Tag: bible

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Trusting God or testing God?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Ezra 8.

It sounds like Ezra painted himself into a corner with God.

King Artaxerxes sent Ezra back to Jerusalem to teach and reestablish worship in Jerusalem with plenty of resources to get the job done. But when it’s time to go, Ezra faith is put to the test.

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” (Ezra 8:21,22)

Ezra told the king that he had God on his side. True enough. But Ezra also has a whole bunch of gold, silver, and bronze to take back to Judah. Without some soldiers to accompany him and his fellow travelers, they would be sitting ducks for robbery along the way. But he can’t ask for that. Ezra went all in on God’s protection. There was no going back.

So was Ezra faithful or foolish? Well, they made it, and Ezra gives God all the credit. “The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way” (Ezra 8:31).

It’s really easy to second guess Ezra. Remember when the devil tempted Jesus to leap off the top of the temple, with the assurance that angels would catch him before he hit the ground? Jesus declined, reminding the devil, “You don’t test God.” Of course, you don’t take advice from the devil. He’s a liar. But how do you know if you’re trusting God or testing God?

First of all, Ezra was a priest steeped in the word of God. He knew the promises of God, and knew that the exiles’ return to Jerusalem had been promised by God. This was God’s plan, not his own. If God says it, it’s the right thing to do.

Second, is it about you or about God? If it glorifies him, it’s trust. If it’s for approval from others, you might be going out on a treacherous limb.

Finally, you don’t know. Our hearts are deceitful. We lie to ourselves. We say it’s all about God, when it’s really all about us. Lord, have mercy.

Okay, here’s my conclusion. You’re probably testing God not trusting him. Admit it. Repent. He knows. He forgives. Learn something. Don’t go out on that limb again. Next question?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The best party ever!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nik on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Chronicles 35.

What would make you exclaim, “This was the best Christmas (or birthday or other celebration) ever”? It might be the presents you received. Or the people gathered with you. Maybe the food was outstanding. A live band, fireworks, or an open bar could make an occasion the best ever. How about the amount of debris left to clean up the next day?

“Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 35:1). Boy did he ever! “No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the day so Samuel the prophet” (35:18).

What made this Passover so memorable?

First, the numbers are amazing. 37,600 lambs and young goats were slaughtered and roasted, along with 3,800 bulls. It’s close to twice as big as the Passover King Hezekiah kept, which was best one since Solomon was on the throne (2 Chronicles 30:23-26).

Josiah kept this Passover “according to the word of the Lord by Moses” (35:4). Those repairing the temple discovered the Book of the Law of the Lord. A convicted but repentant King Josiah made sure they followed God’s instructions to the letter.

Finally, the king kept the best Passover ever during the decline of the southern kingdom of Judah. In just a few decades after Josiah’s reign, Babylonians would capture and burn Jerusalem, and take whoever was left into an exile that would last seventy years. Those whom God loved rejected him and every messenger he sent to warn them. He had no choice There was no remedy (36:16).

What’s the best worship event you’ve ever experienced? Anyone who’s been to church has a story about an amazing service. The more I think about it, the more I add to my list. Mine would have to be my call service at the seminary, my son’s ordination, baptizing my children and grandchildren, and my father’s funeral. They were all very different but powerful moments.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

In search of a real prophet

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When Ahab, the king of Israel, asked Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to team up and go to war, Jehoshaphat says, “Sure, but maybe we should ask God about this.” Sound advice.

Ahab has a team of four hundred prophets who all agree, “God will give you the victory!” At that point, I imagine Jehoshaphat rolls his eyes when he asks, “Don’t you have anyone else? Isn’t there another prophet of the Lord we can ask?” He’s either leary of four hundred voices that all have the exact same message, or he knows that Ahab had built shrines for Baal and “did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33).

Ahab replies, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil” (2 Chronicles 18:7).

When Paul told Timothy, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3), he wasn’t telling him anything new. There is, as Solomon told us, nothing new under the sun.

Perhaps we all need to ask ourselves, “Am I listening to what I want to hear, or what I need to hear?” You and I hardly realize it, but social media algorithms make sure we see more digital content of what we like, desire, and approve of. In other words, the online world will always tell you want you want to hear.

Play with it sometime. Get on your preferred social media platform and search for a particular item. Sneakers. Labrador Retrievers. Wine. Before you know it, your feed will be filled with everyone with a cute Lab, wine subscriptions, and state-of-the-art athletic shoes.

Try this, too. Open up your bible. Give God a few minutes to speak to you. It might have nothing to do with what’s on your mind. It might not be what you want to hear at the moment. But it will always be what you need to hear. You might find encouragement, a warning, something shocking, or a promise to hang onto. You’ll hear something that generates questions, shocks you, or even makes you think, “I can’t believe God would say something like that!”

Writers join groups of writers who will honestly critique their work. We need people who will tell us where we need to improve and what we need to work on. Otherwise, with the encouragement of close friends, we never really hone our craft. (Come to think of it, I need to do this.)

Folks in leadership positions often want to have people around them who don’t always agree with them. People who challenge their assumptions. Advisors who make them second-think their decisions.

Couples discover early in their marriage that they are very different from their partner. Each has sought out someone different, someone who can complete what is missing in their lives. It’s not easy, but it is the way we grow and become the person we never could by ourselves.

Thank you, Lord, for those in our lives (pastors, spouses, children, parents) who tell us what we need to hear!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A shipment of baboons

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Lisa Stockton on Unsplash

This is a “through the bible” devotion from 2 Chronicles 9.

I tend to zip through the books of Chronicles, but one verse slows me down and makes me smile. “Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks” (2 Chronicles 9:21).

The writer is describing the wealth of King Solomon, an ancient version of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. Solomon didn’t have to do much to grow his assets. In addition to gold and silver, every explorer merchant, king, and governor who stopped by brought gold, silver, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules (9:24). And apes!

On the one hand, I have to wonder, “Why apes?” On the other hand, when you’ve got money to burn, why not? My research revealed that nobility would train baboons to climb palm trees and bring down coconuts. I suppose that’s like training your dog to bring in the newspaper in the morning.

Besides the parallel passage in 1 Kings 10, this is the only place that apes are mentioned in scripture. My trips to zoos always include time in the primate exhibit. Watching monkeys, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas is as entertaining as any movie or TV show. Baboons are fun to watch, but they usually don’t do much other than look back at me.

When the first Six Flags Great Adventure park opened in Jackson, NJ, it featured a drive-through safari which included a baboon exhibit. We had to keep our car windows closed because the apes would climb on the car and peer in the window at us. If your car had a vinyl landau roof, forget it. The baboons tore many to shreds!

Solomon didn’t have to worry about that. He had lots of chariots but no vinyl. Plus, I’m confident he had skilled trainers for his collection of palm-tree climbing, coconut grabbing baboons.

Posted in Advent devotions

Is it hot in here, or is it me?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by yasin hemmati on Unsplash

Didn’t you hate it when your parents flipped your argument and used it against you? When you got in trouble for doing something, you justified your actions by explaining, “Everyone else was doing it.”

Your parents may have replied, “If everyone else was jumping off the top of a building, would you join them?”

Of course we want to say, “No,” but you and I know that it’s hard to swim upstream and not do what everyone else is doing. It’s hard to be Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when the music starts playing and everyone falls down to worship the giant golden statue King Nebuchadnezzar set up. It’s especially hard when the consequence for noncompliance is the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:4-6).

I’ve often wondered if the Chaldeans had a dedicated furnace they kept on simmer for moments like this. I suppose it might have been a kiln that no one was using to fire pottery.

It couldn’t have been easy, but these three wouldn’t do it. They had no doubt that God was able to save them the furnace. But even if he didn’t, they were not about to worship anyone but him.

Nebuchadnezzar was so furious at their response that he turned up the heat seven times more than normal and tossed them in. When he and his advisors looked in, they were walking around the furnace with a fourth, most likely Christ himself in an Old Testament cameo. The one true God is not just someone you bow down before. He is someone who come alongside you in good and horrible situations.

Hundreds of years later, the devil would pressure Jesus to bow down and worship him. If Jesus would do that, for just a moment, the devil promised to relinquish all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Jesus refuses. First of all, those were already his. Second, God’s word is clear: “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10).

Since most of my readers live in the United States, where we have freedom of religion, we most likely will never be threatened with fire for our beliefs. But we will be influenced by what everyone else is doing.

So it’s a good idea to make every effort to be influenced by the best influencer of all, Jesus.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego get an ornament on the Jesse Tree, reminding us of the one who comes to save, Jesus Christ,.

Posted in Advent devotions

You can run, but you can’t hide

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

When God gives Jonah the task of calling the city of Nineveh to repentance, he does his best to run away.

It turns out that it’s not that easy to run away from God. God sends a storm that threatens to capsize his ship. God sends a fish to swallow Jonah to keep him from drowning when he’s tossed into the sea. And when Jonah prays from the belly of the fish, God is there to answer him. Like David said in the psalm, no matter where you go, God’s already there (Psalm 139:7-10).

(My friend Gene from Denver believed Jonah said, “I never knew a fish had tonsils!”)

So Jonah taps out. He goes to Nineveh to warn them of God’s judgment. Believe it or not, the entire city repents. What a great reminder of the power of God’s word!

And what a great image of who Jesus will be. When religious leaders demanded that Jesus do a sign to validate his claim to be the Savior, he responds, “The only sign you’ll get is the sign of Jonah.” Just as Jonah returned from the depths after three days and nights in the belly of the fish, so Jesus would come back to life on the third day.

Jesus, God’s word in the flesh, also turned many from their sins back to God. His mercy and kindness moved many to repentance. His words brought those dead in sin back to life.

Jonah gets an ornament on the Jesse Tree because he’s a lot like the one who will save us from our sins: Jesus.

Posted in Advent devotions

Let ‘er rip!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

What’s your reaction when you hear scripture being read? You know, like when you’re in church and the pastor reads a passage before a sermon.

Or what about this: how do you respond when you read the bible? You know, in the early morning when you are doing your devotions?

Do you laugh? Cry? Get angry? Feel guilty?

None of the above?

Do you feel anything?

That’s a penetrating question. It’s a bit convicting. I read scripture a lot. Every day, first thing in the morning. I read through the entire bible once a year. I’ve read the bible cover to cover at least three dozen times. I hear scripture read every Sunday in worship services. I listen to the bible through an app on my phone. I hear verses read aloud on Christian radio.

You know what? Most of the time I don’t feel anything. Most of the time, it’s an intellectual encounter with God.

Okay, so let’s compare that with how King Josiah reacted to a scripture reading. When workmen repaired the temple and found the scrolls of God’s Word, the king’s secretary read it to him.

“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes” (2 Kings 22:11).

In Old Testament culture, that means he felt convicted. Josiah was distraught. Devastated. He was so upset that he tore his clothes, the ultimate expression of confession and repentance before God.

So maybe I should ask a different question when I encounter God’s Word. Instead of asking, “What does this mean?” or “How should I apply this?” or “What should I do (or stop doing)?” I could ask, “How does this make me feel?” Does these verses or chapter spark joy? Or do they make me want to throw my bible across the room? Should I be dancing? Or should my eyes tear up?

My dog’s tails betray their feelings. Depending on my tone of voice, their tails might be wagging with delight or be tucked under in submission.

Josiah gets a Jesse Tree ornament because he responded to God’s promises of a Savior. He knew he needed grace. I do too.

Posted in Advent devotions

Instead of

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Sixth, seventh, or eighth on the bench? You’re not a starter. You can wait to sub in to show what you can do on the court.

A substitute teacher? That’s got to be one of the toughest jobs ever. It takes a special person to take on students you don’t know for little pay.

“Playing the part of…” The audience is disappointed that an understudy will be performing. The understudy is thrilled.

When the menu states, “No substitutions,” will you still ask for fruit instead of fries?

“Alexa, what can I substitute for buttermilk?” Answer: milk with vinegar; or sour cream.) Since we’re in the kitchen, you can also substitute granulated sugar and some molasses if you don’t have brown sugar for a recipe.

When God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, Abraham is confident that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). When “Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:13). Just as promised, God provided a substitute for his son.

That is faith. Abraham has confidence. His obedience demonstrates absolute trust. In this story, God paints a picture of who his son Jesus will be. He’ll be a substitute for us, suffering and dying in our place on the cross, suffering the punishment for sin.

Advent is about the coming of a substitute. You could shoot spitballs at him in an unruly classroom. You can cheer him on when he step onto the court. You can applaud when he finally has a chance to take the stage. You can thank God that there are substitutions in his kingdom. You can worship him as the one who stood in for you and took the wrath of God for your sin.

Two words to sum up the gospel? “Instead of.” Forgiveness instead of punishment. Life instead of death. Joy instead of sadness. Hope instead of despair. Light instead of darkness.

And a ram instead of Isaac. Another image of Jesus. Here’s one for the Jesse Tree:

Posted in Advent devotions

From Stump to Savior: An Advent Devotion

Posted on by William Douthwaite

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1,2)

Where I live in Florida, winter means cooler temperatures, but certainly nothing like the cold I’ve experienced when I lived further north. The temperature might dip below freezing one or two days in January or February. When it does, all the leaves fall off my Hibiscus, Mandeville, and Bougainville plants.

That’s my cue to get to work. I cut everything down to the ground and fill up bags for the trash guys to haul away on Wednesday.

Within a week, though, small green shoots with leaves will begin to grow from the stumps I left behind. As the weather gets warmer those shoots will grow inches overnight until a new vine is reaching towards the sky. I gather the new vines and use some twine to keep them close to the backyard fence.

It’s not a wintry blast of cold air that freezes God’s people in the Old Testament. It’s the loving discipline of the Lord for his people who have forsaken him to worship idols. Foreign nations and kings destroy and disperse God’s people.

When God decided that someone with a heart like his needed to be on the throne of Israel, he chose David, the son of Jesse. Not only would David be king, but his descendants would always be king over God’s people.

But once a pagan ruler exiles the people to a pagan place far away from Jerusalem, there doesn’t seem to be much hope. All that’s left to hold onto is the promise that “a remnant will return (Isaiah 10:21). And “there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,” a king descended from David infused with the Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1,2).

This is a messianic promise. That shoot would not be just any king. “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32,33).

That’s right, it’s not over till it’s over. God has the final word, and his word becomes flesh to rule and reign over his people. From that dead stump of disobedient and unfaithful people would come the one who would save his people from their sin, overcome death, and defeat the adversary, Satan.

When Jesus is born, a fresh green shoot starts to grow from the stump of Jesse, rooted in the promises of God. All that Jesus comes to be and do results in life, growth, and fruit. And guess what? By grace, you’ve been grafted into his family by faith. This isn’t just his story. It’s yours. You are part of God’s family.

In the song “Made for More,” Josh Baldwin sings, “I know who I am ’cause I know who You are.” Did you ever stop to think what a wonderful Christmas gift it is to know who you are? By grace you’ve been adopted into his family by faith.

If you’ve forgotten your identity, don’t just get out your wallet and look at your ID. Remember the shoot that comes forth from the stump of Jesse!

Since it’s December and Advent, I thought it would be fun to write some devotions for the season. Some decorate a Jesse Tree in the month leading up to Christmas, so I thought it would be interesting to write about the symbols that hang from its branches to remind us that Christ’s coming begins a long time before his birth in Bethlehem. In fact, we know that God had that day on his calendar before creation. “[God the Father] chose us in [Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:4,5).

When I searched online for a list of Jesse Tree symbols, I found many variations. These devotions are based on one list I found from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. You can find more here: mlc-wels.edu/publications/the-jesse-tree.

I really want to up my readership, so please share this post with anyone you think might be (or needs to be) blessed by some Advent devotions!