DEV. #7

Devitional # 7:

2 King 4:42-44 TRUST TO OUR MIGHTY GOD!

42 A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. 43 “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’ ” 44 Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

 

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God is really a powerful God, He can do all things possible. To man it is impossible but to God all things are possible. Whatever the things you will ask to God, He will surely gave it according to His plan and purpose. As the passage states the feeding of the people in the time of Elisha, one man doubt it because their food is only few, how can it be enough to all the people there. But Elisha said, give it and feed the people, so even though they don’t have enough food to give to the people, he trust God that God will be the one who will provide for it. He didn’t doubt about the capability of God. Because God Himself is the provider of everything, only we put our trust in Him. In all things I must acknowledge God first. Through trust in Him, I can be able to live peacefully. I will never forget that HE alone is my great provider and my sustainer.

DEV # 6

DEVOTIONAL # 6

1 KING 3:5-9 GREATEST REQUEST!

5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

7 “Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

 

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King Solomon is the one whom they called the wise man, I appreciate king Solomon because the thing he ask to God is not only for his own sake and needs but also to the needs of the other people surrounding him. Through this prayer of King Solomon, I was challenged and reminded again that God answers the prayer that is pleasing to Him and fitted to His purpose. As for me, as a minister with my young age, it is always my prayer that God will give me a wisdom on how to lead his people, because sometimes I feel hard when I’m leading the people in my church older than me, and sometimes I feel hard to say anything with them. But now, I can see God’s providence and help for me, because as I go on with my ministry, I can see that God is working through me. I believe that God will always work through me and through you, through everyone whom He called to serve Him, whether young or old, it doesn’t matter.

DQ#8

DQ8. Discuss the relationships of the prophets of Ancient Israel with the throne (government), the temple (religion), and the people (society).

Prophets are the one whom God has chosen to give his messsages and all His plans to the people of Isreal. They are the one who foretold what will happen to the future, or what will God will do to them, both the obeidient and unobedient people.

Throne (government). It is the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit. The government is the one who have the authority to make laws, to adjudicate disputes, and to issue administrative decisions.

Temple (religion). It is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities. It is where they called the house of worship,

People (society). This are actually pertaining to the people who are living at Israel, or what they called Israelites during the time of Ancient Israel.

The relationship of the prophets of Ancient Israel with the throne (government) is, the prophets are the representative of God. The prophets primarily represented the sovereign rule of God rather than the authority of an earthly king. The recognition of God’s rule- which was the interest of the prophets-limited the earthly kings power by requiring that he be chosen and apointed by God through a prophet, by granting dynastic apointment of the basis of obedience, and by regulating the king’s military efforts through divine oracles.

The relationship of the prophets of Ancient Israel with the temple (religion) is, they are the one who give moral teachings especially about religious matters. Prophets opposed he cults because it is no longer represented the ethical nature of true worship required by God. And the prophets are the assigned one to tell to the people about the true worship, to remind them that there is only one God whom the Israelites are serving.

The relationship of the prophets of Ancient Israel with the people (society) is, the Prophets were called by God to hear His plans and messages, then they were sent by to bring this messages to the Israel people and the nations. Prophet also teaches the Israelites to go back to God and obey His Laws.

REFERENCES:

The Zondervan Topical Bible

By: Edward Viening

The Anchor Bible Dictionary

By: David Noel Freedman

Hastings Dictionary of the Bible

By: James Hastings

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

By: Geoffrey W. Bromiley

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible

By: Merrill C. Tenney

The Lion Encyclopedia of the Bible

Wycliff Dictionary of Theology

By: Everette F. Harrison

Geoffrey Bromiley

 Carl F. Henry

DQ#7

DQ 7: Choose a king from the North. Summarize his reign and the evaluation of it. What could have he done different in order to have a positive evaluation from God?

Amaziah: He is the son of king Joash of Juda. He began to reign as a king at the age of twenty-five, he reign in Jerusalem for almost twenty-nine years. He did what is right in the eyes of the Lord. He followed the example of his father Joash. When he was firmly grasp his kingship kingdom, he executed the officials who had killed his father, but he did not put to death the sons of the assassins. He remembered the Law in the Book of Moses, that: “Father shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers, each is to die for his own sin.”

He defeated ten thousands Edomites in the valley of Salt and captured Sela in the battle, and he had called this place Jaktheel. Amaziah challenge king Jehoash, during their battle king Amaziah was captured, then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall from Ephraim gate to the corner gate, and he got everything he wanted then he went back to Samaria, Jehoash was died and buried at Samaria.

Amaziah lived and reign more for fifteen years after the death of king Jehoash. He was killed and died in Lachish, and they return him back to Jerusalem and buried there.

As I read the story of kingship of king Amaziah in the bible and the other resources, he did what is right into the sight of the Lord. Not like the other kings that I red, they did evil to the sight of God. Through this story, even though king Amziah made a foolish decision, that he challenged king Jehoash then he was also captured, he did this by his own interest, but I think he also did what is right and follow God’s will for Him.

References:

Bible: 2 Kings 14:1-22

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

By: Geoffrey W. Bromley

 

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible

By: Merrill C. Tenney

 

New Bible Dictionary

 

The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary

By: Merrill F. Unger

Holman Bible Dictionary

New Concise Bible DictionarY

By: Derek Williams