a dad to my sons.  I knew going in that the time I’d have with them would be short.  I need Your help every day to grow them in godliness and to give them what they’ll need to also become men after Your own heart.  Help me every day, Father. 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 25-26 Keeping People OUT?

I found myself taking issue with something I read this morning, and I knew that couldn’t be good.  Gatekeepers had been chosen to stand guard at the gates of the Temple.  Their obvious function was to keep people out.  My issue was “WHY??”  Why keep people away from God?  After all, they thought He dwelled at the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant.

A little note in my commentary said, “Here we find the Korahites … their duty being to prevent the presumption of which their father was guilty (Numbers 16).”  I had to turn back to see what was going on.  I’d forgotten that Korah was part of a group who bucked Moses at one point, saying, “You have gone too far.  All the people are holy, every one of the, and the Lord is among them.  So why do you put yourselves above all the people of the Lord?”  They apparently thought little of Moses’ direct communication with God and wanted in on the leadership of the people.  The ground opened up and swallowed Korah and others!

So, amazingly, it seems that descendants of Korah had been appointed by God to guard the interior of the Temple, to keep people like their ancestor from presuming himself to be holy and entering where only those bidden by God could enter.  If nothing else, it amounted to defending people from themselves and their presumptions upon God’s grace.  I hadn’t seen that.  Those men guarding the entrances to the Temple weren’t any holier than any men who might seek to challenge them and gain entry.  They were sinners, too.  Their jobs were to prevent the harm possible when we presume upon God.

Father, thank You for reminding me this morning that, without Your grace, I’d have no hope, and for the reminder never to presume upon that grace, for though it is freely given, it was very costly for You.  Keep me humble and help me to cherish the very special privilege I have of praying to the God of the Universe and beyond.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 22-24 Turning Over The Reins

David had to finally let go of his dreams of building a house for God.  God had told him that since he’d been a man of war, he couldn’t be the one to build the Temple.  That duty would fall to his son Solomon.  David did the only thing he could do and began making preparations for building the Temple – gathering all the supplies Solomon could possibly need.  David’s words to Solomon were touching.  He asked God to be with his son and to give him wisdom and understanding so he would be able to obey.  David then told Solomon to be careful to obey the rules and laws God had given, knowing that obedience would bring success.  Lastly, he told Solomon, “Be strong and brave.  Don’t be afraid or discouraged.”

Father, David prepared his son for service to You and gave him the tools to do it as well.  As a man after Your own heart, he wanted his sons to know You in the same way.  I pray that You will help me to do that for my sons as well.  I want them to know You better than I feel I do.  I want them to draw close to You.  Help me to be the father I need to be, so that they will see in me what I want You to develop in them.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 21 -- The Steps Of A Penitent Man

David let his pride get the better of him, desiring to see just how many people he ruled despite the fact that God’s word forbade taking a census without each person paying a ransom (which wasn’t being demanded here).  His army commander, Joab, even risked his life trying to dissuade David, to no avail.  He was given the task of performing the census, but knowing he shouldn’t be doing it, he skipped the tribes of Levi and Benjamin.

In my commentary, Matthew Henry writes:  “Justly is that taken from us, weakened, or embittered to us, which we are proud of.”  In David’s case, he was proud of the number of people he ruled, and as Matthew Henry noted, 70,000 of them were taken from him.

Henry also wrote about how David bore his correction:

1)  He made a very penitent confession of his sin, and prayed earnestly for the pardon of it….He owned that he had sinned.

2)  He accepted the punishment of his iniquity.

3)  He cast himself upon the mercy of God (though he knew He was against him) and did not entertain any hard thoughts of Him.

4)  He expressed a very tender concern for the people, and it went to his heart to see them plagued for his unrighteousness.

That pride, if not released, can cause us to not exhibit penitence, and where we don’t, there can be no forgiveness.

The sidebar in my Bible talked about this as well:

“We must be repentant.  All sin must be dealt with.  When we talk about worship we must talk about cleansing, purging, purifying, confessing, repenting – because the only person who can enter into communion with an utterly holy God is one whose sin is dealt with.”

Without this occurring, we’ll be unable to worship.

Father, I pray that You will keep me humble, and that when I do sin, You will reach out to me in love, as You did to David through Gad, and cause me to see how I’ve separated myself from You because of my sin.  Bring penitence into my heart and help me to admit my sins and to quit them.  I don’t want anything I do to get in the way of my worship of You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 18-20 Trusting God To Direct The Battle

God gives us ample evidence of His watchcare over Israel while they obeyed and honored Him.  God went before them and assured the victory.

The Ammonites had been an ally of Israel, but following the death of their king, his son’s advisors ascribed wrong motives for the visit by David’s diplomatic team, which had come to comfort the prince in his loss.  The team was attacked, shamed, and sent home.  Knowing that they’d just ignited a ware, the Ammonites hired the Arameans to help them in battle.

David’s commander Joab found himself surrounded at one point, front and back, by these combined armies.  What he said next to his brother, who also commanded half the army, is worth noting:

“If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must help me.  Or, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you.  Be strong.  We must fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God.  The Lord will do what He thinks is right.”

My commentary noted that he had the proper perspective as he faced the battle.  In our lives, we too will face battles that appear hopeless.  We can feel surrounded by circumstances.  But we have to remember that God is in control and He has the very best interests of His children at heart.  We can depend on Him to guide us and to defend us.  I’ve often heard it said that a Christian is immortal until the work God has given him on this earth is done.  God provides that much protection!  God can take us to victory or take us home to Himself, and either option is good.  We simply have to trust Him.

Father, I trust You for the big stuff and the little stuff in my life.  You have my best interests at heart.  Help me to let go and let You be God and not depend on my own abilities.  Just tell me what to do to walk in Your plan for my life.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 17 -- One Of My Favorites!

Man, I love this chapter!  My commentary says it’s divided into 3 parts – David’s desire to build God a house, God’s determination to build David a house, and David’s responsive prayer.

David was looking around him at all the materialism he’d amassed and came to realize that the Ark of the Covenant was in a tent, not a building.  David had been spending on himself and finally came to recognize that.  Without praying, relying totally on a whim, David decided to build a Temple to house the Ark.  His spiritual advisor, Nathan, had watched how God had been at work in David’s life and no doubt assumed that God had led David to that decision, so he readily agreed that it would be good.

Verse 3 contains my favorite red flag words:  “But God…”  David and Nathan might have agreed, but God didn’t.

God said that all through Israel’s history He’d been moving,  leading them out of Egypt, through the desert for 40 years, and into the Promised Land.  In effect, God wasn’t done moving in Israel yet.

Punctuated with a series of “I’s”, what God said next reminds David of how He’d been at work bringing David into his new palace from the sheepfold.  David had been nothing before God had intervened in his life.  Because of God’s grace and great love for him, David had prospered, and God promised to carry that on through the generations.

When God said, “I will make one of your sons the new king, and I will set up his kingdom … and I will let him kingdom rule always,” He was talking about His Own Son, Jesus, who He was going to graft into David’s family tree.  “I will never stop loving your son.  I will put him in charge of My house and kingdom forever.  His family will rule forever.”  Only God could make such a promise, and only Jesus could fulfill it.

Stunned by this revelation, David sat in front of the Lord in awe and wonder, asking what I can’t stop asking either – “Why ME??”

The only answer is God’s amazing grace.  In fact, John Newton, the former slave-trader turned preacher, based his song “Amazing Grace” on what God said in these verses!  All of us wretches will have eternity to wonder why God picked us.  Though none of us deserved it, God loved us anyway, and established His home in us.  That’s what’s so amazing about His grace!

Father, You always remind me of this when I feel least deserving of it.  Thank You for loving a wretch like me.  Thank You for establishing Your home in my heart.  Remind me of this whenever I’m rudely trying to crowd You out.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 14-16 -- What They MISS

David learned something important in the last chapter, and these chapters show that he put it to good use.  Before, he’d consulted with his army officers, commanders, and even the people of the nation, but he hadn’t thought to ask God.  These chapters echo again and again with the benefits of doing just that:  “David asked God … and The Lord answered him.”

David summed up what he’d learned:

Give thanks to the Lord

Pray to Him

Tell the nations what He has done

Sing to Him

Sing praises to Him

Tell all about His miracles

Be glad that you are His

Be happy

Depend on the Lord and His strength

Always go to Him for help

Remember the miracles He has done

Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord’s glory and power

Praise the glory of the Lord’s name

Bring an offering and come to Him

Worship the Lord because He is holy

Tremble before Him

Thank the Lord because He is good

Say to Him, “Save us, God our Savior, and bring us back”

Those are great instructions for our part of our relationship with Him. 

I noticed what it didn’t say to do:

Attend church religiously

Sit quietly and reverently

Insure that everyone else does that, too

Judge what they’re wearing for appropriateness

Decide that the singing part of the service is going on too long

Judge the song selection for its reflection of your tastes

Worry that the rest of the community will be wondering what’s wrong that the Baptists are meeting longer today than usual

About now, someone is probably wondering where in the world it said anything like that.  It’s in 15:29 –

“As the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord entered Jerusalem, Saul’s daughter Michal (David’s wife) watched from a window.  When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she hated him.”

I wonder if she wasn’t approving his method of worship, or if she hated him because she felt unable to worship that way herself.

Father, I thank You for the joy I felt while worshiping You during Disciple Now.  I was feeling what David felt here.  The words we sang kept touching my heart, speaking of Your love for me and how little I deserve it.  What a privilege we have to be overjoyed for what You’ve done for us!  What a shame that all too often that privilege is squandered by those like Michal.  Help them to see, Father.  Help them to see.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 10-13 Mistakes Along The Way

After the deaths of Saul and his sons in battle, the way was clear for David to consolidate his kingdom and come into power as God had intended.  He was able to take the city of Jebus and make it the new capital – Jerusalem.  Once their enemies had been subdued, the Israelites were ready to get down to the business of life.  David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant into his new capital city and called all the people together, saying, “If you think it is a good idea, and if it is what the Lord our God wants … let’s bring the Ark of our God back to us.”  All the people readily agreed, thinking it was the right thing to do.

There was no mention that God was actually consulted or agreed.  Here, national consensus is taken to equate to God’s will, and that is never the case.

Once they’d decided their course of action, they wanted to hurry and get it done, and in doing so they failed to inquire from God’s word about the proper protocol for handling the Ark.  Their rashness ended up costing a man his life for improperly handling the Ark.

I can remember feeling angry about that the first several times I read it, thinking that anyone “doing something for God” should not have to fear His retribution.  But over the years, I’ve learned that above all else, God is to be respected, and we had better be sure that we’ve fully heard from Him and that what we’re doing lines up with His word.  Had they done that, the death wouldn’t have happened.

In my Bible’s sidebar today, it says, “God helps us avoid future mistakes by sending people to correct us.  When you are corrected, use the opportunity to learn and improve Your attitude and work.”

Such good timing today for that, Father – particularly on improving my attitude.  Whenever we have reviews, exams, or audits at work, I can get defensive and prideful and even feel put upon.  Help me to not just avoid future mistakes, but also help my attitude to reflect You to those around me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 7-9 -- Who's NOT On The List?

I can just imagine the real pride welling up in the hearts of the people as the chronicler mentioned the names of their ancestors, especially those who’d served in some capacity in the Temple!  Just thinking about their great-grandfathers being mentioned after having to endure that captivity in Babylon and not having grown up in Israel would be awe-inspiring.  Their names in the Bible!  What a privilege especially to have been a descendant of Joshua, for instance!

But it also broke my heart to think about who wasn’t listed.  Two of Jacob’s sons and their entire genealogies weren’t even mentioned – Zebulun’s and Dan’s.  Two of the twelve tribes!  One-sixth of them!  Were there truly no descendants left from these tribes upon the return from exile?  Or if there were, what might they have felt not hearing their families’ names mentioned?  Did everyone feel shame about their black-sheep cousins?  In Revelation, Dan’s tribe is left out entirely from the promised future of Israel as well!

Father, I so regret mistakes I’ve made in the past.  I thank You for Your forgiveness of them.  I also pray that I will never sin to such a degree that You would not want to even mention my name ever again.  I don’t want to be a disappointment to You.  Thank You also for how You touched me at Disciple Now with the lyrics of the song “How He Loves”, catching my eye with what it says about my regrets:  “I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us.”  That’s not part of the eternal life You’ve given me and so many others that’s already begun here on this earth.  You are such a wonderful God to forget the way You choose to do!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 4-6 -- What They'd Been Missing

It’s so stunning to think that God had directed all of this genealogical and geographical information to be written down because the people had been in captivity for so long that so much of it had been forgotten.  Just imagine a county courthouse and all its records utterly destroyed.  Questions would pop up after 40 years:  Who owns this valley?  Who lived there?  Were you really a descendant of ____?  It’s hard to know whether the original records were lost during the Babylonian siege or whether so many of the older people who would have known this stuff had died during the trek to Babylon or shortly thereafter.  But it seems that somewhere along the way, a generation must have decided for themselves that it just wasn’t important.

This touched on something we discussed as youth was starting last night – the constant shaving at the edges of our morality, allowing or tolerating what once would have been unthinkable, to the point that we see nothing wrong with what we’re doing.  This moral erosion was deadly for Israel and Judah, destroying their nations and leading them into captivity.  Likewise, today in America this very same problem is causing internal moral decay that threatens our nation far more than terrorists or rogue states, for we fail to see it coming.

Father, please shake us and wake us up to the fact that we’ve allowed ourselves to be moved farther than we’ve ever intended from You.  Call a spade a spade.  Tell us we’re wrong, and put us back on the right path.  How we need You now!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Chronicles 1-3 -- Why Should I CARE About These People?

My commentary said that the Chronicles were written after the exile to help distinguish the kingly and priestly lines and to help the people learn to obey God.  They hadn’t had training in all that while in exile.  The good and the bad are both mentioned here, for the ramifications of disobedience needed to be understood by those returning to the Promised Land.

One thing I particularly noticed was how I remembered certain Bible stories and associated them with certain names.  Often, a sad story of disobedience led to the ending of a genealogical line in the narrative, even those the people in the line probably continued to exist and reproduce.  Because of their disobedience, they had become of little use to God.

Father, I pray that if someone someday writes about my genealogy, they will be able to hear of obedience that led to Your blessing over multiple generations.  I pray that my boys will become men of character and faith who will stand out in their generations as well.  Help me to teach them to have a true relationship with You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Nehemiah 11-13 Finishing The Task

Jerusalem’s wall had been completed.  Supposedly Nehemiah’s task was done.  Yet many people were choosing to live outside the city out of fear of attacks from those who did not want a strong, renewed Jerusalem.  It actually took a lottery of sorts to force people to move into the newly-secured city!

A celebration was held, offering the wall itself as a gift to God.  Life had to be restored to the city and what better way to start!  As they read more of the Teachings and discovered just how they’d been disobeying God without even knowing it, their society made the appropriate corrections.

Nehemiah, some would think, might have gone just a little too far in his zeal to set things right in that time, admitting that he argued with those who refused to listen, hitting some of them, putting curses on them, and even pulling out their hair!  And he said he forced some to make promises to God.

We often say that we can’t legislate morality, that godliness must come from a willing heart.  I wonder just how successful those efforts were at changing not just the behaviors, but also the mindsets  of those people.

Father, I thank You for the opportunities You gave me to counsel with those this weekend who came to me to admit failings and seek help in purifying themselves.  I am thrilled with their willingness to change their lives.  Help me to be the kind of accountability partner You desire for them!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford