Committed

Ezekiel was called to deliver God's message about the sins of His people. Some genuinely grieved for their sins, and as they repented and turned to Him, God put His mark on them. He knew who they were. Yet others didn't take Ezekiel's warnings seriously. They continued to rebel and disobey. Many did "detestable things" in secret, and they tried to hide the fact that they worshiped idols and…

Ties of Love

God knows our weaknesses. He's not caught off guard when we're tempted or when we sin. God likened this awareness to the experiences of the prophet Hosea, who had been called to marry a prostitute. In spite of everything, God reaches out to us in compassion, just as Hosea was asked to love his wife who had been a harlot. God loved His people as "a youth," even though "they kept sacrificing to…

When God Withdraws

God's people had become proud and arrogant. They had a false sense of confidence, trusting in themselves instead of in the Lord. They didn't think they needed God, and they felt justified in ignoring or disobeying His Word. Like a harlot, they had given themselves to lovers and "borne illegitimate children" (v. 7). Yet when they faced problems, they called out to God as if nothing had…

Abundance

God's people had rejected Him. As a consequence, they reaped what they had sown. But this was not God's desire. He spoke about His "everlasting love"...how He had drawn them "with lovingkindness"...how He would "build you and you will be rebuilt,"...and how there would be celebration and fruitfulness. God even promised to "fill the soul of the priests with abundance": They "will gorge themselves…

Blinded by Arrogance

More than merely confident, Haman was arrogant. He rose to become second in the kingdom, and the king ordered his servants to bow down and pay "homage to Haman" (Esther 3:1-2). But Haman became obsessed by this power and prestige, and he developed an unbalanced view of himself. He was particularly annoyed when Mordecai would not bow before him. Mordecai's great accomplishments were forgotten,…

Godly Discernment

Eliphaz could see that Job had suffered great loss and was in pain and misery. As he observed Job's dire problems, Eliphaz felt that he understood the source. He concluded that Job must have committed great wickedness and "iniquities without end." He must have acted without compassion, been guilty of cruelty, and failed to show mercy. Eliphaz believed that this "wickedness" was certainly the…

Patience

In his years as American Vice President (1953-1961), Richard Nixon had frequent opportunities to interact with Konrad Adenauer. Born in 1876, Adenauer was elected chancellor of West Germany in 1949. He served until 1963, when he was 87 years old. In particular, Nixon was amazed at Adenauer's patience. He "seemed tireless," even into his eighties. He once said that the best politician is the one…

Assumptions

The Israelites and the Ammonites had a complex relationship. Although they were relatives, the Ammonites served false gods, and there had been war between them as recently as the reign of King Saul. But David had developed a positive relationship with the Ammonite king. After this king died, David decided to express his concern by sending some servants to console his son, Hanun. But the Ammonite…

Exalting Self Above God

All too often, Saul felt justified doing whatever he wanted, even if this meant ignoring God's Word. He first demonstrated this tendency when God told him to destroy all the Amalekites. Saul reinterpreted His word and only partially obeyed. While he wasn't willing to destroy the Amalekites, he was willing to kill everyone and everything in Nob, even the animals. Why? Because, innocently, they…