Category: 2016 Challenge

Daniel is largely known because of some of the outrageous stories that are a part of his life: As an interpreter of dreams, his den of lion’s experience, his connection with Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego. But it was really what Daniel did behind the headlines that made him the man that he was.

In Daniel 9 and 10 we learn a few things that give us insight into Daniel.

In 9:2 we read, “in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given by Jeremiah the prophet…”  So we know that Daniel was a man who read and studied the Word of God. It was this discipline that fueled his ministry, strengthened his faith, and transformed his life. It is this discipline that will do the same for us as we regularly become a student of the Word.

One of the outcomes of a life that prioritizes God’s Word is a healthy, vibrant, bold prayer life.

In 9:4-19 we get to overhear a prayer that Daniel prays. Whenever I read prayers in Scripture I am usually struck by how different they sound from my prayers and the prayers I hear most people pray. You will note when you read his prayer several things:

• His absolute dependence on God
• His overwhelming confidence in God
• His incredible awe of God
• His humble confession to God
• His repentant spirit towards God
• His bold requests of God

It is evident from this prayer that Daniel is a man who knew God and was not unfamiliar with being in His presence.

In 10:12, we read what an angel of the Lord says to Daniel… “Do not be afraid Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard…”

If you ever want to deepen your prayer life and know that your prayers are being heard, and not just stopping at the ceiling, then ponder this verse. And read Daniel 10 carefully for an example of what it means to be humble before God.

Daniel’s boldness in public life flowed out of his humility before God in private. Perhaps this is something we should take to heart.

Hezekiah is one of my favorite Older Testament characters. He was also one of God’s favorites:

He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. (2 Kings 18:5-7 ESV)

As I read and pondered these chapters there were several things about him that stuck out to me…

He was a man of action – 18:3-4 detail some of the actions he took to make things right with God. Many of the kings before him had failed to do anything to stop the idol worship that was taking place. Hezekiah was not idle when it came to dealing with idols.

The question that we have to ask ourselves is this: What are the idols in our lives and what are we doing to eradicate them?

He was a man of courage – 18:7 says “He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.” The Assyrians had recently taken the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity and now they were knocking on the door of Judah, the southern kingdom. Hezekiah was not willing to capitulate to the demands of the Assyrians even though they were a more powerful army. He knew that he had a secret weapon – God was on his side.

Question: How are we demonstrating courage against the our enemies and against the evil in this world?

He was a man of prayer – 19:14-19 and 20:3 mentions two prayers that Hez prayed. The first when he cried out to God to deliver Judah from the Assyrians. God’s response: 19:35 says, “That night the angel of the Lord put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp.” The second when he was very ill and at the point of death. God’s response: 20:6 says, “I will add 15 years to your life…”

Question: Is prayer our first response to difficulties we face and to what extent do we cry out to God or merely say perfunctory prayers?

 

 

The F260 Plan took us through the book of Isaiah very fast. There was much that we did not read. Even so, what we did read gave us a feel for what the book was about. While much of the book talks about coming judgement there is also much about the coming Messiah and the coming hope of a new heaven and earth. Isaiah’s book is a prophecy of promise – some of the promises are hard to hear and some provoke joy and anticipation.

Here are a few choice verses that caught my attention this week. I will let them speak for themselves.

52:12 – “…for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

53:6 – “We all, like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

65:17-19 – “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.

66:2 – “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

The book of Jonah is one of my favorites in the Older Testament. Many moons ago, when rap music was still young, as a cool youth pastor I wrote a rap about Jonah. I have long since ceased to be cool (not that I ever really was) but I submit this here as a unique way to ponder this great book. (There is an audio recording at the end – I did not dare to do a video recording)

Rappin’ Those Jonah Blues
(aka The Jonah Rap)

Now Jonah’d been told that he should go and preach
But he said “No way, I’m headin’ for the beach.”
Now when he got to the beach he found himself a ship
And decided he’d take himself a little trip.
Well the ship set sail and it was Tarshish bound
And old Jonah figured there that he would never be found.
But things got rough when they encountered a storm
And Jonah finally figured out that it was from the Lord.
So everybody prayed … then threw Jonah overboard!

(Refrain)
Now the next time you think that things are really rough;
When you’re all fed up and you’ve had enough –
Then remember the lesson Jonah lived to tell:
It ain’t no better in the belly of a whale!
No it ain’t no better in the belly of a whale.
You can pretty much guess that things begin to smell
And no one even hears you when you let out a yell.
No I imagine it’s a lot like being in …. Well,

Jonah learned his lesson from that little stay
And in the belly of that whale Jonah really learned to pray.
So that fish acted fast when the Lord said “Hurl!”
And out shot Jonah like a flyin’ squirrel.
Then Jonah went straight to those old Ninevites
And told ‘em at best that they had 40 more nights.
And all the people knew that they’d been sinnin’ in the past
So they repented of their sin and declared themselves a fast.
And God had compassion when the people turned around
But the weird thing was that Jonah really came unwound.
See Jonah blamed the Lord, thinking he’d been made a fool.
He didn’t understand that he’d been used as God’s tool.
So he went outside the city and was hoping he would die
But the Lord taught him a lesson through a withered old vine.
See, Jonah was a prophet but he had a lot to learn:
There’s not much else that matters when salvation is concerned.

(Refrain)

You and I we act a lot like Jonah sometimes.
So take to heart the lessons to be learned from these rhymes.
See there are lots of people who are dying everyday;
They’re walking in the darkness and they cannot find their way.
But we who know the truth have an opportunity
To speak the Word of God that can really set them free.
See Jesus is the way and He’s the truth and the life.
And the Word of God is sharp and really cuts like a knife.
It is a word of healing and it is a word of hope –
A word for everybody at the end of their rope.
So don’t forget that God will always be on your side;
And don’t you do like Jonah who just tried to run and hide.

(Refrain)
Now the next time you think that things are really rough;
When you’re all fed up and you’ve had enough –
Then remember the lesson Jonah lived to tell:
It ain’t no better in the belly of a whale!
No it ain’t no better in the belly of a whale.
You can pretty much guess that things begin to smell
And no one even hears you when you let out a yell.
No I imagine it’s a lot like being in … Hell.

There are several things of interest to me in 2 Kings. 2 of them are interesting in a good way. The other is just plain disturbing.

1) Chariots of Fire (2:11) – Elisha was Elijah’s disciple – his prophet in training so to speak. Elijah is one of only a few people in Scripture who did not have to pass through death to enter God’s presence. Verse 11 says that “he went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” His disappearance was accompanied by a “chariot of fire and horses of fire.” Now I can only imagine what kind of impression this left on Elisha. And I suspect that it was something he thought about everyday for the rest of his life. And it reminded him, even when life and ministry got tough, to persevere with diligence and faithfulness because he knew what waited for him at the finish line. Now I have not ever had a chariots of fire experience but I have had some God moments that I often think back upon that sustain me when life is hard. They serve as reminders to me that God is alive and well and working to prepare me for the great and glorious day of salvation.

2) The Cloak of Elijah (2:13) – When Elijah went to be with the Lord he left behind his cloak. This was purposeful. He knew that it would be helpful for Elisha to have a tangible reminder of the time they had together. Elisha was bereft (v.12). But the cloak helped him deal with his grief as well as to give him a tangible symbol that he would always have of his mentor. So not only did he have the powerful memory of the chariots of fire but he had Elijah’s cloak to encourage him for the days ahead. This got me thinking – what tangible things do I have that I need to purposefully pass on to my kids and grandkids that can serve as motivating reminders for them as life comes at them full speed.

3) The Jeering of Elisha (vs.23-25) – This one is disturbing. But being a baldheaded fellow myself I find it kind of funny, in a tragic sort of way. Evidently Elisha was kind of sensitive to being bald. And evidently he didn’t understand that sometimes youth like to have some fun at the expense of other people. So when these youth made fun of Elisha’s follicly challenged head he called down a curse upon them in the name of the Lord and they were mauled by 2 bears. This didn’t really seem to bother Elisha as the Scriptures say rather matter of factly that he then “went up to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.”

There are a lot of things in Scripture that I find disturbing. But I appreciate that this stuff is included in the Bible. The Bible is not some kind of sugar coated holy book that only paints a pretty picture of a well mannered God. I like the way that C.S. Lewis puts it at the end of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when Susan (referring to Aslan) says to Mr Beaver:

“Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…

“Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

One of the passages we read this week in the F260 Plan was Proverbs 2:1-5. This was the passage that inspired me to start being intentional about pondering Scripture many years ago.

A few years ago I put some thoughts together from these verses about how to ponder a passage. I have posted them before but it has been many years. So here they are again. Perhaps they will be helpful as you continue to learn how to ponder the Word.

Proverbs 2:1-5
¹ My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
³ and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

“Accept” Read the passage slowly 2-3 times. Write down any thoughts that stand out to you. Accept the words from God as a personal message to you.

“Store up” Choose a verse or phrase in the passage to memorize. The key to effective Scripture memory is repetition. Repeat the verse a dozen or more times throughout the day. Scripture memory is a vital key to spiritual health. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden (stored up) Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

“Turn your ear” Listen to what God has to say to you through the passage. Ask God to speak to your heart and to give you ears to hear what He has to say to you. Write down what He tells you. A great prayer to pray as you begin to ponder is from Psalm 1119:18, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.”

“Apply your heart” How can you apply the passage to your life? How can you put it into practice? What will you DO as a result of reading God’s Word.

“Call out” Ponder the passage out loud with someone else. Talk about it with a friend or spouse. Ask what their thoughts are on the passage – what God is teaching them through this passage?

“Cry aloud” Pray the Scripture out loud. Turn the passage into a prayer to God. Praying Scripture is a great way to dialogue with God. Here are some other thought on how to effectively do this.

“Look for it” Meditate on the passage. Think about it in different ways. Chew on the Word as a cow chews it’s cud. Focus on different words or different verses in the passage and ponder their significance and meaning.

“Search for it” If there are aspects of the passage that you don’t understand, use reference tools to help you… Such as a Bible dictionary, concordance, or commentary. Google is a great tool also – if you don’t understand something just google the question you have. Some of the responses will be helpful and some will not but at least it gives you a starting place to learn more.

I don’t use all of these for every passage I ponder but I often use many of them to help me think through the passage. If I can help you become a better ponderer just let me know.

“Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.”

This verse captured my attention as I was reading this week (using the F-260 Bible Reading Plan). And specifically one word struck me big time:  It was the word “except”.

A little background. When the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, they were supposed to destroy all the hilltop shrines of the Canaanites:

“Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire;cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from their places.” (Deuteronomy 12:2-3, see also Deut 7:5 and Numbers 33:52)

Until the construction of the temple, Israel was only allowed to worship at divinely sanctioned sites. Solomon, however, continued not only to worship at existing high places but even to build more of them…

“On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.” (1 Kings 11:7-8)

This is the danger of allowing exceptions into our spiritual lives. What starts out as a small exception that we rationalize and convince ourselves that it will just be this one time becomes a repeatable habit and way of life that slowly but surely lures us away from God and destroys our spiritual health. Note what 1 Kings 11:9 says about Solomon…

“The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.”

And it all started with one word… “except.”

• Here are a few questions that this verse provokes me to ponder:
• What are the exceptions I allow into my TV and internet watching?
• What are the exceptions I make with regard to the things I spend money on?
• What are the exceptions I make regarding stuff that I read?
• What are the exceptions I make regarding dietary habits?

Exceptions can kill you. Be careful what you “except” in your life!

 

In many ways David is as enigmatic a personality in Scripture as anyone. But one of the things that resonates with me about him is that he too was a ponderer. We can see this throughout the Psalms but especially in Psalm 19.

He ponders the creation of God (vs. 1-6) – I suspect that he spent a lot of time up on the roof of his palace. And when he was not looking down on other rooftops watching beautiful women take a bath (as in the case of Bathsheba), he was most likely looking up into the heavens and pondering the greatness and the glory of the God who created everything. He would meditate on his observations and then take pen and paper and put his thoughts in the form of songs – as he does here in Psalm 19. As a musician, this was how he best expressed what was going on in his heart. And this is indeed how we know that he was a “man after God’s own heart” – despite the many other failings that the man had.

He ponders the Word of God (vs. 7- 11) – It is also obvious that David spent a lot of time thinking about what he was reading in the Torah – the books of Moses (Genesis – Deuteronomy). When his soul felt empty this is where he went to get refreshed (v.7a). When he needed counsel, this is where he went for wisdom (v.7b). When he was depressed, this is where he found joy in God (v.8). When he felt lost and far from God, this is where he went to get back on track (vs. 9-11). And just as he did as he pondered God’s creation, he would put his musings to music as he pondered God’s Word.

This resonates with me because I do the same thing. I have written dozens of poems and songs that have been inspired by my ponderings of the world and the Word. Some of them I have posted HERE. And I have written hundreds of blog posts that have captured my thoughts on “paper”. The point is that you want to find a way to share what you are pondering – even if it is just for your own personal benefit – like keeping a personal journal. Somehow taking this intentional step, beyond just reading and thinking, helps to solidify in your heart the things that you have pondered in your mind.

At least it does so for me!

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2  He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3  He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is not an unfamiliar passage of Scripture. And there is a reason for that. There are so many rich, comforting truths in these 6 verses that, other than John 3:16 and The Lord’s Prayer, it may very well be the next best know passage in the Bible.

What struck me, as I read this as part of the F260 Bible Reading Plan this week, was one word – twice repeated. It was the word “leads”.

David uses the shepherding metaphor to help share his thoughts. If the Lord is the shepherd, the metaphor implies that we are his sheep. Now David was a great leader of men and one of the great leaders of God’s people Israel. And yet even he understood that he needed to be led.

Leaders lead. But leaders are also being led. Whether they know it or not. And great, godly leaders are being led the Lord.

Not by… public opinion or their feelings or political correctness or financial opportunities or slick advertisers, or our sinful nature. But by the Lord.

I know that I need the Lord to lead me…

…beside still waters (v.2) – Life can be crazy and hectic and stressful and troubling and hard. In the middle of all of this there are “still waters” that I need the Lord to lead me to so that I maintain His perspective and find the peace that surpasses all understanding and can be fueled by His joy to face life as it comes my way. I also need the Lord to lead me…

…in paths of righteousness (v.3) – When I am not following the Lord and being led by Him my sinful, selfish nature will often lead my astray. Not in such a way that those watching me would notice but in such a way that I notice – because I am aware of what my heart starts craving when I am not led by the Lord.

So I recognize that I am being led every day – and hopefully and prayerfully it is the Lord that I allowing to lead me as I read His Word and do what He says. Because I want to experience His still waters and His righteousness in my life.

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord‘s, and he will give you into our hand.”

David has always been somewhat of an enigma to me. On the one hand he is a murderer and an adulterer. He did not seem to do a good job of parenting his kids. He had wife issues. He at times comes across as manic-depressive. But on the other hand, he knows how to be a great friend. He is not vengeful. He is courageous. He is a natural leader. And he loves God. Acts 13:22 describes him as a man after God’s own heart.

And this passage in 1 Samuel 17 is an indication of his love for and trust in the Lord.

Here are a few questions to ponder as you think about David’s encounter with Goliath. No answers – just questions.

1. How was David’s perspective towards Goliath different than everyone else’s?
2. What was going through David’s mind as he faced this giant of a man?
3. How had God prepared him for this very moment?
4. Was David by nature a risk taker or was it his faith in God that just took over in the moment?
5. How had this kind of faith developed in him – his brothers certainly didn’t seem to possess such faith?
6. Do you think he had a back up plan if the “slingshot strategy” did not work? After all, Goliath had a lot of armor on so David had a very small window for success.
7. Was he at all worried about what everyone else was thinking as he made his bold move?

After pondering these questions you can then begin to make some personal applications. Most people want to jump to the application of this passage without first thinking it through – i.e , Who are the Goliaths in your life? Make sure you do the pondering of the passage prior to making the practical application of the passage. This is a lesson you want to use for any passage you are reading.