2 Kings 9 Pastor Mark Hudson One way to look at this chapter is found in D.R. Davis’ commentary on p. 148. Instructions and obedience, vv. 1-10 Coronation and conspiracy, vv. 11-16 Riding and Retribution, vv. 17-37 A cloud of dust, vv. 17-20 A series of deaths, vv. 21-137. Sometimes, you know if you do or say something, nothing will be the same.  Sometimes a word, a deed, or a decision changes things yet, you…

2 Kings 8 By Pastor David Groendyk Elisha has been an awesome minister of grace and restoration for the people of Israel so far, mainly saving, helping, and delivering. But chapter 8 is something of a turning point in his ministry. As Ralph Davis says, Israel has been sinning away her day of grace, wasting it, and not turning back to the Lord in repentance, so God is about to take action. The first half…

2 Kings 7 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence According to God’s perfect yet unfathomable will, He brought the Syrian troops to besiege the capital city of Israel for a number of months which led to such a great famine in Samaria that two women had vowed to eat one another’s sons in order to survive. When the king heard this gruesome report, he flew into a rage against God’s prophet Elisha who had told him to…

2 Kings 6 Pastor Mark Hudson Elisha has a growing number of students around him. This prompts “the sons of the prophets” to ask to build a bigger place. They leave for the Jordan but not until someone innocently asks Elisha to join them. These are not wealthy students so when one of them loses an axe head in the Jordan they just can’t go buy a new one. Since Elisha just happened to be…

2 Kings 5 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, neither are our ways God’s way. Because this is a fundamental truth, we ought never to attempt to worship God according to our own imaginations but only in accordance with His Word. The mistake that Naaman made is a common one for those who do not know the Lord very well. He assumed that God would do something great for him because…

2 Kings 4 Pastor Mark Hudson “. . . Yahweh’s power is triumphant over debt (4:1-7), death (4:8-37), drought 4:38-44; two episodes), disease (5:1-27, and difficulty (6:1-7) [D.R. Davis, comment on 2 Kings, p. 53].   Debt’s devastation, for us, is mitigated by the various laws to protect against catastrophic loss.  But in ancient times, if there were laws to protect those in debt, those laws were not always enforced. The innocent or the poor often…

2 Kings 2 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Back in 1 Kings 19, after Elijah complained to the Lord that he was the only godly man left in Israel, the Lord had told him that he had left seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal and that the Lord had someone waiting in the wing to take the baton from him personally and to serve the Lord in the next generation.…

2 Kings 1 Pastor Mark Hudson In Kings, a big theme is the power of the word of the Lord.  The Bible is the word of the Lord, and that same Bible tells us of how that word changes lives, punishes evil doers, is always fulfilled, and should always be respected, listened carefully to, and obeyed.  As a Bible reader, you know that many people who are within the believing community outwardly, are inwardly rejecting…

Esther 9 Devotional Pastor Mark Hudson Chapter 9 starts out in verse one with a phrase that summarizes the entire book, “on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.”  For a time, Haman was close to killing all the Jews and now Haman is dead.  For a time, Haman was second only to the…

Esther 8 By Pastor David Groendyk Haman is dead! That’s good news. If we were quizzed on the book of Esther, I suspect most of us would think that was the end of the story. However, there is still a problem. The edict that was sent out to destroy, kill, and annihilate the Jews is still in effect, and edicts decreed by the kings of the Medes and the Persians cannot and will not be…

Esther 7 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence In Psalm 74:10-11 the psalmist pleads with God saying, “How long, O Lord, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? Arise, and defend your cause O God.” Is that not our question and ongoing concern today as well? Have we not all longed at times for the day of justice when the righteous are vindicated and the wicked finally get their just due?…

Esther 6 Devotional Pastor Mark Hudson “A coincidence is a miracle in which God prefers to remain anonymous” (Jon D. Levenson Esther: A Commentary p. 19).  I love how Biblical authors say things like, “On that night the king could not sleep.” Then from verse 1 to v. 4,”Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had…

Esther 5 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom but the fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” That is the substance of all the wisdom literature found in the Bible, as it is quoted in various forms in the books of Job, Psalms and Proverbs. It also sums up the greatest difference in our passage this morning between Esther and her antagonist Haman. Haman is…

Esther 4 Pastor Mark Hudson This chapter changes the course of events in this narrative. Chapter 3 ends with the king and Haman sending out an edict (from India to Ethiopia) to kill all the Jews. They celebrate their genocidal plans with a drink (or two). Meanwhile, Mordecai learns of this and he ‘tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out…

Esther 3 By Pastor David Groendyk If the principal theme of yesterday’s chapter was, “Will God’s people identify themselves with the Lord and love him more than they love the world or even their own lives?” then the theme of today’s chapter is, “What will the world do to those who do identify with the Lord and love him?” The answer is: hate them. Another great reversal happens in Esther 3—Mordecai the rescuer now has…

Esther 2 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence It would be really unfair to compare Esther with Cinderella, for she didn’t choose to go to the dance, if you will, and she certainly didn’t fall in love with any prince charming. No, this story is not one that little girls dream about, for no girl wants to be placed in a harem to serve as a plaything for a king. Similar to Daniel and his three friends…

Esther 1 Pastor Mark Hudson Reversal.  That seems to be the theme of Esther.  Or don’t get sucked into believing those in power are in power.  This first chapter is such a fascinating way to tell the story . . . of what? The near extermination of the Jews How God is always in control How God’s covenant faithfulness can never be thwarted. No one can stop, obstruct, prevent God from accomplishing His will.  All…

1 Kings 22 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Kings Jehoshaphat and Ahab make strange bedfellows. As good and wise as Jehoshaphat appears to be in many situations, he seems to be a very bad judge of character, at least in this case. Certainly, it is a foolish thing for Jehoshaphat to pledge his people and his horses to Israel’s king, when Israel’s king pays no mind to the Lord. Inquiring the will of the Lord in…

1 Kings 21 Pastor Mark Hudson This is an ugly, tragic, heartless event in the nation of Israel.  If you ever wonder if the exile was too harsh, consider the incidents in the nation chosen by God.  These events are raw, unbridled, uninhibited acts of violence and injustice.  I don’t think I have to retell the story because the narrator simply recounts the story. But, while it may seem that God was not involved, ‘the…

1 Kings 20 By Pastor David Groendyk This chapter recounts events that take place probably over a few months of time. Ahab king of Israel and Ben-hadad king of Syria are at war with each other and do battle twice, while two unnamed prophets are sent by God to go to Ahab with two very different messages. If 1 Kings 17–19 is meant to portray the amazing victories of the God of war, 1 Kings…

1 Kings 19 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence If we know anything about the weakness of the flesh, it is not so hard to believe that this is the same prophet Elijah who just a few days prior stood up to the king of Israel and took on 450 prophets singlehandedly that is now asking the Lord to take his life. Surely, the man is tired and hungry after running for hundreds of miles. He is…