The Power of Words

Have you ever been so sure someone could rescue you by speaking up on your behalf that you started your request with words of praise and thanks?

That’s how the Psalmist begins: “O God, whom I praise! Do not remain silent.”

He asks God to appoint an accuser in a court.

Beware Sleight of Hand

These two proverbs are essentially the same, both speaking to the theme of dishonesty. They harken back to Deuteronomy 25:13-16 where instruction is given “not to have in your bag two kinds of weights, large and small.” An ephah and an ephah¾a stone and a stone, diverse weights and measures allowed the possibility for deception, overcharging for what is being purchased. The issue here is dishonest intentions and such intentions are an “abomination” to the Lord.

A Ruthless King

This chapter is grim reading. Looking at it through a 21st century lens, David’s instructions to Solomon about the treatment of his enemies seem ruthless and cruel. We wonder how the gentle poet of the Psalms can act in such a bloodthirsty manner. Our idealistic view of a pastoral artist is offended by the reality of life for an ancient king. But David was a king, with countless enemies threatening both him and his kingdom.

Read More décisions, Saviour, consequences

Faithful Father

Although the Lord is merciful and patient, he is also just and altogether wise. If he sets limits to our freedom, it is because we need them.

Perhaps Solomon considered himself wiser than he was? He did not obey God and his foreign wives eventually led him to turn away from the source of his prosperity and to prostrate himself before idols. God was right and the results were disastrous.

Read More obedience, consequences, idolatry

Plan A

In what ways is God merciful? How does God show his kindness? We get a clue as to the extent of God’s kindness in the first verse of this chapter where we read, “Once again the Lord told Jonah…” Here we see that the mercy of God is seen in the fact that He is a God who restores. He is the God who gives second chances.

Let’s face it, when Jonah took a ship to Tarshish, in the completely opposite direction from Nineveh, it wasn’t because he was dyslexic.

Rejecting God Has Consequences

Sometimes the Bible seems too relevant – almost frighteningly so.

Last evening on our local news channel I learned that an Ottawa-based business had been awarded financing on CBC’s Dragon’s Den for their flavored drink mix. This morning the opening line of our scripture reading warns, “And you are great at drinking and mixing drinks. But you are in for trouble” (Isaiah 5:22).

A Disastrous Decline

Our focus today goes back to the Northern Kingdom and its capital, Samaria. Imagine Hosea did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings who preceded him (v. 2). In effect, he would be the last ruler of Israel (v. 5-6). What Moses had foreseen in Deuteronomy 27-30 was going to happen.

Forced Abstinence

In this short chapter, God again commands his prophet to attach himself to an unfaithful woman. Yet this was to be a relationship without benefits. The woman was to remain entirely chaste. Despite her adventurous history, she was to refrain from sexual relations, even with the man who brought her into his home.

Pulled from the Pit

King Hezekiah falls seriously ill, so Isaiah encourages him to get his affairs in order. Filled with grief, the prophet turns toward the wall (perhaps the nearby temple) and pleads with God to save his ailing friend. The Lord answers Isaiah’s prayer and promises to give Hezekiah another fifteen years of life. The king is jubilant.

Pride Comes Before a Fall

Read Reflect (Editor’s comment: astute readers will notice that verses 13ff. are nearly identical with Isaiah 36-39, which theStory covered last month. We have included them here with a different person’s comments as a reminder of what happened in the story.) Usually, when everything around us is going crazy, our first thought isn’t “What did […]