MINISTERS MATTER

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 28

Isaiah was used by God to focus in on the coming Messiah. As a prophet, he fit into the category of being an unpopular man in his day of ministry.

Prophets were always dealing with the moral and religious conditions amongst the people. This was not received well by some.

God often put a telescope before the eyes of His prophets to let them look far into the future and create anticipation.

Isaiah was bold in his pronouncements about the future Messiah and the failures of the chosen people.

Isaiah told of the judgment of Judah and her falling short of God's call and mission upon her. In the end, God would bring forth His Suffering Servant to accomplish the task of the salvation of the world.

Isaiah 53 is the 'jewel in the crown' chapter describing what Messiah would look like and the type of ministry he would be involved in.

He was also known as a statesman of the Southern Kingdom and his book is a mini-bible. The Bible has 66 chapters in all. Two great divisions with 39 chapters in the first segment followed by 27 chapters in the concluding portion. Same as Isaiah.

Isaiah opens the same as the Bible - God's judgment on sin in human life. The first section ends in chapters 34-35 with a prophecy of the coming King who will bring righteousness and redemption to Israel.

The second section opens with the "voice of one crying in the wilderness" and a concern for the person and work of Jesus Christ. Sounds just like John the Baptist.

Isaiah ends with the earth covered in righteousness. Revelation 21 carries the same theme.

Isaiah attempts in his ministry to console Israel. God is not finished with her even though her sins are like scarlet. They shall be white like snow even though they are crimson now.

Next Manasseh and Josiah.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 27

The testimony surrounding Hezekiah reflects a man whose 29 year reign is characterized as godly. He is the son of Ahaz, was known as a reformer and a friend of Isaiah. Good credentials.

Once the temple was ready for worship again, he wasted no time in making atonement and as the offering was being laid on the altar, the Levites, who were the priests of the day, broke out in song.

Praising God in the midst of difficulties will do for you what prayer cannot. Both are needed but praise is a powerful tool to uplift our spirits.

In 2 Chronicles 20:5-13 we see Jehoshaphat's victory was the result of strategically putting singers in the front of his army. This represented a step forward in faith believing God for victory.

They went into the battle in a spirit of praise and God gave them the victory as a reward for living by faith.

Under Hezekiah, Passover is renewed, as are other reforms that re-establish the people as the people of God. Idols are destroyed, false leaders denounced, and the overflow from the temple extends into the very life of the people bringing them back to God and His ways for their lives.

Read his heart felt prayer in 2 Kings 19:15-19 for God  to be exalted about the enemies of Judah and that His Name is glorified in all the earth.

Tomorrow we will read from Isaiah.

HBO SPECIAL ON THE 'TRIALS OF TED HAGGARD'

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING

WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW WITH THE LIFE OF HEZEKIAH

2 KINGS 17-20; 2 CHRONICLES 29-32

 
Once upon a time, Ted Haggard had it all: prosperity, a doting wife, five kids and a ministry that reached 30 million followers.

The larger-than-life founder and pastor of Colorado's New Life Church and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Haggard was one of the most formidable forces in America's Christian evangelical movement. But in 2006, it all fell apart.

Pastor Ted admitted to "sexual immorality" and buying methamphetamines from a male prostitute, which abruptly ended his career, sending him and his family into free-fall. The bombshell not only rocked the ministry, but everyone who knew him - especially his wife and five children.

A film by Alexandra Pelosi, THE TRIALS OF TED HAGGARD takes an intimate look at the life and hard times of the ex-minister.

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE PREMIERE OF HBO's "TRIALS OF TED HAGGARD,"

WATCH TED HAGGARD ON CNN'S LARRY KING LIVE at 9pm ET.

QUESTIONS FOR MINISTERS

As a fellow minister, I am interested in your comments on this story. Having served on teams designed to restore fallen ministers, I have seen and heard the desperate cries of those in ministry who have sinned against God, their own bodies, their families and congregations. I have watched everything unravel as the devastation and consequences of their actions became public. It is heart-breaking for everyone.

How should we respond to leaders who have betrayed everything sacred in their life?

Is the call of God 'null and void' now and forever?

If genuine personal repentance and authentic restoration is achieved, have men like Haggard  forfeited a return to ministry on the grounds that ministers need to live 'above reproach'?

They will always carry the stigma of a public exposure - is this just too negative for another congregation or would it give hope to those struggling?

Where can ministers find a safe place to share their personal struggles even in areas of being 'conflicted'? Do you have a person in your life that you feel safe enough to share your darkest sin with?

If you'd prefer not to have your name noted in a comment to this blog, please send me an e-mail to my personal 'for my eyes only' account at: bboucher@lifecentre.org

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 26

There are twelve books called 'The Minor Prophets' and they are only minor in the sense that they are shorter in length than the major prophets. These prophecies were once all on one scroll equal to the length of Isaiah but now, in our English bibles, they are counted as twelve books.

We will look at a few of them now and more later on in our readings.

The Jews have been rescued from slavery, have returned home to Israel, and are reminded to live by God's laws. The prophets are sent to remind them of the importance to live life with a repentant lifestyle and to walk humble before God.

Joel 2 has the promise of God pouring out His Spirit on all people. Our sons and daughters will prophecy, the old men will dream and the young men will see vision. Truly a remarkable time of supernatural happenings to be expected.

Jonah 1 shows us what happens when we disobey and try to run away from the will of God. There is no place to run without His Presence being there. We must face our fears and trust God with our lives.

Amos 3 God uses him to drop a plumbline into the midst of the people of God. Then and only then could they see how far off they were in their service to Him. His Word does the same for us today.

Micah 1-2 is a wake-up call for all of us to discern who we are following. We must ask the question " Are they following the Lord."

Isaiah 40, 52-55 reveals the coming Messiah, His message and ministry and above all, what we need most, a suffering servant who takes our place on the Cross.

Hosea 1-4 God uses Hosea's unfaithful wife Gomer, to show Israel how unfaithful she has been yet He is willing to take her back again and again.

"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily." Hosea 14:4-5

Who is Hezekiah?

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 25

We have touched on the youthful reasons behind the division between Israel and Judah.

In Rehoboam's case, 2 Chronicles 12:14 records these words about him, "He has not set his heart on seeking the Lord."

That says it all!

From a once unified kingdom under David and Solomon, with power, prestige and great glory, we now see a divided kingdom under Jeroboam in the north and Rehoboam in the south.

Both kingdoms begin to spiral into weakness and eventual captivity.

God's Word required His people to go to Jerusalem regularly to worship. Dt. 12:11-14; 16:6, 15-16. Because of the division, Jeroboam was now afraid to have his ten tribes journey into the capital of Rehoboam's kingdom, so he made two golden calves and placed them in more convenient places like Bethel and Dan.

Bethel was in the southern part of Israel, and Dan in the north. Now the people would not have to go all the way to Jerusalem to worship, they could do so in Israel at either Bethel or Dan.

More than twenty different times Jeroboam is described as one "who caused Israel to sin."

Beware of man-made religion. Jeroboam set up a false priesthood who were not called or qualified by God to offer sacrifices on behalf of the sin of the people.

We must worship where and how God tells us in His Word. For New Testament followers of Jesus, we would be wise to review Hebrews 10:25 where it reminds us "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing."

God knows His people need fellowship to keep their spiritual lives burning brightly for Him. The local church is the visible expression of God's invisible kingdom.

In Jeroboam's case, remember, a request from a king is a command. God never relinquished His Kingly role over their lives even though they had earthly kings. He called them to Jerusalem to worship and now that was being violated.

The ways of man seem right for a season but if we leave God out of our plans, we short circuit His will, protection and leading. For 80 years the two kingdoms battled each other until Jehoshaphat's son, from the southern kingdom, married the daughter of Ahab, from the northern kingdom, and there was relative peace for fifty years.

If we fast forward history both Israel and Judah are eventually led into captivity.

Israel is captured by Assyria

In 722 BC, 200 years after Israel went it's way, it is carried off into captivity by the stronger Assyrians. Even though God had warned Israel through His prophets, they would not listen. The Assyrians were known to skin people alive, cut out tongues and eyes as well as dismember bodies and build mounds with human skulls to instill fear in others.

Judah is captured by Babylon

136 years after Israel was led into captivity, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon attacked and destroyed Jerusalem. The princes of Judah were led away into Babylonian captivity.

Both kingdoms had disobeyed God, forgotten His ways and refused His prophets. There are important lessons here for us today. Obedience brings blessings. Disobedience brings captivity.

The difference between both kingdoms is striking.

Israel was scattered throughout the nations and remains scattered even to today. Judah's captivity was limited to seventy years and then they returned to Jerusalem. The ongoing promises of God for a Messiah to come from Judah required they be back in the land. God prepared the way for them to return through a pagan king.

Behind the scenes, God uses the Persian King, Cyrus, to issue a decree allowing the Jews to return home. As you read Judah's history, you see the hand of God guiding the Jewish nation towards its preferred destiny.

More prophets come on the scene.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 24

Elijah and Elisha are wonderful men of God and their stories are worth reading to see the hand of God being used through yielded lives.

Elijah is a bolt of fire that God lets loose upon wicked King Ahab and the idolatry of Israel. He flashes across the pages of scripture like a lightning bolt.

His name means 'Jehovah is my God' and it fit him perfectly.

His displays of courage are outstanding. His zeal, with knowledge, cuts through the sin of idolatry and reveals the living God especially in a great display of God's judgment and power in a confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.

Mount Carmel is both a place of absolute victory for Elijah and the place where he runs from the threat of Ahab's wife Jezebel and her desire to have him killed. Moments of great victory can be followed by bouts of depression. Elijah is a prophet, but he is also just a human being like the rest of us.

As an Old Testament prophet, like Enoch before him, he doesn't die but is carried off into heaven. In the book of Genesis it records Enoch, as God's friend, walking with Him right into heaven while Elijah goes up in a fire-filled chariot. The next time we see him he is with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration alongside Jesus.

Listen to a defining statement in Elijah's life, 1 Kings 17:1 "As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

God gave him power to shut up the heavens and the earth for 3 1/2 years. He also was used to call fire down from heaven upon the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The normal laws of nature were superseded, for a divine purpose, by the Word of God.

Elisha succeeds Elijah and his ministry goes on for 50 years. His miracles double those of Elijah and are mostly acts of kindness and mercy. He has a great influence on the kings of his day even though they often resist his ministry.

Both Elijah and Elisha are anointed of God but completely different from one another. Elijah is known for judgment, law, severity while Elisha is known for grace, love and tenderness.

The false practices of the worship of Baal were introduced by Jezebel and it took 30 years under the ministries of Elijah, Elisha and Jehu to remove it from Israel. Both of these men made a profound impact on their generation and served God faithfully through difficult and trying times. May we do the same in our day.

Next we will read about the corruption of the kings of Israel.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 23

Just before the time Elijah ( we will read about his life tomorrow ) is front and center on the pages of scripture, the unified people of God go through a devastating breakup.

Solomon's reign, although glorious, was very taxing. The ever increasing taxes had put a burden on the people and created the seeds of unrest and rebellion.

300 years earlier, between the tribes of Ephraim and Judah jealously had become an issue.

Joshua was from Ephraim and his tribe had taken a leading role and those in Judah resented it.
Doesn't matter who is leading, somebody is unhappy and misery loves company. The Northern tribes let resentment build until David came on the scene. He was from Judah in the Southern tribal region. The lead shifted now to his tribe and eventually to his son Solomon who put all the tribes under a heavy tax burden which created discord.

Solomon's son Rehoboam, after unwise counsel from younger leaders, threatened to levy heavier taxes upon the people. This was an unwise decision. It added fuel to the fires of revolt already brewing for 300 years, since the time of the judges.

The 10 tribes faithful to Ephraim in the north revolted. The two remaining tribes, Judah and Benjamin remained loyal. This erupted tension led to the appointing of Jeroboam as king of the northern section of the people while Rehoboam became king after Solomon.

The divided kingdom begins as recorded in 1 Kings 11:31 when the prophet Ahijah uses a symbolic gesture by taking off his coast and tearing it into ten pieces. He describes what God is about to do when he says to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:'See I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes."

The kingdom is divided. Solomon is judged for years of pride, power and luxury at the expense of his faithfulness to God. He was disloyal by marrying foreign women and allowing their pagan forms of worship to influence him and the integrity of his reign.

Sin brought division and eventual captivity. Israel and Judah have been apart now for almost 3000 years but God is working behind the scenes and one day they will be united again. See Isaiah 11:10-13; Ezekiel 37:15-28.

Next: Elijah's life and legacy in Elisha.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 22

King Asa was the third king of Judah, and the first one characterized in the Bible as a man of integrity. 

As soon as King Asa took the throne, he instituted a series of religious reforms as he went from town to town, throughout the land.

He removed pagan altars and shrines and pointed out the sins associated with them. He also restored proper worship to the LORD as the national religion.

His 41-year reign was marked by the revival of proper worship and the removal of paganism and its associated evils.

The people enjoyed safety, reduced crime, and military peace, interrupted by only two brief incidents.

In recognition of this good work, the LORD gave Judah military peace on every front for the first 10 years of Asa's reign. Recognizing that peace would not last forever, Asa wisely used that time to build and supply border fortifications, and to train and equip an army of 580,000 men.

As a measure of the stability that existed in Judah during Asa's time, his reign spanned the reigns of seven kings of Israel!

Unfortunately, late in life his faith wavered, and at two points of crisis, he ignored God. Nevertheless, God's overwhelming verdict is that “Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” 2 Chronicles 14:2

When we face a crisis, God has a wonderful agenda that we usually can't see. Whether his agenda is fulfilled or not depends on whether we trust him or solve our problem without consulting him.

Next few blogs we will look at the lives of Elijah, Elisha and more kings.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 21

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings put together to impart wisdom to the reader.

They deal with serious moral issues, observations and advice from King Solomon, one who had experienced life in a way most of us can only dream about.

It shows us the difference between those who know and love the Lord and those who deny Him.
One has wisdom the other folly.

Proverbs 14:1 says, The fool says in his heart, "there is no God." As foolish people move further from God they move further from wisdom and common sense.
Solomon wrote most of the Proverbs and in them he asks God for wisdom and they are a record of wise sayings for those who would follow. The book seems to be addressed to those who have not yet made up their minds between the way of wisdom and the way of folly.

Solomon teaches us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

The books of the law brought us face to face with the need for obedience and the consequences of disobedience. Proverbs presents righteous behaviour as being in our best interest for a good life.

Next King Asa.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - Day 20

This is a great book. It is a collection of poems between a husband and wife and talks about both the emotional and physical aspects of love in marriage.

Solomon had 1000 wives and concubines so he speaks with some experience of sinful polygamy.

The main characters are Solomon, the Shulamite maid and the daughters of Jerusalem.

Biblical marriage is a reflection of the union which exists between Jesus and His Bride, the church.

He loves His church passionately and calls us to do the same. As we read our text today we will feel the passion between Solomon and the Shulamite maid. We need this same understanding of just how much Jesus loves His church.

Jesus pursued us, like our characters in the Song of Songs, because He loves us and called us out of sin, washed us clean, imputed to us His righteousness, declared us 'not guilty' before the Throne of God, wrote our names into the Book of Life and made us members of His Bride - the church that He gave His life for. Isn't the love of God amazing?

Some of the interesting contrasts between nature and his beloved Shulamite are found in terms like 'a lily among thorns' as a reference to the coastal wastelands all around that were ugly but to him she was beautiful.

In chapter 2 a caution is put out for all lovers and that is that true love waits and must not be prematurely aroused.

As we read on it is clear that she loves to hear his voice calling to her, pursuing her and eventually marrying and consummating their marriage. The honeymoon is a time of satisfying their arousal and we read of him admiring and commenting on her body from head to toe.

The book ends with the Shulamite affirming that she has kept the vineyard of her body for Solomon alone and invites him to partake of it yet again. See chapter 8:10-12.

Hot stuff this Bible of ours!