Category: Through the Bible Devotions

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A box for God’s people

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the Bible” devotion from 1 Kings 8.

“Will God indeed dwell on earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house which I have built” (1 Kings 8:27).

So why build a temple? Why build a church? Why make it look like your God lives in a box?

We naturally have places for things. Countries have capitals where the government is. Kitchens have cabinets where we stack the plates. Houses have shelves where we line up our books. Medicine cabinets hold all our pills.

So why wouldn’t you have a place for your God?

For many people, walking into church makes you feel closer to God. For some that’s a good feeling. For others, it’s ominous.

But some feel close to God walking down a trail through the woods. or looking up at a starry sky. Or holding an infant. Or reading a bible.

Bottom line: the box is for people, not God. The building is a place to gather and to be together. It’s a place to learn together, cry together, pray together, and celebrate together. If we could do it in our homes, we would, just like the early church. But when the Holy Spirit does his thing and the church grows, we just might need a bigger place to gather. It could be the beach. Or an amphitheater. Or a sanctuary.

No you can’t confine God to a box. But he’ll be there, wherever his people gather.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

How much is all this going to cost?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“So Solomon built the house [of God] and finished it.” (1 Kings‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬).

When I asked a Bible study class how much they thought should be spent on a church building, most replied, “Less than we do.” I thought that was an interesting answer. People like beautiful, well-maintained spaces for worship. But many underestimate the cost and commitment involved.

The temple Solomon built in Jerusalem was beautiful. Huge rocks from a quarry. Cedar-paneled walls overlaid with gold. Carved angels, engraved Palm tree and flowers, and olive wood doors. The furnishings and fabrics were exquisite.

How much did this all cost? Scholars disagree. At the very least it’s tens of millions of dollars in today’s currency. It probably cost far more than that. Too much? Appropriate for the Almighty God?

It’s true that the overhead of a building consumes a significant part of a congregation’s budget. But it’s also true that a church building is a visual that God is a part of a community. It provides a place for God’s people to gather and encourage one another to live out our faith. It is a place to go in the worst moments of life to find hope. It’s a place that reminds us we’re not alone in this. We rejoice, mourn, live, and die together as God’s people.

God didn’t need a temple. Neither did his people. They worshipped for a long time without one. They would still fall into sin with one.

When a woman anoints Jesus’s feet with costly perfume, he’s touched by the nice thing she did for him. Perhaps we should look at temples and church buildings in a similar way.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

It’s getting crowded in here

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 4.

You begin as two. You have a few kids. Before you know it, they’ve grown up. They get married. They begin to have children.

Suddenly, you hardly have room for everyone for a birthday or holiday get together. You don’t have enough chairs for everyone to sit at the dinner table. There isn’t enough room in the driveway for everyone’s cars.

What a wonderful problem to have!

As the writer of 1 Kings describes Solomon’s staff and wealth, he adds this amazing update:

“Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance” (1 Kings 4:20).

This is exactly God promised Abram in Genesis 13:16. It takes a while (about 800 years) but God did it.

I guess that’s a good reminder that many good things don’t happen overnight. Or in the course of a year. Or maybe in a lifetime.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

What should I ask for?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the Bible” devotion from 1 Kings 3.

What do you want for your birthday? What do you want for Christmas? What are your salary expectations? What do you want for supper?

God says to Solomon, “Ask what you want me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5). Later Jesus would say, “Ask…seek…knock” (Matthew 7:7).

A blank check from the omnipotent God. What do you ask for? What do you dare ask for?

It’s got to be big, right? You might not get another chance. But not too big. You don’t want to sound greedy or selfish. Do you ask for something that will last? Or for a moment you’ll never forget?

Solomon asks for “an understanding heart to judge and discern” (3:9). It’s a noble, humble, and insightful request. Probably better than anything I would have thought to ask for.

So God gives Solomon “a wise and discerning heart” (3:12) as well as riches and honor (3:13). Before long, all would know that “the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice” (3:28).

So exactly what is the wisdom of God? What does it look like? I think of it it’s the ability to discern what is going on, so you know what to do or not do in a situation.

  • Knowing the right thing to say. Or when to just be quiet.
  • Knowing when to act. Or when to wait.
  • Knowing how to listen and hear what someone is saying. Or know when they’re lying.
  • Knowing what to ask for when God says, “What do you want?”

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A bloody transition of power

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 1 and 2.

I’ve heard about a “peaceful transition of power” when new leaders are elected and begin their terms of office.

It certainly doesn’t happen like that in scripture.

Adonijah thinks he has a good chance of being king after David. But when David names Solomon as his successor, Adonijah knows he’s in big trouble. Solomon says, “You have nothing to worry about.”

However, when Adonijah makes a play for David’s nurse Abishag, it’s over. Solomon doesn’t give him an inch. He sends Benaiah to execute him. End of that discussion.

Joab was a pretty good general for David, but he was an Adonijah supporter. Solomon has him executed, too.

Then there is Shimei, who threw rocks at David when he was fleeing from Absalom. Solomon puts him under house arrest. But when Shimei goes out looking for some missing servants, Solomon orders his execution, too.

And that when “The kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon” (1 Kings 2:46). I’m amazed at how bloody the transition of power is in the first two chapters of 1 Kings.

It gets messy as God fulfills his promise to David, that his descendants will always be on the throne. Jesus’s life was threatened by King Herod before he’s two years old. He endured a bloody beating and crucifixion before he’s exalted and everyone knew bows and every tongue confesses him to be Lord.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A tough math lesson to learn

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by cottonbro studio on pexels.

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Samuel 24.

The book of 2 Samuel ends on a sad note. Even though Joab advises against it, David takes a census of Israel.

Here we read that the Lord was angry with Israel and he incited David to call for a count of the people. In the parallel text of 1 Chronicles 21:1, it is Satan at work here. This is one of those times when God allowed a temptation, to teach and discipline David.

The results are impressive: his military forces number 1.3 million. But there is a price to pay. Seventy thousand die by plague because of David’s sin. When you are in leadership, your decisions affect a lot of people, and here, an entire nation.

Exodus 30:12 speaks to this. “When you take a census…” be prepared to make atonement for each one, a contribution, so that there won’t be a plague. These are God’s people, not yours.

What’s going on here? Is David simply curious? Or do the numbers bolster his confidence? Is he finding his strength in numbers rather than in God? David learns that God can take it all away.

I guess we all need that reminder. We need a math lesson. You and I have one God. That’s really as far as we need to count.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Strong words about serious victory

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Samuel 22.

When David writes that God his hands for battle, he isn’t kidding (2 Samuel 22:35). David uses vivid and violent words to describe the outcome of the fight.

  • I pursued my enemies and eliminated them (v38).
  • I have devoured and smashed them (v39).
  • I destroyed those who hate me (v41).
  • I pulverized them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like the mud of the streets (v43).

When we’re watching crime series on TV, we often wonder why the police or FBI agents don’t just shoot the legs out from underneath a bad guy, or shoot the gun out of his hand. Those who do more shooting than I do have told me that if you are going to use a gun, you don’t fool around. You shoot to kill. At the shooting range, the person-shaped target has a bull’s eye in the middle of the torso.

David didn’t just chase bears and lions away from the flocks he was tending. He killed them (1 Samuel 17:34). He didn’t just knock Goliath out with a stone. He lopped off his head (1 Samuel 17:51). Victory means you’ve killed the enemy.

Rarely do I characterize my Christian life with ruthless words like pulverize, crush, and trample. But maybe I should.

Maybe that’s why Paul writes that “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). You can’t mess around. The only way to victory is death, which Christ endured for me.

And that’s why I can worship and praise God along with David.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Extra fingers and toes

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Samuel 21.

You start going to war with the Philistines, and you never know who you’re going to run up against. Their forces include giants with giant weapons. And if that isn’t intimidating enough, “There was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot” (2 Samuel 21:20).

Little details like this make make me want say, “Tell me that story again!” I wonder if it gives you an edge in hand-to-hand combat. Can you grip a larger sword or spear? Do you have better balance? Or is it just intimidating?

It’s called polydactyly, and it shows up in 1 out of every 500 to 1,000 babies. The extra digit can be on the thumb side, the pinky side, or in between other fingers or toes. Children with this condition have surgery after age one to correct the condition.

Otherwise, you’d never be able to buy a pair of gloves, right? You’d always have to wear mittens. Wouldn’t you need a custom made glove for baseball? Maybe you’d be a star football receiver. You’d need extra wide shoes or sandals, right?

Would it mess you up as you were learning to count? You’d never be able to give someone a high five, would you?

In the mid 1960’s, Topper Toys actually sold a Sixfinger toy spy gun. It shot five different projectiles, could be used as a secret code clicker, and transformed into a ballpoint pen.

Anyway, if you ever encounter someone with an extra digit or two, don’t panic. David and his warriors handily defeated these giant Philistines (21:22).

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Here…catch!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Erik Mclean on pexels

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Samuel 20.

After Absalom’s death, David has a lot of loose ends to tie up when he returns to Jerusalem. One of them is Sheba who hails from the tribe of Benjamin. He doesn’t support David and rallies others to revolt, too.

Joab, David’s general, leads the search for Sheba and finally besieges the city of Abel Beth-maacah where he’s hiding. With assault ramps in place, they are ready to topple the wall and destroy the city to get to Sheba.

A wise woman speaks to Joab and asks if there might be a peaceful solution. Joab says, “Sure. Just give us Sheba.”

The woman promises, “We’ll throw his head over the wall.” Sure enough, she gets the people to cut off Sheba’s head and toss it to Joab (2 Samuel 20:22).

I’ve thrown pumpkins off the top of a fraternity house. Please don’t ask me why we did this. It must have been after the annual pumpkin patch raid and a lot of beer. It was fun. And it was a mess.

A human head hitting the ground? Not fun. Bloody. Disgusting. A city escapes destruction. Joab and David win a victory. And someone gets to take home a head!

I don’t remember coloring a page about this in Sunday School. We would have needed some extra red crayons!