Israelites worship in presence of the LORD        verse 1- 3 

Now when Solomon had made an end of PRAYING

the FIRE came down from heaven

      and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices

                  and the GLORY of the LORD FILLED the house

And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD

BECAUSE the GLORY of the LORD

had FILLED the LORD’S house

And when all the children of Israel saw how the FIRE came down

and the GLORY of the LORD upon the house

      they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground

on the pavement

and WORSHIPED – and PRAISED the LORD

      saying – For HE is good

                  for HIS mercy endures for ever 

Worship service with singing and sacrifices        verse 4- 6 

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD

and king Solomon

offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen

      an hundred and twenty thousand sheep

so the king and all the people DEDICATED the 

house of God

And the priests waited on their offices

the Levites also with instruments of music of the LORD

      which David the king had made to PRAISE the LORD

                  BECAUSE HIS mercy endures for ever

                              when David PRAISED by their ministry

And the priests sounded trumpets before them – and all Israel stood 

Sacrifices offered in the middle of court too        verse 7 

Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court

that was before the house of the LORD

for there he offered burnt offerings

and the fat of the peace offerings

BECAUSE the brazen altar which Solomon had made was

not able to receive the burnt offerings

and the meat offerings – and the fat 

Festival of Shelters celebrated                              verse 8- 10 

Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days

and all Israel with him

Very great congregation

from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt

      and in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly

                  for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days

                              and the feast seven days

      and on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month

                  he sent the people away into their tents

                              glad and merry in heart for the GOODNESS

that the LORD had shown to David

and to Solomon

                                                                  and to Israel HIS people 

Solomon completed Temple and Palace              verse 11 

Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD – and the king’s house

and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the 

house of the LORD – and in his own house

                  he prosperously effected 

LORD speaks to Solomon                                   verse 12- 16 

And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night

and said to him

I have heard thy prayer

and have chosen this place to MYSELF for a house of sacrifice

IF I shut up heaven that there be no rain

OR IF I command the locusts to devour the land

OR IF I send pestilence among MY people

IF MY people which are called by MY name

shall humble themselves – and pray – and seek MY face

      and TURN from their wicked ways

THEN will I hear from heaven – and will forgive their sin

and will heal their land

Now MINE eyes shall be open

and MINE ears attentive to the PRAYER

that is made in this place

FOR now have I chosen and sanctified this house

            that MY name may be there for ever

                        and MINE eyes and MINE heart

shall be there perpetually 

LORD speaks to Solomon: faithfulness               verse 17- 18 

And as for you – IF you will walk before ME

as David your father walked

And do according to all that I have commanded you

            and shall observe MY statutes and MY judgments

THEN will I stablish the throne of your kingdom

            according as I have covenanted with David your father

saying

There shall not fail you a man to be ruler in Israel 

LORD speaks to Solomon: future generations    verse 19- 20 

BUT IF you turn away – and forsake MY statutes and MY commandments

            which I have set before you – and shall go and serve other gods

and worship them

THEN will I pluck them up by the roots out of MY land

which I have given them and this house

which I have sanctified for MY name

            will I cast out of MY sight – and will make it to be a proverb

and a byword among all nations                   

 LORD speaks to Solomon: “why”                       verse 21- 22 

And this house – which is high

shall be an astonishment to everyone that passes by it

So that he shall say

Why has the LORD done thus to this land – and to this house?

And it shall be answered

            BECAUSE they forsook the LORD God of their fathers

which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt

and laid hold on other gods – and worshiped them

and served them – therefore has HE brought

all this evil upon them 

COMMENTARY:          

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 1        Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the house. (6419 “praying” [palal] means supplication, to intervene, to pronounce judgment, to be the arbitrator, to address a deity or say a prayer, or to make intercession for or act as intercessor for)

DEVOTION:  The LORD lets HIS people know when HE is pleased with the actions. On this occasion HE used fire to burn up the sacrifices the people were offering to HIM. Sacrifices of animals were the proper way to worship the LORD for the children of Israel in the Old Testament.

Prayer the proper way to communicate with the LORD in that day as well as it is today. Here we have the LORD answering the prayer immediately. HE still does that at times.

This was a worship service that the whole nation came to celebrate. Wouldn’t it be great to have our whole nations of genuine believers come together on an occasion to worship the LORD? I have been to many gatherings of pastors and people who were worshiping the LORD in songs of praise and it sent goose bumps up my spine to hear so many individuals who loved the LORD. It seemed like the LORD was in each place and HIS Holy Spirit was helping the voices of all those present to praise and thank the LORD for all HIS blessings to us.

Today we don’t have the cloud of the LORD coming into our worship services. The Holy Spirit does move in many services that I have attended. People respond to the message of the Word of God in a great way. The singing seems to be reaching into heaven. People are willing to love one another.

This should be happening in all of our churches that preach the Word of God and worship the LORD in spirit and in truth. However, there have been individuals right after service fighting with one another or not speaking to one another because of the work of the enemy in their lives. This should not be happening in the church or in the lives of the members of Biblical believers.

Warnings are given in the book of Revelation to the churches because this was happening in the first century and it has not stopped today. Only one church in seven didn’t have negative comments associated with it. We should pray that we can be like that church. It was a missionary minded church that reaching people for the LORD.

CHALLENGE:  Make your church into that type of church by doing what they did each time they got together. Make it be a time of blessing. Look for the fire from heaven!!!! 

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 3        And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshipped and praised the LORD, saying, For HE is good; for HIS mercy endures forever. (3766 “bowed” [kara] means to kneel down, to bend one’s knee, or to get into a prostrate position, as in submission, homage, humility, worship or grief among other things)

DEVOTION:  All the people were singing praises to the LORD. They had seen the fire come down from heaven and burn up the sacrifices. It was such a wonderful show of power from the LORD that they couldn’t do anything but sing.

One of the other signs of worship was bowing their faces to the ground and giving the LORD honor by this action. They wanted the LORD to know that they were truly humbled by this show of power from heaven. They wanted the LORD to see their actions and continue to bless their time together.

They repeated psalm 136. We need to state and believe this Psalm each day. It is one of the key thoughts that we need to have on our mind when we think of our relationship with the LORD. HE is always GOOD. HE is always showing us MERCY. HE never GIVES UP ON US.

Sometimes we allow the enemy to cause us to think that HE gives up on us but that is only because he puts into our heads that we are sinners and don’t deserve HIS mercy. It is a true statement that we don’t deserve it but HE gives it to us because we are HIS children. HE wants us to know that HE thinks we deserve and that should be enough for us.

Have you ever kneeled by your bed and thanked HIM for all this blessings? Have you ever gotten down on your face before HIM and thanked HIM for all your blessings? It should be practiced sometime to see if you can understand what the children of Israel were feeling that day when the LORD visited them and all they could do is fall down in HIS presence.

CHALLENGE:  Try it tonight!!!

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DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers          

: 14      If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

            (3665 “humble” [kana] means be subdued, be brought down, be brought into subjection, or be under)

DEVOTION:  Have you ever washed another believer’s feet? Have you ever gone a mission’s trip and done hard labor that you are not used too? Have you ever gone down to a city mission to minister to the homeless? What would it take to you to do these things?

The LORD made it plain to Solomon that HE would answer his prayer in a positive manner if the right conditions were met. The LORD told Solomon what the conditions were that had to be met for future blessings. Blessings come with conditions.

The people of Israel had a tendency to wander from the LORD. We have a tendency to wander from the LORD. HE had sanctified HIS people. HE sanctifies us. This meant that they were and we are set apart from the rest of the world as followers of HIM. 

HE warned them that if they wandered from HIM, HE would send no rain, or locust or pestilence. HE warns us that HE will chasten us if we wander from HIM.

These things would tell the people that the LORD was not pleased with them. They would see that they had wandered from the LORD. They would have an opportunity to turn in another direction or repent.

Part of repenting was to turn to the LORD in an subdued manner. They would have to fast and pray for deliverance. If they did this, HE would forgive them. Then HE would heal their land.

We have the same agreement in our walk with HIM. Our promises are different but we still need to be brought down to our knees and worship HIM. We need to meet with HIM face to face.

The church needs to have a humble servant’s spirit to reach our world for the LORD. Do we see that evident in our churches? It starts with leadership and membership in a church. If the leadership has a servant spirit then the people will have a servant spirit. If the membership of a local church has a subdued spirit, the community around them will see their actions and want what they have. True fellowship involves everyone working together to serve the LORD.

When was the last time we fasted and prayed over our sin? When was the last time the church fasted and prayed over their sin? Until we are truly under the LORDSHIP of Jesus Christ our work for HIM will not move forward.

CHALLENGE: In our country it seems that we are so inward focused we can never reach our world for Christ. This needs to change!!! We need to start with our relationship with the LORD. It is a DAILY cross carrying.

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:19       But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; ²⁰ Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. (4912 “proverb” [mashal] means saying, mocking, song of jest, proverbial saying, taunt-song, byword, pithy maxim or ridicule)

DEVOTION:  This is the LORD’S reply to Solomon’s prayer. It is a warning to Solomon and future generations regarding their relationship with HIM. They are at present worshiping HIM in spirit and in truth. This is the beginning of Solomon’s reign before he made treaties with many nations by marrying in the royal families of the kings of these foreign nations. After the marriages he build houses for his brides with their false gods in them or near them. So Solomon drifted from the LORD because of his many marriages.

The people were part of the warning as well. If they drifted from worshiping the LORD then they would fact future judgment which would make the nation as a whole a song of jest to the other nations. They would make up songs about how silly the nation was to stop following the LORD.

HE would allow this to happen because of their drifting from HIM. HE warns us as well that HE will chasten us if we drift from HIM. It is mainly found centered on our participation in the communion table without properly examining ourselves. This also includes those who have stopped coming to church at any time because of their drifting from obedience to the LORD.

The LORD wanted the children of Israel to understand that HE loved them enough to chasten them with other nations. HE wants us to understand that HE loves us enough to chasten us in whatever nation or region of the world we live as well.

Part of the warning is that the Temple would be destroyed because it had not become a proper place of worship. This is happening in America because many churches are closing because they have left their first love.

CHALLENGE: We need to heed the warnings of the Old Testament because the same God is on the throne today and they were written for our understanding of how God works in the lives of HIS people.  

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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) 

Solomon ended his prayer                                        verse 1

LORD answers Solomon’s prayer                          verse 12-22 

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

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

                              Burnt offering                                                        verse 1, 7

                        Sacrifices                                                                    verse 1, 4

                        House of the LORD                                                  verse 1, 2, 7,                                                                                                                                11, 12

                        Priests                                                                         verse 2, 6

                        LORD’S house                                                           verse 2

                        People worshipped and praised the LORD      verse 3, 6

                        House of God                                                             verse 5

                        Levites                                                                        verse 6

                        Instruments of music                                             verse 6

                        Peace offerings                                                         verse 7

                        Meat offerings                                                          verse 7

                        House of sacrifice                                                   verse 12

                        Call by LORD’S name                                             verse 14

                        Prayers made to the LORD in this place          verse 15

                        LORD has chosen and sanctified Temple         verse 15 

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible) 

Statutes                                                           verse 17, 19

Judgments                                                      verse 17

Covenant with David                                    verse 18

Commandments                                            verse 19 

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)   verse 1- 4,                                                                                   6,  7, 10, 11, 12-  22

Glory of the LORD                                        verse 1- 3

House of the LORD                                      verse 2, 7, 11

LORD’S house                                               verse 3

Mercy                                                             verse 3, 6

HE is good                                                     verse 3

God – Elohim (Creator)                             verse 5, 22

House of God                                                verse 5

Dedication of altar                                     verse 9

            Seven days

LORD appeared to Solomon                    verse 11, 12

            Heard Solomon’s prayer

            Chosen this place

LORD hears from heaven                        verse 14

            Heal the land

HIS eyes will be open – HIS ears

            will attend to prayer                     verse 15, 16

LORD has chosen and sanctified Temple   verse 15

LORD establishes Solomon’s kingdom       verse 18

LORD promises judgment if they turn

            from HIM                                          verse 19, 20

LORD sanctified                                         verse 20

LORD God of their fathers                      verse 22

LORD brings evil for lack of repentance   verse 22 

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

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

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

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

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

     Egypt                                                              verse 8 , 22

     Nations                                                         verse 20 

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

Wicked ways                                                verse 14

Sin                                                                   verse 14

Turn away from the LORD                      verse 19

Forsake the LORD                                      verse 19, 22

Worship and serve false gods                verse 19, 22 

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

Prayer                                                            verse 1, 14, 15

Bow down to the LORD                             verse 3

Worshiped the LORD                                verse 3

Praised the LORD                                       verse 3, 6

Mercy                                                             verse 3

Goodness                                                      verse 10

Called                                                            verse 14

Humble                                                         verse 14

Seek face of the LORD                               verse 14

Turn toward LORD                                     verse 14

Promise to hear prayer                            verse 14

Forgive                                                          verse 14

Promise to heal land                                 verse 14

Walk                                                               verse 17

Do                                                                   verse 17

Observe                                                         verse 17 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

      Solomon                                                         verse 1, 5, 7, 8, 10

                  Offered sacrifices

                  Feast seven days

                  7/23 sent people home

                  Finished the house of the LORD

                  Finished king’s house

      Children of Israel                                        verse 3

      David the king                                              verse 6, 10, 17, 18

                  Solomon needs to walk like father

                  Covenant with David by LORD

                  Ruler of Israel from David’s family     

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org  Also if you can support this ministry through your local church, please use that method.  Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage 

19–22 The possibility that Solomon and his successors (cf. NIXT mg.) might “go off to serve other gods” was what actually happened (1 Kings 11:1–8; 2 Chronicles 36:16); and it led to the very results (vv.20–22; 36:20) that the king had himself anticipated (6:36). (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. 465). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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Conversely, if Solomon and the nation should fall away from the Lord and serve other gods they would be exiled and their magnificent temple destroyed (2 Chron. 7:19–20). This does not suggest that the Davidic Covenant is conditional from God’s standpoint. He had said it would be forever (2 Sam. 7:13, 15–16). But Solomon’s (or any king’s) enjoyment of it would depend on his obedience to God. (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, p. 626). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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7:17–22 If Solomon would live in obedience before God, He would establish his throne and allow Solomon’s descendants to sit upon it. On the other hand, if Solomon and his people forsook the Lord for other gods, they would be carried into captivity, and God would reject the temple so that it would be an object of derision and a testimony to the nations that Israel had forsaken the Lord.

Verse 16 seems to imply that the temple would endure for all time; yet we know that it was destroyed in 586 B.C. The explanation, of course, is that God’s promise was conditioned on Israel’s faithfulness and obedience. Verses 19 and 20 specifically warn that if the people became idolaters, God would reject the temple. (MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 449). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)

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Ver. 12. And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, &c.] From hence, to the end of the chapter, much the same things are related as in 1 Kings 9:2–9. see the notes there; excepting ver. 13–15. which contain an answer to the particular requests made by Solomon in case of a famine or pestilence, that when the people of Israel should humble themselves in prayer and supplication, the Lord would be attentive to them, and forgive them, ch. 6:26–30 and which is given as a specimen, and as encouragement to expect the same treatment in all other cases mentioned in Solomon’s prayer, they so behaving. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 52–53). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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19–22. The Lord here takes in the whole of the people as a nation. And when we compare the sequel of the history of Israel, as a people, to what is here said, nothing can be more plain than that God, foreseeing the apostacy and corruption of his people, held forth to them the sure consequence of sin and transgression. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: 1 Kings–Esther (Vol. 3, p. 456). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

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7:19–22 The statement if you turn aside and forsake my statutes is addressed to the people (“you” in v. 19 is plural; see notes on 1 Kings 9:6; 9:7–8). While the temple signified God’s will to forgive and restore, the stubborn rejection of his statutes and commandments would lead to God’s rejection of both people and temple (see Deut. 29:24–28). The decisive factor, as shown throughout the rest of the book, is whether the call to repentance is heeded. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 752). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)

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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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In a similar vein, note passages which translate māšāl as “byword”: Ps 44:14 [H 15]; 69:11 [H 12]: Jer 24:9; Ezk 14:8; Deut 28:37; I Kgs 9:7: II Chr 7:20: Job 17:6. In each of these verses some kind of doom has, or will, come upon Israel or an individual. The result? God has made Israel a māšāl among the nations. Job has become a māšāl to his counselors and acquaintances. What can this mean’? Much more is involved than simply scorn or derision. The point is that God has made Israel/Job a public example, an object lesson to their respective contemporaries. “Look, observe, and see your own life under my judgment,” the Lord says.

Analogous to these are the three times prophets are told to lift a māšāl, Isaiah against the king of Babylon (Isa 14:4f.): Micah against his own people (Mic 2:4) and similarly Habakkuk (Hab 2:6). One might also add the passages in the Balaam narratives, “And Balaam took up his māšāl (KJV discourse)” (Num 23:7, 18; 24:3, 15, 20, 21, 23). In each of these instances there is an object lesson painted. The haughty are humbled. Those to be cursed are blessed and vice versa. The first are last.

S. Herbert has well stated that in the Old Testament the “proverb ”/māšāl had “a clearly recognizable purpose: that of quickening an apprehension of the real as distinct from the wished for … of compelling the hearer or reader to form a judgment on himself, his situation or his conduct … This usage … comes to its finest expression in the Parables of Jesus” (Herbert, p. 196). (Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 1258 מָשַׁל. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.)

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Transformed by insight

We all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image. 2 Cor. 3:18.

The outstanding characteristic of a Christian is this unveiled frankness before God so that the life becomes a mirror for other lives. By being filled with the Spirit we are transformed, and by beholding we become mirrors. You always know when a man has been beholding the glory of the Lord, you feel in your inner spirit that he is the mirror of the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything which would sully that mirror in you; it is nearly always a good thing, the good that is not the best.

Imagine a software engineering class that doesn’t make students learn computer code. That should give you some idea how ridiculous it is that Princeton University is no longer requiring classics majors to learn Greek or Latin. Not zoology students or English majors, but classics students. You know, the folks who study Greek and Latin culture.

Why this departure from centuries of academic standards? The head of undergraduate studies in Princeton’s classics department explains that this change will bring “new perspectives,” and make for “a more vibrant intellectual community.”

Not every student of language agrees. Writing at The Atlantic, Columbia University linguistics professor John McWhorter argues that buzzwords like “new perspectives” and “vibrant community” are code for forced racial diversity.

Of course, as a black academic, McWhorter values diversity in higher education. But he argues that the study of classics is under assault from a twisted and condescending view of diversity — one that sees minority students as incapable of learning and reading ancient languages, and which requires colleges to dumb down their curricula. If anything, he’s understating the problem. Not just Greek and Latin, as languages, but the study of classics itself is under attack by those who see racism behind every rock and ionic pillar.

In his Atlantic piece, McWhorter quotes one of Princeton’s classics faculty, who said in 2019 that the whole discipline of classics is “explicitly aimed at disavowing the legitimate status of scholars of color…Far from being extrinsic to the study of Greco-Roman antiquity,” he claims, “the production of whiteness” resides “in the very marrows of classics.”

In other words, requiring students who want to study the Greeks and Romans to learn their languages is racist. In fact, studying the classics at all may be racist. If this sounds just as absurd as a recent Washington Post editorial that argued the names of North American birds are racist, well, that’s because it is. Writing in The New York Times Magazine, Rachel Poser observes that “Some classicists have come around to the idea that their discipline forms part of the scaffold of white supremacy…”

At America’s universities and schools, this kind of claim is becoming alarmingly common — and it’s not just Homer and Virgil in the crosshairs. Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported on proposed revisions to the framework for California’s mathematics curriculum, which would make “dismantling racism in mathematics instruction” a top priority. Among their suggestions? Stop correcting students’ mistakes in a direct way. Apparently, that’s what passes for white supremacy. (Break Point)

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2 Kings 8
The king restores the Shunammite widow’s land.
INSIGHT

Nothing happens in our lives or in the world apart from divine appointment or permission. Behind every event and incident, there is divine providence. The Shunammite widow, who has done so much for Elisha, is remembered and cared for years afterward. The Lord has a wonderful memory for those who feed Him when He is hungry and minister to Him when He is in need (see Matthew 25:37). The conversation between Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, and the king might seem an accident, but it is providential. When we abide in the will of God, life is sown with divine coincidences.

                            (Quiet Walk)

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SPECIAL AUTHENTICATION

For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. Exodus 33:16
Moses prayed for a special authentication of [God’s people and their] mission. This is the message of Exodus 33:16. You can hear him argue. “Wherein,” he said—“For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”
[Such a prayer for revival is] that the church should be as she is meant to be. The church is meant to be separate. The church is meant to be unique. “Now,” said Moses to God, “I am asking for this something extra, because I am concerned. Here are we, Thy people. How are all the other nations to know that we really are Your people? They are looking on at us; they are laughing at us, mocking us, and jeering at us; they are ready to overwhelm us. Now I am asking for something,” said Moses, “that will make it absolutely clear that we are not just one of the nations of the world, but that we are Thy people, that we are separate, unique, altogether apart.”
The prayer for revival, then, is the prayer that the church may again become like that. And my argument is that nothing but some unusual outpouring of the Spirit of God can do that. What is needed is something that cannot be explained in human terms. What is needed is something that is so striking and so extraordinary that it will arrest the attention of the whole world. That is revival.
A Thought to Ponder: This is a prayer that the church should be as she is meant to be.
                (From Revival, pp. 182-183, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Immediate Results
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Romans 8:22
Sometimes we don’t get to see the results of our work or choices soon enough to suit us. But on one occasion, a man’s choice and resulting action were given immediate attention, and the effects of that attention even now rule the universe.
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6).
The result of Adam’s deliberate sin—“Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14)—was immediate and total punishment upon Adam and Eve, and through them on all humanity (Genesis 3:14-19). “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). “For the creature [or ‘creation’] was made subject to vanity [that is, ‘futility’], not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope” (8:20).
This “bondage of corruption” (v. 21) placed upon the entire creation, now known to science as the Second Law of Thermodynamics, is known to all of us as the basic tendency of life. Everything is in the process of death and decay. This law will one day be removed; but until then, we, like the groaning, travailing creation of our text, “groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (v. 23).
Although we recognize now that “the wages of sin is death,” we can be very thankful that the story doesn’t end there, for “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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God Is There

If God will be with me and watch over me . . . then the L ord will be my God. Genesis 28:20–21

Aubrey bought a fleece-lined coat for her aging father, but he died before he could wear it.

 So she tucked a note of encouragement with a $20 bill into the pocket and donated the jacket to charity.

Ninety miles away, unable to endure his family’s dysfunction any longer, nineteen-year-old Kelly left his house without grabbing a coat. He knew of only one place to turn—the home of his grandmother who prayed for him. Hours later he stepped off a bus and into his grandma’s arms. Shielding him from the winter wind, she said, “We’ve got to get you a coat!” At the mission store, Kelly tried on a coat he liked. Slipping his hands into the pockets he found an envelope—with a $20 bill and Aubrey’s note.

Jacob fled his dysfunctional family in fear for his life (Genesis 27:41–45). When he stopped for the night, God revealed Himself to Jacob in a dream. “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go,” God told him (28:15). Jacob vowed, “If God will . . . give me food to eat and clothes to wear . . . , then the L ord will be my God” (vv. 20–21).

Jacob made a rudimentary altar and named the spot “God’s house” (v. 22). Kelly takes Aubrey’s note and that $20 wherever he goes. Each serves as a reminder that no matter where we run, God is there.  By Tim Gustafson  (Our Daily Bread)

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Ginger Jordan writes (NY): Race matter only to racists. The rest of us care about character!

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