Hello Sweet friends,
Today’s Reading … 1 Kings 20-22, 2 Chronicles 18-23, Obadiah 1 and Psalm 82-83
“Keep God First!” This was the cry of the prophets to the Divided Kingdom as well as our next major theme. The hearts of the Jewish people had been drawn away from God. To battle the idols and false gods that were rampant, the One True God raised up prophets who preached the truth and performed miraculous signs. In the midst of a divided kingdom, all the way through captivity and return, the prophets strive to keep God first in the hearts and lives of the Israelites. The definition of a prophet is found in Deuteronomy 18:18, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you [Moses] from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command Him.”
Obadiah is the shortest of the prophetical books, containing only 21 verses. It is a scathing denunciation of the Edomites, descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother, who from the beginning had been hostile to Jacob’s descendants. The cause of their doom is rooted in pride and rebellion. This book also promises deliverance for the Jews. This is because of their eventual humility before God (What the Bible is All About).
As we witness the inevitable destruction of the Edomites, we can also heed the call of Obadiah. Pride and rebellion place us first in our own hearts. They lie and tell us that we need to protect and defend ourselves, always doing what is best for the outcome in our own lives and the lives of those closest to us. This kind of self absorbed thinking leads to destruction. The destruction will come in the form of broken relationships, frustration and insecurity. Pride separates us from God and separation from God is spiritual death.
Meekness and humility, on the other hand, give life. When we trust God enough to keep Him first in our hearts, we live in the security of not having to manipulate and control what is happening around us. I can live as God called me to live, “considering others as more important than myself” because I know that ultimately, “God works all things together for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose.” This surrender to self will cause us to cease striving and rest as we simply keep God first and follow Him to peace.
Love to you all,
Kinsee
“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return empty, but accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
