Ahab wants Jehoshaphat to join him                  verse 1- 3 

Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance

and joined affinity with Ahab

And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria

and Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance

      and for the people that he had with him

      and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead

And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah

Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead

And he answered him

I am as you are – and my people as your people

and we will be with you in the war

 

Jehoshaphat wants to hear from the LORD        verse 4 

And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel

Inquire – I pray you

at the word of the LORD today

 

Four hundred prophets say to go to war             verse 5 

Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets

four hundred men and said to them

      Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle

or shall I forbear?

And they said

Go up – for God will deliver it into the king’s hand

 

Jehoshaphat asks for another prophet                verse 6 

BUT Jehoshaphat said

Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides

      that we might inquire of him?

 

Ahab tells of a prophet named Micaiah              verse 7- 8 

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat

There is yet one man

by whom we may inquire of the LORD

                  BUT I hate him

For he NEVER prophesied good to me

BUT always evil

      the same is Micaiah the son of Imla

And Jehoshaphat said

Let not the king say so

And the king of Israel called for one of his officers

and said

Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla

 

Zedekiah predicts victory                                    verse 9- 10 

And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah

sat either of them on his throne

clothed in their robes

and they sat in a void place

at the entering in of the gate of Samaria

and all the prophets prophesied before them

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron

and said

Thus says the LORD

            With these you shall push Syria until they be consumed

 

Other prophets agree                                          verse 11 

And all the prophets prophesied so

saying

Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper

            for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king

 

Messenger to Micaiah tell him what to say          verse 12 

And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke to him

saying

BEHOLD – the words of the prophets declare good to the king

with one assent

Let your word therefore – I pray you – be like one of theirs

            and speak you good

 

Micaiah’s first message to Ahab                         verse 13- 14 

And Micaiah

said

As the LORD lives – even what my God says

            THAT will I speak

And when he was come to the king

the king said to him

Micaiah – shall we go to Ramoth-gilead

to battle or shall I forbear?

And he said

            Go ye up and prosper

and they shall be delivered into your hand

 

Ahab confronts Micaiah                                      verse 15 

And the king

said to him

How many times shall I adjure you

that you say nothing but the TRUTH

to me in the name of the LORD?

 

Micaiah’s second message to Ahab                     verse 16 

Then he

said

I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains

            as sheep that had no shepherd

And the LORD said

            These have no master

            Let them return therefore every man

to his house in peace

 

Ahab responds to Micaiah                                  verse 17 

And the king of Israel

said to Jehoshaphat

Did I not tell you that he would

not prophesy good unto me – BUT evil?

 

Micaiah’s third message to Ahab                        verse 18- 22 

Again he

said

Therefore hear the word of the LORD

            I saw the LORD sitting upon HIS throne

                        and all the host of heaven standing

on HIS right hand and on HIS left

And the LORD

said

Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel

            that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?

And one spoke saying after this manner

            and another saying after that manner

Then there came out a spirit – and stood before the LORD

and said

                        I will entice him

And the LORD said to him

            Wherewith?

And he said

            I will go out

and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets

And the LORD

said

You shall entice him – and you shall also prevail

            go out – and do even so

Now therefore BEHOLD the LORD has put a lying spirit

in the mouth of these your prophets

and the LORD has spoken evil against you

 

Zedekiah strikes Micaiah                                    verse 23 

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near

            and smote Micaiah upon the cheek

and said

Which way went the Spirit of the LORD

from me to speak to you?

 

Micaiah responds to Zedekiah                            verse 24 

And Micaiah said

BEHOLD – you shall see on that day when you shall go

into an inner chamber             to hide yourself

 

Ahab orders Micaiah arrested                             verse 25- 26 

Then the king of Israel

said

Take you Micaiah – and carry him back to Amon

the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son

And say – Thus says the king

Put this fellow in the prison

and feed him with bread of affliction

and with water of affliction

until I return in peace

 

Micaiah’s fouth message to Ahab                       verse 27 

And Micaiah said

            IF you certainly return in peace

                        THEN hath not the LORD spoken by me

And he said

            Hearken – all you people

 

Ahab disguises himself                                        verse 28- 29 

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah

went up to Ramoth-gilead

And the king of Israel

said to Jehoshaphat

I will disguise myself – and I will go to the battle

            BUT put you on your robes

So the king of Israel disguised himself

and they went to the battle

 

King of Syria orders killing of Ahab                   verse 30- 32 

NOW the king of Syria had commanded

the captains of the chariots that were with him

saying

Fight you not with small or great

save only with the king of Israel

And it came to pass

when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat

that they said

                                    It is the king of Israel

Therefore they compassed about him to fight

            BUT Jehoshaphat CRIED out

and the LORD helped him

            and God moved them to depart from him

For it came to pass – that

when the captains of the chariots perceived

that it was not the king of Israel

they turned back again from pursuing him

 

Syrian soldier kills Ahab                                     verse 33- 34 

And a certain man drew a bow at a VENTURE

            and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness

THEREFORE he said to his chariot man

            Turn your hand that thou may carry me out of the host

                        for I am wounded

And the battle increased that day

            howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up

in his chariot against the Syrians until the even

                                    and about the time of the sun going down

he died 

 

COMMENTARY:

           

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 1        Now Jehoshaphal had riches and honor in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab. ( 2859 “joined affinity” [chathan] means to intermarry with, to become a son-in-law, make oneself a daughter’s husband, or become related by marriage)

DEVOTION:  Unequally yoked marriages are never right. Here we have a righteous king marrying his son to an unrighteous king’s son. The marriage was supposed to make an alliance between the two kings.

However, this was not an alliance the LORD wanted Jehoshaphat make. HE wanted him to remain dependent on HIM rather than trust in human alliances. This didn’t seem to come into the mind of Jehoshaphat.

God had prospered the kingdom but he didn’t think correctly as to what to do next with his kingdom. He acted on his own and it almost cost him his life. Sometimes we think we know what we should do next but it is never to make alliances with those who don’t love the LORD.

Children need to be taught that when they choose their friends and especially their future spouse that they need to only look for those who love the LORD. Friends can teach us things that the LORD doesn’t want us to do. Spouses can cause real problems when children come into the marriage and there is a divided home regarding church and other spiritual concern.

Does that mean our children should have no friends that are not believers? No ! It means that we have to watch those relationships closely and instruct our children of the difference between those who want to honor the LORD and those who do not.

Remember that each date is a potential mate when it comes to the age when children can think about marrying someone. Our prayers should be for our children from before they are born to marry someone who loves the LORD. Each day we should be praying for our children to understand the standard the LORD has set and help them live that standard.

Many parents have struggled with children who have married someone who doesn’t love the LORD and watched their grandchildren not be taught the truths of the Word of God. Early instructions are important to future blessings.

CHALLENGE:  Warnings need to be given while they are young!!! 

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 7        And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good to me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. (8130 “hate” [sane’] means to scorn, decrease in status, enemy, to dislike intensely, feel antipathy or aversion towards, or be an enemy)

DEVOTION:  There are true Biblical advisers and false Biblical advisers. Here we have many false prophets informing Jehoshaphat that he should go to war with Ahab. They don’t have any relationship with the LORD except to use HIS name in vain. They are not followers of HIM. They don’t love HIM. They have set up false worship and sometimes included HIM in their times of worship but in reality they have sent all the true priest away to Jerusalem and only false priests are holding worship services.

Jehoshaphat wants more information before he will go to war with Ahab and asked for another prophet to give him counsel regarding going to war. Ahab knows of another prophet but he hates him because he tells him the truth about his relationship with the LORD. He doesn’t want to even ask him what he thinks of the alliance.

Evil is how Ahab describes what this prophet tells him. Evil is not the truth regarding the counsel of this true prophet of God. Truthful which what Ahab doesn’t want to hear really describes what he is telling him. He is one who speaks the truth. He is one who only gives the answer the LORD tells him to say.

We need to ask people who will be honest with us and who have a real relationship with the LORD. We can find false prophets even today who will tell us what we want to hear because they have their own motives for gain.

These false prophets were gaining a living by telling Ahab what he wanted to hear and they didn’t want to lose that income. Income should never be a reason for us to tell someone a falsehood. We need to be honest with each other and encourage one another when each of us serving the LORD correctly.

Sometimes we might even hate the truth but we should learn to change our attitude toward the truth and those who are willing to share the truth with us. No alliance with the unsaved is good for us. We also have to watch those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ but their actions say something different. Our alliances should be only with those who are genuine believers who want to honor the LORD.

CHALLENGE:  We need to listen to those who are honest with us when we ask for counsel regarding something we want to do.

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: 15      And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure you that you say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD? (7621 “adjure” [shabuw‘ah] means to swear, to make a statement, to cause someone to promise solemnly, urge, or make one swear an oath)

DEVOTION: The king knew that Micaiah never told him what he wanted to hear because he was not serving the LORD with his authority. He was doing things that were displeasing to the LORD but he didn’t want to hear it so he hired men who he called prophets to say what he wanted them to say.

It like many today that want to go to church but to a church that will tell them what they want to hear rather than the truth. There are many churches like that today. Some of them even claim to be true believers in the LORD but they only say what the people what to hear. The promise blessings that people only receive if the repent and follow Jesus correctly. They are lying to the people or as the Bible says, they are “tickling ears” to say what the people want to hear rather than the truth.

The LORD want us to serve HIM faithfully and this means that we keep short accounts with HIM by confession of sin and walking in a manner that is pleasing to HIM alone. This only happens with the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

So each day we have to study the Word of God and pray and confess our sins and ask for the LORD to help us follow HIM correctly. It is not easy but it is the way the LORD wants us to follow HIM.

Watch out for those who just tell you what you want to hear. God wants to challenge us each day to be better servants.

Only through daily honest communication with the LORD will HE bless us. We should never seek out a church that tells us what we want to hear. Only true Biblical preaching should challenge us to get closer to the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Seek this kind of church with this kind of pastor and leadership if we are going to truly grow in the LORD.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers           

: 26      And say, Thus says the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.     (3905 “affliction” [lachats] means to distress, crush, force, hold fast, or oppress)

DEVOTION:  There are a lot of people who think that they represent the LORD but don’t. They think because they can use HIS name, they have a close relationship with HIM. They know HIS name. They know about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They think that the LORD is speaking to them but HE is not. Confusion reigns.

Here we have a king that is trying to honor the LORD and a king who is a worshiper of Baal. Somehow the king who is honoring the LORD thought it was good for his son to marry Ahab’s daughter.

Now they are meeting together to discuss whether they should go to war together against the Syrian. Jehoshaphat wants to know what the LORD thinks of them going to war together.

Ahab had four hundred prophets tell him that he should go up to battle against the Syrians. Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from a true prophet of the LORD. Micaiah was that prophet. He told Ahab the truth. He always told him what the LORD told him to say. Ahab didn’t like Micaiah’s prophecy and so sent him to prison.

The food in prison is not good. The surroundings in prison are not good. The reason for him being in prison was not good. He told the truth of God and was sent to prison. While he was in prison, it seems that the soldiers were to oppress him. He knew that Ahab didn’t like him but he still told the truth. God honors faithful servants. Going to prison didn’t mean that God wasn’t with him.

We don’t know exactly what they did to him but it was not good. There are many people in many countries that are sent to prison for preaching the Word of God. Some are tortured. Some are killed. Some people seeking refuge in a church that were burned alive. There are many people in our world who do not want to hear the Good News of the gospel. There are countries where it is against the law to convert someone to Christianity. This might happen here in the near future.

Should we water down the message of God so we can stay out of prison? Should we be politically correct in our sermons, so that, we don’t offend anyone? What does the LORD want us to do? Are we willing to stand up like Micaiah for the LORD and the TRUTH???

A side note found in this chapter is that Zedekiah thought he had the Spirit of the LORD in him. It is sad when people think they have the Holy Spirit in them and they really do not!!

Understand that when we follow the LORD there is going to be suffering. Yes, there is a rose garden for those who follow the LORD but it has thorns!!!! We grow through suffering.

CHALLENGE: We are to encourage people who are presently going through hard times because they are trying to be faithful to the LORD.

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: 33      And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore, he said to his chariot man, Turn, your hand, that you may carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.  (8537 “venture” [tome] means integrity, upright, simplicity, innocence, without definite aim, randomly, or blamelessness.)

DEVOTION:  Have you ever tried to hide from the consequences of your sins? Do you think that people would not recognize you if you wore a costume? Here we have a king to told another king to dress like a king, so that, the enemy would chase him instead of the real king they were after.

He was a king that didn’t honor the LORD and thought that he would not be killed if he disguised himself. That didn’t work. The LORD knew who he was and where he was.

So we have a soldier shooting an arrow into the battle and hitting king Ahab between his armor in a spot that could kill him. Was it an accident that this happened? NO! God was judging the king as HE said he would through the prophet Micaiah. The LORD always keeps HIS word that HE sends through a true prophet.

Escaping the consequences of our sins without repentance will not happen. The LORD gave partial deliverance to a king that was not acting right. HE gave full deliverance to Jehoshaphat when he cried out to him when the enemy soldier thought he was the king of Israel.

We need to cry out to the LORD for forgiveness when we have sinned or expect HIM to chasten us for our actions. There is no middle ground with the LORD. HE is longsuffering toward us but HE expects us to call on HIM for forgiveness when we sin.

This way we can restore our fellowship with HIM and HE can bless us. There still might only be partial deliverance from the consequences of our sins but it is better than an extended time of chastening that can lead to pre-mature death.

Nothing happens by chance with the LORD. HE has planned our life from before the foundation of the world. HE knows our actions and HE knows what it will take for us to mature in our relationship to HIM.

Don’t try to hide anything from the LORD. HE sees right through any disguise we can put on in our world. We can fool fellow believers but never HIM. King Ahab died from his wounds!!!

CHALLENGE: Hiding is not a option regarding the sins in our life. Confession is the only way to restore a good relationship with the LORD.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

 

Jehoshaphat wanted to inquire of the LORD        verse 4

Jehoshaphat wanted to inquire through a

            prophet of the LORD                                   verse 6, 7

Jehoshaphat cried out to the LORD                       verse 31

            LORD helped him

 

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

 

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)   verse 4, 6, 10, 11, 13,

                                                                                                16, 18- 23, 27,

                                                                                                31

Word of the LORD                                                   verse 4, 18

God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)                        verse 5, 13, 31

Prophet of the LORD                                               verse 6

Name of the LORD                                                   verse 15

            “Nothing but the Truth”

LORD has spoken evil against Zedekiah                verse 20

God helped Jehoshaphat                                          verse 31

 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

 

Spirit of the LORD gives gift of prophecy              verse 23

 

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

 

      Lying spirit (evil angel)                                            verse 19-34

                  In mouth of false prophets

                 

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

 

Syrians                                                                       verse 28- 34

            King of Syria told army to go against

                        King of Israel

            Thought Jehoshaphat was king of Isael

 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

 

Inquiring of false prophets                                       verse 5, 9, 11, 12, 21

Hate                                                                            verse 7

Lying spirit                                                                verse 21, 22

Evil                                                                             verse 22

False peace                                                                 verse 27

Disguised                                                                    verse 29

 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

 

Enquire of the LORD                                               verse 4, 6

True prophet of the LORD                                      verse 6

Speak only truth                                                        verse 13, 15, 17

Cry out to the LORD                                               verse 31

Help                                                                            verse 31

 

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

 

Jehoshaphat – king of Judah (2 tribes)                   verse 1- 31

            Wanted to inquire of the LORD

            Told to go in king’s raiment to battle

            Cried to the LORD for help

            God helped

Ahab – king of Israel (10 tribes)                              verse 1- 34

            Samaria

            Wanted Jehoshaphat to go with him

                        To battle in Ramoth-gilead

            Gathered 400 false prophets

                        Told them to go up together

            Disguised himself in battle

            Man with bow at a venture killed him

           

True prophet of LORD: Micaiah                            verse 7, 12- 27

            Told to prophesy good

Micaiah’s vision of heaven                                      

Micaiah in prison

Said they would not return in peace

Zedekiah – son of Chenaanah                                 verse 23                                  Told both kings they would win

Amon – governor of city of Samaria                       verse 25

            Put Micaiah in prison

                        Give bread of affliction

                        Give water of affliction

 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

 

      Ahab died                                                                   verse 34

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QUOTES regarding passage

23 The way Zedekiah “slapped Micaiah on the face” indicates in itself that the Holy Spirit was not present with him (James 3:17; but cf. 2 Kings 1:10–12). Yet his brazen claim to possess “the Spirit of the Lord” (NIV mg.) need not be watered down—though he may not have been personally aware that his optimistic message had in fact been supernaturally implanted in his mind, by Satan. Zedekiah’s next words are difficult. He seems to be acknowledging Micaiah’s claim that the Lord’s Spirit had come “to speak to” him; but he asks, “Which way did the Spirit” actually “go when he went from me?” Not, presumably, to Micaiah! (Payne, J. B. (1988). 1, 2 Chronicles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 499). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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18:18–27. Then Micaiah related a vision in which he saw God commission a demonic spirit to inspire the prophets of Ahab to lie to him (vv. 18–22). On hearing that, Zedekiah (cf. v. 10) slapped Micaiah, who then predicted that Zedekiah would suffer calamity in the day of Israel’s defeat (vv. 23–24). Ahab then returned Micaiah to Amon, the mayor of Samaria, and to Joash the king’s son (v. 25). “King’s son” is apparently a title of a royal official, not a literal son of Ahab (cf. Jer. 36:26; 38:6; 2 Chron. 28:7). Ahab also commanded that Micaiah be imprisoned, but as Ahab left, the man of God once more promised that the king would not return whole (18:25–27).

The vision of Micaiah is troublesome to some as it seems to suggest that God is the author of deceit (vv. 18–21). However, it is clearly just one of many examples of the sovereignty of God who does not initiate evil but sometimes allows it to occur for His own purposes (cf. 1 Sam. 16:14; Job 1:12; 2:5–6; 2 Cor. 12:7). (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 2 Chronicles. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 633–634). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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18:5 Evil kings had false prophets who told them what they wanted to hear (cf. Is 30:10, 11; Jer 14:13–16; 23:16, 21, 30–36). The true prophet spoke God’s Word and was arrested (v. 26). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Ch 18:5). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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By human standards the false prophets’ assurances of victory (vv. 10–11) are well founded. Ahab is, apparently, superior in strength and power to the Arameans. After his ironic promise of victory, the true prophet Micaiah declares that there will be defeat. Micaiah attributes the false message of his opponents to a lying spirit sent from God himself. It is not clear whether Micaiah intends his description of the heavenly assembly (vv. 18–21) to be a literal description of a heavenly debate or if it is more like a parable suggesting that God is only indirectly responsible for the deceit. (Bowling, A. C. (1995). 1-2 Chronicles. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 285). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)

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4–34. This account is so similar, as far as it goes, to what is related in the book of the Kings already referred to, that I do not think it necessary to make any further observations, unless it be on that clause which is particularly added here, but not noticed in the former history, that at the crying out of Jehoshaphat, (verse 31), the Lord helped him, and moved the Syrians to depart from him. It is delightful to observe how the Lord, who hath all hearts at his disposal, can and will interpose for the deliverance of his servants when all human aid fails. The Lord may permit, as in the case of Jehoshaphat, that our sins and backslidings shall correct; they may and sometimes will, bring us into extreme danger; but in every temptation the Lord will make a way to escape; and though not for our deserts, but for his great name’s sake, he will save in time of need. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: 1 Kings–Esther (Vol. 3, pp. 495–496). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

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The same record also appears in 1 Kings 22, to which the reader may turn for further annotations. Jehoshaphat’s prosperity became a snare to him. Riches and honor he had in abundance. No doubt lifted up in his heart and self-secure, saying perhaps. “I am increased in goods and have need of nothing,” on a certain day he joined affinity with Ahab. Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram married Ahab’s wicked daughter Athaliah (21:6). This was a fatal step for Jehoshaphat and the house of Judah. It brought him into alliance with Ahab, the wicked; he almost lost his life on account of it; only his prayer saved him (verse 31); and Athaliah introduced the vile idolatries of Ahab into Judah (22:3) and became the murderess of the royal seed (22:10–12). (Gaebelein, A. C. (2009). The annotated Bible: Joshua to Second Chronicles (Vol. 2, p. 442). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

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FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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The lack of proclamation in the preaching of the church accounts for so much of the present state of the church and the present state of the world and of society. A man standing in a Christian pulpit has no business in saying, “I suggest to you” or “Shall I put it to you” or “On the whole, I think” or “I am almost persuaded” or “The results of research and knowledge and speculation all seem to point in this direction.” No! “These things declare we unto you.” By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

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THE POWER OF GOD

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.Colossians 2:15
The plan of salvation displays to us, in a way that nothing else does, the power of God. The power of God was manifested in the Incarnation when He prepared a body for His Son and worked the miracle of the virgin birth and what marvelous power! But not only that. I rather prefer to think of it like this: It is as we look at God in Christ and all that He did in Him and through this plan of salvation that we see His complete power to master everything that is opposed to Himself, everything that is opposed to the best interests of man, and everything that is opposed to the best interests of this world. 
For the fact is that the whole problem has arisen in this way. One of the brightest of the angelic beings that were created by God rebelled against God and raised himself up against Him. That is the origin of Satan. He is a power, a person, an angel of great might. He is as great as this: He deluded a man and conquered him, thereby making himself the god of this world and “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). The power of the devil is something that we seriously underestimate. He believed he had overturned all the work of salvation when the Son of God went to the cross.
But, says Paul in Colossians 2, it is there Satan made his greatest blunder, for by the cross God “spoiled principalities and powers,[and] he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (verse 15). Christ met Satan face to face in single combat and routed him; at the cross He fulfilled the promise given to man at the beginning, when Adam was told that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. This was the plan of salvation.
A Thought to Ponder: The plan of salvation displays to us the power of God. (From Saved in Eternity, pp. 50-51, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Wrong on Two Counts
“Jesus answered and said unto them, You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) 

When the Sadducees, who were the theological, philosophical, and scientific elite of the day, came to Jesus with a trick question in an attempt to discredit Him, He responded with the stinging rebuke in today’s verse. While His response dealt specifically with the fact of resurrection and the nature of the afterlife, His twofold evaluation of self-reliant scholars still fits today, particularly in regard to evolutionary speculations. 

By the time Darwin had published his book Origin of Species attributing evolutionary progression to natural selection, he had probably become an atheist and so set about to ascribe creation to natural causes. He attributed to nature abilities that clearly belong to God alone. He knew something of the Scriptures, but his memoirs show that he had little understanding of basic biblical teaching. He felt that if there was a God, He had little power or had not been involved in the affairs of this earth. Most atheistic evolutionists today follow Darwin’s intellectual footsteps. 

But what of Christian intellectuals, theistic evolutionists, progressive creationists, or advocates of the framework hypothesis, who claim to know God but yet deny His awesome power in creation? They too reject the clear teaching of Scripture regarding creation, relegating God to the mundane task of overseeing the evolutionary process, reducing His power to something man can accomplish. Peter aptly describes this attitude when he calls it willful ignorance (2 Peter 3:5). 

It has been suggested by some that all human error can be traced to one or both of these categories: not knowing (and/or believing) the Scriptures, and underestimating the power of God. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Ezra 4
The king orders a halt to the temple restoration.
INSIGHT

There is a common misconception in the Christian world that if you are doing the Lord’s will, you will not suffer hardships for it. The example of the Jews rebuilding the temple certainly does not support that supposition. The Lord clearly intends for them to rebuild the temple, yet they suffer opposition the entire time. It is not necessarily a sign of God’s displeasure when work begun for Him fails. There may be other reasons for the failure, which are hidden in His sovereignty. That is why it is so important to be in fellowship with Him. If something we are doing fails, we have confidence that it is not because of our sin, but His sovereignty.  (Quiet Walk)

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GOD ACTING IN HISTORY

We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. Acts 2:11
God’s plan is carried out by His acting in history. This is a vital point. Christianity is not primarily teaching; it is a recorded history. Christianity is not urging men to think and to try to delve into the mystery and to discover the truth about God. It says, “Listen, this is what God has done.” Is that not what happened on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem? Is that not what the people said about the apostles when they began to speak with other tongues? “What is this?” they said. “We do hear them speak in our tongues”–what?–“the wonderful works of God.” Not the thoughts of God but the works of God, the things that God has done.
And that is the message of Christianity. Here it is: “Now after that John was put in prison” (Mark 1:14); that is a fact of history, an event in time, just as Julius Caesar landed in Britain in 55 B.C. So at a given point in time John the Baptist was thrown into prison, and at that moment Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled.” “Listen to Me,” He said, “it has happened, it has come.” Now what does this mean” It means that your salvation and mine depends not upon our thoughts, nor upon our discovery of truth, but entirely and utterly upon something that has literally happened in this world almost two thousand years ago.
So we preach to this atomic age, and this is what we say–not “Come and join us on the uncharted ocean, and help us take soundings in order that we may arrive ultimately.” No; we say, “Look back, look back; go back two thousand years, to the first century. Listen: ‘When John was thrown into prison Jesus came and said….'” That is it. In other words, our salvation depends not upon our understanding but upon what God has done in Christ.
A Thought to Ponder
Our salvation depends not upon our understanding but upon what God has done in Christ.
                (From The Kingdom of God, p. 19,  (Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Sheriff D. Clarke says it best!

It’s not the police who need to be retrained, it’s the public. We have grown into a mouthy, mobile phone wielding, vulgar, uncivil society with no personal responsibility and the attitude of ‘it’s the other person’s fault’, ‘you owe me’. A society where children grow up with no boundaries or knowledge or concern for civil society and personal responsibility.

When an officer says “Put your hands up,” then put your hands up! Don’t reach for something in your pocket, your lap, your seat. There’s plenty of reason for a police officer to feel threatened, there have been multiple assaults and ambushes on police officers lately. Comply with requests from the officer, have your day in court. Don’t mouth off, or fight, or refuse to comply… that escalates the situation.

Police officers are our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters. They’re black, white, brown, all colours, all ethnicities, all faiths, male and female, they are us. They see the worst side of humanity… the raped children, the bloody mangled bodies of traffic victims, the bruised and battered victims of domestic violence, homicide victims, body parts… day after day.

They work holidays while we have festive meals with our families. They miss school events with their kids, birthdays, anniversaries, all those special occasions that we take for granted. They work in all types of weather, under dangerous conditions, for relatively low pay.

They have extensive training, but they are human. When there are numerous attacks on them, they become hyper vigilant for a reason, they have become targets. When a police officer encounters any person… any person, whether at a traffic stop, a street confrontation, an arrest, whatever… that situation has the potential to become life threatening. You, Mr & Mrs/Miss Civilian, also have the responsibility of keeping the situation from getting out of control.

Many law enforcement officers are Veterans. They’ve been in service to this nation most of their lives, whether on the battlefield or protecting us here at home. They are the only thing that stands between us and anarchy in the streets.

If you want to protect your child, teach them respect. 

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Lights in the World
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“The sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:15)
The Hebrew and Greek terms for “sons of God” are essentially the same, but the Old Testament always uses the phrase in reference to angels, whereas the New Testament always references the twice-born saints of God.
Our text for this day emphasizes the precise reason that our Lord Jesus prayed: “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world….They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16). We who share this marvelous relationship bear both the “love the Father hath bestowed upon us” and the unique rejection that “the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not” (1 John 3:1).
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), and we who are His disciples are “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14. We, unlike the angels, are to remain in this unfair and distorted world as lights. Consider this! We are the light that the Lord Jesus left in this world to represent Him and His message after He returned to heaven (John 9:5).
That is why the Scriptures refer to us as saints (holy ones) and disciples (followers); even the pejorative “Christians” (Acts 11:26) identify us as representing the King! We must therefore shine with the truth (John 3:19) and shed the “light of the glorious gospel of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4), attempting to “lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9).
Finally, we are surely commanded to “walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7). Our light should never be covered in a “bushel” (Matthew 5:15) but set on a “hill” for all to see (Matthew 5:14). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Cleaning Method

Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts. James 4:8

READ James 4:4–10

At the sink, two little children cheerfully sing the “Happy Birthday” song—two times each—while washing their hands. “It takes that long to wash away the germs,” their mother tells them. So even before the COVID-19 pandemic, they’d learned to take time to clean dirt from their hands.

Keeping things clean can be a tedious process, as we learned in the pandemic. Scrubbing away sin, however, means following focused steps back to God.

James urged believers in Jesus scattered throughout the Roman Empire to turn their focus back to God. Beset by quarrels and fights, their battles for one-upmanship, possessions, worldly pleasures, money, and recognition made them an enemy of God. He warned them, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. . . . Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:7–8). But how?

“Come near to God and he will come near to you” (v. 8). These are sanitizing words describing the necessity of turning to God to scour away the soil of sin from our lives. James then further explained the cleaning method: “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (vv. 9–10).

Dealing with our sin is humbling. But, hallelujah, God is faithful to turn our “washing” into worship.  (By Patricia Raybon, Our Daily Bread)

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It has been an enormously difficult spring and summer for many people in the world!  With the extreme stress and uncertainty of a pandemic, the shutdown of the economy, protests in many cities and now the natural disasters along the Gulf and west coasts many are crying out for relief.

The sixth psalm is beneficial to us as it describes crying out to the Lord in the midst of extremely trying circumstances. Whether the trouble is physical, emotional or spiritual, the weight was heavy upon him and his first response was to appeal to the Lord for help! Note how the movement in this psalm proceeds from the inner man out. David sets his attention first to his relationship with God and seeks to have restoration there.  Like Job before him (Job 1:4-5) he desired to have a clean slate with the Lord.

As the psalmist pours out his fervent prayer, his physical and emotional state is clearly heightened and distressed to the point of concern for his life (v. 5).  Like the writer, many have endured the reality of anxiety, stress and panic in times of crisis and implored the Lord for relief!  While we do not know how long David was in this agitated state, we see that relief does come and a transition occurs beginning in verse 8.

As you face unusual difficulties apply the formula of psalm six.  Take all your difficulties to the Lord and lay everything before Him.  Tell Him exactly how you are feeling emotionally, physically and spiritually. Allow that honest and open conversation to happen and know that the Lord hears us as we cry out to Him (v. 9).  Relief may not be immediate but like the psalmist we can be assured the Lord is at work!  

 With an Expectant hope, 

Pastor Miller

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We all sin. Day and night. Sleeping and awake. There is not a time in our lives that we are not sinning. Why???? For the simple and simple reason there is not a time in our lives that we are not violating the first and greatest commandment. Love the Lord your God above all things. We are all guilty of this. Continuously moved by many affections and treasures we hold in our hearts. We desperately need a Redeemer. From a Savior who sets us free from the condemnation of our sin. God mercifully promised and sent it in due time. Let us take Him in. He is our only hope!!!!  (Sol Ibarra)

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Arlington National Cemetery contains over 400,000 reasons why you stand for the National Anthem!

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Gay Pride month has come to an end. BBC reported last week “Pride has gone mainstream.” This is an entire month set aside to celebrate a lifestyle that God defines as sin. It’s like setting a month aside to celebrate lying, adultery, or murder (which includes abortion), or anything else that God says is sin. The Bible also tells us that God hates pride. Shame on the nation that celebrates and glorifies sin. All of us are guilty of sin, which means breaking God’s standards. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But instead of celebrating and taking pride in our sin, we should come to God, our Creator, in repentance, asking Him to forgive us and cleanse us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to pay the price for our sin by dying on a cross in our place. Jesus died, was buried, and God raised Him to life on the third day. If you are willing to turn from your sin and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God will forgive you and give you a new life. Now that’s something to celebrate! (Franklin Graham)

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We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.

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