Posts

December 25: Augustus

Image
[Read Luke 2:1-7] The classic story of Christmas is told to us in Luke: the traveling couple, expecting a child, stayed in a manger because there was no room in the inn, and there he was born – laid in a manger, wrapped in bands of cloth. We were asked to consider each passage through the lens of kings and kingship: I think about Augustus declaring a decree that all should be registered… Could you imagine if a politician today demanded that everyone travel back to their hometown to be counted?? I mean… I can already hear the outcry. How can they demand that I travel there now? I can’t go now, I have too much to do! Who is going to pay for the travel expenses?? Whether or not we would go on such a journey, or grumble about it, really isn’t the point. True kingship is. True kingship is not really about a census, or who is going to pay for it, or anything like that. It is not about our governance or our policies… Or our resistance
Post a Comment
Read more

December 24: Herod

Image
[Read Matthew 2] Many are familiar with the story of Herod, the wise men, and the subsequent birth of Jesus. However, when we read more closely, a beautiful picture emerges. Twice Herod is given the moniker “king” in this chapter: “In the days of Herod the king” in verse 1 and again in verse 3, “When Herod the king heard this ….” As he inquires of the chief priests and scribes, though, Herod hears of another king. The Jewish leaders proclaim to him a prophecy from Micah 5:2; namely, there will be another ruler come from Bethlehem who will shepherd God’s people, Israel. After God’s Word is proclaimed, Herod is never referred to as “king” ever again! What God declares, the rest of the world cannot deny. The Father, through Micah, proclaimed that his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, would be the true ruler of all creation. “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28). As we celebrate on the eve of Christmas, may we bend our knees and bow our hearts to worship
Post a Comment
Read more

December 23: Cyrus

Image
[Read 2 Chronicles 36:22-23] If you need something to temper the unbridled joy of the Christmas season, you might want to read the last chapter of 2 Chronicles (Chapter 36). I can guarantee it will curb your enthusiasm. Here is a rehearsal of the final succession of the kings of Judah. They were awful. In each case, The Chronicler writes, “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” As a result, the people of God spend a generation in exile. Still, the chapter ends on a hopeful note. Eventually, the king of Babylon was deposed, and a new ruler came on the scene. Cyrus of Persia was a generous ruler, restoring exiled peoples to their homelands. In sending the exiles back to Judah and Jerusalem, he not only gave them permission to rebuild the Temple, but some resources to do so. Here was an outsider through whom God was keeping God’s promises. Jesus himself was not the king that the people expected. Born of poor, nearly anonymous parents, a refugee in Egypt, raise
Post a Comment
Read more

December 22: Xerxes/Ahasuerus

Image
[Read Esther 8] If the story of Esther and King Xerxes was found other than tucked between the Bible books of Nehemiah and Job, it is unlikely that it would be recognized as part of the canon. Selfishness and manipulation are present in spades, romance plays a role, and readers are likely perched at the edge of their seats as the dramatic story of the powerless vs. the powerful plays out. But there is no mention of God. No prayers are spoken. No miracles of a Cecil B. DeMille scale occur. It would be easy to dismiss it as a secular, pre-Christian era thriller. But, placed in the context of the covenants, it is easy to see God at work. God is present in the persistence of Mordecai to stand up for what is right, despite his lowly standing. Present also in the courage of a young Jewish woman to challenge a king, despite his decree that “women should be seen and not heard.” And God is present in King Xerxes’ conversion from a ruler who is self-indulgent, to one who
Post a Comment
Read more

December 21: Nebuchadnezzar

Image
[Read Daniel 4] King Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful man who destroyed Jerusalem (526 BC) and led many Hebrews into a Babylonian captivity is confronted by the God whom he has defied. After being driven from his kingdom and made to eat grass like a wild beast for a whole year, King Nebuchadnezzar finally looks to heaven and his sanity is restored. He becomes so grateful that he cannot contain his joy anymore. In an open letter to the world, he proclaims (Daniel 4:1-2), “King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.” This experience of uncontainable joy reminds me of another occasion when a few shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks at night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appears to them and says, “Behold, I bring you good news that’s going to bring great joy to all people! A Sa
Post a Comment
Read more

December 20: Saul

Image
[Read 1 Samuel 9-10] “We want a king like our neighbors!” “We want someone to fight our battles!” “Waaaa!” The grumbling, disagreeable children of God had no idea the hornet’s nest they stirred by their demands. They could only see the positives of monarchy. Who isn’t impressed and amazed by the pomp and circumstance of royalty? There is nothing so beautiful than the colors in a bejeweled tiara and nothing so awe-inspiring than the precision of the royal guard. God had provided them a holy government, with Himself at the head. Just and true were His laws and his council. But that government didn’t impress the neighbors nor the Israelites, unfortunately! They wanted what they wanted and so they paid the price. There’s a saying in corporate America: Everyone gets promoted to their level of incompetence. So it was with Saul. He looked the part and started off well, but success didn’t last long. Impatience with God led to military defeats, the cancer of deep jealousy, and an unfortunate de
Post a Comment
Read more

December 19: The Kings

Image
Other nations in the ancient world looked for big, strong kings to lead their armies into battle. But Israel is to be different; they must pick the king that God wants. Deuteronomy 17:15, “be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses.” And the king isn’t given absolute power to rule however he likes. He is not to acquire great numbers of horses for himself, and so to build a big army to show off his military might, nor is he to take many wives or accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. He must not amass wealth and status for himself at the expense of the people. Rather, he must be a man of God’s word. “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.” -Deuteronomy 17:18 There’s one feature tha
Post a Comment
Read more