Know the Word: Week 18 - Daniel: A risk taker

Daniel 1 shows us how he decided to take a huge risk with his life. Although he was captured by the Babylonian King and was asked to eat the royal food, he and his friends decided to not defile himself with the food that is dedicated to other God's.

One can see the kind of faith Daniel had, to exercise such a risk-taking behavior.
What did Daniel do that made him convinced that he would
not fail?

- regular prayer and meditation
- deeper understanding of the way God works
- the complete faith that His God would take care of him
- even if that doesn't happen, in God's will, Daniel is willing to risk his life

We know that Daniel's faith was honored by God. Can we also take risks with our life in accordance with God's wish for our purpose in life?

For more, read what Pastor John Piper writes about Daniel:

Daniel's life was centered on God. It was built on God. And his way of looking at the world was drenched with God. This comes out in the way he ate, the way he interpreted dreams, the way he wrote his book, and the way he prayed.

The Way Daniel Wrote

Take, for example, the way he wrote his book. Look at the very beginning of the book, chapter one, verse two. He describes the capture of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon like this: “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.” Just like that! God has one king in his hand, and when he pleases he gives him into the hand of another king—the way you might exchange a defective Christmas present at Rosedale; you just hand it over the counter. God gave Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand! Again and again Daniel tells the story of great political events like that (see 2:21, 37 and 5:18).

The Way He Ate

Or take another example: the way he ate. Remember, Daniel was one of the captives that was taken to Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem. He was chosen with others to be trained for service in the royal palace and fed with the king’s best food and wine. But Daniel saw his food as a God-issue. For him everything was a God-issue. So Daniel 1:8 says, “Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s rich food, or with the wine which he drank.” Daniel looked to God to judge his cause, not to the king. And the upshot in 1:17 was this: “God gave [him] learning and skill in all letters and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”

The Way He Interpreted Dreams

The same God-drenched way of life comes out in the way Daniel interprets the dreams of king Nebuchadnezzar and the vision of Belshazzar his son. He gives all the credit to God, for example, in 2:28, “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.” And he accuses the most powerful rulers on earth of irreverence and treason against God. For example, to Belshazzar in 5:23, “The God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.” Every interpretation Daniel gives has God right at the center of it, and great kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar (or Gorbachev) fade from history like a cloud (2:39; 5:28).

The Way He Prayed

But one of the most amazing examples of Daniel’s living out his name is his prayer life. “God is my judge” means “What God thinks and what God does matters more than what anybody else in the world thinks or does.” That’s the way I want us to be at Bethlehem as we move from 1991 to 1992. What God thinks of Bethlehem and what God does at Bethlehem is more important—vastly more important—than what anybody else thinks or anybody else does.

For Daniel that meant a life of daring, defiant, disciplined prayer. If what God thinks matters most, then you consult him most. If what God does matters most, then you ask him to act first. In other words, you live your life by prayer.

Now don’t forget that Daniel was a very powerful political person. Back in Daniel 2:48 Nebuchadnezzar had made Daniel “ruler over the whole province of Babylon.” Here in our text (6:2) Darius makes Daniel one of the three presidents over the 120 satraps (or governors) of the entire empire. Sometimes we slip into thinking that prayer is the way monks spend their time. It’s something for pastors or professional religious people; but it’s not for activists, or men of affairs, or people with power and influence.

That is a very wrong way to think about prayer and about your life as a busy person. Daniel was more immersed in secular life than most of us and he lived by prayer—daring, defiant, disciplined prayer—because God was his judge. What God thought and what God did mattered most. So Daniel lived by consulting God and by asking God to act.

Today’s text is an amazing testimony to the daring, defiant, disciplined prayer life of Daniel. I read this, and it fills me with longing to be courageous in prayer. It makes me want to be daring in prayer, and if necessary defiant against earthly powers in prayer, and disciplined in prayer. I don’t want to be a spiritual jellyfish, drifting on the sea of emotionalism, praying a little here and a little there as the waves of emotion rise and fall. My hope is that God will use Daniel’s example here to fill you with the same longing and the same commitment for 1992.

Famously and Firmly Dependent on God

Look at Daniel’s amazing response to Darius’ decree against prayer. Let’s get the situation in view. Verse 2: Daniel was one of three presidents over the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. Verse 3: “An excellent spirit was in him” and he excelled above the others, and the king planned to put him above the others and over the whole kingdom.

Daniel had an unbelievably successful future in front of him—all the influence and all the prestige and wealth and freedom he could have asked for. But this made him a target for jealousy and envy. So verses 4-9 describe how the other presidents and satraps persuaded Darius to make a law that said (according to verse 7), “Whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.”

In other words, Daniel’s life of prayer was so well known and so established as part of his character that his enemies knew that this was one place they could count on him not weaseling. And they were exactly right.

Verse 10 just takes your breath away. Here is where I get the insight that Daniel’s prayer was daring and defiant and disciplined.

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem; and he got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Six Expressions of Daring Dependence

Notice six daring things:

1) He did not act in ignorance, he acted in full knowledge of the law and the consequences.

“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went…” to pray. Don’t forget, Daniel is right on the brink of being promoted to the main ruler over Persia. Think of the rationalizations that must have rushed to his head—“my influence would be so great if I held that position … I can do more for God alive than dead … it’s only thirty days, and then I can pray again … legalism is surely a worse sin than expediency1 … etc.” But he rejected all the rationalizations. He knew the law. He knew the penalty. And he went to pray.

2) He did not go to the woods to pray, he went to his house.

He could have kept on praying to his God without putting himself at risk if he had just gone underground for thirty days. There is no law that says you have to pray in your house where your enemies will be looking for you.

3) He did not go to the secret inner chamber of his house.

He went to the room with windows (open windows)—the one in the second story of the house, the one most visible, the one that faced Jerusalem and not the palace in Babylon.

Do you begin to catch on to why I call this act of prayer defiant? Daniel is not just praying contrary to the king’s decree. He is making a public statement. We would say today, he is demonstrating. He is doing an act of public civil disobedience. And he is doing so in a public way that no biblical law requires.

4) He did not pray once, early in the morning when no one might be looking, but three times a day and every day.

He would make sure that he is not missed in his refusal to obey this law.

5) When Daniel prayed, he did not use words that were vague and ambiguous that some clever defense attorney could argue were really made to Darius because they didn’t specify which god was addressed.

It says, “He gave thanks before his God.” Not Darius. And not the gods of the Medes and Persians, but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

6) He did not change the way he prayed or do anything different to yield to the pressures of the law Darius had made.

It says at the end of the verse that he prayed “as he had done previously.” There were many ways to pray that might not have been detected and that would have fulfilled the law of his God. But Daniel prayed daringly, defiantly and in his usual disciplined way of three times a day.

Imitating Daniel in Our Day

Now what are we to make of all this? I would suggest four concluding applications for our life of prayer today.

1. Prayer is a legitimate public testimony, and we should seek to use it as God leads us.

Jesus said,

When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6)

Does this indict Daniel’s public demonstration of prayer? I don’t think so. Jesus was warning against our love of praise for prayer, not our willingness to suffer for prayer. He was not saying that it is wrong to be seen in prayer. He was saying it is wrong to want to be seen so as to be praised for your piety. Blessed are you when men persecute you for righteousness sake (Matt. 5:10); but woe to you when you use your righteousness to seek their praise (6:2-4).

In Daniel’s context—and here we need great wisdom to know our own context—the call of God on his life was “let your light so shine that men may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” For Daniel, prayer had become a public statement about the glory of God over the glory of Darius. And it was a legitimate testimony. And so it is for us, if our hearts are right.

2. Daniel’s prayer was a testimony, not only to the glory of God over the glory of Darius, but also, to the fact that his life was built on prayer.

Daniel was making a statement, not just about God but about his relation to God. God would not have changed if Daniel had prayed in secret. God would still be God. Daniel would still be a ruler in Persia. What would have been different is the way the presidents and satraps thought about Daniel’s relationship to God. And when Daniel thought about that, he could not bring himself to go underground.

He was known as a man who lived by prayer—whose life was built on prayer—who consulted his God in all things and who sought the action of his God before he took action himself. Daniel would not surrender that testimony. I pray that we won’t surrender that testimony either. May prayer week—our fasting, our morning prayer watches, our night of prayer—be a resounding testimony to God’s glory and to our life and our church being built on prayer!

3. Daniel’s prayer was disciplined and regular.

When the time came for a demonstration. Daniel did not have to change anything. He already was praying three times a day in a stated place. There was pattern and routine and discipline. Does it strike you as strange that in America today almost no Christians pray this way? I’m sure that there are some who would celebrate this absence of order and design and habit and pattern as a sign of freedom from legalism. I might believe it if I saw anything like the freedom and power of Daniel where discipline like his is absent. But I don’t see it, I don’t believe it.

I asked in the STAR last week: could it be that Daniel’s discipline in prayer was the secret of his unexpected, unplanned, spontaneous encounters with God? Could it be that discipline is not the boring substitute for spontaneity and power but the garden where it grows. You till the garden with patient discipline and suddenly God makes a plant grow with supernatural power. I think this is so. I urge you to take time this week to step back and plan some discipline into your prayer life for 1992. Be like Daniel.

4. Finally, prayer is more precious than life.

Just think of it. Daniel knew that the penalty for praying would be the lion’s den. I don’t think Daniel knew that he would be delivered any more than Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew it as they stood before the fiery furnace and said, “If God does not deliver us, be it known to you, we will not serve your gods” (Daniel 3:18).

This must mean that prayer is more important than life. Daniel would rather pray than save his life. Not praying was a worse prospect to Daniel than being eaten by lions. That is a radical commitment to prayer. Just think of it. Can you say with Daniel: “You will have to take my life before you take my prayer”?

Prayer week is a time for spiritual soul-searching. I call you to fasting and to prayer. I call you to search your heart and see if God has something new for you in 1992. Please, for your own sense of spiritual life and reality and power, don’t let this week of prayer be like all the others. Step back. Give yourself to fasting. Seek the Lord.

Know the Word: Week 17 - Esther: A power-woman in history

Esther: A power-woman in history

From: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/women/6-powerful-life-lessons-from-the-book-of-esther.html

Here are six lessons from the book of Esther that we can each apply to our living.

Lesson #1: God has a plan for our lives

Mordecai nailed it when he said, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the royal palace for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 NIV). God loved the Jewish people. And, he didn’t create Esther’s beauty and finesse for her and her alone. Esther was placed in a royal position to assist in the delivery of God’s divine plan.

Lesson #2: We are given divine moments to alter circumstances

As believers, there are no such things as accidents or coincidences. God’s timing is providential. Esther’s divine moment of providence came by accepting her responsibility to go to the king. However, Mordecai was clear when he said to Esther that she could be the one who saved the people, or not. God will use you only if you’re ready—or he will find someone else.

Lesson #3: We must stand with courage

“I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16 NIV). Esther was willing to die to save her people. Sometimes we must stand in courage, even when it is not popular to do so, and risk it all.

Lesson #4: Fasting and prayer brings clarity and hope for deliverance

God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther even once. But Esther was clear that in this particular situation, a heavenly response was needed for an earthly situation. Esther needed direction. When we need God’s grace, fasting and prayer opens the portals for spiritual growth, removes distractions and places us on a path to humility.

Lesson #5: God demands obedience

Esther’s obedience saved God’s people from genocide. The reality is that Esther didn’t know what would happen when she approached the king. She acted in obedience and by doing so she saved a nation and received the best. We don’t get a pass on this one.

Lesson #6: God uses everything and everybody for his divine purpose

No part of our lives is untouched. God is in control of every aspect, whether we want him to be or not, and there is nothing that is not subject to him (Hebrews 2:8 NIV). And, the best thing we can do for our lives is to search for and surrender to his will.

Know the Word: Week 16: Why do we have four different Gospels?

Know the Word: Week 16: Why do we have four different Gospels?

Gospels were never meant to provide a historical picture of the life and times of Jesus. It is meant to communicate the various uniqueness of our Messiah. For instance, the gospel according to Matthew talks about the Messiah (because the intended reader is a Jew). Luke was meant to provide a glimpse of Jesus's inclusiveness - it's intended reader is the Gentile. Mark provides a greater emphasis of Jesus' miracle working nature - showcases his coming to the world as the son of man, to accept us as his children. He emphasizes that we must follow him by carrying the cross. John takes a totally different approach and provides a complete picture of the deity of Jesus - as the son of God, as the source of all life-giving water.

Altogether, the Gospels help us understand our savior and prepares us to receive him as the One who laid down his life for our sins and redeemed us. 

Know the Word: Week 15: Why study the book of Revelations?

Know the Word: Week 15: Why study the book of Revelations?

The story of man starts in Genesis in perfection - how God created mankind. But, Adam and Eve sinned and lost the relationship with God. In fact, Genesis ends with Joseph in a coffin (death). That's why the book of Revelations is key to understanding God's plan for redemption. God promises the creation of the new Jerusalem (restoration).

I will just meditate on the first few verses of Revelations 1.

1. Please note that Revelations was written by Apostle John after he was banished into the island of Patmos. In that place of loneliness, God makes a personal revelation to him. Revelations is a description of that personal interaction with the almighty God. Even in our times of loneliness and brokenness, God is near us. He is ready to talk to us. He is ready to reveal his glory.

2. Revelations is intended for God's servants. It's not for the unbelievers. See verse 1. You will understand the deep truth of the book only if you first accept Jesus as your personal Lord and savior.

3. Revelations is the only book where there is a promise for God's blessings if you read, study, and practice the message. If you want to be blessed, study the book of Revelations, and practice a life of eager expectation for the eternal life with Jesus.

4. Finally, where it states that Jesus is coming soon, the original Greek translation intends the word as 'quickly'. Jesus will come quickly. With no warning. So, Revelations reminds us to be prepared.

Know the Word: Week 14 - Jonah: Consequences of Disobedience

Six Principles for a Successful Life

Six Principles for a Successful Life

(from a speech at the Centre Yuvajanasakhyam in Thiruvankulam on June 30th 2019)

All of us desire to be successful in life. Of course, each of us defines success in our own preferred way. Some may desire fame; some riches; some a peaceful life; some a loving family. Regardless of what our definition for success is, the ONLY path to be found ‘successful’ in the eyes of our creator is detailed in the Word of God. Here are six principles for a successful life that I had adopted way back as a young man. I can testify that each one of these principles, although difficult to practice initially, will become a way of life and will bring you righteousness, peace and joy in the Lord.

1. First and foremost, SEEK to KNOW Jesus

Matthew 6: 33 –

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

മുന്‍പേ അവന്റെ രാജ്യവും നീതിയും അന്വേഷിപ്പിന്‍; അതോടു കൂടെ ഇതൊക്കെയും നിങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്കിട്ടും.

2. Practice a life of SERVING others

Matthew 23: 11 –

The greatest among you will be your servant.

നിങ്ങളില്‍ ഏറ്റവും വലിയവന്‍ നിങ്ങളുടെ ശ്രുശുഷക്കാരന്‍ ആകേണം.

3. Be TRUSTWORTHY with very little

Luke 16:10 –

Whoever can be trusted with the very little can also be trusted with much.

അത്യല്‍പ്പത്തില്‍ വിശ്വസ്തനായവാന്‍, അധികത്തിലും വിശ്വസ്തന്‍.

4. GIVE what you would want to GET

Luke 6: 31 –

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

മനുഷ്യര്‍ നിങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്ചെയ്യേണം എന്ന് നിങ്ങള്‍ ഇച്ചിക്കുന്നത് പോലെ തന്നെ അവര്‍ക്കും ചെയ്‍വിന്‍.

5. HUMBLE yourself before Jesus

James 4: 10 –

Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

കര്‍ത്താവിന്‍റെ സന്നിധിയില്‍ താഴുവിന്‍; എന്നാല്‍ അവന്‍ നിങ്ങളെ ഉയര്‍ത്തും.

6. Give all GLORY and HONOR to God

1 Corinthians 10: 31 –

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

ആകയാല്‍, നിങ്ങള്‍ എന്ത് ചെയ്താലും, എല്ലാം ദൈവത്തിന്‍റെ മഹത്വത്തിനായി ചെയ്വിന്‍.

Know the word - week 13 - Spirit of Elijah

Spirit of Elijah 

1 Kings 17-19

Elijah is a mighty prophet of the Lord who spoke up with boldness against the rulers of his days. In fact, prophet Malachi talks about the coming of Elijah before the coming of the Messiah. Four hundred years later, gospel writer Luke writes about the ‘spirit of Elijah‘ bringing people to a state of readiness to meet the coming of the  Lord. 

God wants all of us to be like prophet Elijah and have his character in us. What is the ‘spirit of Elijah’?

Spirit of Elijah symbolizes a spirit of repentance in us. What does it mean?

If we have the spirit of Elijah, we 

• shun seeking personal greatness 
• Never rely on human ability 
• Obey precisely what the spirit of the Lord says 
• Refuse to depend on the facts but relies on what God says
• Fear the lord more than we fear the rulers of the land. 
• Strike down the Gods of the land. 
• Triumph over false prophets and principalities of the world 

There’s another important point about Christian faith that we can learn from prophet Elijah’s life. Despite performing massive miracles in Israel in front of the King and Baal’s prophets, the next day, he flees in fear. In fact, he speaks the words that a person with clinical symptoms of depression usually says - ‘God, please take my life.’ Elijah’s life shows us that Christians are not immune to depression. But the response of the Christian should be to stay in touch with God. Elijah did just that. And, he heard back from God who healed his depression and provided him courage to anoint a successor. 

Isn’t Elijah an amazing example of the power of the living God at play in an individual’s life? We should not forget that the success of Elijah lies in his unflinching faith in God. 

Know the Word - Week 12: Solomon: Full of wisdom, but lacked discernment?

Solomon: Full of wisdom, but lacked discernment?

The very first thing we are told about Solomon is that he married the daughter of Egypt's pharaoh, and by that act secured a military treaty, an alliance, with Egypt. Probably it was the daughter of Pharaoh Siamon, one of the last rulers of Egypt's 21st dynasty. Since we know from Egyptian history that it was highly unusual for an Egyptian princess to be married to anyone who was not Egyptian, there is evidence in this of how important Israel had become under David and continued to be under Solomon. Such an alliance with one of the most powerful nations in the world would have insured peace along the southern boundaries of Israel and allowed Solomon to focus his attention elsewhere.

What looked great from the human side, however, carried with it a terrible liability -- with Egypt's princess came Egypt's religion, and in order to accommodate his new wife, Solomon apparently left the door open for her to worship her own gods. In any case, he allowed the practice of using pagan altars on the high places, which were meant for the worship of the God of Israel. The Canaanites, who the Israelites drove out, had worshipped Baal by placing altars on high hills. After the conquest, but before the temple was built, the Israelites took over at least some of those sites for the worship of Jehovah. This practice is not condoned, in fact, it is condemned by Scripture. Solomon both tolerated and even encouraged "syncretism" in the religion of Israel. "Syncretism," by the way, is what happens when you "mix" pure theology and practice with ideas and practices that come from other religions -- in this case, the religions of his many foreign wives.

In the fourth chapter there was another little statement that some of you may missed. It tells us that Solomon kept 12,000 horses. It caught my eye because of a verse in the Book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 17, in a fascinating passage which predicts that the Israelites will want to have a king like other nations, it says when you do have a king, "the king must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself -- he must not take many wives. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold." Remember that passage because Solomon in time will violate all three of those criteria and it will bring him great trouble. The reason for the divine prohibition -- Psalm 20.
Remember the verse back in Psalm 20? "Some trust in horses and some trust in chariots but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God." I think that verse may have the key to why God prohibited the kings of Israel from multiplying horses. Horses meant chariots and indeed the account here very explicitly tells us that the reason Solomon kept 12,000 horses was he kept 4,000 chariots. God didn't want Solomon to depend upon an army, to think that is what would keep him in power or make him strong in the eyes of the nations. God wanted Solomon to depend on God. "Some trust in horses and some trust in chariots but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God." The Psalm goes on to say, "They will fall down but we will rise up and stand firm."

At the beginning of his reign, however, Solomon does follow the Lord. He starts well and God is pleased with what He sees. If God gave you one wish and said, ‘Take anything you want,’ I wonder what you would ask for. He asked for wisdom. The "wisdom of Solomon" has become legendary.

But just exactly what is wisdom? One author says that wisdom is the ability "to distinguish right and wrong and to decide and govern. It is based upon a heart and mind that listens to and obeys God." The Book of Proverbs will have a great deal to say about the subject of wisdom, but for now it will suffice for us to remember that Solomon says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The example that is given here of Solomon's wisdom in action is a well known one. When two prostitutes appear before him, each claiming that the one surviving child is her own, Solomon feigns an inability to decide and proposes cutting the child in two, eliciting a plea from the real mother to award the baby to her rival. Thus Solomon identifies the real mother by her love. There is an important principle in evidence here. Because Solomon asks for that which is righteous and honors God, God is pleased not only to give him what he asks for, but other things as well -- honor and riches. This is the same principle in action that we find in Jesus' words, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you..." It happened to Solomon and it will happen to you as well. When our priorities are right, when we ask God for what He wants to give us, we often will find ourselves blessed beyond all measure in other areas of our life as well.

David was a warrior; he was a conqueror. It was under his hand that the Kingdom of Israel extended to great and vast lengths. Solomon, his son, was a builder - two of his greatest building projects. The first of those building projects was the Temple of God, although we know it as the Temple of Solomon, and therein lies a tale. The second building was Solomon's own palace. Now the Temple was originally David's idea. You will remember that he wanted to build that Temple, a place for the worship of God. All the nations around Israel had elaborate and ornate temples. If you go to Egypt today, you can still look at some of the magnificent structures that were erected as temples to the gods of Egypt. David thought that since his God, the God of Israel, was greater, and in fact the only God, far greater than imaginary gods of other countries, He should have a magnificent house of worship as well. There is a difference between the dwelling places of all those other gods and the Temple of God, in that in the other nations these idols and false gods were thought to actually dwell in those temples -- they were their dwelling places, -- whereas the Temple that Solomon built, that David conceived of, was not a dwelling place at all. David recognized that all of the universe couldn’t contain the greatness of God. It was His footstool, not His dwelling place. Nevertheless it was a place set apart for the worship of God. Well, it was David's idea, but David was prevented from building the Temple because he was a man of war, and that was left for Solomon.

Solomon's prayer is the centerpiece of the account that is given us in I Kings chapter 8. It deserves our careful attention. I'm sure you took some note of the content of that prayer, in which Solomon talked about the greatness of God and worshipped Him. He described God's uniqueness and His faithfulness. He talked about God's infinity. Verse 27 is an important verse of Scripture. "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!" Not only did Solomon clearly understand the infinity of God -- the fact that God is not bound by any place but is bigger than all places -- but he also understood that the Temple, while it focused the attention of the nation of Israel upon their God, was not intended to house their God. He describes God's compassion and concern, and then turns in his prayer from worship to intercession.

That same pattern is there in many of the prayers of Scripture, and we might learn much from it about prayer. 

First worship, then intercession, then petitions. Solomon asks God for many things. There are three different expressions for prayer in verse 28. The word translated "prayer" denotes prayer in general; the word "plea," sometimes translated “supplication,” is a specific kind of prayer -- a call for help. Then comes the third word, "cry," literally a “ringing cry.” It is clear from a consideration of Solomon's prayer, that in his mind at least, and therefore in the minds of all of Israel, prayer is the central part of the worship of God. That is important to us, because in all of our readings through the books of Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers, through all of our understanding thus far of the sacrificial system, we could be distracted from that. All of the sacrifices that were made (and the number of sacrifices made on this particular day in Israel's history was absolutely enormous) -- but all the sacrifices made were simply ways of underscoring and highlighting the understanding that prayer is the centerpiece of the worship of God. The subject of this prayer of Solomon IS prayer. There is this understanding that prayer is going to be the vital ingredient of the relationship that is going to exist between God and Israel. It is the active ingredient, and it is prayer that somehow activates the promises of God. The first thing that Solomon asks for in his prayer is that God would remember and fulfill the promises made to his father David and to the people of Israel. But there is in that request the understanding that it is prayer that somehow functions as the trigger. That is a very biblical concept. We find it not only in the Old Testament, but also all through the New Testament. Prayer is the way by which the promises of God become activated in the lives of His people.

‘Why is prayer necessary if God already knows what He is going to do. If He has already ordained its plan and set it out, why do we need to pray?’ The only answer is this - because God has told us to pray, and that it is through the instrumentality of our prayers that He does His mighty work in our lives.

The second thing that we can see from this prayer of Solomon's is that the whole reason for the existence of the Temple is so that people can pray, and even if they are not physically present in Jerusalem, they are always able to focus their attention and their thoughts upon that Temple, and in so doing bring themselves to prayer and communication with God. When an enemy has defeated the people, the solution is to come to the Temple and pray, and God will hear from heaven and forgive their sin. There is even a reference here to people being defeated and carried into captivity, and Solomon says still they must look toward the temple and pray. That explains the actions of Daniel much later on in the history of Israel.

I Kings chapter 11 leads to the sad conclusion of the life of King Solomon. Solomon did not finish well. (It could not be said of Moses or Joshua that they did not finish well.) It could be said of Saul, Solomon, to a lesser extent it could even be said of David, Samuel and Eli. They all finished with less strength than they should have. In the case of the latter three, it was because they failed to do a good job in rearing their children. What went wrong? He was the wisest man in the world, and by the end of his life he is horribly off track!! What happened? You may remember the verses I pointed out to you some time ago from the Book of Deuteronomy in which the future kings of Israel were warned not to multiply wealth, horses or wives. Well Solomon didn't pay much attention to that -- in this he greatly sinned. His wisdom was a marvelous gift from God, but he relied on it too much. He relied so much on the gift, that he forgot the Giver. His wealth created the very same problem. Instead of remembering that God was the source of his wealth, he came too much to believe that his wealth could purchase anything he needed. Though he put a great deal of wealth into the Temple, he clearly believed that he had the right to keep most of it for himself. That too was a very big mistake, a mistake for which his son paid in full. He should have shared his wealth with his people. Rehoboam, following his father's example, felt no compulsion to do that either. His wives were the biggest mistake of all, for they led King Solomon into idolatry. I have to believe it didn't start that way. I believe that probably, at the beginning, it was just a cultural accommodation to a Sidonian princess who really wanted to have just a little place where she could, then the Ammonite wife wanted a place to worship Molech. We know that human sacrifices were involved in the worship of Molech, though I doubt they were ever allowed in Jerusalem. Then came the princess from Moab and she wanted a place to worship Chemosh, the detestable god of the Moabites.

Then one temple came to be built for nearly everyone of Solomon's foreign wives and the whole thing was out of control. Jerusalem, which should have been the center of worship to the One True God, became a virtual supermarket of gods and goddesses, with temples scattered all over the hills. What a travesty! At the beginning of chapter 9,  Solomon's kingdom was given to him and to his descendants permanently, but conditionally. "If you walk before me with integrity of heart and uprightness as David your Father did and observe my decrees and laws, then I will establish your throne over Israel forever. But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees that I have given, then I will cut Israel off from the land I have given it. I will reject this Temple I have consecrated for my Name and Israel then will become a byword and an object of ridicule among the nations." Chilling words, because they all came true. All through Scripture God makes promises. Some of them, like the one he made to Noah after the flood, are unconditional. God said to Noah, "I will never again destroy the earth with a flood." There are no ‘ifs’ or ‘thens’ in that promise -- it is totally unconditional. Many of the promises of God in Scripture, however, come with conditions attached. We had better learn to pay careful attention to those conditions.

There is no room in the Christian life for presumption. For you see, at bottom, that was the great sin of the wise King Solomon. God gave him so many, many precious gifts. They were his to use, his to keep, but always there was to be the understanding that they were on loan from the One who is the giver of all gifts. Honor and worship was to be given to that One. Each of the gifts was to be used with the understanding that ultimately, though they were Solomon's on loan, they were to be used for the glory of the One who had given them. That is what Solomon forgot. At some point along the way, he began to think that the gifts were his and his alone. The gifts had been given to him, and he had no obligation to use them for the glory of the Giver. When Solomon began to think that way, he sealed his fate. Solomon fell victim to the sin of presumption. Let's hope and pray that you and I will be wiser than the wisest man who ever lived. That is the challenge.

Know the Word - Week 11: David and Goliath - Arrival of the Shepherd King

David and Goliath - Arrival of the Shepherd King
1 Samuel 16-17

Chapter 16 contains a great principle for living a God-honoring life. It is found in verse 7, in God's response to Samuel's expectation that David's older brother, Eliab, is the one that God will choose to be the next king of Israel. Eliab is tall and handsome, athletic and strong, and God says, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."  How often do we (to use a modern expression) ‘judge the book by its cover?’ God doesn't do that. External appearances don't impress Him much. It's what's inside that really counts, and God always knows what is on the inside of a man or woman.

Note please, that there is no reason offered for God's choice of David except the one implied by that great principle which says that though man looks at outward appearances, God sees the heart. That is all, but enough to convince me that David had a heart that hungered after God.

The concept of allowing the result of a battle between two armies to rest upon the result of single combat between two champions is not unique to the biblical account. We know that this practice existed in the world of the ancient Greeks, in the age of Homer, at a time not long before the events of this chapter occurred. Since the Philistine people were almost certainly related to the Greeks, it is not surprising to find them proposing such a contest here. I am sure that the physical superiority of Goliath was all the more satisfying to the Philistines, in light of the rather painful memory of the late judge of Israel named Samson. Now, they would have reasoned, we have a Hercules of our own! Now it's our turn to taunt and shame the Israelites and their God -- but they didn't reckon with David's faith.

I want for us to notice that the faith of the young warrior David is clearly rooted in two things. First, there is his understanding of who God is. His first reference to his understanding of the nature of God is made in the indignation that he displays at the daily debacle he is made to witness when Goliath issues the challenge. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine," he asks. "Who is he to defy the army of the living God?" Israel's God, unlike Dagon of the Philistines, is alive; He is real! That fact makes all the difference for David's faith. When he walks onto the field of combat to accept Goliath's challenge, he says, "I come in the name of the Lord Almighty." David really knew who God was and that gave him incredible faith. But there is a second foundation stone upon which David's faith is also built, and that is the "bedrock” of his own experience of the faithlessness of God in his life. In his own experience as a shepherd, he had relied upon and experienced the faithfulness of God in delivering him from the paw of the bear and the jaws of the lion. Since God's power and faithfulness have already been proven on those fields of conflict, there is no reason to fear that it will not be proven once again in this battle.

When we know who God is and we can reflect upon what He has already done in our own experience, it is not difficult to trust Him for even greater things to come.

We are also shown the motive of David's heart. He is indignant at the affront being given to the dignity of God's glory by the unmet challenge of the Philistine. And he is completely committed to seeing the glory of God magnified. His motto might well have been “to God be the glory.” His desire, stated in his own words to Goliath is that "The whole world will know that there is a God in Israel." That is David's agenda. Contrast it with Saul's, who after the last battle went up to Carmel to erect a monument to the glory of Saul. David wants the whole world to know, not about the new champion of Israel, David the son of Jesse, but about the greatness and the glory of the God of Israel. "It is not by spear or sword that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord's."

David's insistence on going into battle armed only with his usual weapons constitutes a great lesson for us. God is not likely to call us to a task for which He has not already equipped us. If He sets a goal or mission in front of us, it is most likely that the instruments and skills by which it is to be accomplished are already in our hands. If He has not given you the gift of preaching, then the job He gives you to do will be best accomplished, not by preaching, but by using the abilities, gifts and skills that you already have. It might not seem to make much sense to face an armored warrior who has a shield, a spear and a sword with no armor, no sword and only five smooth stones and a sling. But if a sling and stones are what God has equipped you with, then that is exactly what He wants you to use to accomplish the task.

Know the Word Week 10 - Ruth: A tale of mercy

Ruth: A tale of mercy

Ruth's story in the bible teaches us a lot of things about her character. She displayed exceptional:
- confidence in her family and her mother-in-law
- faith in the God of her family
- obedience to her mother-in-law
- courage to take seminal decisions

The story of Ruth also teaches us about:
1. God's redemption: he redeemed the deep despair of Naomi (she was widowed, lost all, was in a strange alien land) and converts it into a success story (she became a great great grandmother of Jesus Christ himself - see Matthew 1; genealogy of Jesus).
2. Ruth's story is a tale of Mercy: Boaz displayed the mercy that God shows each one of us. He did not have to show mercy on Ruth. Yet, he did just that.
3. It also showed the providence of God. Ruth did not end up in Boaz's field out of sheer luck. It was God's great providence.

Home work: Read Proverbs 31 to know more about the characteristics of a Godly woman.