December 1st: Adam
Genesis 2:7 – 4:2
Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make
one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband
with her, and he ate.
Adam was the very first man created. He was created in a world that
was filled with perfection and glory. There was no sin, no death, no
disease, and nothing was broken. Everything was good. And yet, it
didn’t stay that way. Adam had only one command: Do not eat from
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When we consider this, it
seems simple. Don’t eat from the tree, and all humanity after you
won’t have to live in a crazy broken world. As we read this story, it is
then so easy to blame Eve for this. After all, Eve was the one who
listened to the serpent. Eve was the one who took the fruit and gave it
to her husband. But we often overlook two small words in English:
“with her.” Adam was there. He should have stepped in. He should
have stopped her. He should have protected her and shut down Satan
and his lies with what God had said. But he didn’t. He failed Eve, he
failed his descendants, and he failed God.
God would have been absolutely righteous and just if He determined,
at that moment, to wipe the slate completely clean and start again. I
mean, why not–it’s just 6 days worth of work. I’m sure we’ve all had
to scrap something into which we’ve poured a lot of time but just
doesn’t work out. Maybe it was a hobby, maybe it was a project at
work, maybe it was a group of friends who turned out to not be your
friends.
But God didn’t. Instead, He shed blood that day (“garments of skin,”
Gen 3:21) to cover Adam and Eve, and promised that one day He
would send His Son to right this wrong. It was a wrong that God didn’t
create but one that only He was capable of fixing. What love God
showed that day and every day since! What mercy! What sacrifice! All
of it built up through the ages, leading to the birth of a baby in
Bethlehem. So, as this Advent season gets increasingly busy and
stressful, remember that God chose to save you instead of just starting
over again. To Jesus be the glory, Amen.
December 2nd: Noah
Genesis 6:5 – 9:29
Genesis 7:23 So [God] destroyed all living things which were on the
face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of
the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those
who were with him in the ark remained alive.
It must have been strange to be Noah in those days before the waters
came when he was building the Ark. I’d wager that Noah being a
righteous man in a world filled with unrighteous men must have been
strange in and of itself. I know how many of us feel, especially those
who are surrounded by a community that doesn’t believe in Jesus
Christ and is very vocal about it. Noah must have felt very isolated,
even though he knew that he and his family were following the truth,
while everyone else around him believed in the lie. And then God adds
to this by saying, “Build this giant box in your front yard.” I imagine
that many of those unbelievers ridiculed Noah and his family for their
“backwards” and “bigoted” beliefs while praising their own
“progressive” and “inclusive” beliefs.
Yet Noah remained faithful. He put his trust in God, rather than in any
man or the opinions of man. So God delivered him and his family
when everything else around him died. Everyone who mocked God,
who claimed that He couldn’t possibly be real, who turned their backs
on God were destroyed. Meanwhile, Noah was saved. Saved from
destruction and delivered from the mockery of the world. This was a
shadow of what is to come, of the day when Jesus will deliver us all
from the rebuke of this world. Just as certainly as Jesus came into the
world, He is coming again. And just like He certainly delivered Noah,
He will deliver us. And this time, He will remake the world, free from
sin and suffering. May that day come quickly, Lord Jesus, Amen!
December 3rd: Abraham
Genesis 12:1 – 22:34
Genesis 17:3-6 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with
him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you
shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be
called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made
you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful;
and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.”
One of the hardest parts of Christianity is the strange reality of the now
and the not yet. Already, we are saved from sin, death, and the devil.
Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia. Yet sin’s effects still
linger in this world, our bodies still age, and we eventually die–and the
devil continues to prowl around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he
might devour! The Old Testament saints whom we have been studying
had it even harder than we do. They didn’t have the benefit of being
able to look back on the reality of Jesus Christ on the cross to see how
all of these promises that He made to His people were fulfilled on
Calvary.
Yet in the reading today we learn how God came to Abram, changed
his name to Abraham, and promised him this great future, that kings
and nations will rise from his offspring. But this will not happen
through Ishmael, like Abraham thinks; rather, it’s a son who will yet be
born, born to a man 100 years old and his younger wife of 90. The
promise of God seems ludicrous, and it causes both Abraham and
Sarah to laugh at it. Yet, that unbelieving laughter is turned into a
joyous laughter one year later with the birth of Isaac.
Here we too are in a season of “now but not yet.” Advent is a season
when we prepare for the second coming of Jesus by remembering how
He came down that first time. We remember the journey to Bethlehem,
the shepherds in the fields, and the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes
lying in a manger. But, that won’t be how He comes again. He will
come again in glory, with the shout of the trumpet and the voice of an
archangel. And we, like Abraham, take this promise of God on faith,
faith in the one who always fulfills His promises. The one who made a
mighty nation of Abraham, and from that nation came the king of
Creation, who died on the cross for our sins. Let us await the promise
of the Lord with joy, trusting in Jesus’ Word. Amen.
December 4th: Isaac
Genesis 22:1 – 22; 24:1 – 67; 26:1 – 35
Genesis 22:7-8 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My
father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire
and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And
Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a
burnt offering." So the two of them went together.
This has always been one of my favorite stories in the book of
Genesis. God comes to Abraham and tells him that he has to sacrifice
his beloved son. And God doesn’t leave any wiggle room in His
request, any way to try to “outsmart” God on it. Amazingly, Abraham
doesn’t bat an eye at the request but rather he immediately gets up and
leaves to fulfill what God has commanded of him. But you’ll notice
that I’ve been talking about Abraham this entire time, I haven’t
mentioned Isaac at all. So why is this story here, in this section about
Isaac? Well, it’s not like Isaac is a silent character in this story, a
character without any agency of his own. He asks his father one
.)יחד( question about the sacrifice, and then they go on together
But this word in Hebrew is more than just “together”--it’s a military
word, a word that talks about the cohesion of a unit. If a unit is not
united in purpose and training, it’s going to be swiftly defeated.
Abraham and Isaac were united, even if they didn’t say it out loud. It’s
easy to see, for just a few verses later Abraham is binding Isaac and
laying him on the wood. We aren’t sure exactly how old Isaac is, but
he was old enough and strong enough to carry the wood while his aged
father carries the knife and the fire. Surely that would make him strong
enough to fight back and refuse to be bound or to simply flee. Instead,
he accepts this fate. Isaac, like his father Abraham, trusts in God’s
promises to him and to Abraham. He is together with his father, both
trusting in the promises of God despite what appears to be the failure
of all those promises in the death of Isaac.
Of course, this narrative is a picture of Jesus who won’t be delivered at
the last minute, whose Father will have watched as the nails pierced
the flesh of His Son. But just as Abraham knew that God would raise
Isaac from the dead, Jesus was indeed raised up. And now we go on
together, as members of His body, awaiting the day when Jesus returns
again. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, Amen.
December 5th: Jacob
Genesis 25:19 – 35:29
Genesis 28:15 [The LORD said] “Behold, I am with you and will
keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land;
for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to
you.”
Jacob is a difficult Patriarch. His name means both “heel grabber” and
also deceiver. It’s similar to the English idiom “pulling your leg.”
Later he would buy his brother’s birthright and, with the help of his
mother, cash in on that deal by stealing Esau’s blessing. He would then
have not one but four wives (Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah) in the
midst of a passive-aggressive feud with his father-in-law about his
wages. Yet this is the man whom God would bless, the man that will
strive with God and not be destroyed. When he returned to his
homeland, his brother who openly plotted to kill him before he left
now greets his brother warmly. Jesus Christ is certainly with this man.
Yet it doesn’t seem like he deserves it. In this stage of the genealogy of
Jesus, Jacob certainly appears to be one of the black sheep. Just think
of how many problems come from the household of Jacob, especially
the animosity among his wives, which trickled down to problems
between his children. Reuben even slept with one of his father’s wives.
Simeon and Levi hatched a plot to destroy an entire town in revenge
for their sister’s abduction. Judah will later sell his own brother into
slavery. What a mess of wickedness and sinfulness!
But to all of this Jesus says, “I will not leave you until I have done
what I have spoken to you.” This doesn’t undo any of the sinful acts
of Jacob, but it displays the depth of love and mercy that God has
towards us sinful human beings. Jacob, despite all his flaws, trusted in
the promises of God. He trusted in God’s promise to bring him back to
his homeland and clung to that even in the middle of the night while
wrestling with a power beyond him. Jesus has promised to bring us
home, too. He has promised that He is coming again and will gather us
to Himself on that day. On that day, all Jacob’s sins and all our sins
will have been paid for, destroyed, and never spoken of again. Lord,
keep us firm in our faith until that day. Amen.
December 6th: Judah
Genesis 37:12 – 38:30; 43:1 – 44:34
Genesis 44:33-34 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead
of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps
I see the evil that would come upon my father?"
Judah is the fourth-born son of Jacob. His older brothers will become
disqualified from the birthright by their actions of adultery and murder.
Judah seems well on his way to disqualification as well. He, along with
all his other brothers, hate Joseph for his dreams of superiority. When the
opportunity presents itself, they plot to kill their brother. Reuben talks
them out of murder, but it’s Judah who then comes up with the idea to sell
their brother into slavery and lie to their father about Joseph’s fate.
Judah’s life, however, isn’t simply a story of a bad seed who gets worse
and does increasingly wicked things. No, Judah’s story is one of
redemption. It starts with the loss of his sons, and his actions toward his
daughter-in-law Tamar. At the end of it, he declares rightly that Tamar
was more righteous in this situation than he was. He admits his sins and
does the right thing.
Then famine grips the land, and Judah, along with his brothers, are forced
to turn to the only source of food, the land of Egypt. Little known to
them, their despised brother Joseph is now just one step beneath the
mighty Pharaoh, and through God’s direction, Joseph has prepared for
this famine and is about to save the world. In their second trip for food,
Judah has been forced to bring Benjamin with him, and given his word to
Jacob that Benjamin will be returned safely. Now, when it appears that
Benjamin is going to be taken as a slave, it is Judah who stands up. It is
Judah who says that I will take the punishment that rightfully belongs to
my brother. I will suffer in his place, for the sake of my father.
Jesus will do this and so much more. Judah’s stand in Benjamin’s place is
a shadow of his descendant. For Jesus will not stand in the place of one
man, but will stand in the place of all mankind, including Judah. And
Jesus will gladly suffer the penalty of sin, so that we might be free. Lord
Jesus, thank you for redeeming fallen Judah and all humanity. Please
prepare us for the day when you greet us as brothers, welcoming us into a
world freed from sin’s destruction. Amen.
December 7th: Rahab
Judges 2; 6
Joshua 2:12-13 [Rahab said to the men], “Now therefore, I beg you,
swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that
you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a
true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my
sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
Rahab is an interesting inclusion in our study this Advent season. For
starters, she is a woman, unlike all the previous ancestors of Jesus that
we’ve considered. This is not to downplay the role of prominent
women in Jesus’ ancestry, such as Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, or
Tamar, but these women’s stories of faithfulness (or lack thereof) are
tied to their husband’s own story. Rahab’s is one of the few who is not.
Rahab is not introduced in the best light: she was a prostitute. A
prostitute in the lineage of Jesus? I know, in our day that doesn’t seem
like much of a scandal anymore with the prevalence of Only Fans and
the glorification of sex workers, but this is scandalous. This should
cause us to do a double-take. This part of her life is shameful, and we
won’t pretend any differently.
Yet God will call her out of this shameful situation by His Holy Spirit
and deliver her. She has heard about the one true God, His mighty
power to deliver His people, and His claim to this land where she
dwells. She wants to be one of those people. Her faith and faithfulness
is rewarded, and she and her family are delivered when the walls of
Jericho come tumbling down.
So what does Rahab have to teach you, dear brother or sister in Christ?
That God can deliver you out of your shame and guilt. His Holy Spirit
can pull you out of whatever sin has done to your life, and can use you
for the blessing and benefit of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes,
even you. Whatever you have done, Jesus can forgive it, He hears the
cries of your soul, and tells you that you have a place in His family,
that He has died for you, and has redeemed you. He is coming back for
you, to deliver you from the ruins of this world just like Rahab was
delivered from the ruins of Jericho. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, Amen.
December 8th: Ruth
Ruth 1 – 2
Ruth 1:15-16 And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone
back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-
law." But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn
back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And
wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
The Book of Ruth is a fascinating story. There was so much wrong
with the world, yet amid a horrible mess, the Holy Spirit brought an
amazing faith to an unlikely person. What do I mean by that? Well,
what do you remember about the Moabites? Well, they had a king
named Balak who tried to buy a curse from the prophet Balaam (Num
22). They would later devise a ploy to send their women to seduce the
men of Israel, and it almost worked, but for the repentance of the
people and the zeal of Phinehas. But even their origin was twisted.
Moab was born when Lot’s daughter tricked her father into
impregnating her (Gen 19).
With all of this, it’s surprising that God hadn’t commanded that these
people be wiped out of existence. Instead, he told the Israelites to spare
them because of Lot (Deut 2:9; 19). Even though they were to be
excluded from the congregation of the Lord forever (Deut 23). Yet
through Ruth’s marriage, she left behind her father and mother and
was joined to the children of Israel. Elimelech, despite his failings in
believing God’s promise in the promised land, at least maintained the
faith of his family, and he and his sons passed on this faith to Ruth.
She heard the promise of Jesus Christ, and refused to be parted from
that promise, no matter how bleak and hopeless it would appear.
What an amazing faith that was given to her! Lord, may we possess
such a faith in these times. Ruth willingly chose the more difficult
road, because it was the road which was laid down by Jesus Christ. All
other paths looked easier, but led to destruction. Let us leave behind
everything that we were, every twisted sin that clings to us, and be
comforted solely by being your redeemed child. For we know that you
are coming again, and pray that it is soon. Amen.
December 9th: Boaz
Ruth 3 – 4
Ruth 4:11-12 And all the people who were at the gate, and the
elders, said, "We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who
is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built
the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be
famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez,
whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the
LORD will give you from this young woman."
Boaz exemplified many great qualities, mercy and care for the widow
and fatherless paramount among them. Boaz looks not at the lineage of
Ruth, the Moabitess, but instead at her actions. Her choice to remain
faithful to the God of her husband, even after her husband’s death,
speaks volumes. The action of caring for her mother-in-law long after
she was required to does as well. Boaz saw her and had compassion on
her, making sure that she was taken care of. He told his men to drop
some extra grain on the ground so that Ruth and Naomi have plenty to
eat.
Then Ruth came to Boaz in the middle of the night, and he didn’t take
advantage of her, but promised to care for her, saying that if the nearest
kinsman redeemer will not act, that he will make sure that she and
Naomi are secure. And then we see his acts in the gate, where he steps
up, making sure that Ruth is protected from simple money grubbing.
What then is Boaz’s reward? While the Lord continued to give him
abundant prosperity in his days, Boaz was included in the genealogy of
Jesus. Obed is not listed as a leverite child of Mahlon, but as the child
of Boaz.
Boaz is quite the redeemer, but even his grace and mercy are but a
shadow of his descendant, Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus that we see the
mercy and grace of Boaz multiplied exponentially. Jesus redeems His
bride, the church, from all of her sin, covers her in His grace, and
makes the ultimate sacrifice for her, dying for her on the cross. Lord
Jesus Christ, in Boaz you gave us an example of how we too are to
look after our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us care for one another
in these latter days, until you come again to redeem us fully and make
this whole world new. Amen.
December 10th: David
1 Samuel 17 – 1 Kings 1:4
2 Samuel 17:12 – 13 [God said to David,] “When your days are fulfilled and
you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come
from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for
My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
David was described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14, Acts
13:22). So much has and can still be said about David. He was the boy
who trusted in God to overthrow Goliath, the leader of men who
respected God’s anointed one even when he was being hunted unjustly by
him, and the king who spared the last descendant of a forsaken household
because of his love for Jonathan. He was also the sinner who laid with
another man’s wife and schemed, plotted, and conspired to kill that man.
He was the father whose household was rent by rape and murder, the
penitent poet who composed so many beloved Psalms. David was all of
these and more.
So, how do we look on David? Do we look at some hero, ignoring his
flaws in our attempts to emulate his faith? Do we look at the profound
consequences of his failings, brushing aside all the times when his faith
remained strong despite everything else that was going on around him?
Or do we see both, the end result being a flawed man, just as we are? A
flawed man who clung to the faith that God gave him, who refused to
stand by as God’s name was mocked, and stood up against a literal giant.
A flawed man who loved his friends, loved his children, loved them so
much that he was blind to their failings until it was too late? Yes, David
was a man of remarkable faith, but the greatest part of that faith was how
he reacted to God’s judgment on him. He didn’t argue, he didn’t
equivocate, he didn’t make excuses–he repented. Of all of David’s mighty
works, of all his kingly qualities, this should be the one we strive the
hardest to emulate.
David, like Adam before him, was ultimately human and failed. But there
is one coming from him who got it right, and whose throne will be
established not just for a few generations, but for eternity. For Jesus
Christ is the son of David, born into this world. Yet He is also David’s
Lord, begotten from the Father from eternity. And He will reign forever
and ever, and that reign, that kingdom is coming soon. Let us look
forward to that day when the Son of David will reign among us for all
eternity. Amen.
December 11th: Solomon
1 Kings 3 – 11
1 Kings 10:23-24 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in
riches and wisdom. Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to
hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The reign of Solomon was the pinnacle of the Kingdom of Israel. Under
Solomon’s wise reign the kingdom was stronger and wealthier than any
around it, than it would ever be again. Those of you who have been
meditating on the wisdom of Solomon by following either the Sons of
Solomon discipline or the Daughters of Wisdom discipline are, by this
point, very familiar with the wisdom that God granted to Solomon, and
which he shared with the rest of us.
Solomon put that wisdom to great use, ruling over the kingdom wisely,
doing great things for the people of Israel, and establishing the temple of
God in the midst of God’s people. He had taken what his father David had
established, built on the foundation of faith in the promises of God, and
built it into a glorious beacon, shining for the world to see. And the world
did see, and came to him to hear about the wisdom of God.
Yet just like David his father, Solomon was a sinful human too.
Eventually he abandoned wisdom for folly, and allowed himself to be led
astray into the worship of false gods. Yes, his wives led him down this
path, but just as with Adam, he had the responsibility to lead his wives
into the worship of the one true God, and he failed. The wisest man ever
to live failed to be a good husband and a good father. Yet the folly of his
later years does not invalidate the inspired wisdom that he shared. The
fear of the Lord–Jesus Christ–is the beginning of wisdom.
That same Jesus Christ would be the only one to surpass Solomon in his
wisdom. For Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the promises made to
Solomon. Jesus Christ is the one who will sit forever on the throne of
David. Jesus Christ is the temple itself made flesh, more glorious than the
building that Solomon built. Just as Solomon did, Jesus Christ looks after
His people in wisdom. So take heart, learn from the wisdom and the
mistakes of Solomon, and put your trust in Jesus Christ, who is Wisdom
made flesh, who is coming again soon to reign. Come quickly, Lord
Jesus, Amen.
December 12th: Rehoboam
1 Kings 11:42 – 14:31
2 Chronicles 9:31 – 12:16
2 Chronicles 10:6-8 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who
stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, "How
do you advise me to answer these people?" And they spoke to him,
saying, "If you are kind to these people, and please them, and
speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever." But
he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and
consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood
before him.
It is interesting to consider how growing up and having every
imaginable advantage from your father didn’t prepare Rehoboam for
the task that he was given. He knew that he was going to be the king of
Israel after the death of his father, Solomon. His father had even gone
so far as to record God-given wisdom for him in a book that we now
know as Proverbs.
But, the folly of youth was in full flower in Rehoboam, and he rejected
the wisdom of his father and the wisdom of his father’s councilors.
Rehoboam would even reject the promises of Jesus Christ, leading
Judah into idolatry, and causing God to send the king of Egypt to be
his instrument of retribution against Rehoboam, plundering the
treasures that Solomon his father had gathered in the temple of God.
In Jesus Christ, Rehoboam’s foolishness is undone, and his rebellion
quashed and redeemed. Jesus reunites the kingdom under Solomon’s
greater son, Jesus Himself. And not only are all the tribes of Israel
brought together in this kingdom, but all the tribes of the world as
well. This kingdom of Christ is coming, with or without our aid. This
is a kingdom where the King has every right to be heavy-handed, who
is truly more righteous than any of His subjects. Yet Jesus Christ, the
King of Kings, chooses not to be served, but to serve and to give His
life as a ransom for many. So now, we prepare for Him to come again.
This time He will come in glory, not because His Father was also a
king, but because He Himself paid the ransom for the world with His
death. This King will not break the world, but rather He will bring
healing to this world. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, King of Creation.
Amen.
December 13th: Abijah
1 Kings 14:34-15:8
2 Chronicles 13:1-22
1 Kings 15:3 And [Abijah] walked in all the sins of his father,
which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the
LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.
David reigned over Israel for 40 years. Solomon reigned over Israel for
40 years. Rehoboam reigned over Judah for only 17 years. His son,
Abijah, ruled for 3 brief years. Sadly, little of what happened during these
years is known. The Chronicles give us an account of a battle between
Jeroboam, king of Israel, and Abijah. In this account, we see Abijah and
the forces of Judah choosing the battlefield, and outnumbered 2-to-1.
Abijah called on the mighty men of Israel to repent of the evils that
Jeroboam has done, of expelling the priests from Israel and consecrating
their own, of raising up golden calves in the north and south of Israel, of
forsaking God and His commandments. While giving this speech,
Jeroboam attempted to surround Abijah’s forces and to destroy the line of
the kings of Judah once and for all. And when Judah saw that they were
surrounded, it was their action that showed their faith. 2 Chronicles 13:14
says, “And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle
line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the LORD, and
the priests sounded the trumpets.” Whatever other failings the men of
Judah had, on that day, their faith was not in the strength of their arms,
nor the sharpness of their sword, nor the speed of their arrows, but was in
the deliverance of the Lord. On that day, Jeroboam was dealt a crippling
blow, one which he would never recover from militarily.
Jeroboam would go on to outlive Abijah by two years. The end of the
lives of both kings are shrouded in mystery. Unlike other kings who died
on the field of battle or in some political intrigue, we know nothing about
the death of Abijah. We know that there was faith present in Abijah, but
there was also unbelief, a heart that was not loyal to God. And that was
his problem–even after his moment of crying out in faith, he went after
other gods as well. Our God is a jealous God, because no false god can
save. Call us to repentance, Jesus Christ, when our hearts waver in
loyalty, and draw us back to you. For we know that you are coming back,
not just to deliver us from one battle, but to end the entire war and declare
your victory over sin, death, and the devil. Until that day, Amen.
December 14th: Asa
1 Kings 15:8-24
2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14
2 Chronicles 16:7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of
Judah, and said to him: "Because you have relied on the king of Syria,
and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the
king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
Asa was a breath of fresh air compared to his father. He deposed the
queen mother for her idolatry and destroyed her Asherah idol, as well
as cleansed the rest of the nation from idols and false worship. He
dedicated to the temple much wealth that his father had hoarded for
himself.
But foolishness is not a problem that is unique to those who are young.
Those who are old can be foolish as well–and Asa came into such
foolishness at the end of his reign. Earlier in his reign, other armies
had come up against Judah, but the Lord had delivered Judah and her
people from them. But Israel was again on the border, and Baasha,
king of Israel, had built a fortified town that restricted the flow of
goods and people in Judah. Now where did Asa turn? Did he seek
counsel from the Lord? No, he came up with his own clever plan. He
would take all those treasures that he had donated earlier in his life to
the temple, and pay off the king of Syria to attack Israel, distracting
them so that Judah could seize the building materials and build their
own fortified cities to defend against such a ploy.
God sent Hanani to Asa to call him to repentance. You would think
that his response would be like that of his great-great-grandfather
David, that he would hear the reprimand of the Lord and cry out in
repentance. But he did not. Instead he imprisoned Hanani and
oppressed the people for the last years of his reign. It was almost like
he thought that God owed him for the earlier faith that he showed.
Many of you are reading this because you trust in Jesus Christ,
because He has saved you from sin, death, and the devil. I pray that
this wickedness stays far from each and every one of us, that we never
turn to our God and tell Him that He owes us for our faithfulness,
when the very faith itself is a gift that is given to us. Lord Jesus Christ,
keep us firm in that one true faith until that day when you come again.
Amen.
December 15th: Jehoshaphat
1 Kings 22:41-50
2 Chronicles 17:1-20:37
2 Chronicles 18:1 Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance;
and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab.
Jehoshaphat is an amazing pillar of the faith. He not only followed in
the ways of his father Asa, who himself walked in the ways of David,
but he sought the Lord earnestly and often. Jesus Christ was truly
Jehoshaphat’s God, and he would turn to Him constantly for advice,
for counsel, and for comfort. He did something no other king ever
really did: not only did he seek to remove all the idols, but he actually
did take down some of the high places (2 Chron 17:6). He instituted
social and religious reforms that needed to happen, and he actively
supported the education of his people in the ways of the Lord, helping
fathers pass on the faith to their sons. In many ways, Jehoshaphat is an
amazing role model who seemed like the best king of the bunch since
Solomon and David.
But Jehoshaphat had one glaringly obvious blind spot. This would be
the house of Ahab of the Northern Kingdom. Ahab was a wicked king,
and his queen Jezebel was even worse. Jehoshaphat actually willingly
marries into this family. From this point on, he was lured into several
different armed conflicts that did not please God. Yet in each of these
conflicts, he proved himself to be faithful to the Lord. He asked for a
prophet of the Lord to speak to each of these endeavors, and he was
not fooled by the “yes men” that surrounded the king of Israel. God
would deliver Jehoshaphat and Judah because of their faithfulness, but
would repeatedly punish Israel for her faithlessness.
However, his alliance with Israel would shape the nation for years to
come. For all his reforms, all his focus on teaching his people the true
way of the Lord, his family did not follow him. My heart breaks for
Jehoshaphat in this. Yet, in this world, that is what we need to be
prepared for. Jesus says in Luke 12:53a, “Father will be divided
against son and son against father.” Lord Jesus Christ, please give
our children the faith that was given to us, and bring them with us
when You come again in Your glory. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, Amen.
December 16th: Joram/Jehoram
2 Kings 8:16-24
2 Chronicles 21:1-20
2 Chronicles 21:4 Now when Jehoram was established over the
kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers
with the sword, and also others of the princes of Israel.
In our devotions we have seen some people who followed God with their
hearts, several fools who did not follow God with their whole hearts, and
even a few people who turned from their wickedness and repented. But
today, we see a life of wickedness without redemption. We see a son
completely abandoning the faith of his father and leading the people astray
into godlessness.
Jehoshaphat was a faithful king, but his son was not. Jehoram proved it by
his actions immediately after gaining the throne. Jehoshaphat had given
Jehoram rule over the kingdom, but had placed his other sons in important
fortified cities in positions of power. But as soon as Jehoshaphat was in the
grave, most of his sons followed. Jehoram had them all murdered, so that
only he remained. He also took as his wife Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and
Jezebel and followed in the footsteps of the house of Ahab, perverting the
worship of Jesus Christ and leading the people into the worship of false gods.
Jehoram can’t claim that he didn’t know any better, even if he neglected to
learn anything from his father. God called him to repentance multiple times,
even through a letter from Elijah which had been written before Elijah was
taken to heaven, knowing what wickedness that Jehoram would commit. But
he hardened his heart and refused to repent.
It’s at this point that we would expect that God would have had enough of
this wicked man and destroyed him and his family. But He didn’t because of
the love that He had for David and the covenant that He had made with him.
Jehoram would certainly die in a painful and humiliating way, also hated by
his people, but God didn’t scrap the whole line and start over.
What can we learn from this wicked man? We can learn to heed the call to
repentance, to not let sin fester and rot us from the inside out. We can see the
mercy of God that extended to 1000s of generations of those who love and
keep His commandments (Exod 20). We can remember that the kings of this
world are mortal, and we look forward to the coming of our King who will
execute justice and righteousness in the land, and whose reign will never
come to an end. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, our King, Amen.
December 17th: Uzziah/Ahaziah
2 Kings 15:1-7
2 Chronicles 26:1-23
2 Chronicles 26:16 But when [Uzziah] was strong his heart was lifted
up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by
entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
Uzziah was only 16 when he became king, but he was one of the kings
who earnestly sought the Lord. And the Lord was with him as he led his
people, including in many battles. God made Judah great again under the
leadership of Uzziah, and those who had rebelled or attacked Judah were
brought to heel and many paid tribute instead. Judah’s industry grew as
well, and it became a prosperous nation.
But Uzziah’s reign was not to end in glory, but rather in disgrace. Uzziah
decided that he should go into the temple and burn incense to the Lord.
The priest Azariah and eighty other priests attempted to stop Uzziah. And
while this may sound like a foolish squabble to us, it was not in the eyes
of the Lord. He had already destroyed two sons of Aaron for their own
innovations in incense burning (Lev 10), so this was no small matter.
Uzziah became enraged, but while his rage started to burn, the skin on his
face became diseased, and leprosy broke out on his forehead.
Uzziah remained leprous for the rest of his days, and as a result he spent
the last years of his life in an isolated existence. Alive, but unable to rule,
unable to converse with healthy people, and unable to come into the
house of the Lord. This follows him even to the grave, where he was
buried in the field outside the royal sepulcher, because he died as a leper.
While there are many lessons to learn from the life of Uzziah, this
Advent, I present you with this one. In your zeal for the kingdom, do not
lose track of whose kingdom it is. So many people will tell us that we
need to do this or that new thing or the church will surely fall apart. But
we know that the church will never be destroyed, for Jesus Christ is the
head of the church. So let us be like young king Uzziah, and seek after
God, and cling to His Word and His promises, remembering that Jesus
Christ is the King of all creation, and He is coming again. Lead us in this
world, Lord Jesus, and arm us to hold fast until the day when You come
again. Amen.
December 18th: Jotham
2 Kings 15:32-38
2 Chronicles 27:1-9
2 Chronicles 27:2 And [Jotham] did what was right in the sight of the
LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did
not enter the temple of the LORD). But still the people acted corruptly.
Jotham is an interesting member of Jesus’s lineage. While he was one of the
kings of Judah, very little was written about his life and reign. He was a
righteous man, but the people still retained their wicked traditions that the
daughter of Ahab had introduced. So what do we make of Jotham? He built
fortified cities in the places that needed more defenses, he fought with the
Ammonites and brought them to heel, and he repaired and built up the
temple.
I think the best way to describe Jotham would be as a quietly faithful man.
He wasn’t like the Pharisee in Luke 18 who drew attention to himself in loud
prayer, but he was more akin to the publican, who quietly and humbly bowed
his head and prayed to God for mercy. We probably know a few of these
men, and maybe even wish that we could be more like them, or that we had
more of them in our families and congregations.
However, a quietly faithful man still fails in his calling as a father if he fails
to teach his faith to the future generations. Jotham, as the king of Judah, had
a responsibility to be more than quietly faithful. He had the responsibility to
lead the people back to the true worship of the one true God. We have seen
ancestors of his do this, but it’s not mentioned in the record of his reign. In
this, he failed. It’s not enough to just lead by example, not when you are the
king. You are duty bound to actively showcase how to live out your faith, and
also to teach the truth and to punish those who would pervert and destroy the
faith of others with their false teaching and false gods.
So, brothers and sisters, hear well the lesson of Jotham. Live your faith, and
continually seek the Lord. But also, in your vocations teach and rebuke as
necessary. It is not enough simply to “preach the gospel, use words if
necessary.” Words are necessary. Build up your vocabulary with the Psalms
and the Red Letters so that the Word of God effortlessly flows forth from
your lips. Soon, words will not be necessary because every knee will bow to
Jesus Christ as they see Him descend from Heaven. But until that day, let us
not just be quietly faithful, but boldly faithful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
December 19th: Ahaz
2 Kings 16:1-20
2 Chronicles 28:1-27
Isaiah 7:1-25
2 Chronicles 28:23 For [Ahaz] sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which
had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help
them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the
ruin of him and of all Israel.
Most of us probably know King Ahaz from his interaction with Isaiah. Early
in the reign of Ahaz Isaiah was sent to him, and through Isaiah God told
Ahaz to ask for any sign to prove that God was with the people of Judah.
Ahaz disingenuously says that he will not test the Lord, so then we get the
prophecy that the virgin shall conceive and this miraculous child will be
called Immanuel. But King Ahaz does not learn from this event, and he
continues to slide further and further into lies and debauchery, at one point
sacrificing his own children (2 Chron 28:3).
Ahaz refused to repent and turn to the Lord, and he doubled down on his
unbelief. Since the local Ba’als weren’t cutting it, he decided that he would
worship the Assyrian gods, since Assyria was the power at the time. He
desecrated the temple with his abominable worship because he believed that
Assyria and her gods had delivered his people, even though God through
Isaiah had prophesied of this exact result. Ahaz was a firm unbeliever who
would rather believe the lies of this world than the truth of Jesus Christ. So
many still worship this same god today. And of course, human sacrifice is
still a part of this worship, we just now call it “women’s health care.”
What lesson shall we take from the trainwreck of faith that was Ahaz? Today
I would like to invite you to see the mercy of our God. Ahaz certainly
deserved no mercy in this life, yet God did not strike him dead for his
abominations, because God had promised David that an heir of his household
would be born who would reign forever. So, especially for those parents
whose children have been led astray by the deceits of this world, take
comfort in the mercy of our God. Not even the lineage of Jesus Christ is
without those who abandoned the faith of their fathers. Let us continue to
pray for and witness to our children who have fallen away. At the end of the
day, we cry out to Jesus for forgiveness for our failings and mercy on us.
Lord Jesus Christ, pour out your Holy Spirit upon our children, and if it be
your will, bring them to repentance and true faith in You. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
December 20th: Hezekiah
2 Kings 18:1-20:21
2 Chronicles 29:1-32:33
2 Kings 19:14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of
the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of
the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
When you think of the good kings of God’s people, David and
Solomon are two that quickly come to mind. We’ve met many other
good kings of Judah, but I think that the good king that is the most
familiar to us after David and Solomon is Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a
king who took his responsibility as king seriously. He didn’t view it as
a way to make himself more wealthy and powerful as some of the
kings we have encountered here, but he genuinely looked out for the
welfare of God’s people. For one, he engaged in engineering projects
and military research and development, but even more, he turned his
heart toward the Lord and taught the people of Israel to do so as well.
But it is very telling how Hezekiah reacted when the superpower of the
ancient world at that time, Assyria, came to the gates of Jerusalem and
demanded that Judah surrender to Sennacherib, king of Assyria.
Hezekiah refused, even when faced with the military might of Assyria,
who had already destroyed the Northern Kingdom. Hezekiah didn’t
back down. He took this problem and laid it at the feet of Jesus Christ.
There are times when it feels like the world is arrayed against us. It is
true, the world doesn’t want us to trust in Jesus Christ; unbelievers
want us to abandon Him and worship false gods right alongside them.
They might not be laying siege to our churches, but we all remember
when we were told that it was too dangerous to gather together to
receive the gifts of Jesus Christ. So when you feel like the world has
surrounded you, leveled their weapons against you, and cut you off
from all help, remember that your help is in Jesus Christ. He has
delivered His people. He destroyed the army of Sennacherib and sent
him back humiliated to Assyria. Jesus Christ has destroyed the power
of a greater foe, that of sin, death, and the devil as well. Trust in Him,
and bring your cares to Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
December 21st: Manasseh
2 Kings 21:1-18
2 Chronicles 33:1-20
2 Chronicles 33:11-13 Therefore the LORD brought upon them the
captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh
with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to
Babylon. Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD
his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his
fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard
his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his
kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.
Sadly, after the reign of a good king in Judah, all too often it is
followed by a series of wicked or foolish kings. After the death of
Hezekiah, it is no different, for his son Manasseh became one of the
most depraved and wicked of the kings of Judah. He rebuilt the high
places that his father had torn down and instituted the worship of false
gods there. He also built pagan altars in the very temple of our Lord in
Jerusalem. He sacrificed his sons by ritualistically burning them. And,
according to the Talmud, he was even responsible for the death of
Isaiah by sawing him in two. He was a wicked man and a wicked king.
Yet, even for all his depravity, all his wickedness, all his perversions,
he still remembered the promises of Jesus Christ. When things looked
hopeless and it appeared that he was going to die, he called on the
creator of the universe, the God who had been with his father and his
people. Jesus Christ heard him. He was forgiven. Yes, you read that
correctly. He was forgiven. And not only was he forgiven, but he was
brought back to the promised land. He went on to spend the last years
of his reign righting many of the wrongs that he had done.
But why are we meditating on this during the Advent season? Because
we all know at least one person, one person whom we have given over
to Satan because of their unbelief (1 Cor 5). We continue to pray for
them, praying that the Holy Spirit would lead them back to repentance.
Many times it seems hopeless and foolish, as if our prayers will never
be answered. But Manasseh is proof that these prayers do bear fruit,
that they are heard. Continue to pray, for Jesus Christ is coming soon.
Amen.
December 22nd: Amos/Amon
2 Kings 21:19-26
2 Chronicles 33:21-25
2 Kings 21:23 Then the servants of Amon conspired against him,
and killed the king in his own house.
When we think of the battle lines of this world, it often feels like there
is a great force, uniformly laid against Christ and His Church, quite
like the scene in the Return of the King where the forces of humanity
were surrounded by Sauron’s forces at the gates of Mordor. But that
isn’t the reality of what we face. We face an enemy who is divided,
who cares not for the people on his side, but uses them and discards
them because he hates them.
Amon served the false gods of this world, much like his father did in
his youth. Unlike his father, however, he did not humble himself and
return to the Lord, but continued on in his foolish pride. Amon’s false
gods did nothing when bloodthirsty men took up arms and killed him
in his own house. Satan didn’t want to preserve the life of Amon, even
supposing it could be possible for him to do so. Amon was deep in his
clutches, and with his death, sealed him forever to Satan and away
from Jesus Christ.
That is Satan’s ultimate goal, not to rule this world and give those who
serve him a place in his kingdom. He’s already lost not just the battle,
but the entire war. It’s over, he’s been defeated. Jesus cried out in
triumph from the cross, “It is finished!” And at that moment, the battle
was done. Now Satan seeks to take as many of us down with him as he
can. He appears to offer you a good life here and now, free from
persecution and humiliation, a life where you are part of the popular
crowd, not excluded from the circle of the powerful and the beautiful.
But that life is a lie. He doesn’t want you to live, he wants you to die
forever, separated from Jesus Christ. But Jesus Christ is more powerful
than he is. Jesus Christ has power over death and the grave, power that
Satan cannot match or overthrow. There is coming a day when Satan’s
defeat will be complete, when he will be cast forever into Hell. On that
day, Jesus Christ is coming again and will deliver all His people, for
He cares for His own, now and into eternity. That is why we pray
come quickly, Lord Jesus, Amen.
December 23rd: Josiah/Josias
2 Kings 22:1-23:30
2 Chronicles 34:1-35:27
2 Kings 23:25-26 Now before him there was no king like [Josiah], who turned to
the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according
to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him. Nevertheless the
LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His
anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which
Manasseh had provoked Him.
Josiah was the last good king of Judah. After him only the faithless remain in
the line of the kings of Judah. But what a king he was! His father was
assassinated when he was only 8 years old, and he ascended to the throne
after those who had killed his father were put to death. His father was
certainly not a great example; he was a faithless and wicked king. Yet in spite
of all of this, Josiah sought the Lord, and turned towards Him all of his life.
Not only did Josiah turn to Jesus Christ, but he turned the hearts of his people
back to the Lord. He even went through the now conquered remnants of the
Northern Kingdom and destroyed the pagan altars, the high places, and the
golden calves. Everything that led those people into idolatry was destroyed,
as well as all the same that were in Judah. When he was in the process of
restoring the temple after the depredations of his father and grandfather, he
ran across the book of the Law, the Torah of Moses, and had it read aloud in
public. From this came repentance and a Passover that was only second to
the Passover when Jesus Christ instituted the New Covenant.
Yet for all Josiah’s good deeds, his faithfulness, and his dedication to the
Lord, nonetheless the destruction of Judah was still imminent. There was
nothing that Josiah could do to stop it. God promised that it would happen.
But Josiah did not despair. He did not curse the Lord for being unbending, or
unforgiving, or holding onto a grudge. He simply lived well with the time
that was given to him, serving the Lord throughout his short life. Today I
would like you to take this lesson from Josiah. Nothing that you do will stop
this world from ending. This world will end; this world HAS to end. Even
though that thought may frighten you, do not give into that fear. For when
this world does end, what comes from this end will be a new and glorious
beginning, a world freed from sin and all its wicked effects. But until that
day, let us serve our Lord, without fear, but sure in the knowledge that Jesus
Christ has died for our sins and will save us on that last day. Come quickly,
Lord Jesus, Amen.
December 24th: Jechoniah/Jehoiachin
2 Kings 24:6-16
2 Chronicles 36:8-10
Jeremiah 22:11-30
2 Kings 24:15 And [Nebuchadnezzar] carried Jehoiachin captive to
Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officers, and the
mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to
Babylon.
Imagine this, you are eighteen years old, and you are handed the reins of
your entire country. Your mom and dad have been preparing you for this,
but you didn’t think it would come so soon. What eighteen-year-old do
you think would have the maturity to handle this responsibly? Well,
Jeconiah/Jehoiachin didn’t. He abused his power, was sexually
promiscuous, and continued in his father’s apostasy. So ends the ruling
house of David. Yes, Jeconiah’s uncle would continue to reign for eleven
years, but Jehoiachin’s generation is the last one to sit upon the throne of
David in the country of Judah. Judah becomes no more, for she has
received the punishment for her faithlessness. Speaking of Jeconiah,
Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 22:26-27, “So I will cast you out, and your
mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born;
and there you shall die. But to the land to which they desire to return,
there they shall not return.” Jeconiah will end his days as a prisoner,
one highly favored, eating at the king’s table, but a prisoner nonetheless.
Why do we dwell on the downfall of the house of David? Why dwell on
one for whom God said, “For none of his descendants shall prosper,
Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah” (Jer
22:30b)? Because there will be people who will be just eighteen years,
three months, and ten days old when Jesus comes again. People who think
that they have their whole lives ahead of them. People who are ready to
seize this world by the horns, only to find out that this world is not all that
there is, that there is an eternity and there is no more waiting for it,
eternity has come. On that day it will be much worse for those, like
Jeconiah, who do evil in the sight of the Lord, who trust in the false gods
of their fathers instead of the true God, Jesus Christ, who died on the
cross for the sins of the world. So pray for our young people, for those
who are not ready for the responsibilities of adulthood, pray that they turn
from the arrogance of youth, and put their trust in the coming King, Jesus
Christ.
December 25th: Joseph
Matthew 1:18-2:23
Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not
wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her
away secretly.
I find Joseph fascinating. Here is a man who finds out that his
betrothed wife must have been fooling around on him. Even though
ancient betrothal and modern engagement are not the same, there is a
much higher level of commitment in a betrothal than a modern
engagement. If someone calls off an engagement, it is seen as
unfortunate, but thankfully it happened before the marriage. But if
pregnancy occurred during a betrothal, it was tantamount to adultery,
and Joseph would have had every right to broadcast this to the entire
town and then publicly break the betrothal, shaming her in the eyes of
all. But Joseph didn’t decide to do that; instead he was going to quietly
let her go her own way and marry the father of the child. Grace and
compassion is found there in the guardian of Jesus Christ.
And yet, there is courage and decisiveness as well. When Joseph is
told during a dream to get up and take his family to Egypt, he does. He
knows exactly why he’s leaving, because Herod is after the child. A
coward would have abandoned the child, abandoned Mary and left for
himself. After all, it’s not even his kid, right? But Joseph doesn’t do
that. Instead he looks after Mary, treats Jesus as his own son, and is his
earthly father.
Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Today
we remember how He came to earth as a small child and was born into
the house of David, fulfilling the promise given so long ago to Adam
and Eve. We now wait again, with the rest of the descendants of
Joseph, of David, of Adam, for Jesus’ second coming. Let us wait as
Joseph did, with justice, compassion, grace, courage, and decisiveness.
For Jesus Christ is coming again, come quickly, Lord Jesus! Amen.
