Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. – 2 Kings 18:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 30, 2013): 2 Kings 18

Consistently in the polling of scholars there are three Presidents of the United States that seem to rise to the top; George Washington who had the privilege of being the first President and the legal ability to be able to do the work of forming the Union, Abraham Lincoln who brought the nation through the civil war, one of the darkest times for the nation, and Franklin Roosevelt who brought the nation through the Second World War. But it is hard to decide between the three of these presidents to decide which one is simply ‘the best.’ Each one of these men had an aptitude and ability that fitted well with the time in which they governed.

In Canada, that choice is probably between Sir John A. MacDonald, the first Prime Minister and the one who is credited with setting the groundwork for a nation that would literally be from coast to coast and Mackenzie King, who was the Canadian counterpart to Franklin Roosevelt and brought Canada through the Second World War. But in both nations it is hard to decide which one is the best – and there are many other names of men that had the ability to gather the love and respect of the nation that could be thrown into the mix.

And for this reason, this comment of the writer of 2 Kings is incredible. The number one King of Judah was Hezekiah. Josiah might have been a close second, but Hezekiah was simply the best. But the statement also leaves us with a question, who is included in this group of the “Kings of Judah.” More specifically, does it just include the kings that followed Solomon after Judah and Israel separated from each other into two Kingdoms, or is the writer indicating that of all of the Kings of the House of David, Hezekiah was the best. And so the argument rages.

It is possible to make the argument both ways, but I think that the author of this passage might have meant that the best king to ever have come out of the House of David – including David and Solomon – was Hezekiah. David was a man after God’s own heart and Solomon was the King that physically built the temple in Jerusalem, a king who was known for his wisdom – but the name of the best king was Hezekiah. And the reason that we can make this kind of a declaration is that Hezekiah seemed to have all of the strengths of David and Solomon and none of the weaknesses. From the beginning of his reign he simply chased after the things of God, and there was no Bathsheba, and no murder of Uriah the Hittite (both sins of David), and no falling into the sin of idolatry (a sin of Solomon). Of these crimes Hezekiah was innocent. Because to be the best only requires one thing of us – a heart that is willing to follow God in every situation as long as we are alive.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 19

... until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. 2 Kings 17:23

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 29, 2013): 2 Kings 17

History regards the Ten Tribes that formed the Kingdom of Israel as lost. The reality is that in 722 B.C.E. the Assyrian army defeated Israel and the northern tribes simply disappeared from the pages of history. Unlike the later defeat of Judah by the Babylonians, we know nothing of what happened to Israel after 722 B.C.E. No prophets wrote during her exile, no historians recorded the struggle of the inhabitants of the ten tribes in a strange land – and there is no story of the return of Israel to her native home. It is a real life mystery, the people who made up the ten tribes simply vanished never to be seen again. A number of people have put forward possible solutions to the mystery, including the hypothesis that the North American Indians were really the lost tribes of Israel – but none of the suggested scenarios really make any sense. All we can say about the lost tribes of Israel is that we know we don’t know.   

For some historians, the problem with the lost tribes of Israel is that they have never really been lost. The whole idea of lost tribes of Israel is based on a myth – the myth propagated by this verse. Outside of the Bible there is no record of a wholesale captivity for Israel. Like Babylon, the Assyrians seemed to have been happy to remove just a token representation of Israel – the best and the brightest. When Babylon took Judah into captivity, it was only Judah’s continued rebellion that resulted in as extensive of a captivity as we know occurred at that time. But for Israel we know of no continued rebellion against the power of the Assyrians.

The records of the Assyrians tell us a story of the Assyrian destruction of Israel rather than the losing of the tribes that made up the nation. From the Assyrian side, there is absolutely no record of anyone one from the tribes of Dan, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun ever being removed from the nation. From the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Reuben, Gad, Simeon and Naphtali only a portion was removed. And the evidence is that the Assyrian population moved in and intermarried with the tribes – wiping them from the face of the earth. Judah resisted that level of assimilation, maybe partially because they recognized the hand of God on them in a way that was unknown – because of the people’s choice, not God’s – in the North Country.   

The idea that the ten tribes were not lost, but rather watered down through intermarriage holds true with the 

Biblical record. If this was what happened, then it explains the hostile relationship between the Jews of Judah and the Samaritans to the north – the reality was that the Samaritans were a constant reminder of what could have happened to Judah outside of the direct action of – and trust in - God. And that reminder is exactly what this passage is supposed to stress. Israel would become a cautionary moral tale for Judah for the rest of their existence.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 18

Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” – 2 Kings 16:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 28, 2013): 2 Kings 16

In 1948, the Chicago Tribune printed what might have been its most famous front page. It was the night of the United States Federal election and the headline simply read “Dewey Wins.” The announcement was that Thomas Dewey would become the 34^th President of the United States (an honor that the history books have reserved for another politician – Dwight Eisenhower.) Polls had shown that Dewey was in the lead – in fact the early returns showed Dewey coming in with 50% of the vote while the incumbent Harry S. Truman would receive only 44% of the vote. And with that information in its pocket, the Chicago Tribune printed the headline. If you look at a list of American Presidents, the name Thomas Dewey is missing. Despite the front page coverage, Dewey never did end up winning the ultimate political prize.  

I am not very good at conceding. Often on election nights when the television news decides the issue, I am the one asking the question, how can you know who is going to win the election with that many uncounted ballots? I understand the math and how they have arrived at the decision – and I even understand how the Dewey prediction was flawed – but still I want to wait just a little longer. And I feel for the candidate that waits to concede well past the appropriate time, into those moments when the commentators start to question why the concession speech has not been given. (In truth, I love the occasional political candidate that simply decides not to concede – to let every vote be counted until that the final result is eventually revealed.

But Ahaz concedes. Even though the prophet had assured him that God would come through in the end, Ahaz decides not to trust God and move in a different direction. There are some indications that Ahaz not only conceded, but he committed an act of cowardice. It is quite possible that the King of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and the King of Aram came to Ahaz, the King of Judah, with the invitation (possibly a forceful one) that the three nations could bind their power together and make a stand against the Assyrian army which was threatening the known world during this period in history. And rather than say yes, and rather than listening to the prophets of God, Ahaz turns and runs to Assyria and concedes to them, paying them for the privilege of becoming their slaves.

If Ahaz had only had a little faith, this could have been an ancient ‘Dewey Wins’ moment. I am convinced that God actually likes the ‘Dewey wins’ moments. Because he is the God of the impossible, and he can cause to come to pass anything that he so desires.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 17

At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women. – 2 Kings 15:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 27, 2013): 2 Kings 15

Marie Antoinette has been traditionally thought to have responded to the news that the people were starving, lacking even bread to eat with the words “let them eat cake.” The words have come to symbolize the idea of rulers who had grown out of touch with the reality of the people that served under them – obviously if there was no bread, there could not be any cake. It is actually extremely unlikely that the monarch of France ever spoke the words. It was probably just a story or moral parable that at long last became connected with the French Queen. But we still remember the words as if she was the one that spoke them. It was a time of upheaval and poverty, a time when the monarchy of a country had once again fallen out of step with the common populace – it had become ruled by people who craved power at any cost and was willing to sacrifice the common people - with disastrous results.

For the nation of Israel, the ascension Menahem to the throne seemed to be one of many low points for the nation. Menahem was the third king – and the second assassin to rule on the throne of Israel inside the space of the year. And it quickly becomes apparent that all Menahem cares about is the exercise of his own power. It is possible that he even saw himself as another David, expanding the rule of Israel to places it had never been before.

There is some indication that Tipsah may have been on the west bank of the Euphrates River. It was a place that the borders of Israel had never extended beyond, and yet Menahem demands that the city bow to his rule. The city refuses and Menahem displays a brutality that was even shocking in ancient times. Far beyond that proverbial telling of starving people that they could eat cake, Menahem’s ego demanded that the city pay – and his method of making them pay included even ripping open the stomachs of pregnant women. It was a crime so shocking that it was one of the few things remembered during Menahem’s reign. It also might have prompted an invasion from Assyria.

Menahem reigned for ten years, and with the help of the Assyrians, whom he had bribed, he was able to rule the nation with an iron fist. But it did not help his son, who was assassinated after just two years of his reign. The violence of Menahem had been passed down to and paid for by his heir. Whether or not Marie Antoinette actually said the words that we remember her for, she paid a similar price for the crime of being out of step with the needs of the nation. Her death came at the hands of the executioner in October of 1793. The people claimed their prize for a ruler who wanted power more than they wanted to aid a nation in need.  

Tomorrow’s Scriptures Reading: 2 Kings 16

In that day “I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins—and will rebuild it as it used to be ... Amos 9:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 26, 2013): Amos 9

When Charles I of England was executed on January 30, 1649 at the end of the English Civil war, life in England changed drastically. For the next decade there would be a continued time of turmoil as England struggled to figure out what kind of rule they really desired and wanted to build into the nation. And with the Puritans in charge of the country, many of the pastimes of the people simply disappeared. Holidays such as Christmas and Easter were suppressed, gambling was made illegal and going to the theater was severely discouraged. All of these things were considered to be part of the excesses of the previous regime – and the reason for the nation’s social problem.

For the next decade, both turmoil and the restriction of personal freedoms continued in England. But finally Charles II (the son of Charles I) was invited to return to the nation. And on May 29, 1660, he was received into London at the pleasure of the people. The monarchy was restored (and this period of time is officially known as ‘The Restoration’) and life, at least to a certain extent, went back to normal. But no one, except for maybe the French who were entertaining Charles II, expected that the monarchy would ever be restored in England.

God through Amos talks about the restoration of the House of David, and Israel, before even the nations fell. His plan had always been their restoration – and his plan was that there would be a son of David on the throne of Israel. As far as God was concerned, this was already an accomplished fact. A descendant of David would be put on the throne of the nation at the time that God had chosen to restore the nation. But there is something a little telling in the language that Amos uses in this passage. Amos says that God’s direction indicated that he would restore “David’s fallen shelter.” In some version of the Bible this word (cukkah) is translated as tabernacle, indicating that God bypasses the Temple in Jerusalem (Solomon’s Temple) by saying that he will restore the Tabernacle that came before. But maybe the simplest interpretation of this passage is that everything that Israel possesses was really just a temporary fixture (cukkah really just means a rude or temporary shelter) – God could destroy what was only meant to be temporary in the first place, but he could also restore.

And maybe there is not a bigger reality in our lives. Nothing that we buy is permanent – our possessions are simply rented to us for a period of time. But the beauty of this thought is that anything that can be destroyed, God can also restore. And for the good things in our lives that might be destroyed, the restoration is already being planned for.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 15

People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. – Amos 8:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 25, 2013): Amos 8

Black Sabbath released their latest studio album – 13 – earlier this month. The first single to be released from the Album is a song entitled “God is Dead?” 13 is the nineteenth studio album of the Band, and the it is the first time in thirty five years that Ozzy Osbourne has fronted the band for a studio album (although he has been present for various reunion concerts and fronted the album “Reunion” – a live compilation - in 1998.)  I have to admit that from the first rumor of the album and the title of the first single, I have been intrigued. What really caught my attention was the question mark at the end of the title of the single. There was a time when the question mark would not have been there – but times are changing. The title seems to simply ask a question – Is God really dead?

Amos prophesied of a time when the people of Israel would wander about asking the same question. They would search for word of the Lord and his activities, but they would not find him. And it is the same question that would ask – Is God dead? Has he abandoned us and left us to find our own way. But there is something different in the way that Amos phrases the search of the people for God. The search is from sea to sea (some have tried to interpret this as from the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea, but a better interpretation of the phrase might be from one end of the earth to the other) and from the North to the East We would have expected something different – namely from North to South.

But, Judah lay to the south of Israel. And as much as the Northern Kingdom was on the search for God, the one thing that was certain in their minds was that God was not in Jerusalem. Their battle with their southern brothers precluded even considering that God might be there. Amos realized that Israel was literally looking for God in all the wrong places.

And that is often our current problem. In a culture that is increasingly realizing its need for spirituality, they have often written the Christian Church off as even a possibility for finding God. And in my honest moments, I totally understand why. We have blown it in so many ways and need to beg forgiveness from a searching world. But underneath our own failures, I still believe that the Christian Church has the answer. We know a God that is not dead.

Sabbath is asking the right questions, and at least in some ways is arriving at the right conclusions. “God is Dead?” concludes with these words:

But still the voices in my head 
Are telling me that god is dead 
The blood pours down 
The rain turns red 
I don’t believe that God is dead   (Butler, Iommi, Osbourne)

I hear the same voices and have come to the same conclusion. For those who are searching, it is not in vain. God is there and he can be found (but we might have to look to the south.)

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 9

So the LORD relented. “This will not happen,” the LORD said. – Amos 7:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 24, 2013): Amos 7

Robert Harris’ “Fatherland” is a bestselling novel that explores the possibility of a world in which Adolph Hitler did not die. It explores what the world would look like decades later if Germany had actually won World War II. So much of what we remember as history simply would not have come to pass. The novel is open ended, leaving some of the conclusions up to the reader. And for some, the book is simply a complete waste of time. After all, that is not the way our world was shaped. Germany did lose the war and Hitler did die – so why waste time thinking about what can never be? But that is part of the beauty of fiction – any plot line is possible. And for fans of fiction, “Fatherland” was a huge success.

One of the surprising artifacts of believing in an ‘omni’ God (a God who is all powerful, all knowledgeable, and always present) is that we begin to read all of human history, both what has passed and the portions that are yet to come, as if it is all in the past – or all of history as a completed novel that cannot be changed. It is as if the entire history of the world has already been written. Somehow it is comforting to think that God knows absolutely everything that is going to happen in each of our futures.

But another aspect of this ‘omni’ God that holds all the moments of our lives in his hand is that he becomes a passionless God – unmoved by our circumstances and our prayers. So God’s response to Amos prayer in this passage is interpreted differently depending on how tightly you need to hold on to the ‘omni’ God characteristics. If it is important to you that God is all powerful, all knowledgeable and always present, then you are forced to admit that it was never really God’s intention to allow the locusts – in this case the Assyrians – to attack Israel. He already knew that Amos would intercede and therefore what God intended all along would come to pass. But if you hold the ‘omni’ characteristics lightly and believe in a God of passion and compassion, then you will be more willing to concede the possibility that God really did change his mind because of the prayer that Amos had prayed.

For me, I believe in a God for whom one of the primary characteristics is love. Therefore, I want to believe that God was truly moved by Amos prayer. God changed his mind – and history occurred differently than it would have if Amos had never prayed. And internally the Bible would seem to agree. After all, even James asserts that “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16.) And Amos was a righteous man whose prayers were heard by God.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 8

Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! – Amos 6:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 23, 2013): Amos 6

One of the challenges of the Christian faith is found in the things that we believe that we know. It often seems hard to discuss with people some of the basic tenets of the faith because we seem to believe that there is something sinful in the discussion. I love Peter Rollins comment that whenever we react strongly against something that has been said it is usually because we have questions and doubts that run in the same direction – doubts we do not want to be reminded of. So when you go to a friend and suggest that maybe their spouse is cheating on them, and they react by being angry and throwing us out of our presence and telling us never to return – our reaction to that situation should be “Oh, you already knew.” We want to build structures around us that hold people that agree whatever it is that we believe. And no one is welcome inside of those structures who do not believe what it is that we believe because they will only remind us of all of our doubts and, ultimately, disturb our complacency.

Amos says that all of Israel, both the North (Israel) and the South (Judah) had grown complacent. They no longer had to struggle with anything – and as a result, they were no longer growing in their faith. In fact, faith had become so stagnant that the confidence was now in the physical characteristics of the two capital cities. For both Samaria and Zion (Jerusalem), protection was in the mountain upon which the city sat. They no longer had to have an active faith in God – they no longer needed to struggle with things like doubt. They had everything categorized – doubters were no longer welcome and growth was no longer necessary.

We do not know what Amos was thinking about as he wrote these words, but it might have been the complacency of the ancient people of the city of Jebus. Jebus was the name that Zion (Jerusalem) held before the time of David. And in the history of David we read that David and his mighty men camped outside the city while the citizens of Jebus taunted them. The Jebusites had grown complacent in the security of their mountain and called out to David. “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off” (2 Samuel 5:6.) So David and his men climbed into city using the city’s water supply and Jebus in its complacency fell without a fight.   

Jerusalem and Samaria had fallen into the same complacency – they became satisfied in themselves and that satisfaction prompted a lack of faith. And in that lack of faith the people of both nations had sinned against God. They had come to believe that they were the authors of everything good in their lives. But that belief came with a price tag. A people that no longer needed a faith in God could no longer be protected by him. And the time was coming when both peoples would find that there mountains would not be enough to save them. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 7

You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. – Amos 5:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 22, 2013): Amos 5

There is a line in the song “If I Were a Rich Man” from “Fiddler on the Roof” that intrigues me.

If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack
To sit in the synagogue and pray.
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Of course, in the musical the character is musing over the things that he could do if he were a rich man. But the comment highlights what has been an unfortunate reality of life since time began (at least until the onset of the welfare state.) Simple survival has been the main activity of the poor. They have not had time to spend on religious or political questions – they have been busy doing other things.

One thing that we miss in the story of Jesus is that the Pharisees, the group of people that for us has become part of the villain cast, was actually a group that was looked up to by the common person in Jesus day. That realization changes everything that we hear Jesus say about the Pharisaical traditions. These were the ones that the people aspired to be like. Yet, Jesus was seemed to have very little good to say about them. The Pharisees were revered is because they were the ones that had time to think and reason – these were the men that had the time to sit and pray, the ones with seats at the Eastern wall, the ones who had time to discuss the holy books. In many ways, they were the privileged class.

The story of the privileged class is a long one. But by and large these are the ones that have decided the laws for our nations. And throughout history, it has often been easy to tax the poor because they were the ones too busy trying to survive to join in on the conversation. Even today, this problem is discussed every time the subject of taxation is raised. And the people in the conversation will list off very articulately the reasons for why the rich should not bear the tax load. But the poor are not represented – they are still too busy just trying to survive.

Amos looks at the grain tax and the straw tax and sees it as another example of the rich finding ways to steal money from the poor. And his message is that in spite of the wins that the rich feel they have obtained, it is only a temporary situation. They will build their houses of stone (in that day a luxury) but will not live in them for long – because the tax structure that they have built will crumble under its own weight. God has heard the cry of the poor – and he is already on his way, ready to answer.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 6

Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. – Amos 4:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 21, 2013): Amos 4

The Atheist Church has become a reality of our age. The idea behind the church is that those who do not believe in a deity still experience the same need for community as do the religious people. And so the obvious answer for the need is church. Now, most of the Atheistic gatherings are not called church, rather they often give it the title of the Sunday Meeting – but it is still church, only a church devoid of God. The Atheistic Church offers ordination and letters of good standing; it allows the ordained shepherds of atheism to have the same rights and privileges of the ordained clergy of other faiths - all without the cumbersome problem of a belief in God.

The Atheist Church has become a reality, but it has been with us for a while. The Christian Church has long been the place where closet atheists have found community. They walk in and walk with the church, they have gathered in fellowship with us, they have even learned our rules and rituals and have becomes socialized Christians – but they still exist without the cumbersome problem of a belief in God – they just never admit it. The Atheist within the walls of the church has no expectation that God will ever move, that anything outside of the normal would ever happen in their midst. God does not exist; only the social structure and shell of his church remains.

At the very beginning of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the king of the Israel made a decision that he would worship God, but he would do so in his own way. And so the king commanded that two golden calves be created and these calves were presented to the nation of Israel as the God who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt. One of these two calves was set up in Bethel and the other was set up in Dan - and the people came to worship. In Gilgal and other cities strategically chosen throughout the Northern Kingdom, high places were set up for the worship of Baal and Asherah. And in this, the people of the North were given a God to worship, but one that was outside of the cumbersome problem of a belief in the God of David – a God that was clearly only concerned with the idea of worship in the Southern Kingdom where the descendants of David still ruled on the throne.

Amos is not amused by their practice. No matter how often they bring their sacrifices to Bethel and Gilgal, it is not to God that they are sacrificing to. In the Mosaic Law there were certain tithes that were brought in every three years, and there is some confusion over the translation of this tithe in this passage with some translators preferring to use days instead of years, but the intent of the passage would seem to be that even if the tithe that was to be brought in every third year was brought in every third day, it would not make a difference. Because what meant anything was not the meeting, and it was not the fellowship, and it was not the sacrifice and it was not the tithe – it was the object of belief – who all of that was given to. Without God, it could only be an empty ritual – and one that would ultimately prove to be unsatisfying because God was not there.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 5

This is what the LORD says: “As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.” – Amos 3:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 20, 2013): Amos 3

In sport, hands lifted up seems to have a double meaning. For the athlete, it often means I didn’t do it. But for the referee in charge of the game it often identifies the main suspect of the crime. Often I wonder if athletes could just learn to ignore the result of the illegal action if fewer penalties would get called. Probably the answer is no – but all of this hand raising just seems to make the refs job too easy. But it is not just in the arena of sports that we play the anti-blame game. We often appear to want to escape the responsibility we bear for our own actions. And sometimes we even ask God to play that role in our lives. We come to God with our apologies hoping that somehow we can escape the consequences for what it is that we have done. But it doesn’t really work that way. Forgiveness does not always mean that there is not a price to be paid for our deeds – that somehow miraculously consequences can be waived. Sometimes we still have to pay the bill that we have run up with our own behavior.

The Law of Moses specifically states that the shepherd is responsible for the sheep under his care. The only way that the law is ever overturned and the shepherd is considered blameless is if what happened to the sheep is obviously beyond the shepherd’s ability to protect or beyond the shepherd’s capability to control– for instance, in the case of a lion attack. No master would ever blame the shepherd for the loss of sheep because of a lion – obviously a lion trumps whatever actions could have been taken by the shepherd. So after a lion attack it, was the shepherd’s responsibility to collect whatever small remains that could be found to prove the existence of an attack – and the shepherd’s innocence in the loss of sheep.

God is speaking through Amos about the future of Israel and God is telling them that he is the innocent shepherd. This is a hard allusion for those of us who hold to the idea that God is in control of everything because God seems to be saying that what is about to happen to Israel is outside of his ability to protect and his ability to control. He will rescue the remnant of the attack, but the remnant will be proof of his innocence just as it is for the shepherd on the hill. What is about to happen is totally the responsibility of the people who have chosen their own paths.

I am convinced that God could be in control, he could be omnipotent, but in his relationship with humankind he has chosen to give up that power – and hand it over to us. And the result of that decision is that fate no longer reigns over our lives. We are the ones that have the control to shape our lives in its most important aspects. And when we crash and burn, there is really no one left to blame – but us.      

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 4

They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines. – Amos 2:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 19, 2013): Amos 2

I believe that the leaders of the church will answer someday for the way that we have handled the money that people have entrusted to us. Our culture has an incredible negative image of the church often because of the horror stories that have emerged over the last few decades of what we have done with people’s money. Stories of the air conditioned dog houses of ministry leaders have penetrated to the heart of many people’s image of the church. And the insane luxuries that some ministry executives have called their right were purchased from the offerings of people living on fixed incomes and concerned for the world in which they lived.

Amos speaks to the nation that he lives in and loves, and he says that they are under judgment for the way that they are handling the money (in the form of the possessions of the people –specifically the possessions of the poor) entrusted to them. Specifically, Amos seems to be connecting the current religious experience in 

Israel with the command of God in Exodus which specifically states that “If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate” (Exodus 22:26-27.) Amos was watching the church and the idolatry of the priests that were taking the cloaks from the people (as a pledge of payment) and then they were laying these same cloaks down beside the altar and then eating on top of them. At this point in history, people would recline beside a table and eat the food. And in this case, the priests were using the altar of God as if it was a common dinner table, and they were taking the cloaks of people and lying them down on the ground while they were eating – apparently they were afraid that they might get the floor of the temple dirty and so they protected the floor with the cloaks that they had taken in as a pledge. And if they were using them to eat on, they were not returning the cloaks so that the people would have something to keep them warm at night. And the cry of the people had gone up to God and then back down to Amos. Amos had heard the concern of God, and now the shepherd was about to call out the religious structure of the nation.

This might have been the reason why Amos was given the task rather than someone from within the established church. The church had been compromised and it needed to be someone from outside the church that confronted the church with the message.

As hurt as I am by some of the things that people like Bill Maher or Richard Dawkins might say about the church, I am willing to admit that they might have a message from God that I need to hear. And we deserve a lot of the criticism that the world holds for us. It is up to us to hear the message and make the change.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 3

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. – Amos 1:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 18, 2013): Amos 1

I am a second career pastor. All that means is that there was a time in my life when I had another job – or as some would call it, a real job. I have been involved in both the automotive industry and the pharmacological industry for, what seems to me to be, significant periods of my life. So it should not be surprising that a few years ago my roles got crossed. I had left the pharmacy for a position as a youth pastor in a church, when a good friend of mine from the pharmacy days called me with the news that his wife had died. And the conversation over the next couple of days was progressive. At first, my friend asked if I would attend the funeral but over gradually the question changed to will you be “the Pastor” in charge of the funeral. And of course I said yes. So a couple of days later my wife and I were making a trip to be at the funeral. After the funeral, I was talking to a few of the people that attended the service and one lady was a little confused and came up to me with a question – who was I? And so I explained my current ministry position and the response was – then why does everybody I ask say that you work in a Pharmacy. And so I then explained my previous job in a local pharmacy.

We know nothing about Amos. The only place where Amos is mentioned in the Bible is in the book of Amos. No other written account that we have contains the story of Amos. And the probable reason why is mentioned in the first verse of the book of Amos. Amos was a second career prophet – in fact it might be that this is the only moment in Amos career where he fulfills the prophetic office. Amos was not part of them prophetic school. He had no education that would lead him into this area of ministry. Amos was a shepherd. And I am sure that someone in Israel received the prophetic words of Amos and replied with “but he is just a shepherd.”

As a point of fact, Amos does not actually use the normal word shepherd in his introduction. He calls himself a sheep raiser, and it might be that he chose that description of himself because he wanted to distance himself from any spiritual connection that his listeners might have with the word ‘shepherd.’ He was simply a man that spent his time literally with sheep. But God had still called him to deliver an important message.

One of the phrases that I hear from people is that they do not know enough to talk to people about God. And that is not true. If God chooses us to speak a word of truth in any situation that we might find ourselves – and I believe that this is not an uncommon experience – we need to speak those words with great humility knowing that they are coming directly from God, even if we are just sheep raisers fresh from spending time in the field with the sheep.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 2

Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” – Jonah 3:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 17, 2013): Jonah 3 & 4

I recently read Todd Burpo’s book “Heaven is for Real” for a Hot Topics discussion night. I am still not sure that I agree with the basic premise of the book, but I do agree that God moved in a miraculous way in young Colton’s life. But it hit me how often the worst that could happen, was exactly what did happen in the story. Mom and Dad were afraid that Colton’s appendix had burst, even when the doctor’s at the hospital indicated that that was not the case – only to find out that Colton’s appendix had indeed burst. The scene in the story where the family finally gets to go home, and they get all of their stuff packed up and get to the elevator doors only to find out that the infection has spread – and they are not going home. And again, it may have not been voiced, but this was the moment that mom and dad would have feared.

A couple of years ago, I was in the hospital and the guy in the bed across me actually experienced the “you’re going home – you’re not going home” scenario. He was actually from a small town in the north country, a couple of hours away from the hospital. And in the morning he was told that he was going home – and he phoned a friend to get someone to drive down to the hospital to pick him up, but by the time the friend arrived to take him home the prognosis had changed and he was no longer allowed to leave the hospital. And when that happens to you, it plays with your mind and your expectations.

Jonah finally gets to Nineveh and speaks God’s message to the people. Miraculously, the people actually listened to Jonah, and the king heard the message of Jonah and issues his own decree to the people. The message of the king to the people is that they should repent, because maybe even now God will relent and not bring judgment on the nation. And that was exactly the message that Jonah feared the most. He wanted Nineveh to pay for their evil, and he feared that God was a merciful God who would refuse to send calamity in the final frame.

Some experts have said that Jonah would have been a good evangelist because he knew firsthand the effects of repentance and the mercy available from God. But I think the truth was the reverse. Jonah knew the mercy of God and therefore he did not want to be the missionary to Nineveh. And the message that he preached, he probably spoke to fulfill the letter of the command of God, but no more than that. What the king suspected, Jonah knew was true. God was a merciful God, full of grace and forgiveness that was available even to the evil people of Nineveh. And that knowledge filled Jonah with fear – not hope.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 1

When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. – Jonah 2:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 16, 2013): Jonah 1 & 2

There is currently an advertisement on television where I live where a man questions his ability to retire. It is probably a question a lot of us are struggling with. And in the ad the man outlines his shifting priorities through life. In the beginning, it had been family issues. But then those faded and business issues took the forefront of his thought – and money. So at the age of fifty he had little saved up for retirement, and he felt it was almost too late to start. But that was when he found (the product being advertised), and now his retirement is assured. Obviously, the ad is directed at the myriad of people who have retirement anxiety. And it is a well placed prod. There are a lot of people in our aging society who have exactly that question. While retirement preparation was never a priority in their youth – taking a back seat to family and business issues – now it is problem that needs to be solved.

The idea of shifting priorities is not new. Life has a way of sharpening our focus on the important things as it passes. The things that we think are important during our teenage years are very seldom the things that we consider important later in life. Often, the things that are most important at the start of life are considered trivial by the end of our existence.

Jonah starts off his story as being a very principled man. What was important to him was the way that life 

was lived, and the idea of forgiveness was a distant thought. Actually, it would seem that God was a distant thought. What was vital was that those who work get paid, and those who live right lives be rewarded for their diligence – and conversely those who had made the choice to live lives of evil were punished. And the people in Nineveh definitely fell into the ‘evil that needs to be punished’ category. But as Jonah’s life begins to ebb away, his questions and beliefs begin to change. His thoughts begin to move away from right and wrong and move toward God. He remembers the temple, the place where sacrifices are made for the sins of man – and realizes that as much as he wants to believe that he has lived a just life, the truth is that he stands as much in need of forgiveness as Nineveh. The questions of life have changed.

If there is a failure for Jonah, it is that the lessons learned in the belly of the whale do not stay with him. As soon as he is delivered from danger, he also seems to leave the hard questions he asked ‘when his life was ebbing away.’ It is a danger for all of us. And success often involves the discipline of asking the important questions of life before the time comes when the important also becomes the critical.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jonah 3 & 4

Note: The VantagePoint Community Church (Edmonton) message "Caught in the Act" from the series "I Married a Prostitute" is now available on the VantagePoint website. You can find it here.

But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. – 2 Kings 14:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 15, 2013): 2 Kings 14

A few years ago I had a friend that seemed to be in continual conflict. His relationship with his wife was in trouble and the kids seemed to be out of control. It appeared that every area of his life was embroiled in conflict. Eventually the conflict in his life subsided, but that was when he seemed to start to search for conflict in other areas of his life. Oh, he would profess his hate for conflict, but almost without thought he seemed to find another argument or fight to throw himself into. In his mind the conflicts were unavoidable. Soon it became very noticeable that he seemed to be happy only when he was in the midst of a fight. He would never admit it, but it became apparent that his life now resolved around the various conflicts in his life. The disagreements that once were a shock to the system were now simply a necessary component of his life.   

Sometimes the fight is addictive. If we exist in a state of conflict too long, we find that we need the conflict to live. Whether it is the chemicals that our body emits during times of stress - or just that we learn to be comfortable in the conflict, our body begins to crave the argument – and we can find fights around every corner. It happens individually – but it also happens with organizations. Peace loving people are mystically transformed into people craving just one more fight.

Amaziah is described as a man who did right in the eyes of God. He was the son of Joash, and it seemed that at the beginning of his reign he possessed both the strengths and the weaknesses of his father. But then something happened. The ‘what’ was a fight against Edom – a fight in which he prevailed. But when the war was won, Amaziah appears to have built up a need for one more fight. Bolstered by his win over Edom, Amaziah turns his attention to his brothers in the North. But Jehoash, the King of Israel was not looking for a fight.

In Eastern cultures, hard conversations were often dealt with through the use of parables – and that is exactly what Jehoash decides to do here. His response to the invitation to do battle is both wise and diplomatic. He does not want conflict with his southern brother, but he also will not shy away from the battle. In the parable, he compares Amaziah to a thistle and himself to a cedar. Amaziah may be able to inflict some pain on the wild beast, but in the end it would only be the cedar, Jehoash, that would continue to stand.

Amaziah would end up ignoring the parable – and lose his freedom in the process. For Amaziah, the cedar of 

Lebanon would prove to be one fight too many.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jonah 1 & 2

Nothing had been left of the army of Jehoahaz except fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had destroyed the rest and made them like the dust at threshing time. – 2 Kings 13:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 14, 2013): 2 Kings 1

If it was not for the Treaty of Versailles, the Nazi party may never have risen to power in Germany. That is a huge statement. And I cannot say that the Treaty was the only reason for the rsie of the Nazi’s and Hitler, but it was a key element in setting the conditions that would make their rise possible. You see, there is a reason why the Nazi Party has never come to power in North America. It is not because they are absent – they are here. And as much as I want to say that it because we have a high level of morality on this side of the pond, we don’t and that really is not the reason. Rather, the reason why the Nazi’s have never come to power is because there has been nothing to create the necessary conditions needed to allow them to rise.

Part of the Treaty of Versailles did was cripple Germany. She was crippled economically during a time when the rest of the world was getting richer and richer – the roaring twenties. It mandated that Germany could keep no standing army so that they could never again become a threat to Europe. The lack of a standing army, the absolute inability of the nation to stand up and defend itself in times of need, cut at the pride of the nation. And as Hitler rose to power, he fed into those two things. As the thirties progressed Germany defaulted on both of these conditions. The world was taunted into coming back into the country to compel Germany to comply – but they never did. The war was so long ago and so many things had happened since that time – the attitude was that maybe Germany had paid enough (which I think was very true), but Russia and the West were unable to see that the very conditions that had been imposed on Germany at the end of the First World War to stop Germany from becoming a threat again, were the very factors that would allow a charismatic militaristic leader to lead the nation into the Second World War – the very conflict that the world had been trying to avoid.

If we have the image in our minds of Germany at the end of the First World War, with all of the rules and regulations that regulated what the nation could and could not do, that is the image of Israel at this point in their history. They are a nation that exists at the very crossroads of the world, conditions that should have made them an economic force in the world – and yet they are poor and oppressed. And to make sure that Israel will never be a threat to the nations of the Middle East and of the Near East, her military has been reduced to a level where she can no longer even protect herself.

It might be that we should have known that something would happen in Europe if Germany was humiliated, because Israel would fight their way back and defeat their oppressors three times, gaining back all that was lost. And, it might also be true that when we humiliate or bully a nation or a person, we put ourselves on the opposite side of the conflict from God – he is the One who is concerned about the oppressed and the humiliated - and warring against God is never a constructive way to spend our time.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 14

They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. – 2 Kings 12:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 13, 2013): 2 Kings 12

In fiscal politics, there often seems to be a tug of war between those that want to manage the nation’s expenses and those that want to raise the tax load on the people. But our reality is that in any nation or organization that is growing, the result of growth is that finances will tend to be tight. But that does not make the managing of the finances any easier.

The church’s finances – as was the situation with the Temple before her - have always been dependent on the generosity of the people. The change that is possible is really in the hands of those who contribute to the common purse. But there is another reality. There have been times when the church has been guilty of abusing the generosity of her people. There have been times when high profile church leaders have been more concerned with their own comfort than the purpose that forms the reason for the churches existence on the planet. A number of years ago I listened as a Los Angeles Pastor defended his own high salary. His defense was that he preached a gospel of wealth and prosperity, so why should he not share in that wealth. But his truth was that many that gave to his ministry lived closer to the poverty line than any of them would probably want to admit – after all, in these circles a lack of money was an indication of a lack of faith.

This short statement about the rebuilding of the Temple indicates that Joash had found honest men to be in charge of the repairs of the temple. The truth was that this was not the first time that repairs to the temple had been attempted. And it had never been a lack of finances that had resulted in the failure of the temple restoration projects. The failure had been in the hands of those that handled the money. That was the reality that during the reign of Joash had changed. Joash found honest men to handle the money, and this one reality resulted in real repairs to a broken down Temple.

Our fiscal circumstances are never just about the income or the expenses. It has to be about both. When the people are generous and the organization is honest and responsible – there will be enough money. And this principal definitely works for the purposes of the church – and I believe that it should also work well with our nations. But God’s financial plan requires good people on both sides of the equation.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 13

But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. – 2 Kings 11:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 12, 2013): 2 Kings 11

In the 1976 Neil Simon comedy “Murder by Death,” Lionel Twain, played by author Truman Capote, explains the reason for the evening activities (and also for a seeming lack of an actual murder – other than the ‘killing’ of an evening.) Speaking to the gathered fictional detective characters he complains about the way that that their books have been structured. “You've tricked and fooled your readers for years. You've tortured us all with surprise endings that made no sense. You've introduced characters in the last five pages that were never in the book before. You've withheld clues and information that made it impossible for us to guess who did it. But now, the tables are turned. Millions of angry mystery readers are now getting their revenge.” But the problem with Twain’s comment is that real life often seems to have those surprises that occur in the final chapter. No matter how hard we try to cover all of the possible outcomes, it still seems to be the one that we missed that turns the story.

Athaliah’s purpose was to remove every person that stood between her and the throne. And the process started with a killing all of the royal princes. In the process she would have to remove every eligible descendant of David. And she almost succeeded. Except that God reserved the right to protect a son for the final chapter. It is quite probable that the infant Joash was injured and left for dead among the other princes. When he was found he was taken to a bed-chamber connected to the temple. The room itself would not have been a suite, but rather a closet where the bed and bedclothes were placed out of the way during the day. As such it made a perfect place to hide the young king while his wounds were nursed and the boy matured.

And because it was a place reserved for the Levites, it was also a place where the young king could be taught about God – and removed from the evil to which Athalia had committed herself. Athalia would establish the exclusive worship of Baal throughout Judah; she would be responsible for shutting down all services in the temple, and she would give over the sacred vessels of the sanctuary to the priests of Baal. The condition of Judah was so low at the time that no one was able to resist Athaliah's vicious theft of the authority of the king over the land. But God would reserve a character of his own to emerge at just the right moment – in the final chapter.

As much as I believe in our own free will, I also believe that God also has everything under control. And if things are not quite looking right, it is probably because the final scene still has to be played. When God is involved, the unexpected is often the norm – and something that we should learn to expect.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 12

... choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.” – 2 Kings 10:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 11, 2013): 2 Kings 10

In the movie “Gunless” a gunslinger, “The Montana Kid” played by Paul Gross, out of the old west wanders into a small Canadian town that does not seem to have the slightest appreciation for the brutal code of the West. Feeling insulted, the gunslinger tries to pick a fight with the blacksmith of the town, but no one in the town has a working pistol. For the rest of the movie, The Montana Kid tries to fix a gun for his opponent to use in the dual - and convince the residents and the blacksmith that there should indeed be a fight – even if it is a fight that the blacksmith, who has never used a pistol, is sure to lose.

Jehu’s rise to power in Israel was so rapid that it was a little startling. But he was not a descendant of Ahab, the ruling house of Israel.  There were a number of sons of Ahab living in Samaria – this passage mentions seventy such sons which probably included Ahab’s grandchildren, but as of this moment none of them is sitting on the throne of the nation. So Jehu issues a challenge. He wants to be seen as the legitimate ruler of Israel, but that can only happen if either the legitimate house surrenders to his authority or if there are no legitimate descendants to take the throne – and to be blunt it was the second option that produced the more secure result; if there were still descendants alive they could come back at a time when they were stronger and make a claim for the throne.

So Jehu decides to play the role of “The Montana Kid.” He essentially challenges the house of Ahab to put someone on the throne of Israel – the best that the House of Ahab had to offer - and although he does not quite say it, the implication was that Jehu would do battle with whoever it was that the House of Ahab would put on the throne forever deciding which House in Israel would rule in the nation. But the reality was that the House of Ahab had about as much chance of defeating Jehu has the blacksmith of a small Canadian town had of killing “The Montana Kid” in the movie “Gunless.”

Jehu’s demand could very well have been an attempt to see how much of a fight was left in the descendants of Ahab. But he would not have to wait long for the answer – because Israel’s response to Jehu’s demand was to kill all of the sons of Ahab. Israel wanted to have no quarrel with Jehu – but that is another story.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 11

Jezebel’s body will be like dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel.’ – 2 Kings 9:37

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 10, 2013): 2 Kings 9

A few years ago my family went for a vacation drive. We were actually on our way back from a family gathering in Eastern Canada, and some people do not realize that the shortest and most direct way to get from Eastern Canada to Western Canada is to go through the United States. And since we were heading into the States anyway, I had some wonderful memories of South Dakota, especially of the Wall Drug Store and the badlands of South Dakota. So we made a family decision that we would return home through South Dakota, and actually spend a few days just enjoying the rugged beauty and attractions and awesome history of the State.

One of the things that we ended up doing (and I am not sure that I know why, because this is not a common family activity for us) was that we spent some time walking through cemeteries – because there, in the cemeteries of the state, were buried names that I had known since my childhood. People like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane have found their final resting place in South Dakota. And we could walk through the graveyard and see the monuments and remember the stories of these people from the Old West. Both the good and the bad can be found there – and an era can be, albeit nostalgically, remembered.

The curse of Jezebel is that there will never be a place where people can go just to remember – there will never be a place where people can go to shed a tear for Jezebel. And maybe that is the worst outcome that any of us can face. Just as Elijah was the stranger that just seemed to appear, Jezebel would be the princess who just seemed to disappear. While Elijah was taken up in a chariot of fire to heaven, For Jezebel it was the dogs that came and carried her remains away before anyone could do anything to honor her body in any way. It is a fate that most of us would not wish on our enemies.

All that we have left of Jezebel is this caricature of an evil women. In a time and a place where monuments were important, Jezebel left none. For a person to live and then die and yet the passing of life is not mourned, well, it is as if that person never lived – never made a difference. For Jezebel, on the day of her death the world drew a sigh of relief. And she became the Queen and the Princess that never really was. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 10 

But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king. – 2 Kings 8:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 9, 2013): 2 Kings 8

I have always loved mysteries. Whether they come in the form of a book, T.V. show or a movie, I am quickly involved in the story line and, of course, the task of trying to figure out what is going on before the end of the story. But the stories I read or watch have an advantage over the real life variety. In my stories, all of the clues lead in a single direction, even if at first it does not appear that they do. By the time the story is finished, it is obvious “who done it.” Sometimes by the time the all of the clues have been assembled, the perpetrator in the story usually confesses their guilt and everything is neatly wrapped up.

In real life, that is usually not the case. Some of the most famous crimes in history remain unsolved. We still do not know the identity of Jack the Ripper in the late 19^th century. The Zodiac killer in Northern California remains unknown. In both of these cases there is an abundance of evidence and theories, but no solution. Even the murder of Andrew Jackson Borden and his wife Abby officially remains an unsolved murder. In spite of all of the evidence and rumors to the contrary, their daughter Lizzie was never convicted of the crime (and in spite of the song, they never really proved that the axe they found in the house was actually the murder weapon.)

So it probably should not be much of a surprise that the death of Ben-Hadad, the King of Aram, has also been the subject of controversy – in spite of the title printed in most English Bibles announcing the passage as being about the murder of Ben-Hadad (the English subtitles, like the chapter breaks and the verses, are not part of the original text.) The problem is that the description of what happened on the day that Ben-Hadad died is ambiguous at best. The text simply says that Hazael took a thick cloth and moistened it and placed it over his face of Ben-Hadad so that He died. And there might be the thought that in the mind of the writer of the text that this was murder, but it was definitely not a murder that could be proven. And the problem is two-fold. First, it would have been common, in that day, for a man to sleep with his face covered. It was necessary to cover the face to keep the mosquitoes and bug from feasting during the night. And when a fever took a man, again it was common practice for the care giver to take the bed clothes and moisten them and lay them over the body and face of the one afflicted. So, in this description of what happened we find what would have been common practice of a caregiver. If Ben-Hadad choked and died because of the action of Hazael, which is an uncertain proposition at best, it could have been that Hazael made a mistake and accidently placed two much water in the bed clothes in an attempt to bring the fever down. We just don’t know.

But it was to Hazael benefit that Ben-Hadad died, and therefore the rumor began to spread that Hazael was guilty of murder – not that it could ever be proved, but it was suspected. Biblical Scholars have long stood on both sides of the argument. We just do not know what Hazael’s intention really was. And the problem of not knowing the intention of an action is a very real problem in our world. We see the action, but very seldom do we see the intention. And when we judge according to the action believing that we know the intention, we are participating in a failure of justice. This is the reason why in some nations they have placed a high value on innocence, and anyone who is accused of a crime is said to be “considered innocent until proven guilty.” In a very real way that guilt, unlike what we read or watch, can never be proven. But we have to work hard at the case, considering all of the angles that the crime could be viewed from – so that we can come to a place where we are satisfied that we understand the intention behind the crime. And we will make mistakes – sometimes the guilty will go free, and sometimes the innocent will be proven guilty – but in our culture our hope is that we will set the guilty free more often than we pronounce guilt on the innocent.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 9

Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”– 2 Kings 7:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 8, 2013): 2 Kings 7

Back in the seventies, Larry Norman wrote a song called “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” And one of the lines in the song speaks of a time of incredible famine in which “a piece of bread could buy a bag of gold.” It is an incredible reality that the things that we thing are precious lose their ability to satisfy in those moments when life is threatened. So, when you are hungry and there is no food, you are willing to part with a lot of your possessions just to be fed. When you are thirsty, you are willing to pay high prices just to drink (and the prices of drinks in any stadium or even any movie theater in North America stands as proof of the amount of money we are willing to pay when we are thirsty.)

Samaria is under siege, and there is no food. And the discussions among the people of the things that they are willing to do for food has already begun within the city walls. Even the king has admitted that maybe the time has come to leave the security of the city walls and turn the city over to the Syrians – all so that there might be food once more in the city.

And Elisha knows exactly what it is that the people are thinking about, and so he begins to speak of what is about to happen, and specifically about the availability of food, within the city walls. And the prophecy is that about this time tomorrow, everything is will return to normal. The gate of Samaria, which was an ancient version of the mall down the street, will begin to be a place of commerce where food can once more be bought – and not only will food be bought there, but the prices will return to normal.

It was beyond what anyone could imagine. There was no reason why the Syrian’s would give up the siege – and no reason why food should be brought back into the city. If there was ever a prophecy given that seemed to be absolutely impossible, this was it. But King Jehoram, and the people of Samaria who had scoffed at God, were about to experience what God thought of the things that we think are impossible – and of the grace that he had even for those who refused to believe in him.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 8

While he was still talking to them, the messenger came down to him. The king said, “This disaster is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” – 2 Kings 6:33

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 7, 2013): 2 Kings 6

One of the basic truths of life is that if we walk west, we will end up somewhere west of our starting position. It should not be a mystery, and yet it seems to be. One of the comments that I hear from people is that they don’t seem to know how they got to the place where they find themselves. And I want to scream at them, I know how you got there – you walked. Every day you made decisions and steps that slowly carried you from the place that you were to the place where you are now. And you have showed up in my office to ask me to miraculously take you back to the place where you used to be – and I can’t do that. The best that I can do is to start you walking back to that former life point. But, if it took you ten years to walk to this place, you can expect that it will take you a while to get back.  In life, each one of us has the ability to shape what it is that our future will look like, but that ability often lies in the small everyday choices of life (and not the huge, earth shattering decisions that we pretend to make.) It is those choices that are going to dictate the things that we will experience in the future.

Samaria is under siege. The armies of Syria are sitting outside of the city walls, and, not surprisingly, inside the city things are a little tense. Food has become scarce, the people are frightened, the future is uncertain and life is now being questioned. But none of this should have been unexpected. Israel had made the small decisions that had carried them right to this point in their history. And the king’s response was to threaten the life of Elisha, the prophet of God, because he believes that God is ultimately responsible for the disaster now taking place. It is a very common response. Instead of placing the blame on our own shoulders – we blame God. King Jehoram has gone as far to pledge that on this day he would separate Elisha’s head from his body – and he meant it quite literally.

So as Jehoram enters into Elisha’s Bible study and speaks these words – blaming God for the disaster and proclaiming that there is no use of waiting any longer on God – I am not exactly sure what it is that Jehoram is speaking about. It might be that he means that there is no use waiting out the siege – it is time to walk out to the Syrian army and surrender the city, depending on their grace, or it might be that this is the moment to separate Elisha’s head from his body (by the way, if you are wondering which I believe it is – I think it is the first option, but I am not sure that he didn’t want Elisha to believe it was the second.)

But the truth of Jehoram’s situation was that in he had never really waited on God. He had treated God as he would have treated any of his servants, commanding God to do good things in his life without even thinking that there might be something that God expected of him. Serious trouble should have left Jehoram with a desire to really get in touch with God, but instead Jehoram simply wants to give up. But the question that remained was that if he refused to wait on God, what could he do? And that might be why, once more, he finds himself in the presence of Elisha, not to kill him, but to simply hear what the man of God had to say.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 7

As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” – 2 Kings 5:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 6, 2013): 2 Kings 5

A number of years ago I spoke in a church during a special week of services. I had just been released from the hospital with a serious leg infection and I was not supposed to have my leg down – and I had to drive ten hours to the place where I was scheduled to speak. And they had left the subject of what I wanted to speak on up to me – which admittedly is always a dangerous thing to do. I decided that I would speak on the subject of forgiveness. So on the first night of the services I introduced the subject with a story of a pastor who had run off with the secretary of the church, and of his eventual repentance, but that the churches all over the city in which he had ministered continued to turn their backs on him. It had gotten to the point he had board members meet him at the door of churches that he had wanted to come and visit and ask him to go away. And that first night all I wanted the people who had gathered there to understand was that forgiveness is our responsibility. What I did not know – and could not know - was that I had just read their mail. While the story I told was true, it had originated 3000 miles away from where I was preaching – but they had gone through exactly the same things that had happened in the story. They were insulted by the story – and on some level even angry that I had picked on their sin. But the truth was that I didn’t know what had happened in their church a decade earlier.

Naaman has leprosy. In the ancient world, leprosy was not curable – in fact, not only could it not be cured, it seemed to spread like wildfire through a society. So the king of Aram sends Naaman to Israel in the hopes that maybe the prophet Elisha could heal him. But the custom of the day was that the letter would have only spoken in generalities – and the specifics would have been left to the letter carrier. The letter that Jehoram read probably went something like this – “To Jehoram, King of Israel from the King of Aram. This is my servant Naaman. Naaman has leprosy and needs to be cured.” All Jehoram can think about as he reads the letter is that the King of Aram wanted war - because what was being requested could not be accomplished by anyone on the face of the earth.

The truth might have been that it was God that was getting ready for a fight. Because as Jehoram receives the letter, he does not even consider what God might be able to do. He is just angry with what is being asked of him. Our greatest mistake – and sin – is that in the midst of the situations that life throws at us we forget that God is here and that he cares. That was exactly what Jehoram did. And, sometimes, we need to listen to the words that are spoken to us – and letters that are given to us - because it might just be that it is God that is doing the speaking and that the person that is standing in front of us is simply being used by God to get our attention.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 6