Esther 8-10 -- God's Protection & Care

Haman’s order to exterminate all of the Jews could not be rescinded, but Haman had been defeated.  So how does God work that out?  By having King Xerxes issue a second letter giving the Jewish people the right to defend themselves and even take the offensive to remove all their enemies – even those who weren’t actively attacking.  Their families could be slaughtered and their possessions taken.  Now that was a deal!  Just when all seemed hopeless, God stepped in!

Father, thank You for the sure knowledge we have that You will always step in when we are in Your will.  By refusing to use the tactics of Satan and by abiding by biblical principles, we are under Your protection, and You’ve promised to honor us and protect us.  Thank You for Your faithfulness, Father!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Esther 4-7 More Timing Issues

God seems to be continuing yesterday’s theme about timing.  Mordecai had gone into public mourning once he received the news about Haman’s decree.  He asked Esther to intervene.  Despite her fear, she asked Mordecai, her servant girls, and the local Jewish people to fast and pray for 3 days.  Unknown to her, several things were happening during that time.

First, the clock was ticking on how many days it had been since King Xerxes had called for her.  Exactly a month would have passed by the time she finished praying, stoking his desire to see her again.

Second, Haman’s anger at Mordecai was also being stoked, leading to the building of the large platform he planned to use to hang Mordecai.

Esther approached the king and was granted an audience.  Rather than asking immediately for assistance, she requested his attendance at a banquet the following day with Haman, followed by another banquet the day after that.

The delay intrigues the king and also emboldens Haman, thinking he is surely about to be honored.  It also allows for completion of the gallows.  Almost a week has passed.

In a God-directed series of events, Haman’s pride led him to describe to the king a method of honor he thought would be directed toward himself.  However, the king was desiring to honor Mordecai for detecting and reporting an assassination plot.  Mordecai ends up being honored while Haman is hanged.

Father, the world would see no logic in these delays, but You knew exactly what You were doing, completing everything at just the right time.  And You still know what’s on the horizon today.  Father, please intervene soon in the matter I’ve been praying about, but do so in Your timing, not mine.  While I might see no advantage in additional delays, You are sovereign and I trust you.  Work Your will in this, Father.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Esther 1-3 Time Matters

I kept noticing dates in these chapters.  A banquet that lasted 6 months, followed by sort of a “thank you” banquet for the palace staff that lasted a week – no wonder Queen Vashti was tired of it all and refused the king’s summons.

Following her removal as queen, letters went out to all states commanding a beauty pageant of sorts.  But each girl first went through 12 months of beauty treatments.  So more than a year passed from the time Esther was chosen for the program until she was chosen as the next queen by King Xerxes.

For four and a half years, nothing remarkable happened.  Then Haman became offended that Esther’s cousin and adopted father Mordecai wouldn’t bow down to him.  A date was chosen to exterminate all of Mordecai’s people – the Jews.  It was 11 months away.

So six and a half years would pass from the time Esther left her home, spent a night with the king, became queen, and would be called upon to save her people.

Often we ask God to hurry.  But God, in His timing, knows exactly the right time to put plans into place, for He must ready us as well.

Father, I know I’ve been praying for You to hurry on several things.  But You know the best time to have everything come together.  Please give me peace about these things that will settle me in until it’s time.  Then prompt me when it’s time to get going.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 36 -- An Unremarkable Ending

It didn’t take much room to squeeze in the last 22 ½ years of Judah’s existence.

A younger brother served about 3 months as king, then his older brother, chosen by the Egyptian king, served for 11 years.  Then his son served only 3 months, followed by his uncle for the remaining eleven years before the Babylonian captivity.

Spiritually, it was a downward spiral for Judah and Jerusalem.  They watched at the end as the Temple was burned to the ground, its treasures having been taken to Babylon to adorn the king’s palace.

Emptiness is the word that keeps popping into my head.  Not only was the country left empty, but so were the people’s hearts.  They’d left God, and now He’d left them.  What could possibly be worse?

Father, there is no worse feeling than walking away from You and then having You walk away from us.  But You do it out of love, to draw us back to You.  Right now I’m so fearful for our country.  The choices our government is making appear to be leading us down the path of ruin, and away from You.  Please halt the slide, Father.  Shake us up and cause us to pay attention before it is too late.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 34-35 What It Takes

An 8-year-old boy becomes king when his 24-year-old father dies.  He must have had good mentors and teachers, yet their names are never mentioned, for at age 16 “he began to obey the God of his ancestor David.”  Four years later, he set about removing the gods, the places for worshiping them, and all the idols.

It took 6 years to rid Judah of all traces of idol worship – a Herculean task.  Restoring the Temple, which had fallen into disrepair, Josiah’s workmen found something of great importance – a copy of the teachings of Moses.  Josiah had been obeying God without even having a copy of the Bible to go by!  Once he began to hear the word of the Lord, he felt horrible sadness at how far his nation had moved from God.  Seeking to know how God felt about the newly-observant people of Judah, Josiah sent for word from a prophetess.  One thing God told her really stuck with me:  “When you heard My words against this place and its people, you became sorry for what you had done and you humbled yourself before Me … You cried in My presence.  This is why I have heard you.”

Josiah thought about what he’d heard from God’s word and decided to act to conform his life to God’s will.

My Bible’s sidebar today echoes this:  “Did I want what I wanted, or did I want what He wanted, no matter what it might cost?  Until the will AND the affections are brought under the authority of Christ, we have not begun to understand, let along to accept His Lordship.”

Outwardly, we can look like we’re being obedient.  Yet our will and our affections can still be pulling us off course.  Too often, surrendering them can feel like we are giving up all that we are, yet that’s what God is calling us to do.  Reluctance is often a sign of lack of trust, and we have to ask ourselves if that is what holds us back.

Father, I admit that I need to turn over more to You.  Help me not to hold back, but to trust You.  I want to be all-in.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 33 -- Does Our Relationship With Our Fathers Impact Our Relationship With God?

Hezekiah’s son Manasseh became king at age twelve, and for 55 years he ruled Judah.  Manasseh seemed to detest God as much as his father Hezekiah had loved God.  It makes me wonder if sons make their decisions about God based on their relationships with their fathers – if they dislike their fathers, then they dislike their father’s choice of God or gods.

Despite Manasseh’s hatred of God, God pursued him.  When he didn’t respond, God sent him to Babylon as a prisoner of the Assyrians.  Finally Manasseh begged God for help, humbled himself, and prayed to God.  God heard and took pity on him, restoring him to rule in Jerusalem, where Manasseh did everything he could to remove the idol worship he’d promoted for years.

Unfortunately, Manasseh’s son Amon didn’t share his father’s newfound love for God.  He reversed his father’s reforms, taking the nation even deeper into sin.  After ruling for only two years, his own staff killed him, and his son Josiah was made king. 

Father, it seems that so many of us feel that we just have to taste the wild side of life away from You, just so we’ll know that Your commands for living really are better.  I too felt like I had to do that, and I regret those wasted years.  Please lead me as I lead my sons.  Help them to see that I try to be a man after Your own heart.  Lead them to trust in Your faithfulness and Your love.  Let them not feel the need to taste life away from You.  And let me never try it again.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 31 -- Calling Out To God And Trusting Him

Much of what’s in this chapter is fleshed out in 2 Kings 18.  Hezekiah had compromised in several areas that weren’t mentioned here, causing many of his own problems. 

The part that really attracted my attention today occurred while the Assyrian king Sennacherib was attacking Jerusalem and verbally attacking Hezekiah and God.  Hezekiah encouraged his people why facing overwhelming odds, by saying, “There is a greater power with us than with him.  He only has men, but we have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”

That’s the way I feel right now, too, Father.  In the midst of sickness at home and the trials of everyday work, I know that my God reigns, and that You are greater than anything or anyone.  You are more than able to see us through, and You are more than enough for me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 31 -- How God Responds When WE Respond To Him

The people began to trust God and bring their offerings to the priests and Levites.  This went on for five months.  God was blessing them for their faithfulness, causing them to be able to give even more.  It’s often been said that we can’t outgive God, and this was a prime example of that.

“Hezekiah did what was good and right and obedient before the Lord his God.  Hezekiah tried to obey God in his service of the Temple of God, and he tried to obey God’s teachings and commands.  He gave himself fully to his work for God.  So he had success.”

Father, help me to do that.  I don’t want to be half-hearted in anything I do with You.  Help me to be all-in.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 29-30 Renewal In The Heart

Hezekiah was 25 when he became king.  He’d apparently witnessed everything his father Ahaz had done and detested it, for he worked quickly to repair not only the Temple, but the spiritual damage his father had done.  The Levites were so inspired that they outdid the priests in getting things ready for worship.

Hezekiah called for the Passover celebration to be held a month late (the law provided for this) so that more citizens could be made ritually clean.  In the process, the altars to idols were removed from Jerusalem.  Even people who hadn’t had time to make themselves ritually clean showed up for the celebration and Hezekiah prayed that God would accept their worship.  He did.  Joy returned to Jerusalem when God had been properly respected and worshiped.

The repairs to the Temple reflected something that ties in from the New Testament.  We know that our hearts are now where God resides and our bodies are the Temple.  So verses 3-8 of chapter 29 are particularly engaging for us:  “Hezekiah opened the doors of the Temple … and repaired … Remove from the Temple everything that makes it impure … Our ancestors were unfaithful … They shut the doors of the Temple, and they let the fire go out…”

Father, help me to examine my life and my heart as Hezekiah did.  Open the doors of my heart, repair what needs repairing, remove the impure things.  Stoke the fire, and let it never go out!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 28 -- Is This Where WE Are Headed?

Judah’s faith as a nation resembled a pendulum.  Jotham had been following God’s commands, but his son Ahaz went totally in the opposite direction.  Taking the throne at age 20, he began to promote idol worship, even making his children pass through fire.  He built idols to Baal and offered sacrifices to them.

Ahaz’s unfaithfulness led God to send an army from Aram to defeat Judah, and then the Israelite army attacked their own brethren, taking prisoners and the spoils of war.  God warned those soldiers through a prophet and others not to do such a shameful thing.  At least the Israelite army obeyed, despite their own spiritual apostasy!

Edom then attacked Judah, and instead of repenting and calling upon God for help, Ahaz called out to Assyria for help.  This led the Philistines to attack, capturing several cities.  Rather than providing the requested protection, Assyria demanded even more, and Ahaz offered them treasures from the Temple!

Ahaz even offered sacrifices to the gods of the people of Damascus, thinking that since he’d been defeated by those gods, they must be more powerful and would work for him as well!  When that didn’t happen, he seemed to lose it all – gathering everything from the Temple and breaking it into pieces.  He closed the doors of the Temple!  He then made more idols to the gods of other nations and placed them on altars on every street corner in Jerusalem and in every town.  By this time, God should have been so thoroughly disgusted that He’d be ready to wipe Judah off the face of the earth!  Yet Ahaz’s rule continued for sixteen years! 

The people of Judah had tolerated this behavior from their king all this time, rather than removing him from power.  Judah’s downward spiral was speeding up, and it would take an amazing turnaround to stop it.  Yet the people did nothing.

Father, I see too many similarities between Judah in this chapter and our nation today.  We have tolerated actions by our own government that are beyond belief.  Help us to come to our senses and act before we, too, reach the point that Judah did.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 26-27 -- That Always-Hanging "But" ...

I just want ONE of these stories to NOT have a particular word in them -- "but". 

For Uzziah, it says, "He did what the Lord said was RIGHT, just as his father Amaziah had done ... And as long as Uzziah obeyed, the Lord God gave him success... BUT when Uzziah became POWERFUL, his PRIDE led to his RUIN.  He was UNFAITHFUL to the Lord his God ..."

His son Jotham became king.  "Jotham did what the Lord said was right ... BUT the PEOPLE continued doing wrong.... Jotham became powerful, because he always obeyed the Lord his God."

No fairy tales here -- only EPIC FAILS.  That's who we are as humans -- as sinners.  That's why we NEED a Savior.  And as hard as we WILL try, we WILL disappoint God.  We WILL sin.  We WILL disobey.  But our Savior makes up for all our shortfalls.  HE is perfect and when God looks at us He sees Him. 

Thank You for a plan to overcome all of our inherent weaknesses that came about because of our free choice, Father.  You were so amazing in creating humans WITH free choice, knowing where it would eventually lead, but You did it anyway, glorifying Yourself by the worship that a creature of free choice would CHOOSE to offer you.  Thanks for loving us SO much!

Sent from my iPad

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 25 -- More Not Finishing Well

Amaziah DID what the Lord said was right, but he did not really WANT to obey Him."  Forced religion is not good motivation for obedience.

As I kept reading the chapter, I felt such a sadness -- for Amaziah and for ALL of us.  I thought of Paul's words -- "Why is it that I DO the things I don't WANT to do and I DON'T do the things I should?"

I don't want my entire life to BE that way.  I hate struggling with sin.  I suppose that what all of us hate most are pet sins.  We can feel GREAT about WANTING to obey God for the vast majority of things He's told us are detrimental to us.  But I suppose we each DO have those things that we simply do not WANT to give up.  It's that sin-induced sense of entitlement, I suppose.  But I hate it.

Father, I SO want to obey You in everything.  I don't want my name to replace Amaziah's in verse 2.  Give me the "want-to" I NEED to surrender the last stubborn vestiges of sin in my life to You.  I want my story to end better than Amaziah's.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 24 -- The Importance of Finishing Well

This chapter always starts on such a hopeful note.  A seven-year-old king, led by a priest, leads his nation to honor God by restoring the Temple.  He developed a love for giving in his people, and they were successful.

But when that priest died, so it appears did Joash's spirituality.  He ceased to even REMEMBER his mentor's words and began to worship idols.  His reign became so evil that, although he was buried in Jerusalem, he was NOT buried with the kings.

Father, this chapter always reminds me not to depend so much on those who mentor ME, but instead to fully develop my OWN faith.  It also reminds me never to quit or feel that I've "arrived" spiritually, but to instead always remember that I'm only one failure away from wrecking my witness.  Please keep me always diligent and help me never to give up.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 21-23 The Downward Spiral Slows

Jehoshaphat's death signaled a dramatic change in Judah.  His oldest son Jehoram became king at age 32 and killed all of his brothers.  He then married the daughter of evil King Ahab of Israel.  Several territories broke away from Judah and it's power diminished.

Ignoring all the signs that sin was ruining the nation, Jehoram began to erect places to worship the gods on the hills of Judah.  "He LED the people of Jerusalem to SIN, and he LED the people of Judah away from the Lord."  The king over God's chosen people was LEADING them at SINNING!  So through Elijah, God promised Jehoram that he'd pay for his apostasy.  The Philistines and Arabs attacked, carrying away the riches of Judah and Jehoram's sons and wives.  Just as Elijah had said, Jehoram died a painful death from an intestinal disease.

Jehoram's youngest son Ahaziah had escaped capture and ruled for only a year.  His reign was also evil and bears little mention.  He died at the hands of Jehu, who was murdering the king of Israel at the same time.

His mother was so infuriated that she murdered the rest of the ruling family, except for his son Joash, who was hidden in the Temple for six years.

The people, particularly the priests and Levites, had had enough of evil rulers.  Together they arranged protection for Joash and publicly anointed him king.  They then captured Ahaziah's mother and put her to death.

Politics too often tries to get in the way of God's will.  Change can be so tempting, yet when it is not part of God's plan, it can NEVER be good.  Eventually, the people come to see that, and they find that only in returning to God can their nation be restored.

Father God, how we NEED Your intervention in OUR nation today, just as You intervened back then.  Cause the people to tire of where they find themselves, and draw them near to You.  Please give us another opportunity to restore THIS nation that YOU ordained so many years ago.
Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 19-20 What Now?

Upon Jehoshaphat's return from Israel, Jehu asked him pointblank:  "Why did you help evil people?  WHY do you LOVE those who HATE the Lord?  THAT is the reason the Lord is ANGRY with you."

The armies of Ammon, Moab, and Edom began to advance on Judah.  Jehoshaphat knew better than to defend Judah with only his army.  He prayed, "We have no power against this large army that is attacking us.  We don't know WHAT to do, so we look to YOU for help."

A prophet responded, "The battle is not yours.  It is God's."  God had promised Israel His hand of protection for centuries if they would humble themselves before Him and obey His commands.  Now that they HAD, He went to work.  The three nations fought against each other, destroying themselves!

I keep going back to that first quote that caught my eye -- "Why do you HELP evil people?  Why do you LOVE those who HATE the Lord?"  In light of everything happening in the world today, are WE doing the same thing?  We cannot help ourselves by trying to make friends with those opposing us who do NOT love the Lord.  If we TRY, we are doing the SAME thing that Jehoshaphat did.  History will repeat itself again.

Father, give us wisdom as a nation.  We've gotten too politically correct for our own good.  Show us those who bring harm on us.  Show us those we should ally with.  BE our vision, Father.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 17-18 Mixing With The World

Jehoshaphat became king and began to clean up the mess his father Asa had left.  “The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he lived as his ancestor David had lived when he first became king. “  Because of his obedience, God made Jehoshaphat a strong king.  Jehoshaphat had a strong desire to obey God.  He even sent his officers into the towns of Judah to teach God’s commands to the people.

Unfortunately, Jehoshaphat ignored one set of bells and whistles:  He allowed his son to marry the daughter of Ahab, the evil king of Israel.  During a visit to Israel, he was begged by Ahab to join him in battle against Ramoth Gilead.  Jehoshaphat agreed, but first required that God’s will be sought.

Ahab’s 400 prophets urged them on, but Micaiah warned them of doom.  Despite the warning, Jehoshaphat joined Ahab in battle, and during an attack he called on the Lord and was saved.  Ahab, however, dressed as a common soldier to hide his presence, but a random arrow took his life.

My Bible’s sidebar says that it requires absolutely no effort on our part to become like the world.  We don’t have to study or set goals or even make any plans to become worldly.  All we have to do is get out in the world and live.  If we take no precautions, it will be just a matter of time before we look, act, and think just like the world.  It said, “In every area of life, face up to what God would have you do.  As long as you play games, as long as you ignore what you know in your heart God would have you do, you set yourself up to fail.”

Father, help me not to give in to the world.  I don’t want to simply be a part of it.  You’ve called me to something better.  Guard my mind and my heart, and set off alarm bells when I stray too far from You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 14-16 Again, Not Finishing Well

Asa got off to a great start as king.  “He did what the Lord his God said was good and right.”  As a result, Israel had an extended period of peace.  When an outside attack finally came, he said, “Lord, only You can help … Help us, Lord our God, because we depend on You.”  The attackers were crushed.

He received a prophecy from Azariah:  “The Lord is with you when you are with Him.  If you obey Him, you will find Him, but if you leave Him, He will leave you.”  God had sent the message because He could see a shadow of turning in Asa’s heart.  Twenty-one years later, it began.  Rather than depending on God, Asa sought a covenant with the king of Aram, taking gold and silver from the Temple treasury as payment for the protection.  God sent word again:  “You depended on the king of Aram to help you and not on the Lord your God … The Lord searches all the earth for people who have given themselves completely to Him.  He wants to make them strong.  Asa, you did a foolish thing …”

Asa didn’t like the message, so he jailed the messenger.  He soon became ill and died.  A great start, but he failed to keep the faith.

Father, help me not to doubt You as Asa did.  Remind me often to keep the faith.  I want to finish strong.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 12-13 The Inevitable Results

Rehoboam’s first three years as king were not bad.  He was trying to obey the Lord.  But once he’d firmly established his rule, he and his nation stopped obeying God.  So God sent the king of Egypt to attack Jerusalem.  He wanted to shake up Judah to draw them back to Him.  To make sure they understood this, He said, “You have left Me, so now I will leave You to face Shishak alone.”

The leaders repented of their actions and God could see that they were truly sorry, so He said, “I will not destroy them but will save them soon.”  The Egyptians attacked and looted the treasures from the Temple and the palace.  Their sin was pardoned, but they still suffered the consequences of it.

After Rehoboam died, his son Abijah became king.  Abijah called out Jeroboam, King of Israel, for his idol worship.  He told Jeroboam’s people, “Men of Israel, don’t fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, because you WON’T succeed.”  I thought it was particularly telling that he said the God of your ANCESTORS instead of the Lord YOUR God.

I liked what the sidebar in my Bible said, applying this to us today:  “Without self-examination we atrophy from the Christian value system into something less … slowly, almost imperceptibly, we undo the moral knowledge to which we pledged ourselves.  When once we redraw the line, there is less pressure against redrawing it, and less and less each time thereafter.”

Those are the consequences of compromise.  When we give in, it makes it much easier to give in the next time, and the next after that.

Father, I know all too well that the lines we draw in the sand are easily shifted when we give in to sin.  In the past I’ve found myself far from where I ever intended to be for that very reason.  Remind me never to give in and never to give up.  You are worth it, Father.  Help me stay the course.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 10-11 How Quickly The Slide Begins

David had been a man after God’s own heart.  Solomon, his son, had watched as David’s faith waned in his final years, and that seemed to led to Solomon’s own backsliding – not remembering what God had commanded kings not to do.  Upon Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam seemed to disrespect his father’s memory and his father’s God-given wisdom, instead choosing to rule the people by force of will.  In just two generations, sin had caused the splitting up of the kingdom and the road to decline was becoming well-paved.

Father, thank You for the reminder that, without worship and respect of You and Your commands, my own family would quickly lose all of the blessings You offer.  Help me to guide my sons and lift them up to You in prayer every day.  Please guide their young hearts and help them to trust You and call upon You regularly for help.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 7-9 -- God Hears And Responds

Solomon properly dedicated the new Temple to God, and God responded by sending fire down from Heaven to consume the offerings, while the Lord’s glory filled the Temple.  This reaffirmed God’s covenant with Israel, causing them to worship in words and songs:  “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!  His love endures forever!”

Later that night, the Lord appeared to Solomon, promising blessings and curses for dedication or apostasy respectively.  Verse 14 is pivotal:

“Then if My people, who are called by My name, are sorry for what they have done, if they pray and obey Me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven.  I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.”

The underlying cry from Solomon’s long prayer the day before had been heard and answered by the Lord their God.

Father, I thank You for hearing my prayers and for answering them as well.  God, Your love is amazing – to care for us despite our sin  and to want to cleanse us and love us anyway!  Thank You for giving us worth solely because You love us, even when we do not in any way deserve it!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Chronicles 6 -- Reading Between The Lines

Once the Temple construction had been completed, Solomon gathered the people together to petition God to come inhabit it.  He first reminded them of God’s promises and how He had kept them by allowing the completion of the Temple, thus showing His faithfulness.

Solomon’s prayer that followed was pretty prophetic as we read it with 20/20 hindsight.  I noticed perhaps a few too many “I’s” in it – “the Temple I have built for You.”  I’m sure that being in the center of the magnificence of the completed building and surrounding courtyard, and the thousands of people gathered there, and being located before them on a 7 ½ foot tall bronze platform could have led him to that point.  But intermixed with it all, I noticed a particularly poignant cry, repeated five times during the prayer.  It’s as if Solomon knew in his heart that all the pomp and circumstance, and all of the blood offerings that would follow on that site would only cover over sins, for he kept asking:

“Hear … and when You hear, forgive us … Forgive the sin of Your people …. Hear their prayer in heaven, and forgive the sins … hear their prayers from Your home in heaven.  Forgive … We have sinned … hear their prayers … Forgive Your people who have sinned against You…”

Hear and forgive.  Isn’t that sad?  All those resources and years of labor – yet it meant nothing if sins were only covered over and not forgiven.  They really had no expectations that God would forgive – they could only ask, for they knew Him to be a righteous and just God who couldn’t abide sin.

Father, thank You for your grace, for no longer covering over sin with the blood of animals, but for removing it and forgiving us through the death of Your one and only Son.  The extravagance of Solomon’s Temple was as dust compared to the extravagance of Your love for us shown in the sacrifice of Your Son for our sins.  We’ll spend eternity thanking You for that one act, Father!  Thank You!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford