"What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death?" – 1 Kings 18:9

Today's Scripture Reading (February 22, 2026): 1 Kings 18

Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh were bank robbers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. You probably have heard of them, but by different names. They earned their fame under the names of Butch Cassidy (Parker) and the Sundance Kid (Longabaugh). I have seen the 1969 movie with Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy and Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid. Admittedly, it has been years since I watched the film, and I probably need to rewatch it, but the ending shows the two criminals taking cover inside a building. They are not aware that the local "Keystone Cops" have been reinforced by the Bolivian Army. The last scene shows Cassidy and Sundance running out of the building, ready to shoot their way out of their current situation. The last scene of the movie is a freeze-frame shot of Cassidy and Sundance running into the fray. Admittedly, I thought at the time I watched the movie that the death of Cassidy and Sundance was a foregone conclusion. The bandits died in this gunfight in Bolivia. That conclusion to the lives of Butch and Sundance is almost a forgone conclusion, but we have to deal with that word "almost."

More recently, I have thought about the ending of the 1969 film. You see Butch and Sundance running, not dead. Did they die in this gunfight in San Vicente Canton, Bolivia? Maybe the best answer we can give is probably. The best evidence that Butch and Sundance died in this gunfight is that we never heard from them ever again. However, we have never been able to prove that the men who died in Bolivia were Butch and Sundance. We have conducted DNA tests on the bodies and have not yet found a positive match. Maybe Butch and Sundance died on November 7, 1908. Or, maybe, Butch and Sundance disappeared on November 7, 1908, never to be seen again. It is a mystery that we may never solve to the satisfaction of everyone interested in the life and death of these famous outlaws.

Elijah had marched into the presence of King Ahab and declared that there would be a drought, then disappeared just as mysteriously. Ahab had searched for him, and no one had been able to find out where the prophet was hiding. Then Elijah appears to Obadiah and tells the King's servant to go to Ahab and say to him that Elijah has returned to speak with him. Obadiah looks at Elijah, who is essentially a fugitive on the run, and hesitates to deliver the message. After all, Elijah had already proven that he could disappear, and if he disappeared while Obadiah carried the message to Ahab, the King would take out his frustration on Obadiah.

That is a door that Obadiah would rather not open. Elijah could carry his own message. Obadiah is caught between a rock and a hard place. He supports Elijah, but would rather not be his messenger. Although, in the end, that is precisely what he will become.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 19

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. – 1 Kings 17:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 21, 2026): 1 Kings 17

For just over a decade, I lived in the desert. You are probably picturing sand dunes, but there were none. It was a desert, but one that humans had remade into a farming and ranching oasis. However, farmers had to spend money on expensive irrigation systems because the area was generally dry and constantly windy. It was hard to imagine a more inhospitable wilderness. There was a creek that meandered through the area, fed by water from the nearby mountains. But it was a desert just the same.

It was a desert, but that didn’t mean that there was no rain. I remember a time when the rain fell almost constantly for more than a month, and what I discovered was that because it was a desert, the land didn’t seem to know how to handle the increased water. Water seemed to just sit on top of the ground, flooding everywhere. Farmers and ranchers who had depended on irrigation systems to water their crops discovered that the only way to get around their farms and ranches was to have a canoe ready to make the trip. However, when the rain stopped, it was amazing how quickly the flooded ground returned to its desert-like state.

Elijah is told to go and stay by a brook. A raven would bring him bread and meat so that he could eat, and the brook would provide the prophet with the water he needed to drink. But it was a time of severe drought in Israel, and so, eventually, even the brook dried up. And God tells Elijah it is time to move on to the next stage. Elijah accepts the change with amazing grace. The truth is that Elijah never placed his trust in the brook for its water or in the birds that would bring him what he needed to eat. His trust was in God. God was trusted for the first stage, and he could be trusted for the next stage as well. I wonder if I would be as trusting, or if I would be tempted to complain that God had promised me the brook for water, and now even the brook was gone. Sometimes, maybe it takes more trust in God as you sit beside the drying brook than it does to stand and challenge the followers of Baal on the top of Mount Carmel.

Baptist pastor F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) comments on several types of drying brooks that we still sit beside today. There is a brook of decreasing popularity as we grow older and pass the torch to the next generation. There are also the drying brooks of declining health, of dwindling money, and of fewer friendships. We all suffer from these drying brooks, and each one demands that we acknowledge whether our trust is in the brook or in the God who gave us the brook in the first place.

Back in my personal desert, I remember a Sunday evening prayer service where the town came together to pray for rain. It was a gorgeous evening; the sun was shining, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. But one friend walked to the prayer service, swinging an umbrella. I smiled at her, and she asked me where mine was. After all, we were praying for rain from the author of the rain and the sun, and even the drying brook. And He was willing to bring the needed rain, as long as we continued to trust in him. 

 Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 18

Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king and strengthened himself against Israel. – 2 Chronicles 17:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 20, 2026): 2 Chronicles 17

Currently, forty nations are at war worldwide. That number does not include any countries other than Ukraine and Russia involved in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and does not include the United States, which currently seems to be on the verge of a civil war. In the past 3,421 years, there have been only 268 years of global peace. That would mean there are about eight years of peace in every century. Maybe more importantly, since the end of World War II, there have been only twenty-six days of global peace. The most extended period of peace in the last 3500 years is 10 years, from 1816 to 1826, known as the Pax Britannica. But even during that time, there were conflicts in the world, including the First Seminole War, when the U.S. forces fought against the Seminole tribe of Florida between 1816 and 1818, and the Arikara War near the Missouri River between the Arikara and U.S. forces, which marked early plains Indian resistance in the United States. 

Jehoshaphat was the son of Asa, and he came to the throne of Judah after the death of his father, Asa, at the age of thirty-five. Asa was considered to be a peaceful King, but Jehoshaphat was a strong King. And the first thing he did was prepare Judah to defend itself from the threat from the northern Kingdom of Israel. Jehoshaphat was a good king, in part because he seemed to recognize that the threat from Israel was not just a military one, although that may have been the threat easiest to defend against. The danger was also political: the Judeans might have been tempted to emulate the Kings of Israel, whom the Bible declares were all bad kings. Israel and its false worship practices also remained a spiritual threat. In each of these areas, Jehoshaphat guarded his nation against decline, just as David had, especially in the beginning days of David’s reign.  

David Guzik makes this observation about the author of Chronicles.

In his presentation of the history of the kings of Judah, the Chronicler constantly brings the contrast and the challenge before the readers of his day and ours: “Your destiny, as an individual and as a nation, can either be like that of Judah or Israel. You should follow the example of those who walked…not according to the acts of Israel” (David Guzik, based on 1 Chronicles 17:1-4).

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 17

Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. – 2 Chronicles 16:4

Today's Scripture Reading (February 19, 2026): 2 Chronicles 16

Although the first two World Wars were very different, Germany's plans at the outset of both wars were remarkably similar. The idea in both wars was to deal quickly with France and create a one-front war in the east. In World War I, they weren't able to achieve that goal, at least not fast enough. During World War II, they achieved their goal. Using minimal efforts, the Nazis were able to restrain the United Kingdom to existing miserably on their island, while the German war machine concentrated on Russia and the Eastern Front.

By the time of the Tehran Conference, November 28 – December 1, 1943, the United Kingdom was committed to securing a foothold on the continent and opening a Western Front in the war. The Tehran Conference was the first meeting of the Big Three allied nations: The United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union. It would also be the last time these three nations met until the Yalta Conference in February 1945. At the Tehran Conference, Joseph Stalin made it clear that the Soviet Union needed a second front. They needed some relief from the German onslaught they had been fighting against on the Eastern Front.

The primary outcome of the Tehran Conference was the Big Three's agreement to open a second front in the war by June 1, 1944. It was not going to be an easy task, but the Soviet Union needed relief and assistance from its Western partners. Part of the problem was the weather. Not only did they need a plan and human resources, but they needed a break from the winter storms that dominated the Atlantic Ocean. The hope was that by the end of May, everything would be ready for an attack on the Atlantic coast of France, and that the weather would allow them to gain a foothold and a landing place where the allies could bring both the men and materiel needed for the Western Front of the war.

If you remember your World War II history, you might know that the target date set by the Tehran Conference was not met. The Normandy invasion was five days late; the invasion of France began on June 6, 1944. But Normandy was a second front; it gave the Soviet Union the relief it needed, and was a critical factor in the Allied forces being able to defeat the Nazi's in World War II.

Ben-Hadad had a treaty with Asa in Judah. Not only was there a treaty, but Asa had paid well for Ben-Hadad's help. As a result of that treaty and payment, Ben-Hadad was willing to force Baasha of Israel to open up a second front in his conflict with Judah. It also forced Baasha to stop building his fortress city of Ramah, a key measure to prevent the faithful people of Israel from visiting Judah and Jerusalem and from worshipping at the Temple as God had commanded.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 17

Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. – 2 Chronicles 15:17

Today's Scripture Reading (February 18, 2026): 2 Chronicles 15

Leaders often seem to come in two basic forms. The most common leader is the one who conforms to our expectations. They are "just like us." They share the same idea of right and wrong, and often we respect them because of their willingness to "speak plainly what is on their minds." There is no danger in doing that because, in reality, what is on their minds is also on ours. In a very real way, these are not leaders; they are social directors, sharing the journey with us and giving us permission to do and believe what we already want to do and believe.

The much rarer form of a leader is the one who challenges our preconceived perceptions. These leaders are often willing to "go against the grain." They challenge what we want to do and what we already believe. They ask whether there might not be another, maybe even a better, way. In my lifetime, one of the best of this type of leader was former President Jimmy Carter. Carter was a one-term President; he often seemed to reject expedience in favor of what was right. Yes, he was naïve and made mistakes, but they were honest ones, unlike the more calculated errors of some who followed him. But we didn't recognize the man's greatness until he became a former President. It was only then that we recognized his character as he revolutionized the transition from one presidency to the next and completely changed what it meant to be a former President. His leadership skills and his desire to do what was right made him an excellent statesman. And yet, we still found that in his presence, our preconceived notions continued to be challenged.

Asa was that kind of a leader. He refused to go along with the people's desires or expectations. The author of Kings says that his "heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life." He began the process of restoring the nation to the one of which God had dreamed. But the author of Kings also says that "he did not remove the high places." Rather than being a failure of Asa, this was a failure of the people. The practice of personal worship of other gods in nature and at the high points of the terrain had become ingrained in the people's actions. Asa tore down the organized places of worship for these other religions, but to tear down the high places would have meant changing the hearts of the people. Asa was unable to do that, at least unable to do that to the extent that worship no longer took place at these "high places." But Asa did begin the process of challenging the hearts and desires of the people regarding the object of their worship. And for that reason, he is considered to be a good king.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 16

See Also 1 Kings 15:14

 

Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds will feed on those who die in the country.” – 1 Kings 16:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 17, 2026): 1 Kings 16

Auschwitz. Just the name conjures up images of the horrors of World War II. It was not the only camp that housed the Jews and enemies of Nazi Germany; many others existed, but it is often Auschwitz that lives in our nightmares. Or maybe more precisely, it is Auschwitz that lives in my nightmares.

The extermination program of Nazi Germany was a growth industry for Adolf Hitler. At first, it seems that the prisoners were likely just shot and placed into mass graves. Then the Nazis graduated to killing enemies of the state with carbon monoxide. But the gas was inefficient. And so more experiments were conducted, and finally the Nazi’s adopted the use of Zyklon B, a cyanide-based insecticide, to kill the Jews and political enemies of the Nazi Regime.

In the aftermath of these executions, there was a change in how the bodies were dealt with. At first, they were simply buried in mass graves, but the smell was bad. Lye was then added to the process, and then the bodies were burned just outside the concentration camp. However, at each stage, the terrible smell remained a significant obstacle. And so, the Nazi’s began to build crematoriums to burn the bodies and control the smell.  

However, the reality was that the Nazi’s didn’t see their enemies as people. They could do whatever they wanted to the bodies because they were subhuman. This wasn’t the first time the bodies of enemies have been treated this way, and it won’t be the last. One way we deal with people who oppose us is to make them seem less than human in our minds. They are criminals, evil, and violent; they are not like us, and so they don’t deserve the things that we have or the protections of the law that are given to proper members of society. And their bodies can be disposed of in any way that we see fit. They deserve less honor in their deaths than we would give to a beloved pet.

A prophecy is proclaimed over the house of Baasha. The house of Baasha was going to come to an end because of their sin. Because they had followed in the steps of Jeroboam, they would receive the same fate.  The prophecy over the house of Jeroboam had been that ^“Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken” (1 Kings 14:11)! And now, those same words have been spoken over the House of Baasha. We shouldn’t see this as a right or wrong moment, but rather as a description of how the people would react to the demise of the House of Baasha.

The House of Baasha would be destroyed so that no one would be around to take over the rule of the nation. And their bodies would not be given any honor in death. If they died in the city, their bodies would be left to the dogs; if they died in the country, then the birds would pick at them until there was nothing left, and maybe then the House of Baasha could be forgotten. But in all likelihood, they would continue to live in the nightmares of the people.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 15

 

Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. – 2 Chronicles 14:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 16, 2026): 2 Chronicles 14

The movie “Red Dawn” was released on August 10, 1984. The film was set in the near future, when the United States was becoming increasingly isolated. NATO had been dissolved, and the United States decided to stand alone. At the same time, the Soviet Union was expanding its influence not only in Asia but also in the Americas. As a result, there is an active war between the Soviets and the Americans, and a Soviet led coalition has brought a European war to the United States for the first time in history. The fight is not contained to the coastlines of the United States; Soviet soldiers have infiltrated into the central states. In the movie, that infiltration occurs in a town called Calumet, Colorado.

The real Calumet, Colorado, is a ghost town. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Calumet was a small mining town, and it never grew large enough to have its own post office. Despite the small size of the village, the Calumet mine was Huerfano County’s leading producer of coal. However, the hamlet was permanently abandoned in the 1970s.

For the 1984 movie, Calumet is a thriving town, larger than the real town had ever been. And it is here that the Soviet coalition forces attack. In “Red Dawn,” it is a group of teens living in Calumet who decide to stand up against the invaders. The movie closes with a shot of a plaque taken after the end of a fictional World War III. The plaque read;

In the early days of World War III, guerrillas, mostly children, placed the names of their lost upon this rock. They fought here alone and gave up their lives, so that this nation shall not perish from the earth (Red Dawn, 1984).

In 1984, the movie didn’t seem all that far-fetched. President Ronald Reagan had branded the Soviet Union as “The Evil Empire.” We didn’t understand them, and they didn’t understand us. Many of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s remember the fear that was ever-present in our core because of this perceived enemy living on the other side of the world.

The Soviet Union is gone, but Russia and China remain the bogeymen of our day. And the real demise of NATO and the isolation of the United States seem even closer than they did in 1984.

Zerah the Cushite marches against Judah with a considerable army, probably twice the size of the 580,000 men that Asa had at his disposal. But more than just the size of Zerah’s army, the Cushites, likely originating from the area of modern-day Sudan, were seen as dangerous warriors. If “Red Dawn 900 B.C.E.” was filmed and Judah played the role of Calumet, Colorado, Zerah, and the Cushites would be appropriate stand-ins for the invading Soviet Army. Just the mention of the Cushites would have been enough to strike fear into the hearts of people everywhere. And fear was the hoped-for result of Zerah’s appearance in Asa’s Judah.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 16