God’s Word For This Week

Be Careful In Your Listening To God’s Word.

2 Chronicles 35:20-36:23
Josiah had been a good king, but ‘he did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God’. His mistake was very costly. He ‘fought’. He was ‘shot’ and ‘badly wounded’. He ‘died’ and was ‘buried’(35:22-24). Be careful in your listening to God”s Word. Failure to obey His Word will be costly: ‘How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?’ (Hebrews 2:3). After Josiah’s time, there was terrible spiritual decline. Beginning with Jehoahaz (1-2; 2 Kings 23:31-32), the kings ‘did what was evil in the sight of the Lord’(5,9,11-12). Was there any hope for the future? – Yes! ‘The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia… to build Him a House at Jerusalem’. Like Cyrus, we must say to our neighbours, ‘Let us go to the House of the Lord’(36:22-23; Psalm 122:1). His time of blessing may not be far away!

The Rediscovery Of God’s Word

2 Chronicles 34:14-35:19
During the reign of King Josiah, there was spiritual revival (33). Where did this spiritual revival come from? It came from God. It came from the rediscovery of God’s Word. Where was the Word of the Lord found? – It was found ‘in the House of the Lord’(34:15). God speaks to us through His Word. Beyond the written Word, there is Jesus Christ, the living Word. The Word of God is preached to us. We listen for the Voice of Jesus Christ, the true and living Word of God. God is speaking His Word in power. This is much more than the opening of a book. It is the opening of our hearts to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5). It is the opening of our hearts by the Spirit of God. Through the Spirit, ‘rivers of living water’ flow out from our hearts (John 7:37-39).

Let Us ‘Dedicate Ourselves To The Lord Today.’

1 Chronicles 28:1-29:5
Some servants of the Lord complete their ministry without seeing their vision becoming a reality. This is what happened to David. He had the initial idea – ‘I had my heart set on building the Temple…’. He had begun thinking about how the Temple could be built – ‘I made preparations for building’. It was not to be – ‘God said to me, “You may not build a House for My Name”’. This was not, however, God’s last Word to David. There was also a Word of hope – ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build My House’(28:2-3,6). Solomon was ‘young and inexperienced’. He was taking on a huge task. He needed God’s Word of encouragement – ‘…the Lord God is with you…’. He needed the support of the people – ‘all the people will be wholly at your command’. Let us ‘dedicate ourselves to the Lord today’(28:20-29:1,5).

Be ‘A Doer Of God’s Word’ – Obedient To God And Blessed By God.

1 Chronicles 12:8-13:14
‘The kingdom of Saul was turned over to David according to the Word of the Lord’(23). What was God’s purpose in giving the kingdom to David? ‘In the days of Saul’, there had been spiritual neglect. Now, God was calling His people to return to Him – ‘let us bring again the ark of our God to us’(3). The people returned to the Lord (4). They rejoiced in Him (13:8). Sadly, their joy was short-lived. Failure to do God’s will lead to the withdrawal of God’s blessing (13:9-10). Where the Word of God remains among God’s people – honoured and given its rightful place – , there will be blessing (13:14). How are we to honour God’s Word? – ‘Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only’. Pray that you will not be a ‘hearer who forgets’. Pray that you will be ‘a doer of God’s Word’- obedient to God and blessed by God (James 1:22,25).

Let’s Live Our Lives ‘According To The Word Of The Lord.’

1 Chronicles 14:1-15:15
David recognized that it was ‘the Lord’ who ‘had established him king over Israel’(14:1). David sought to honour the Lord in everything. We see this in his battles with the Philistines – (a) He ‘inquired of God’(10,14); (b) He ‘did as God commanded him’(16,10-11); (c) He gave all the glory to God – ‘God has broken through… the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations’ (11,17). We must learn from David – Seek the will of God; Do the will of God; Give all the glory to God. David was not only a political leader – a king. He was also a spiritual leader, a leader of worship. He calls us to be sanctified, set apart for the Lord. We will not be blessed by the Lord unless we honour Him in our hearts. Let’s be sure to hear and heed this call to live our lives ‘according to the Word of the Lord’(15:11-15).

Our Meditation On God’s Word Is To Be Accompanied By Obedience To His Word.

1 Chronicles 15:16-16:6
David called God’s people to worship. They were ‘to raise sounds of joy’, praising the Lord with ‘loud music’. David did not leave it to others. He gave the lead. Along with all the others, he was there, ‘dancing and making merry’. He was a true spiritual leader. He ‘blessed the people in the Name of the Lord’. He called upon the people to ‘praise the Lord’(16,28-29,2,4). God calls us to worship Him continually’(6). May God help us to be the kind of people who take ‘delight in the Word of the Lord, meditating on His Word day and night’(Psalm 1:2). Our meditation on God’s Word is to be accompanied by obedience to His Word – ‘be careful to do according to all that is written in it’(Joshua 1:8). This is the true ‘spiritual worship’ God is looking for – the dedication of our lives to Him (Romans 12:1).

‘Hear the Word of the Lord.’

‘Hear the Word of the Lord’. How are we to listen to God’s Word? We are to ‘tremble at His Word’. We are to ‘drink deeply with delight’ (Isaiah 66:5,10-11). There is to be the fear of the Lord. There is to be joy in the Lord. These are not opposites. They belong together – ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling… Rejoice in the Lord’ (Philippians 2:12; 3:1). We hear God’s warning, and we ‘tremble’. To those who ‘sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth’, God says this: ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God’ (Hebrews 10:26,31). We hear God’s promise, and we ‘rejoice’: ‘The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms’ (Deuteronomy 33:27). Let us ‘hear the Word of the Lord’ – the warning as well as the promise!

Giving glory to God – God’s Word is preached publicly. It must also be applied personally – by you!

“These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated .. ” (Joshua 12:1-24).

What is the spiritual value of this list of victories? Don’t be sidetracked by the military aspect. This is not about Israel blowing its own trumpet. It is about giving glory to God. In Genesis 12:1-3, we have God’s promise to bring blessing to all nations. Before Christ came as ‘the Saviour of the world’ (John 4:42), Israel was to become ‘a great nation’ – ‘a holy nation’, ‘a light to the nations’ (Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 49:6). This involved the ‘curse’ on the rebellious peoples who presented a sinful obstacle to God’s saving purpose. The Lord is King! The united people of God won a decisive victory in ‘the whole land’ (Joshua 11:23). There was, however, still ‘very much land to be possessed’ by the individual tribes (Joshua 13:1). God’s Word is preached publicly. It must also be applied personally – by you!

Gathered for worship, we are instructed by the Word and strengthened by the Spirit

The Spirit of God is moving over the face of the people of God gathered for worship (Numbers 10:11; Genesis 1:2). Through the Word, the Spirit draws our attention to the Lord who has promised good to us (Numbers 10:29). Instructed by the Word and strengthened by the Spirit, we ‘journey’ with God (Numbers 10:33). We are moving on with God, looking forward to the fulfilment of His good purpose.

When the tempter comes, we must stand on God’s Word (Matthew 4:4).

God the Father has declared Jesus to be His Son  (Matthew 3:17). Now, the devil challenges God’s Word: ‘If you are the Son of God…’ (Matthew 4:3). The Spirit has descended upon Jesus (Matthew 3:16). Now, the devil uses his power in an attempt to defeat Jesus. The devil sows seeds of doubt; the ‘if you are…’ approach is just the same as his ‘Did God really say?’ method used in Genesis 3:1. The devil is ‘crafty’  (Genesis 3:1). He comes to Jesus, quoting from the Bible (Matthew 4:6; Psalm 91:11-12). His real goal becomes clear in Matthew 4|:9 – he wants Jesus to ‘bow down and worship’ him. In Jesus’ victory over the devil, we see the importance of Scripture – ‘It is written’ (Matthew 4:4,7, 10). We learn that true life comes from God (Matthew 4:4), true safety is found in God (Matthew 4:7); and true worship is given to God (Matthew 4:10). When the tempter comes, we must stand on God’s Word: ‘every Word that comes from… God’ (Matthew 4: 4).

What happens when God’s people gather together?

What happens when God’s people ‘gather together’ (Nehemiah 8:1)? – (a) We hear the Word of the Lord(Nehemiah 8:2-3,8). We come to the Lord’s House, seeking a fresh understanding of His Word. We look to the Lord, speaking through His Word, to fill us ‘with great joy’ (Nehemiah 8:12). (b) We thank God for His Son, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (Nehemiah 8:13-18). In ‘the feast of the seventh month’, ‘the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles’, God’s people remembered how much He had done for them (Leviticus 23:34,42). In the Lord’s Supper, we remember that Christ died for our sins  (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). (c) We dedicate our lives to the Lord (Nehemiah 9:2). ‘Do not be conformed to this world’. ‘Be transformed’ by God’s Word (Romans 12:2). (d) We worship the Lord (Nehemiah 9:5). Let us ‘praise the Lord our God…’.

Our sins are great. The love of God is even greater.

Nehemiah 8:1-9:5
What happens when God’s people ‘gather together’(8:1)? – (a) We hear the Word of the Lord (8:2-3,8). We come to the Lord’s House, seeking a fresh understanding of His Word. We look to the Lord, speaking through His Word, to fill us ‘with great joy’(8:12). (b) We thank God for His Son, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ(8:13-18). In ‘the feast of the seventh month’, ‘the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles’, God’s people remembered how much He had done for them (Leviticus 23:34,42). In the Lord’s Supper, we remember that Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). (c) We dedicate our lives to the Lord(9:2). ‘Do not be conformed to this world’. ‘Be transformed’ by God’s Word (Romans 12:2). (d) We worship the Lord(9:5). Let us ‘praise the Lord our God…’.

Nehemiah 9:6-38
At the heart of Ezra’s prayer, there is a tremendous description of God: ‘You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love’(17). This is ‘our God’. ‘Our sins’ are great. The love of God is even greater. We look at ‘our sins’, and we feel that everything is hopeless. We look to ‘our God’, and everything changes. We see Him as the ‘gracious and merciful God’, and we are filled with hope. Our life need not be controlled by ‘our sins’. It can be changed by ‘our God’(31-32,37). Our God ‘delights in steadfast love’. He ‘will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea’(Micah 7:18-19). How do we know that God loves us? – ‘Christ died for our sins’. Bring your sins to Jesus, and let ‘His blood cleanse you from all sin’(1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 John 1:7).

Christ in all the Scriptures

Luke 24:13-53
‘In all the Scriptures’, Jesus teaches ‘the things concerning Himself’(27). Do ‘our hearts burn within us… while He opens to us the Scriptures?’(32). He calls us to be His ‘witnesses’, to preach His message of salvation ‘to all nations’(47-48). Before we can preach, we must listen to Him. Before we can proclaim His resurrection, we must consider His suffering for us: ‘See my hands and my feet’(39) – even after His resurrection, they still bear ‘the mark of the nails’(John 20:25). Listen to Christ. Consider His suffering for you. Be ‘clothed with power from on high. Let the Lord ‘bless’ you, strengthening your worship and filling you ‘with great joy’. With all this going on in your lives, we will consider it not only our responsibility but our joyful privilege to be His ‘witnesses’(48-53)!

Let God guide you by His light and truth.

Genesis 30:25-31:21
Jacob was still a complex character, trying to arrange his own prosperity (37-43). There is, however, another, better reason for his prosperity – God had promised to bless him, and God did bless him (28:15). Inner desire, favourable circumstances, the divine Word – all three were present in Jacob’s decision to leave Laban and ‘go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan’(18). (a) Inner desire – Jacob had been badly treated by Laban, and he did not want to work for him any longer (2); (b) Favourable circumstances – Jacob had grown ‘exceedingly prosperous’(43). He didn’t need to keep on working for Laban; (c) The divine Word – Inner desire and circumstances were not enough to confirm God’s guidance to Jacob. He needed God’s command and promise (3). Let God ‘guide’ you by His ‘light and truth’ (Psalm 48:14; 43:3).