God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. – Psalm 47:8

Today's Scripture Reading (June 9, 2026): Psalm 46 & 47

Abraham began his life in the city of Ur of the Chaldees. The city is in the southern portion of modern-day Iraq. But God called him away from his childhood home and to a place where Abraham had never been, and possibly, the Patriarch never even knew existed. Abraham followed God and went to the place to which he believed God had called him. It was at this new place in the land of Canaan that Abraham came to an understanding with God.

I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:2-3).

Abraham, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to allow me to bless you, and you will share that blessing with the world around you. I am going to start with you, but it is going to multiply through your descendants, which will be greater than even the number of grains of sand that lie by the sea. This "blessed to be a blessing" will be the mission statement of the Jewish people. They will receive the blessing of God and share it with the world around them.

Sometimes, the Jewish people succeeded, but often they failed. As a result, Jesus came and reinforced the same message that had been given to Abraham. It is a hard teaching, but Jesus said he had come for the Jewish people, to reinforce the message that they would become a channel of God's blessing to be shared with the world. Paul probably understood this mission the best. He gathered people around him who would channel blessings to people who were not Jewish. Paul took that message of blessing to the world.

Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 C.E. He grew up and looked at the world around him. He felt that something was missing. His people were tribal and often consumed by fighting among themselves. He looked at the Jews and Christians, whom he considered to be distant cousins and descendants of Abraham, and mourned that they had a book. Muhammad believed that the unity of the Jews and the Christians was because of the existence of this book. He desired a book for his people, whom he believed were the descendants of Ishmael, the oldest son of Abraham, and of Sarah's maidservant, Hagar. The question we have been asking ever since has been "Was Muhammad right?" I believe he might have been, but if our Muslim brothers and sisters are descendants of Abraham, then the mission remains the same. I will bless you so you can bless the world.

None of the three Abrahamic religions has done this "blessed to be a blessing" well. But our mission hasn't changed.

The Psalmist argues that God rules over the nations. He is not a national God who is bound by the borders of the nations. He is God over all. And he continues to bless us so that we can make this world a better place. The only question is this: Which of the children of Abraham will take up the mission and make it theirs? God is still on the throne and still blessing us. It's time we started being a blessing to the world around us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 48

It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. – 2 Chronicles 32:30

Today's Scripture Reading (June 8, 2026): 2 Chronicles 32

It is the Deh Cho River, though you probably don't recognize it by that name. That is because in 1828, Sir John Franklin encountered the river and suggested that it be called the Mackenzie River. It was the name "Mackenzie" that was put onto maps and government documents. But that name ignored the river's existing name: the Deh Cho River, given by the Dene people who were native to the area. Deh Cho means "The Big River." The Deh Cho River is a massive waterway that runs from "The Great Slave Lake" to the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territory of Northern Canada. And the Deh Cho River brings life wherever it goes.

So, it is not surprising that, as the Deh Cho River began to look cloudy and water tests showed an increase in toxicity, a group of Elders met on the banks of the river on September 7, 2006. They wanted to know what was happening to the great river. Their message was that life depended on the river's water. But the message went beyond just what was happening to the Deh Cho River. Water is essential to life – all water and all life. We don't exist without it. This group of Elders developed what they called "The Keepers of the Water Declaration."

Water is a Sacred gift, an essential element that sustains and connects all life. It is not a commodity to be bought or sold. All people share an obligation to cooperate in ensuring that water, in all its forms, is protected and conserved with regard to the needs of all living things today and for the generations yet to come (Keepers of the Water Declaration).

Water is essential to everything that we hold dear.

In ancient times, the people understood this need for water. Towns were built beside rivers and lakes. I suspect that most people can point to the river on which their community is built. Maybe the water is not as majestic as the Deh Cho River, but there is water running close by most human settlements. One of the purposes of an enemy siege was to separate the city from its source of food, but, even more importantly, to isolate the urban environment from its source of water. A city could not survive if its people had no water to drink.

One of the great achievements of Hezekiah was that he took water from the Gihon Spring and allowed it to flow into the west side of Jerusalem, bringing the water of the spring into the City of David. But words don't quite sum up the task that Hezekiah had decided to undertake. Bringing the water from the spring meant cutting through 643 meters of rock, an intimidating task for people in the ancient world. Hezekiah decided to plot the intended passageway and then had workers start at each end and work toward the middle. It had to follow precise measurements or the two tunnels would completely miss each other. It was a significant achievement for an Eighth Century B.C.E. king, and maybe evidence that he really could achieve whatever he put his mind toward. Because we are all Keepers of the Water, and we still need water to survive. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 46 & 47

The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer, and his field commander, along with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. – 2 Kings 18:17a

Today's Scripture Reading (June 7, 2026): 2 Kings 18

There was a day when Kings went out to war with their troops. They were armed, and while the King was often positioned at the back of the battle formation, the King's purpose on the battlefield was to send out commands to the soldiers under their control in real time. King David is criticized at the beginning of the Bathsheba saga for not being with his troops when they went to war. The warrior King stayed home and sent his commander, Joab, to fight against the Ammonites. Because he was home, he was tempted by the beauty of Bathsheba, something that wouldn't have happened if he had been out in the field, fighting with his men.

The Book of Kings clarifies that King Sennacherib accompanied his men onto the battlefield in Judah. "In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them" (2 Kings 18:13). What is less clear is whether Sennacherib went to Jerusalem for the siege of Judah's capital city. In fact, it appears he didn't, at least not at the beginning of the blockade against the Judean Capital. Isaiah argues that, as the siege begins, Sennacherib decides to send a field commander with a large army rather than go himself. Maybe Sennacherib understood that the blockade would be long and boring, and he didn't need to be there for all of it. Or maybe Sennacherib had more pressing duties elsewhere.

Whatever the reason, Sennacherib stayed behind, maybe in Lachish. Lachish was an important city thirty miles southwest of Jerusalem. During the First-Temple period, Lachish was Judah's second most important city, second only to Jerusalem. Because of its importance, it appears that Sennacherib led the effort to defeat Lachish and end the conquest in the area, defeating Lachish just before he turned the full force of his military on the Judean Capital.

Archaeologists have discovered a pit dating back to the attack on Lachish by Sennacherib. The pit contained 1,500 casualties from the attack. They also found a carving detailing how the Assyrians had laid siege to the city.

The Siege of Lachish became the launching ground for the attack on Jerusalem. Sennacherib may not have been at Jerusalem at the beginning of the siege of the Capital, either because he was busy cleaning up in Lachish, or because he was called back to Nineveh to deal with problems in the Empire. Wherever Sennacherib was, Lachish was the last victory that Assyria would experience in Judah. Jerusalem would be put under siege, but it would not fall, at least not at the hands of Sennacherib and the Assyrian army. The eventual fall of Jerusalem was still over a century away.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 32

See also Isaiah 36:2

 

Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs." They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered. – 2 Kings 20:7

Today's Scripture Reading (June 6, 2026): 2 Kings 20

I recently read an article on the benefits of quitting smoking. Our bodies are made in such a way that we actually start the healing process about twenty minutes after our last puff. So, the idea is that it is never really too late to reap some of the benefits of quitting. And the benefits are amazing. Among others, the article listed better sex, a healthier digestive system, a lower risk of developing arthritis, better, more restful sleep, a stronger heart, and even better-tasting food, all as a result of quitting smoking. And beyond that, we get a chance to be one of those annoying ex-smokers who are telling everyone else to quit smoking (Okay, that might not be a benefit.) And yet, with all of the positives, many of us still don't quit. And that speaks volumes about the addictive qualities of cigarettes. We are hooked, and quitting is hard.

As a result, we often need to ask for help. And there are many aids out there to help us on our new journey. Some have a better track record than others, and yet some of us do not even try these avenues. The excuse that I hear the most is that "right now I am experiencing too much stress to even think about quitting." But that excuse assumes that there are times when we are not experiencing stress, and I just haven't noticed very many of those moments around recently. The bottom line is that to quit smoking, first we have to do something. Stopping the practice of buying cigarettes is one of the first recommended actions. But beyond that step, often we need to change our lifestyle; we have to avoid certain triggers if our new non-smoking behavior is going to take root. We need to avoid the things and the places where we once enjoyed a cigarette. But something has to happen. The change in behavior needs to be paired with a specific action. We need it; it is the way that we are designed.

Hezekiah moves from an illness that will end in death to one that can be cured with traditional medicine very quickly (a poultice made of figs was the approved treatment for a boil in the ancient world). But the reality was that Hezekiah needed to do something if he was going to recover. Sitting back and letting God heal him probably wasn't going to work. However, too often we seem to read instructions like those in this passage and think we have discovered an ancient super cure. I can see the book now instructing us that a poultice of figs will cure everything from acne to cancer. But to make that suggestion misses the point. The focus of this instruction is that God would cure Hezekiah, but God, who created us, knows that, for lasting change to take root in our lives, we need to be involved in the process. And so, a poultice was developed as part of Hezekiah's buy-in into the process. Did God need the poultice to heal Hezekiah? Of course not. However, God knew that Hezekiah needed the poultice to ease his mind, and so he had Isaiah tell him to get one.

The instructions for Hezekiah were to follow the standard medical process of the day. He would use conventional medical wisdom to cure the illness, allowing God the space to move through it. Healing often seems to work this way. We do what we can, we act in support of healing, and allow God to do the rest. Cults that believe that healing is an "only God" enterprise have missed some important biblical instructions. Psychologically, we need to do what we can, feeling like we are part of the process, so that God can move through the rest. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 18

See also Isaiah 38:21

 

In addition, they distributed to the males three years old or more whose names were in the genealogical records—all who would enter the temple of the LORD to perform the daily duties of their various tasks, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. – 2 Chronicles 31:16

Today's Scripture Reading (June 5, 2026): 2 Chronicles 31

My eldest granddaughter is working on getting her Learner's Driver's License. Which means she has reached the age appropriate for those licenses, which in the area where I live is fourteen. Thinking about her journey as she begins to drive, I realize she is almost exactly the same age I was when I got my Learner's License. Life is repeating itself.

Back when I got my Learner's License, there was a conversation among the Federal Government Agencies about raising the age to get a Driver's License. I don't know how serious the argument was, but I took it seriously enough to put a little more effort into preparing for the test. Obviously, over the last half-century since I took my first driving test, the age hasn't changed, though some other details of the licensing process have.

Driver's Licenses are part of the "How old do you have to be?" conversation we have in so many different places in our society. The "How old do you have to be to consume alcoholic beverages?" conversation has always been of interest to me. Again, where I live, the age is eighteen. For many other locales, you need to be twenty-one to consume adult beverages. I have had conversations with young adults who have been surprised that they can't go to a liquor store or bar when they are traveling because they were underage there, but not here. It is an extension of the "how old" conversation.

In the church, the conversation continues. How old do you need to be to take communion or to be an active member of the church? How old should you be to play on the Worship Team or sing in the choir? Currently, our worship team features a pair of twelve-year-olds: one on guitar and the other on drums. I am amazed at how talented they are every time they play. What do you think? Where would you draw the line?

As Hezekiah prepares the workers for the Temple, he apparently has to answer the question, "How old?" I find it very interesting where he draws the line. First, working in the Temple is hereditary, so workers must have the right genealogy. Second, workers in the Temple must be male. Neither of these regulations is a surprise or an expectation that we carry into the contemporary church. They are artifacts of a different time, where people lived with a different understanding of what was right. I believe Paul released us from these understandings when he wrote to the Galatian Church, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). But maybe the most surprising requirement is the one on age; every qualified (genealogy) male over the age of three. (Some argue that maybe this is an error and the age should be thirty, but for our purpose, let's accept the age of three.) In God's community, if you are older than three, there should be a task for you in the church.

Can I ask how you are doing? I admit that my church isn't doing as well as it could. But the church is a community where everyone is important, and where even a three-year-old should have an age-appropriate task to undertake for the faith community. It might be challenging to get a three-year-old involved in a meaningful way, but we need to put some effort into the project.

Of course, this passage also puts a twist on Jesus's words;

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there (Matthew 13-15).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 20

The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. – 2 Chronicles 30:2

Today's Scripture Reading (June 4, 2026): 2 Chronicles 30

Christmas always falls on December 25. You can argue that Jesus was not born on December 25, but we know that. You can argue that Christmas is just an extension of pagan rituals in the Northern Hemisphere that celebrate the Winter Solstice, or the longest night of the year, and again, you would be partly right. Christmas, as originally constructed, was about competing with pagan celebrations held in late December. And, by the way, Christmas won the competition throughout most of the world, even though pagan beliefs have infiltrated it, rather than Christian beliefs infiltrating a pagan festival. I am not sure which is better. The truth is that we don’t know when Jesus was born. Arguments could be made that Jesus’s actual birthday was sometime in late April, June, or even September. However, the actual date is unknown. Birth dates weren’t something to remember in ancient times. No one knew the date of their birth, so they couldn't celebrate it. And in a few places in our world, it is still that way. 

Pope Julius I, a fourth-century pope (337-352), decided that we should celebrate Christmas on December 25, even though he knew that Jesus was not born on that day. The Pope felt that the day and the celebration of the birth stories of Jesus found in Matthew and Luke deserved celebration. He also decided that in the grand scheme of things, the date didn’t matter; the celebration did.

King Hezekiah, his advisors and officers, and the leaders in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover during the second month of the Jewish year. Passover celebrates a specific date, and unlike Christmas, where we don’t know the true date, the actual date of the first Passover, the moment when the angel of death “passed over” the houses of the believing Jews during the deaths of the firstborn in Egypt, took place during the first month of the Jewish year. The Mosaic Law specified that the Passover should be celebrated during the first month, not the second.

However, in Judah, fewer and fewer people were actually celebrating the Passover. The nation needed a revival, and the leadership in Jerusalem agreed that this could not wait. They decided that celebrating the Passover was more important than the date. There wasn’t time to make the celebration what it should be in the first month of the year, so, for this year only, they decided to hold it in the second month. After all, didn’t the celebration mean more than the date?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 31

In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them. – 2 Chronicles 29:3

Today's Scripture Reading (June 3, 2026): 2 Chronicles 29

If you were given the power to change something for just one day, what would you want to change? Often, people running for political office try to tell us what they would do on their first day, as a way of telling us what they would want to do, even if they only held power for just a single day. These first-day aspirations make an interesting list of achievements. Of course, politicians of every stripe often overpromise what they can do on that first day. So, sometimes it is interesting to look back and see what they actually accomplished on Day One of their political term.

For Bill Clinton, Day One was actually Day Two, and one of the most significant things he did was reverse the so-called "Mexico City Policy, a Ronald Reagan-era policy that placed a ban on abortion counseling through federally funded clinics. Clinton also reinstated scientific research on fetal tissue.

It is perhaps not surprising that, during the first week of his presidency, George W. Bush reversed Bill Clinton's Day Two actions, reinstating the "Mexico City Policy." Sometimes, I wonder if this is all presidents do: try to erase the legacy of those who have gone before.

Barack Obama's term also started on Day Two when he reversed the Bush-era policy that restricted public access to presidential records. Of course, one of the most significant things achieved during his time as President of the United States was an attempt at Universal Health Care, often referred to as the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare." Obamacare becomes important because it will become the target of another President's Day One action. On Day One of Donald Trump's first term as President, President Trump instructed his agencies to take down Obamacare to the "maximum extent of the Law." It foreshadowed the extent of the effort that President Trump would spend on erasing President Obama's policies.

Joe Biden came into office during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is not surprising that on his First Day he signed orders mandating mask wearing and freezing debt collection for federal Student Loans. He also began the process of rejoining the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization, reversing the actions taken by his predecessor, Donald Trump. 

On Day One of President Trump's Second term, he basically reversed everything that Joe Biden had done during his four years in office. The Executive Order that Donald Trump signed on Day One was titled "Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions." The Order reversed 78 Biden-era executive orders, most of which dealt with diversity, equity, and Inclusion and climate change.

We don't know what King Hezekiah did on his first day, but one of the first things he did was begin restoring the Temple, which had been neglected by his father, King Ahaz. And that restoration began with the doors of the Temple, so that people could once more enter the courts and priests could minister before God in His Temple, something that had not been a priority for the past sixteen years, as King Ahaz had led the nation in a different direction.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 30