From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Feb 1 21:05:43 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:05:43 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Wednesday - I Kings 5-7 Message-ID: <4D48BBF7.70106@bibleseven.com> Wednesday I Kings 5-7 Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple 5:1 (5:15) King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father's place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 5:2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 5:3 "You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the Lord his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies. 5:4 But now the Lord my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no adversary or dangerous threat. 5:5 So I have decided to build a temple to honor the Lord my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, 'Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.' 5:6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians." 5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon's message, he was very happy. He said, "The Lord is worthy of praise today because he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation." 5:8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: "I received the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need. 5:9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate. There I will separate the logs and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court." 5:10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed, 5:11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors of wheat as provision for his royal court, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil. 5:12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty. 5:13 King Solomon conscripted work crews from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all. 5:14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was supervisor of the work crews. 5:15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hills, 5:16 besides 3,300 officials who supervised the workers. 5:17 By royal order they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple's foundation with chiseled stone. 5:18 Solomon's and Hiram's construction workers, along with men from Byblos, did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple. The Building of the Temple 6:1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, during the month Ziv (the second month), he began building the Lord's temple. 6:2 The temple King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 6:3 The porch in front of the main hall of the temple was 30 feet long, corresponding to the width of the temple. It was 15 feet wide, extending out from the front of the temple. 6:4 He made framed windows for the temple. 6:5 He built an extension all around the walls of the temple's main hall and holy place and constructed side rooms in it. 6:6 The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet wide, the middle floor nine feet wide, and the third floor ten and a half feet wide. He made ledges on the temple's outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted into the walls. 6:7 As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry were used; the sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other iron tool was not heard at the temple while it was being built. 6:8 The entrance to the bottom level of side rooms was on the south side of the temple; stairs went up to the middle floor and then on up to the third floor. 6:9 He finished building the temple and covered it with rafters and boards made of cedar. 6:10 He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet high and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams. 6:11 The Lord said to Solomon: 6:12 "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my rules, observe my regulations, and obey all my commandments, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. 6:13 I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." 6:14 So Solomon finished building the temple. 6:15 He constructed the walls inside the temple with cedar planks; he paneled the inside with wood from the floor of the temple to the rafters of the ceiling. He covered the temple floor with boards made from the wood of evergreens. 6:16 He built a wall 30 feet in from the rear of the temple as a partition for an inner sanctuary that would be the most holy place. He paneled the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters. 6:17 The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet long. 6:18 The inside of the temple was all cedar and was adorned with carvings of round ornaments and of flowers in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible. 6:19 He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord could be placed there. 6:20 The inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He plated it with gold, as well as the cedar altar. 6:21 Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. He hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary with gold. 6:22 He plated the entire inside of the temple with gold, as well as the altar inside the inner sanctuary. 6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubs of olive wood; each stood 15 feet high. 6:24 Each of the first cherub's wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire wingspan was 15 feet. 6:25 The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and shape. 6:26 Each cherub stood 15 feet high. 6:27 He put the cherubs in the inner sanctuary of the temple. Their wings were spread out. One of the first cherub's wings touched one wall and one of the other cherub's wings touched the opposite wall. The first cherub's other wing touched the second cherub's other wing in the middle of the room. 6:28 He plated the cherubs with gold. 6:29 On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, he carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom. 6:30 He plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out. 6:31 He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner sanctuary; the pillar on each doorpost was five-sided. 6:32 On the two doors made of olive wood he carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold. He plated the cherubs and the palm trees with hammered gold. 6:33 In the same way he made doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall, only with four-sided pillars. 6:34 He also made two doors out of wood from evergreens; each door had two folding leaves. 6:35 He carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom and plated them with gold, leveled out over the carvings. 6:36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled stones and a row of cedar beams. 6:37 In the month Ziv of the fourth year of Solomon's reign the foundation was laid for the Lord's temple. 6:38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul (the eighth month) the temple was completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took seven years to build. The Building of the Royal Palace 7:1 Solomon took thirteen years to build his palace. 7:2 He named it "The Palace of the Lebanon Forest"; it was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It had four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams above the pillars. 7:3 The roof above the beams supported by the pillars was also made of cedar; there were forty-five beams, fifteen per row. 7:4 There were three rows of windows arranged in sets of three. 7:5 All of the entrances were rectangular in shape and they were arranged in sets of three. 7:6 He made a colonnade 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. There was a porch in front of this and pillars and a roof in front of the porch. 7:7 He also made a throne room, called "The Hall of Judgment," where he made judicial decisions. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters. 7:8 The palace where he lived was constructed in a similar way. He also constructed a palace like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had married. 7:9 All of these were built with the best stones, chiseled to the right size and cut with a saw on all sides, from the foundation to the edge of the roof and from the outside to the great courtyard. 7:10 The foundation was made of large valuable stones, measuring either 15 feet or 12 feet. 7:11 Above the foundation the best stones, chiseled to the right size, were used along with cedar. 7:12 Around the great courtyard were three rows of chiseled stones and one row of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the Lord's temple and the hall of the palace. Solomon Commissions Hiram to Supply the Temple 7:13 King Solomon sent for Hiram of Tyre. 7:14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge to make all kinds of works of bronze. He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was assigned. 7:15 He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference. 7:16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. 7:17 The latticework on the tops of the pillars was adorned with ornamental wreaths and chains; the top of each pillar had seven groupings of ornaments. 7:18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. 7:19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high. 7:20 On the top of each pillar, right above the bulge beside the latticework, there were two hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments arranged in rows all the way around. 7:21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right side and called it Jakin; he erected the other pillar on the left side and called it Boaz. 7:22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the construction of the pillars was completed. 7:23 He also made the large bronze basin called "The Sea." It measured 15 feet from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet high. Its circumference was 45 feet. 7:24 Under the rim all the way around it were round ornaments arranged in settings 15 feet long. The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with "The Sea." 7:25 "The Sea" stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three westward, three southward, and three eastward. "The Sea" was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward. 7:26 It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold about 12,000 gallons. 7:27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet long, six feet wide, and four-and-a-half feet high. 7:28 The stands were constructed with frames between the joints. 7:29 On these frames and joints were ornamental lions, bulls, and cherubs. Under the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths. 7:30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports. Under the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths. 7:31 Inside the stand was a round opening that was a foot-and-a-half deep; it had a support that was two and one-quarter feet long. On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames. 7:32 The four wheels were under the frames and the crossbars of the axles were connected to the stand. Each wheel was two and one-quarter feet high. 7:33 The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their crossbars, rims, spokes, and hubs were made of cast metal. 7:34 Each stand had four supports, one per side projecting out from the stand. 7:35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep; there were also supports and frames on top of the stands. 7:36 He engraved ornamental cherubs, lions, and palm trees on the plates of the supports and frames wherever there was room, with wreaths all around. 7:37 He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and were identical in measurements and shape. 7:38 He also made ten bronze basins, each of which could hold about 240 gallons. Each basin was six feet in diameter; there was one basin for each stand. 7:39 He put five basins on the south side of the temple and five on the north side. He put "The Sea" on the south side, in the southeast corner. 7:40 Hiram also made basins, shovels, and bowls. He finished all the work on the Lord's temple he had been assigned by King Solomon. 7:41 He made the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars, 7:42 the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of the pillar), 7:43 the ten movable stands with their ten basins, 7:44 the big bronze basin called "The Sea" with its twelve bulls underneath, 7:45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls. All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram to make for the Lord's temple were made from polished bronze. 7:46 The king had them cast in earth foundries in the region of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. 7:47 Solomon left all these items unweighed; there were so many of them they did not weigh the bronze. 7:48 Solomon also made all these items for the Lord's temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which was kept the Bread of the Presence, 7:49 the pure gold lampstands at the entrance to the inner sanctuary (five on the right and five on the left), the gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs, 7:50 the pure gold bowls, trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple. 7:51 When King Solomon finished constructing the Lord's temple, he put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and other articles) in the treasuries of the Lord's temple. Prayer Lord, the building of a great temple focused the eyes of the people whom You had blessed with peace and plenty upon You. You have said that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, may I also keep my efforts and the eyes of my heart focused on You. Commentary Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre reached an amicable barter of wood for the temple in exchange for food for his royal court. Solomon also conscripted tens of thousands of men from the kingdom to work in shifts processing wood and stone for the temple. Four hundred and eighty years after the Israelites left Egypt Solomon began the construction of the temple and it took seven years to build. Hiram of Tyre's father was a craftsman in bronze who make massive and small sculptures and tools then Solomon made the articles gold to which he added the holy items passed on to him from David. The Lord God instructed Solomon that He approved of the construction of the temple and if he followed His rules, observed His regulations, and obeyed all of His commandments He would continue to bless Israel. Solomon took thirteen years to build his palace. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (11,250sf) versus 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high (2,700sf) for the temple. Interaction Consider Four hundred and eighty years covered the travels with Moses and the taking of the Promised Land with Joshua, the troubles with pagan religions, rebellions, the Ten Commandments (twice), the demand for and struggles with a human king -- Saul -- and then the equally trying times of David. Now, at last, the people had the peace and prosperity they longed for. Discuss The text does not include any instructions from the Lord God for Solomon to build himself a palace, one already existed from David's time. Is there cause to wonder what was to come next when Solomon invested almost twice as many years and in his palace than the temple and that his palace was four times as large as the temple? Reflect The Lord God's continued blessing was, as always, conditional -- based on obedience. Share When have you observed an individual or organization that was very blessed but who seemed to lose sight of the purpose of that blessing and drift into self-focused excess? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of blessings from the Lord God. Action: Today I will celebrate with others the blessings the Lord God has brought into my life. I will also prayerfully reflect on how I am using those blessings build-up His presence in my heart, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that I am bringing glory to Him in any way that I can. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Thursday's text will be: 1 Kings 8 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Wed Feb 2 23:11:21 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:11:21 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Thursday - 1 Kings 8 Message-ID: <4D4A2AE9.3050503@bibleseven.com> Thursday 1 Kings 8 Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple 8:1 Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem Israel's elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord's covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). 8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival in the month Ethanim (the seventh month). 8:3 When all Israel's elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 8:4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy items in the tent. 8:5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. 8:6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord's covenant to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs. 8:7 The cherubs' wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8:8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. They have remained there to this very day. 8:9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. It was there that the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 8:10 Once the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the Lord's temple. 8:11 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud; the Lord's glory filled his temple. 8:12 Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 8:13 O Lord, truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently." 8:14 Then the king turned around and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 8:15 He said, "The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled what he promised my father David. 8:16 He told David, 'Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.' 8:17 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel. 8:18 The Lord told my father David, 'It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. 8:19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.' 8:20 The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David's place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor of the Lord God of Israel 8:21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt." Solomon Prays for Israel 8:22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky. 8:23 He prayed: "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you with sincerity. 8:24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. 8:25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, 'You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.' 8:26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant, my father David, be realized. 8:27 "God does not really live on the earth! Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 8:28 But respond favorably to your servant's prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer the desperate prayer your servant is presenting to you today. 8:29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. May you answer your servant's prayer for this place. 8:30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place. Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably. 8:31 "When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. 8:32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants' claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. 8:33 "The time will come when your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, and pray for your help in this temple, 8:34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors. 8:35 "The time will come when the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, and turn away from their sin because you punish them, 8:36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly you will then teach them the right way to live and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. 8:37 "The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 8:38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, as they acknowledge their pain and spread out their hands toward this temple, 8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 8:40 Then they will obey you throughout their lifetimes as they live on the land you gave to our ancestors. 8:41 "Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. 8:42 When they hear about your great reputation and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 8:43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, obey you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 8:44 "When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, and they direct their prayers to the Lord toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 8:45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help and vindicate them. 8:46 "The time will come when your people will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, whether far away or close by. 8:47 When your people come to their senses in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, 'We have sinned and gone astray; we have done evil.' 8:48 When they return to you with all their heart and being in the land where they are held prisoner, and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, 8:49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help and vindicate them. 8:50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. 8:51 After all, they are your people and your special possession whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. 8:52 "May you be attentive to your servant's and your people Israel's requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. 8:53 After all, you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession, just as you, O sovereign Lord, announced through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt." 8:54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky. 8:55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 8:56 "The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! 8:57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 8:58 May he make us submissive, so we can follow all his instructions and obey the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 8:59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, so that he might vindicate his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 8:60 Then all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. 8:61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God by following his rules and obeying his commandments, as you are presently doing." Solomon Dedicates the Temple 8:62 The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 8:63 Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord's temple. 8:64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord's temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold all these offerings. 8:65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the Lord our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south. 8:66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king and then went to their homes, happy and content because of all the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel. Prayer Lord, You flexibly and patiently worked Your greater plan around and through the foolishness and rebellion of Israel, and finally brought the Law to it's fullest visible splendor. May Your work in my life be equally flexible and patient as You overwhelm my imperfections for Your greater purpose in and through me. Commentary Solomon brought the Ark of God into the temple preceded by massive sacrifices from the plenty that the Lord God had given to Israel. Solomon then prayed before the Ark, reciting the history of God's faithfulness, then recognizing the inevitability that Israel would make bad choices in the future implored the Lord God to forgive and restore them after a time of suffering. Concluding the dedication of the Temple was a massive peace offering to the Lord which helped to feed the mass of people gathered for the 15 day event. Interaction Consider Solomon followed David's practice the second time he moved the Ark of God and offered many sacrifices, perhaps out of an abundance of caution, perhaps out of a genuine sense of gratitude and honor. Discuss Given the long history of God's forgiveness and restoration of Israel, following her transgressions, why would Solomon feel it was necessary to appeal to Him for that in the future? Reflect Solomon appeared to severe, at least momentarily, in dual roles of king and priest. Share When have you appealed to the Lord God in prayer for mercy as you looked ahead and worried about the quality of your walk and your relationship with Him? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to something you can sacrifice to Him. Action: Today I will prayerfully discern something in my life that is more about the world than God, something that may be less-than-spiritually-edifying or less-than-physically-healthy, and I will sacrifice that to the Lord God. It may be entertainment that I enjoy but which contains content that appeals to the flesh, food I eat that is not the healthiest, company I keep that draws me away from holiness, etc. I will share the experience with a fellow believer. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Friday's text will be: 1 Kings 9 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Thu Feb 3 20:44:55 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:44:55 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Friday - 1 Kings 9 Message-ID: <4D4B5A17.6060803@bibleseven.com> Friday 1 Kings 9 The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning 9:1 After Solomon finished building the Lord's temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned, 9:2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 9:3 The Lord said to him, "I have answered your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home; I will be constantly present there. 9:4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. 9:5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently, just as I promised your father David, 'You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' 9:6 "But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods, 9:7 then I will remove Israel from the land I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed among all the nations. 9:8 This temple will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn, saying, 'Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?' 9:9 Others will then answer, 'Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.'" Foreign Affairs and Building Projects 9:10 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord's temple and the royal palace, 9:11 King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre twenty cities in the region of Galilee, because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars, evergreens, and all the gold he wanted. 9:12 When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the cities Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. 9:13 Hiram asked, "Why did you give me these cities, my friend?" He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. 9:14 Hiram had sent to the king one hundred twenty talents of gold. 9:15 Here are the details concerning the work crews King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord's temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 9:16 (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who had married Solomon.) 9:17 Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon, 9:18 Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness, 9:19 all the storage cities that belonged to him, and the cities where chariots and horses were kept. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. 9:20 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9:21 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day. 9:22 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. 9:23 These men were also in charge of Solomon's work projects; there were a total of 550 men who supervised the workers. 9:24 Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh's daughter moved up from the city of David to the palace Solomon built for her. 9:25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense along with them before the Lord. He made the temple his official worship place. 9:26 King Solomon also built ships in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. 9:27 Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with the sea, to serve with Solomon's men. 9:28 They sailed to Ophir, took from there four hundred twenty talents of gold, and then brought them to King Solomon. Prayer Lord, in the midst of all of Your blessings you brought Solomon back to Your purpose, faithfulness to You. May I remember in the good times, as well as the bad, that You are the source of all blessings and that I belong to You. Commentary The Lord God warned Solomon to not commit the error of Saul but to follow David, who though he sinned morally, never violated His sacred laws or turned to false gods. He promised blessings to Solomon and his descendants for faithfulness and misery for rebellion. In return for his assistance and generosity Solomon have to King Hiram of Tyre the Galilee region of twenty cities. When Hiram inspected them he found them disagreeable and attached the derisive term "Cabul" to them. The text is unclear as to what, specifically, troubled him about them and what was the precise meaning of his pejorative. It may be that as King of a somewhat sophisticated island and seacoast region the more primitive agriculture-based cities of Galilee were simply unfamiliar. It is worth recalling that Tyre traded with Solomon lumber for food. Solomon conscripted the remaining non-Jews, who had never been driven out of the Promised Land, to do the heaviest and least desirable labor -- placing 550 Jews in supervision over them -- as he continued his perpetual Pharaoh-like construction projects. He also build ships and Hiram of Tyre sent experienced sailors to train the Jews. Solomon faithfully offered burnt and peace offerings to the Lord three times each year. Interaction Consider Solomon seems obsessed with bigger and more, perhaps it was a way to give purpose to the people in the midst of God's outpouring of blessing, and perhaps it was and expression of his own sense of need to express creativity and power. The Lord God's priority was faithfulness. Discuss With his gift of wisdom why would Solomon give to King Hiram of Tyre a region of cities that he should have known would not be well-received? Reflect Just as the Egyptians forced the foreigners to do their heavy-lifting so the Jews now did to foreigners in the Promised Land. Share When have you given a gift and been surprised that the recipient did not like it? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you one area where you have been faithful and one where you need to improve. Action: Today I will celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit in leading me to faithfulness and prayerfully consider how I might improve where I am weak. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Saturday's text will be: 1 Kings 10 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Feb 5 00:31:14 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:31:14 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - 1 Kings 10 Message-ID: <4D4CE0A2.8040103@bibleseven.com> Saturday 1 Kings 10 Solomon Entertains a Queen 10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. 10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 10:3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. 10:4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon's extensive wisdom, the palace he had built, 10:5 the food in his banquet hall, his servants and attendants, their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the Lord's temple, she was amazed. 10:6 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight was true! 10:7 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn't hear even half the story! Your wisdom and wealth surpass what was reported to me. 10:8 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! 10:9 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, he made you king so you could make just and right decisions." 10:10 She gave the king 120 talents of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. 10:11 (Hiram's fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. 10:12 With the timber the king made supports for the Lord's temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day.) 10:13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her. Then she left and returned to her homeland with her attendants. Solomon's Wealth 10:14 Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year, 10:15 besides what he collected from the merchants, traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. 10:16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures of gold were used for each shield. 10:17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. 10:18 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 10:19 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. 10:20 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. 10:21 All of King Solomon's cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon's time. 10:22 Along with Hiram's fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 10:23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. 10:24 Everyone in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. 10:25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. 10:26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. 10:27 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. 10:28 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt and from Que; the king's traders purchased them from Que. 10:29 They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria. Prayer Lord, the blessings of Israel through Solomon were amazing, a testament to Your fulfillment of Your promise. May I remind people of this time in Biblical history whenever doubt is raised as to Your faithfulness. Commentary The queen of Sheba had heard stories about Israel under the leadership of king Solomon and how the Lord God had blessed him with extraordinary wisdom, and the nation with wealth, so she traveled to see for herself. The queen was amazed both by the degree to which Solomon's wisdom extended across her many questions and the level of wealth. She shared massive gifts of spices from her home country as well as gold and jewels. King Hiram of Tyre apparently arrived during her visit bring exotic wood and more gold, the wood was added to the interior of the Temple and palace and some used to make stringed instruments for the musicians. The gold was added to the treasury. Solomon had so much gold that he covered everything with it, even his throne, and meanwhile he spread silver around to the people, along with great quantities of cedar. Visitors were arriving constantly to hear Solomon's wisdom and to view the great display of wealth and artistic creativity. Traders used silver to acquire horses and chariots and ships brought home more treasures. Interaction Consider The story of Solomon's kingship begins to have a circus-like feeling to it, people traveling to hear his wisdom in-person, and to view all of the gathered riches. Discuss Should Solomon have worried that such a extravagant display of wealth might encourage invasion or rebellion from jealous men? Reflect Solomon appeared to share the wealth with the people through the distribution of cedar and silver, spreading the Lord God's blessing, and building loyalty. Share When have you observed someone with a unique gift or great wealth become a celebrity, with that attention and those resources becoming an unhealthy influence on them after a while? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the wealth of resources and wisdom (knowledge + understanding) He has given to you. Action: Today I will praise the Lord God for His good gifts and seek a practical way to share them. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: 1 Kings 11-12:32 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Feb 5 23:38:14 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:38:14 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Sunday - 1 Kings 11-12:32 Message-ID: <4D4E25B6.7010909@bibleseven.com> Sunday 1 Kings 11-12:32 The Lord Punishes Solomon for Idolatry 11:1 King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh's daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 11:2 They came from nations about which the Lord had warned the Israelites, "You must not establish friendly relations with them! If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods." But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them. 11:3 He had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines; his wives had a powerful influence over him. 11:4 When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. 11:5 Solomon worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. 11:6 Solomon did evil in the Lord's sight; he did not remain loyal to the Lord, like his father David had. 11:7 Furthermore, on the hill east of Jerusalem Solomon built a high place for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. 11:8 He built high places for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and make sacrifices to their gods. 11:9 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions 11:10 and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other gods. But he did not obey the Lord's command. 11:11 So the Lord said to Solomon, "Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 11:12 However, for your father David's sake I will not do this while you are alive. I will tear it away from your son's hand instead. 11:13 But I will not tear away the entire kingdom; I will leave your son one tribe for my servant David's sake and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem." 11:14 The Lord brought against Solomon an enemy, Hadad the Edomite, a descendant of the Edomite king. 11:15 During David's campaign against Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom. 11:16 For six months Joab and the entire Israelite army stayed there until they had exterminated every male in Edom. 11:17 Hadad, who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his father's Edomite servants and headed for Egypt. 11:18 They went from Midian to Paran; they took some men from Paran and went to Egypt. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, supplied him with a house and food and even assigned him some land. 11:19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so well he gave him his sister-in-law (Queen Tahpenes' sister) as a wife. 11:20 Tahpenes' sister gave birth to his son, named Genubath. Tahpenes raised him in Pharaoh's palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh's palace among Pharaoh's sons. 11:21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, "Give me permission to leave so I can return to my homeland." 11:22 Pharaoh said to him, "What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland?" Hadad replied, "Nothing, but please give me permission to leave." 11:23 God also brought against Solomon another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah. 11:24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band. When David tried to kill them, they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the city. 11:25 He was Israel's enemy throughout Solomon's reign and, like Hadad, caused trouble. He loathed Israel and ruled over Syria. 11:26 Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon's servants, rebelled against the king. He was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. 11:27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king: Solomon built a terrace and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David. 11:28 Jeroboam was a talented man; when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe of Joseph. 11:29 At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country. Ahijah was wearing a brand new robe, 11:30 and he grabbed the robe and tore it into twelve pieces. 11:31 Then he told Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: 'Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon's hand and I will give ten tribes to you. 11:32 He will retain one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 11:33 I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon's father David did. 11:34 I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules. 11:35 I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you. 11:36 I will leave his son one tribe so my servant David's dynasty may continue to serve me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home. 11:37 I will select you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. 11:38 You must obey all I command you to do, follow my instructions, do what I approve, and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; I will give you Israel. 11:39 I will humiliate David's descendants because of this, but not forever." 11:40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died. Solomon's Reign Ends 11:41 The rest of the events of Solomon's reign, including all his accomplishments and his wise decisions, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of Solomon. 11:42 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years. 11:43 Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king. Rehoboam Loses His Kingdom 12:1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king. 12:2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. 12:3 They sent for him, and Jeroboam and the whole Israelite assembly came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 12:4 "Your father made us work too hard. Now if you lighten the demands he made and don't make us work as hard, we will serve you." 12:5 He said to them, "Go away for three days, then return to me." So the people went away. 12:6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, "How do you advise me to answer these people?" 12:7 They said to him, "Today if you show a willingness to help these people and grant their request, they will be your servants from this time forward." 12:8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. 12:9 He asked them, "How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, 'Lessen the demands your father placed on us'?" 12:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam had grown up said to him, "Say this to these people who have said to you, 'Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.' Say this to them: 'I am a lot harsher than my father! 12:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.'" 12:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, "Return to me on the third day." 12:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men 12:14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, "My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh." 12:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because the Lord was instigating this turn of events so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 12:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, "We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse! Return to your homes, O Israel! Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!" So Israel returned to their homes. 12:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 12:18 King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 12:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day. 12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty. 12:21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 12:22 But God told Shemaiah the prophet, 12:23 "Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, 12:24 'The Lord says this: "Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen."'" They obeyed the Lord and went home as the Lord had ordered them to do. Jeroboam Makes Golden Calves 12:25 Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel. 12:26 Jeroboam then thought to himself: "Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom. 12:27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the Lord's temple in Jerusalem, their loyalty could shift to their former master, King Rehoboam of Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah." 12:28 After the king had consulted with his advisers, he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, "It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt." 12:29 He put one in Bethel and the other in Dan. 12:30 This caused Israel to sin; the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves. 12:31 He built temples on the high places and appointed as priests people who were not Levites. 12:32 Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival celebrated in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made. Prayer Lord, You have made it clear since the Garden of Eden that rebellion is forbidden, and the consequences are severe. May I have accountability and prayer-partners to help me to avoid drifting into even the smallest area of rebellion. Commentary Solomon's appetite for the pleasures of the flesh extended to women whom he found attractive, without regard to their national or religious affiliation, and too often this was in direct disobedience to the clear commandment of the Lord God. As an old man he sought to please these foreign women by building places for them to worship their false gods and then by worshiping them himself. God informed Solomon that due to his rebellion He would remove all but one tribe from his son, and that only to preserve Jerusalem, and that the peace the kingdom had enjoyed would be lost immediately. Hadad the Edomite, the only male (then a very young child) who escaped David and Joab's effort to exterminate the Edomites, returned from exile in Egypt with a small force of fighters. Also, Rezon son of Eliada, who had run away to Damascus and eventually took control of Syria began raids on Israel. Jeroboam, son of Nebat and and Ephramite from the tribe of Joseph was informed by the prophet Ahijah that he was to become king over nine of the tribes, and so he rebelled against Solomon and when Solomon tried to kill him he escaped to Egypt until Solomon's death. After a forty year reign King Solomon died and his son Rehoboam took the throne. When the people gathered to crown Rehoboam representatives of the tribes called for Jeroboam to return from Egypt to challenge him to make changes to some of Solomon's practices. Rehoboam asked the older advisers from Solomon's days if he should lighten the load of the people and they advised that he should if he wanted their loyalty, but he did not want to lose the resources they provided so he asked his young friends and they advised him to be even rougher to prove he was in charge and he liked the sound of that, and so he did. The Lord God further hardened Rehoboam's hard heart in order to expedite the fulfillment of His prophetic judgment. All of the tribes but Judah rebelled and allied with Jeroboam. Rehoboam gathered an army to mount an attack but the Lord God told the people not to participate and so they went home. Jeroboam feared allowing the people to worship in Jerusalem, worrying that they might return to Rehoboam, so he made two golden calves and told them to worship them instead. This was a rebellion against the Lord God similar to that of Solomon at the end of his reign. Interaction Consider Despite the gift of great wisdom Solomon's flesh overwhelmed his wisdom and he foolishly turned away from the Lord God because of it. Discuss We not the warning signs of Solomon's imbalanced priorities present somewhat early in his reign as he built his personal palace larger than God's Temple, he covered everything in sight with gold, and he built lavishly like the pagan Pharaohs of Egypt? Reflect After observing the result of the sin of his father why would Jeroboam, the beneficiary of God's blessing to be king of most of the tribes, follow in Solomon's foolish pagan footsteps? Share When have you observed someone who seemed to have it all make such foolish choices that they lost most or all of it? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you are allowing the lust of the flesh to draw you away from Him. Action: Today I will gratefully accept the chastising and instruction of the Holy Spirit so that now matter how small I may extinguish the seed of rebellion in my life. I will ask a fellow believer to be my accountability and to pray in-agreement as I walk through the process of repentance and restoration to a personal revival. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: 1 Kings 12:33-14:22 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From okie2003 at gmail.com Sun Feb 6 11:31:51 2011 From: okie2003 at gmail.com (Rob Matlack) Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 10:31:51 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] Still Active? Message-ID: <1297009911.7621.3.camel@rob-E6510> I have been off the list for a while. Is it still active? From l4c at thelinuxlink.net Sun Feb 6 12:02:23 2011 From: l4c at thelinuxlink.net (Lincoln Fessenden) Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:02:23 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Still Active? In-Reply-To: <1297009911.7621.3.camel@rob-E6510> References: <1297009911.7621.3.camel@rob-E6510> Message-ID: <4D4ED41F.3030703@thelinuxlink.net> On 2/6/11 11:31 AM, Rob Matlack wrote: > I have been off the list for a while. Is it still active? > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians You bet! Just waiting for someone with something interesting to say! Actually, I may have something... Seriously inexpensive web hosting I just ran across - today sale only: http://bensbargains.net/deal/179900/?referrer=rss -- -Linc Fessenden In the Beginning there was nothing, which exploded - Yeah right... From okie2003 at gmail.com Sun Feb 6 12:42:31 2011 From: okie2003 at gmail.com (Rob Matlack) Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:42:31 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? Message-ID: <1297014151.7621.38.camel@rob-E6510> I am not an accountant, but I am trying to set up our church's books on gnucash. The task is more difficult than I expected. From reading it seems the problems is that churches use a different accounting method than most businesses. Churches need to keep track of accounts such as Gen Fund, designated gifts, VBS, Awana, missions, etc. plus donor records for end of year reports for tax purposes. Does anyone have a template for gnucash for this or know of some good software that can easily do this? From fmiller at lightlink.com Sun Feb 6 22:37:19 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:37:19 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: CHRISLAM SPREADS THROUGHOUT AMERICA - NOT real Christians, of course. Message-ID: <4D4F68EF.40603@lightlink.com> http://patriotsforamerica.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2734278%3ABlogPost%3A255963&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mwmcmlln at mnsi.net Sun Feb 6 22:44:54 2011 From: mwmcmlln at mnsi.net (Mike McMullin) Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:44:54 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? In-Reply-To: <1297014151.7621.38.camel@rob-E6510> References: <1297014151.7621.38.camel@rob-E6510> Message-ID: <1297050294.7137.0.camel@P-733-Lin> On Sun, 2011-02-06 at 11:42 -0600, Rob Matlack wrote: > I am not an accountant, but I am trying to set up our church's books on > gnucash. The task is more difficult than I expected. From reading it > seems the problems is that churches use a different accounting method > than most businesses. > > Churches need to keep track of accounts such as Gen Fund, designated > gifts, VBS, Awana, missions, etc. plus donor records for end of year > reports for tax purposes. Does anyone have a template for gnucash for > this or know of some good software that can easily do this? I wonder if ChurchInfo has this functionality? From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Feb 6 23:07:04 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 23:07:04 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Monday - 1 Kings 12:33-14:22 Message-ID: <4D4F6FE8.50802@bibleseven.com> Monday 1 Kings 12:33-14:22 A Prophet from Judah Visits Bethel 12:33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen) Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. 13:1 Just then a prophet from Judah, sent by the Lord, arrived in Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. 13:2 With the authority of the Lord he cried out against the altar, "O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says, 'Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.'" 13:3 That day he also announced a sign, "This is the sign the Lord has predetermined: The altar will be split open and the ashes on it will fall to the ground." 13:4 When the king heard what the prophet cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam, standing at the altar, extended his hand and ordered, "Seize him!" The hand he had extended shriveled up and he could not pull it back. 13:5 The altar split open and the ashes fell from the altar to the ground, in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had announced with the Lord's authority. 13:6 The king pled with the prophet, "Seek the favor of the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored." So the prophet sought the Lord's favor and the king's hand was restored to its former condition. 13:7 The king then said to the prophet, "Come home with me and have something to eat. I'd like to give a present." 13:8 But the prophet said to the king, "Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I could not go with you and eat and drink in this place. 13:9 For the Lord gave me strict orders, 'Do not eat or drink there and do not go home the way you came.'" 13:10 So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road he had taken to Bethel. 13:11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. When his sons came home, they told their father everything the prophet had done in Bethel that day and all the words he had spoken to the king. 13:12 Their father asked them, "Which road did he take?" His sons showed him the road the prophet from Judah had taken. 13:13 He then told his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." When they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 13:14 and took off after the prophet, whom he found sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, "Are you the prophet from Judah?" He answered, "Yes, I am." 13:15 He then said to him, "Come home with me and eat something." 13:16 But he replied, "I can't go back with you or eat and drink with you in this place. 13:17 For the Lord gave me strict orders, 'Do not eat or drink there; do not go back the way you came.'" 13:18 The old prophet then said, "I too am a prophet like you. An angel told me with the Lord's authority, 'Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat and drink.'" But he was lying to him. 13:19 So the prophet went back with him and ate and drank in his house. 13:20 While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke through the old prophet 13:21 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, "This is what the Lord says, 'You have rebelled against the Lord and have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 13:22 You went back and ate and drank in this place, even though he said to you, "Do not eat or drink there." Therefore your corpse will not be buried in your ancestral tomb.'" 13:23 When the prophet from Judah finished his meal, the old prophet saddled his visitor's donkey for him. 13:24 As the prophet from Judah was traveling, a lion attacked him on the road and killed him. His corpse was lying on the road, and the donkey and the lion just stood there beside it. 13:25 Some men came by and saw the corpse lying in the road with the lion standing beside it. They went and reported what they had seen in the city where the old prophet lived. 13:26 When the old prophet who had invited him to his house heard the news, he said, "It is the prophet who rebelled against the Lord. The Lord delivered him over to the lion and it ripped him up and killed him, just as the Lord warned him." 13:27 He told his sons, "Saddle my donkey," and they did so. 13:28 He went and found the corpse lying in the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it; the lion had neither eaten the corpse nor attacked the donkey. 13:29 The old prophet picked up the corpse of the prophet, put it on the donkey, and brought it back. The old prophet then entered the city to mourn him and to bury him. 13:30 He put the corpse into his own tomb, and they mourned over him, saying, "Ah, my brother!" 13:31 After he buried him, he said to his sons, "When I die, bury me in the tomb where the prophet is buried; put my bones right beside his bones, 13:32 for the prophecy he announced with the Lord's authority against the altar in Bethel and against all the temples on the high places in the cities of the north will certainly be fulfilled." A Prophet Announces the End of Jeroboam's Dynasty 13:33 After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways; he continued to appoint common people as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest. 13:34 This sin caused Jeroboam's dynasty to come to an end and to be destroyed from the face of the earth. 14:1 At that time Jeroboam's son Abijah became sick. 14:2 Jeroboam told his wife, "Disguise yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam's wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there. 14:3 Take ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy." 14:4 Jeroboam's wife did as she was told. She went to Shiloh and visited Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; he had lost his eyesight in his old age. 14:5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, "Look, Jeroboam's wife is coming to find out from you what will happen to her son, for he is sick. Tell her so-and-so. When she comes, she will be in a disguise." 14:6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, "Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news. 14:7 Go, tell Jeroboam, 'This is what the Lord God of Israel says: "I raised you up from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel. 14:8 I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve. 14:9 You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me. 14:10 So I am ready to bring disaster on the dynasty of Jeroboam. I will cut off every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure until it is completely consumed. 14:11 Dogs will eat the members of your family who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country."' Indeed, the Lord has announced it! 14:12 "As for you, get up and go home. When you set foot in the city, the boy will die. 14:13 All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam's family who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the Lord God of Israel found anything good. 14:14 The Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam's dynasty. It is ready to happen! 14:15 The Lord will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water. He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they angered the Lord by making Asherah poles. 14:16 He will hand Israel over to their enemies because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit." 14:17 So Jeroboam's wife got up and went back to Tirzah. As she crossed the threshold of the house, the boy died. 14:18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, just as the Lord had predicted through his servant the prophet Ahijah. Jeroboam's Reign Ends 14:19 The rest of the events of Jeroboam's reign, including the details of his battles and rule, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 14:20 Jeroboam ruled for twenty-two years; then he passed away. His son Nadab replaced him as king. Prayer Lord, You have high expectations of those who lead in Your name, and are righteously offended when they betray Your trust. May I be careful to listen closely to Your Holy Spirit so that I do not wander. Commentary Jeroboam invented his own location and schedule for sacrifices but was challenged by a young prophet of the Lord God who announced that the priests themselves would be sacrificed on their altar of rebellion -- indeed that the altar itself will be broken in half. Jeroboam reached out his hand in anger against the prophet, commanding his guards to seize him, but the Lord God caused Jeroboam's hand to shrivel. Jeroboam begged the prophet to ask God to restore his hand, which he did, and the Lord did so. Jeroboam invited the prophet home but God had warned His prophet to neither eat or drink nor visit anywhere, then an old prophet met the young prophet and lied to him saying that an angel of God said it was OK to come home with him and the young prophet failed to consult God, which resulted in his own death for disobedience. Jeroboam failed to learn from the warning and continued to sin. His son fell ill so he sent his wife in disguise to the blind prophet who had first told him he'd inherit the kingdom. The Lord God warned the prophet to expect her and he pronounced the disastrous end to Jeroboam's rebellious kingship As the Lord God pronounced, Jeroboam had received a great gift and had responded with more disobedience than any king before him. His son died. After Jeroboam died one of his remaining sons, Nadab, became king. Interaction Consider Jeroboam seemed unable to learn from the experience of others or from warnings from God. Discuss Why would the young prophet have not sensed the lie of the older prophet, or at least paused long enough to check with the Lord God, when a clear and direct command of God was being brought into question? Reflect Jeroboam knew what was right but continued to acts in ways that he should have known would anger the Lord God, perhaps it was the impact of sudden power, or perhaps it was the evil influence of the false gods his father Solomon had allowed into Israel. Share When have you experienced a time, or observed it in others, where what was obviously wrong before the Lord God was rationalized and rebellion flourished for a moment or longer? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone in leadership who needs prayer as they appear to be making poor choices and are not responding to efforts to cause them to correct them. Action: Today I will pray for someone in business, educational, political, or religious leadership. I will make no judgment as to their salvation nor even my certainty that the Lord God objects to the path they are taking. Like Judas, and others, may be serving a purpose -- albeit negative from a worldly perspective - in His great plan. I will, however, pray for their salvation and that they will heard rightly from and will fully obey the Lord. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday 1 Kings 14:21-15:24 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From okie2003 at gmail.com Sun Feb 6 23:32:47 2011 From: okie2003 at gmail.com (Rob Matlack) Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:32:47 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? In-Reply-To: <1297050294.7137.0.camel@P-733-Lin> References: <1297014151.7621.38.camel@rob-E6510> <1297050294.7137.0.camel@P-733-Lin> Message-ID: <1297053167.5081.5.camel@rob-E6510> On Sun, 2011-02-06 at 22:44 -0500, Mike McMullin wrote: > On Sun, 2011-02-06 at 11:42 -0600, Rob Matlack wrote: > > I am not an accountant, but I am trying to set up our church's books on > > gnucash. The task is more difficult than I expected. From reading it > > seems the problems is that churches use a different accounting method > > than most businesses. > > > > Churches need to keep track of accounts such as Gen Fund, designated > > gifts, VBS, Awana, missions, etc. plus donor records for end of year > > reports for tax purposes. Does anyone have a template for gnucash for > > this or know of some good software that can easily do this? > > I wonder if ChurchInfo has this functionality? > > _______________________________________________ Thanks for the response. I think I have figured it out in gnucash. I will work with it a bit more and report back. From raoul.snyman at saturnlaboratories.co.za Mon Feb 7 00:00:53 2011 From: raoul.snyman at saturnlaboratories.co.za (Raoul Snyman) Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:00:53 +0200 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?utf-8?q?Church_Accounting_Software=3F=3F?= In-Reply-To: <1297053167.5081.5.camel@rob-E6510> References: <1297014151.7621.38.camel@rob-E6510> <1297050294.7137.0.camel@P-733-Lin> <1297053167.5081.5.camel@rob-E6510> Message-ID: <8e12fbf6f227d3ef6e34ccb56417fa71@localhost> On Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:32:47 -0600, Rob Matlack wrote: >> > Churches need to keep track of accounts such as Gen Fund, designated >> > gifts, VBS, Awana, missions, etc. plus donor records for end of year >> > reports for tax purposes. Does anyone have a template for gnucash for >> > this or know of some good software that can easily do this? >> > Thanks for the response. I think I have figured it out in gnucash. I > will work with it a bit more and report back. Sorry that I'm late to the party, but did you look at KMyMoney2 or Skrooge? KMyMoney2 has a number of sets of accounts for different purposes, and I think there might be one or two for non-profit organisations, which might fit a church better. -- Raoul Snyman, B.Tech IT (Software Engineering) Saturn Laboratories m: 082 550 3754 e: raoul.snyman at saturnlaboratories.co.za w: www.saturnlaboratories.co.za b: blog.saturnlaboratories.co.za From tbutler at ofb.biz Mon Feb 7 21:00:16 2011 From: tbutler at ofb.biz (Timothy Butler) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 20:00:16 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: CHRISLAM SPREADS THROUGHOUT AMERICA - NOT real Christians, of course. In-Reply-To: <4D4F68EF.40603@lightlink.com> References: <4D4F68EF.40603@lightlink.com> Message-ID: Junk "journalism" at its worst. Embarrassingly misunderstands the doctrine of the immaculate conception as being Christ's (it isn't). Fails to separate using an Arabic name for Christ (e.g. Warren) from syncretism. If I was Warren, I would consider this slanderous. Tim Sent from my iPad On Feb 6, 2011, at 9:37 PM, "Fred A. Miller" wrote: > http://patriotsforamerica.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2734278%3ABlogPost%3A255963&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post > -- > "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it > tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Mon Feb 7 21:30:27 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:30:27 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tuesday - 1 Kings 14:21-15:24 Message-ID: <4D50AAC3.8030602@bibleseven.com> Tuesday 1 Kings 14:21-15:24 Rehoboam's Reign over Judah 14:21 Now Rehoboam son of Solomon ruled in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. His mother was an Ammonite woman named Naamah. 14:22 Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord. They made him more jealous by their sins than their ancestors had done. 14:23 They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 14:24 There were also male cultic prostitutes in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites. 14:25 In King Rehoboam's fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 14:26 He took away the treasures of the Lord's temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including all the golden shields that Solomon had made. 14:27 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 14:28 Whenever the king visited the Lord's temple, the royal guard carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom. 14:29 The rest of the events of Rehoboam's reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 14:30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other. 14:31 Rehoboam passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. His son Abijah replaced him as king. Abijah's Reign over Judah 15:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king over Judah. 15:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. 15:3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. 15:4 Nevertheless for David's sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty in Jerusalem by giving him a son to succeed him and by protecting Jerusalem. 15:5 He did this because David had done what he approved and had not disregarded any of his commandments his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite. 15:6 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah's lifetime. 15:7 The rest of the events of Abijah's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other. 15:8 Abijah passed away and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa replaced him as king. Asa's Reign over Judah 15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam's reign over Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. 15:10 He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 15:11 Asa did what the Lord approved like his ancestor David had done. 15:12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols his ancestors had made. 15:13 He also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 15:14 The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. 15:15 He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord's temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. 15:16 Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other. 15:17 King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 15:18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord's temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 15:19 "I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land." 15:20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa's offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth. 15:21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying Ramah and settled down in Tirzah. 15:22 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah (no exemptions were granted) to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. King Asa used the materials to build up Geba (in Benjamin) and Mizpah. 15:23 The rest of the events of Asa's reign, including all his successes and accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Yet when he was very old he developed a foot disease. 15:24 Asa passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king. Prayer Lord, You have Your perfect plan and even the rebellion of kings will not deter You. May I be more attentive to Your plans than my own, may I never fear man more than You, and may I actively seek to more nearly follow You in all that I say, think, and do. Commentary Rehoboam was behaving in as disrespectful way toward the Lord God in Jerusalem of the single-tribe nation of Judah as Jeroboam was in the other nice tribes of Israel. The countryside was littered with altars and idols and shrines to false gods. The Lord God allowed the king of Egypt to invade and take away all of the gold in Jerusalem that Solomon had gathered, including the massive gold shields, so Rehoboam had them replaced with brass and locked in the guardroom when not in use. Rehoboam and Jeroboam warred with each other continually. Rehoboam died and was replaced by his son Abijah. Abijah emulated the rebellious practices of his father and lived only three years as king. He also warred with Jeroboam. He died and Asa replaced him as king. Asa removed the Ashera poles and male cultic prostitutes, restored David's articles of worship to the Temple, and otherwise obeyed the Lord God. He failed to destroy the altars and shrines to false gods in the high places and was continually at war with King Baasha of Israel. Baasha attacked Judah and began building a fortified base from which to control access and egress to Jerusalem. Asa used the remaining gold and silver in the treasury to hire the king of Syria to attack Israel, which he did, causing Baasha to withdraw from Jerusalem. Asa used the stone and wood from the abandoned fortified city to build up cities in Judah. When he was old Asa developed a foot disease then died and was replaced by Jehoshaphat. Interaction Consider The Egyptians figured out that Judah was vulnerable and that Israel would not help them, so they were an easy target for attack, and Solomon had foolishly showed-off all of their riches to everyone. Discuss Given the contrast between the great blessings of Solomon while he was faithful to the Lord God and the troubled times when there was rebellion why would Rehoboam not have figured out the cause of the troubles? Reflect Abijah was twice the fool having seen the consequences of both Solomon's and his Rehoboam's rebellion result in disaster he did not turn back to the Lord God. Share When have you observed a new leader follow a failed leader and copy their destructive choices, despite the clear evidence that they would suffer the same outcome? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you are tolerating evil. Action: Today I will humble accept the chastising of the Holy Spirit and I will immediately remove from my life the "altars", "idols", and "shrines" to the world that are polluting my spiritual life. They may be obsessions with money, power, and/or sex, the abuse of alcohol and/or drugs, the experimentation with the occult, the idolatry of celebrities, or some other worldly obsession which interferes with the pursuit of a more righteous walk. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Wednesday's text will be: 1 Kings 15:25 - 16 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From prather at gpcom.net Mon Feb 7 21:48:39 2011 From: prather at gpcom.net (prather.family) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 20:48:39 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: CHRISLAM SPREADS THROUGHOUT AMERICA - NOT real Christians, of course. In-Reply-To: References: <4D4F68EF.40603@lightlink.com> Message-ID: That assumes he is merely incompetent not rabble rousing for fun and profit. On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 8:00 PM, Timothy Butler wrote: > Junk "journalism" at its worst. Embarrassingly misunderstands the doctrine > of the immaculate conception as being Christ's (it isn't). Fails to > separate using an Arabic name for Christ (e.g. Warren) from syncretism. If > I was Warren, I would consider this slanderous. > > Tim > > Sent from my iPad > > On Feb 6, 2011, at 9:37 PM, "Fred A. Miller" > wrote: > > > http://patriotsforamerica.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2734278%3ABlogPost%3A255963&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post > > -- > "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it > tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tbutler at ofb.biz Mon Feb 7 22:04:04 2011 From: tbutler at ofb.biz (Timothy Butler) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 21:04:04 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: CHRISLAM SPREADS THROUGHOUT AMERICA - NOT real Christians, of course. In-Reply-To: References: <4D4F68EF.40603@lightlink.com> Message-ID: The original article was cross posted on ChristianSource, and one of our members noted that the church sign shown in articles about this is a fabrication of an online church sign generator... Tim Sent from my iPad On Feb 7, 2011, at 8:48 PM, "prather.family" wrote: > That assumes he is merely incompetent not rabble rousing for fun and profit. > > On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 8:00 PM, Timothy Butler wrote: > Junk "journalism" at its worst. Embarrassingly misunderstands the doctrine of the immaculate conception as being Christ's (it isn't). Fails to separate using an Arabic name for Christ (e.g. Warren) from syncretism. If I was Warren, I would consider this slanderous. > > Tim > > Sent from my iPad > > On Feb 6, 2011, at 9:37 PM, "Fred A. Miller" wrote: > >> http://patriotsforamerica.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2734278%3ABlogPost%3A255963&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post >> -- >> "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it >> tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown >> _______________________________________________ >> Linux4christians mailing list >> Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net >> http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From webservant at trinitybclaramie.org Mon Feb 7 23:00:34 2011 From: webservant at trinitybclaramie.org (Peter B. Steiger) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 21:00:34 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: CHRISLAM SPREADS THROUGHOUT AMERICA - NOT real Christians, of course. In-Reply-To: References: <4D4F68EF.40603@lightlink.com> Message-ID: Yeah, I went hunting for more information and all I saw were hundreds of copies of the same accusation, originally written by Paul L. Williams. I didn't find anything about it on Warren's own site, or on his Wikipedia page (where the most up-to-date info, good and bad, is usually posted within hours of the news). The only place on the entire Internet the word "Chrislam" appears is in the numerous articles boiling over with rage at the idea. Make no mistake, I don't care for Rick Warren at all; his "Purpose-driven" philosophy strikes a wrong chord with me. But attempting to bring Christ to the Arabic world by presenting the Gospel in Arabic is a far cry from embracing Islam. Did you know the name "Allah" appears numerous times in Arabic translations of the Christian Bible? That's because it's just the Arabic word for "God"! In addition, the sign included on all these websites as "proof" is a practical joke. http://www.says-it.com/churchsigns/sign01.php lets you design any church sign any way you want. I found the exact sign used for this article, and created my own sample to show you just how fake it is. http://trinitybclaramie.org/cumberland-sign.jpg Either Williams deliberately used a fake sign and is therefore deceiving his readers, or he accepted it without bothering to do five minutes of research to find out that not a single church (at least none with a web page) says anything at all about this alleged heresy. Whether he's an idiot or malicious, he's certainly not worth listening to. Show me ONE -- just one -- church that actually promotes this nonsense, and I'll believe it is real. I want the actual church web page with a URL that I can research independently, not a secondhand report or screenshot or whatever from someone who claims to have seen it, and certainly not a self-righteous blogger. I don't know why Warren was at the ISNA. Maybe he thought it would be a way to present the Gospel. Maybe he had a misguided idea to encourage peace between people of different faiths. Yeah, you are allowed to love Muslims without accepting their faith. But I do know that when the only evidence presented is a joke sign and a picture of him standing at a podium without any surrounding context or statements directly from his own mouth, I'm going to hold judgment until I know what the real story is. I also know there are a LOT of cranks out there who make it their mission to get angry about other people, and I hate people like that. Shalom, *PBS* On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 7:00 PM, Timothy Butler wrote: > Junk "journalism" at its worst. Embarrassingly misunderstands the doctrine > of the immaculate conception as being Christ's (it isn't). Fails to > separate using an Arabic name for Christ (e.g. Warren) from syncretism. If > I was Warren, I would consider this slanderous. > > Tim > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mITw at shaw.ca Tue Feb 8 03:25:50 2011 From: mITw at shaw.ca (Georges) Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:25:50 -0800 Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software? - L4cD Vol 82, Issue 5 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1297153550.1508.76.camel@leysin.pleinsoleil> Le dimanche 06 f?vrier 2011 ? 22:52 -0500, linux4christians-request at thelinuxlink.net a ?crit : > Message: 3 > Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:42:31 -0600 > From: Rob Matlack > To: linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? > Message-ID: <1297014151.7621.38.camel at rob-E6510> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > I am not an accountant, but I am trying to set up our church's books > on > gnucash. The task is more difficult than I expected. From reading it > seems the problems is that churches use a different accounting method > than most businesses. > > Churches need to keep track of accounts such as Gen Fund, designated > gifts, VBS, Awana, missions, etc. plus donor records for end of year > reports for tax purposes. Does anyone have a template for gnucash for > this or know of some good software that can easily do this? > If the church already has used some form of double-entry bookkeeping to manage their funds then it should be a relatively easy matter to duplicate the chart of accounts in GnuCash. Prior to retirement I did oversee our IT Department's support for a rather large professional accounting system (the accounting department had almost two dozen employees) and have personally used Quicken and M$ Money 2004. I've only worked with GnuCash for the past four weeks but, so far, find it to be quite a bit better than either of the former products I have used. It is essential to get one's mind around the basic concepts of double-entry accounting and GnuCash has an introductory tutorial just for that purpose. One essential point is that one has to get used to using accounts rather than categories, but with accounts and nesting sub-accounts one can have a truly logical chart of accounts. I've not yet explored the support available for GnuCash but am hopeful that you will find all you need. Must admit that as a teenager I thought double-entry bookkeeping was keeping two sets of books, one for the company and the other for the government. Turns out that's not supposed to be the case. All the best to you and your project, Georges From fredbiggs_9 at msn.com Tue Feb 8 13:28:01 2011 From: fredbiggs_9 at msn.com (Fred Biggs) Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 13:28:01 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] (no subject) Message-ID: http://kazjel.com.br/m28sx.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From okie2003 at gmail.com Tue Feb 8 14:34:24 2011 From: okie2003 at gmail.com (Rob Matlack) Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:34:24 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software? - L4cD Vol 82, Issue 5 In-Reply-To: <1297153550.1508.76.camel@leysin.pleinsoleil> References: <1297153550.1508.76.camel@leysin.pleinsoleil> Message-ID: <1297193664.11551.19.camel@rob-E6510> On Tue, 2011-02-08 at 00:25 -0800, Georges wrote: > Le dimanche 06 f?vrier 2011 ? 22:52 -0500, > linux4christians-request at thelinuxlink.net a ?crit : > > Message: 3 > > Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:42:31 -0600 > > From: Rob Matlack > > To: linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > > Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? > > Message-ID: <1297014151.7621.38.camel at rob-E6510> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > > > I am not an accountant, but I am trying to set up our church's books > > on > > gnucash. The task is more difficult than I expected. From reading it > > seems the problems is that churches use a different accounting method > > than most businesses. > > > > Churches need to keep track of accounts such as Gen Fund, designated > > gifts, VBS, Awana, missions, etc. plus donor records for end of year > > reports for tax purposes. Does anyone have a template for gnucash for > > this or know of some good software that can easily do this? > > > > If the church already has used some form of double-entry bookkeeping to > manage their funds then it should be a relatively easy matter to > duplicate the chart of accounts in GnuCash. > > Prior to retirement I did oversee our IT Department's support for a > rather large professional accounting system (the accounting department > had almost two dozen employees) and have personally used Quicken and M$ > Money 2004. I've only worked with GnuCash for the past four weeks but, > so far, find it to be quite a bit better than either of the former > products I have used. > > It is essential to get one's mind around the basic concepts of > double-entry accounting and GnuCash has an introductory tutorial just > for that purpose. One essential point is that one has to get used to > using accounts rather than categories, but with accounts and nesting > sub-accounts one can have a truly logical chart of accounts. > > I've not yet explored the support available for GnuCash but am hopeful > that you will find all you need. > > Must admit that as a teenager I thought double-entry bookkeeping was > keeping two sets of books, one for the company and the other for the > government. Turns out that's not supposed to be the case. > > All the best to you and your project, > > Georges > Thanks for the reply. I agree with your assessment. My problem was I knew nothing about accounting and had gone through the tutorial back before Christmas. Finally I sat down and went back through them and I think I have it. I needed your encouragement two weeks ago when I gave up on guncash and wasted a lot of time looking elsewhere before coming back and trying again. From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Feb 8 14:43:41 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:43:41 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software? - L4cD Vol 82, Issue 5 In-Reply-To: <1297193664.11551.19.camel@rob-E6510> References: <1297153550.1508.76.camel@leysin.pleinsoleil> <1297193664.11551.19.camel@rob-E6510> Message-ID: <4D519CED.4010003@bibleseven.com> This is an excellent illustration of one of the many values of Christian fellowship ... encouragement! > Rob Matlack wrote: > Thanks for the reply. I agree with your assessment. My problem was I > knew nothing about accounting and had gone through the tutorial back > before Christmas. Finally I sat down and went back through them and > I think I have it. I needed your encouragement two weeks ago when I > gave up on guncash and wasted a lot of time looking elsewhere before > coming back and trying again. -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Feb 8 19:37:13 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:37:13 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Wednesday - 1 Kings 15:25 - 16 Message-ID: <4D51E1B9.3090807@bibleseven.com> Wednesday 1 Kings 15:25 - 16 Nadab's Reign over Israel 15:25 In the second year of Asa's reign over Judah, Jeroboam's son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years. 15:26 He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He followed in his father's footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 15:27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab and assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon. 15:28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa's reign over Judah and replaced him as king. 15:29 When he became king, he executed Jeroboam's entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed, just as the Lord had predicted through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 15:30 This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit. These sins angered the Lord God of Israel. 15:31 The rest of the events of Nadab's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 15:32 Asa and King Nadab of Israel were continually at war with each other. Baasha's Reign over Israel 15:33 In the third year of Asa's reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for twenty-four years. 15:34 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he followed in Jeroboam's footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 16:1 Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord this message predicting Baasha's downfall: 16:2 "I raised you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet you followed in Jeroboam's footsteps and encouraged my people Israel to sin; their sins have made me angry. 16:3 So I am ready to burn up Baasha and his family, and make your family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16:4 Dogs will eat the members of Baasha's family who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country." 16:5 The rest of the events of Baasha's reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 16:6 Baasha passed away and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah replaced him as king. 16:7 The prophet Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord the message predicting the downfall of Baasha and his family because of all the evil Baasha had done in the sight of the Lord. His actions angered the Lord (including the way he had destroyed Jeroboam's dynasty), so that his family ended up like Jeroboam's. Elah's Reign over Israel 16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa's reign over Judah, Baasha's son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years. 16:9 His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah, 16:10 Zimri came in and struck him dead. (This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa's reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king. 16:11 When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha's entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends. 16:12 Zimri destroyed Baasha's entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha through Jehu the prophet. 16:13 This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed and which they made Israel commit. They angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 16:14 The rest of the events of Elah's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. Zimri's Reign over Israel 16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa's reign over Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah. Zimri's revolt took place while the army was deployed in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. 16:16 While deployed there, the army received this report: "Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him." So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. 16:17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames. 16:19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed in Jeroboam's footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning. 16:20 The rest of the events of Zimri's reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. Omri's Reign over Israel 16:21 At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. 16:22 Omri's supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king. 16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa's reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 16:24 He purchased the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He launched a construction project there and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. 16:25 Omri did more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him. 16:26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 16:27 The rest of the events of Omri's reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 16:28 Omri passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king. Ahab Promotes Idolatry 16:29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa's reign over Judah, Omri's son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel for twenty-two years in Samaria. 16:30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him. 16:31 As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then he worshiped and bowed to Baal. 16:32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria. 16:33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 16:34 During Ahab's reign, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. Abiram, his firstborn son, died when he laid the foundation; Segub, his youngest son, died when he erected its gates, just as the Lord had warned through Joshua son of Nun. Prayer Lord, the path of rebellion is common to fallen man, and the negative consequences are predictable. May I act upon the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and refrain from offending You. Commentary Jeroboam's son Nadab emulated his father in sin so the Lord God allowed Baasha to seize control of Israel after only two years. Baasha fulfilled the prophesy that Jeroboam's family would be obliterated. Baasha was no better than Jeroboam or Nadab but was allowed to rule for twenty-four years. Because of his sin as king his family also was doomed to destruction. Baasha's son Elah followed him for only two years when Zimri killed him and seized power. The army and tribal leaders immediately rebelled and chose Omri instead and when he attacked the palace Zimri set it ablaze and died in the fire. Omri ruled Israel for twelve years. Omni was even more evil before the Lord than those who came before, he died after twelve years and his son Ahab followed. Ahab was no better but led Israel for twenty-two years. Interaction Consider Baasha was the tool through which the prophesied destruction of Jeroboam's family was accomplished. Because he obliterated them for selfish reasons (eliminating competition), rather than to purge the evil in Israel, Baasha's family received the same punishment. Discuss Knowing the prophesy against Jeroboam for his sin why would Nadab have continued it when he became king, rather than turning toward the Lord God with some hope for mercy? Reflect Solomon opened the door to evil and most of those who followed him seemed unable to bring themselves to purge it from the land. Share When have you observed a leader of a fellowship who allowed sin to linger unchallenged among their leaders and/or flock? What was the result? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you have tolerated the influence of evil. Action: Today I will purge the evil where I have the authority to do so. It may be as a community leader, an educator, a ministry leader, a parent, a peer-leader, or some other role (including choices I make that appear to only impact me). It may be dishonest practices, unhealthy influences, the failure to enforce Biblical directives for accountability and discipline, wrong doctrine, disrespect toward "elders" or peers, self-destructive behaviors, etc. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Thursday's text will be: 1 Kings 17 - 18 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From daustin at bible.org Tue Feb 8 21:12:06 2011 From: daustin at bible.org (David Austin) Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:12:06 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux4christians Digest, Vol 82, Issue 8 Church Accounting Software? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4D51F7F6.4080906@bible.org> check out http://simplechurchcrm.com/ this is a church management software system that was developed by Brian Seagraves our lead developer. You can View tithe/giving over time and by member. see all features here David Austin (Executive Director www.Bible.org ) 1 Cor 15:58 214-580 1999 ext 152(v); skype daustin100 ; DAustin at Bible.org ~Home of the NETBible and over 5500 free studies ~All donations http://bible.org/donate and sales from http://store.bible.org support the production and distribution of free trustworthy studies from www.bible.org ~ Check out our free Bible Study tool at http://www.netbible.org ----- On 2/8/2011 6:21 PM, linux4christians-request at thelinuxlink.net wrote: > Send Linux4christians mailing list submissions to > linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > linux4christians-request at thelinuxlink.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > linux4christians-owner at thelinuxlink.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Linux4christians digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Church Accounting Software? - L4cD Vol 82, Issue 5 > (Rob Matlack) > 2. Re: Church Accounting Software? - L4cD Vol 82, Issue 5 > (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) > 3. Wednesday - 1 Kings 15:25 - 16 (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) > > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Feb 8 21:19:20 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:19:20 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux4christians Digest, Vol 82, Issue 8 Church Accounting Software? In-Reply-To: <4D51F7F6.4080906@bible.org> References: <4D51F7F6.4080906@bible.org> Message-ID: <4D51F9A8.9000609@bibleseven.com> This sounds a little scary ... Christians carrying RFID cards? "RFID Reader and Cards for Taking Attendance" > check out http://simplechurchcrm.com/ this is a church management > software system that was developed by Brian Seagraves No "tin hat" or anything but could we be making Big Brother's job easier for him? Just wondering ... ;-) -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From okie2003 at gmail.com Wed Feb 9 11:25:57 2011 From: okie2003 at gmail.com (Rob Matlack) Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:25:57 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux4christians Digest, Vol 82, Issue 8 Church Accounting Software? In-Reply-To: <4D51F7F6.4080906@bible.org> References: <4D51F7F6.4080906@bible.org> Message-ID: <1297268757.3511.42.camel@rob-E6510> On Tue, 2011-02-08 at 20:12 -0600, David Austin wrote: > check out http://simplechurchcrm.com/ this is a church management > software system that was developed by Brian Seagraves > our lead developer. You can View tithe/giving > over time and by member. see all features here > David Austin (Executive Director www.Bible.org ) 1 Cor 15:58 > 214-580 1999 ext 152(v); skype daustin100 ; DAustin at Bible.org > ~Home of the NETBible and over 5500 free studies > ~All donations http://bible.org/donate and sales from http://store.bible.org support the production and distribution of free trustworthy studies from www.bible.org > ~ Check out our free Bible Study tool at http://www.netbible.org > ----- > No tinfoil hat here and this post is not intended to offend, but is just an observation I have made over the last few years. We really do live in a divided country. There are those who live with the allusion that everyone else lives in the same conditions they live in and then there are the rest of us. Example: a couple of years ago at a family gathering tech subjects came up. My brother-in-law just could not believe that most businesses had not switched to Vista (or maybe it was Win 7 & Linux? that was for techys, real work was done in Windows). My son said his hospital the largest in a city of ~225,000 was still running Win 2000. He was aghast that I was on dialup Internet (only option here that money can buy at any price unless you go with satellite which gets bad local reviews due to weather and terrain or broadband wireless which requires boosters for a cell conversations). Now I know most people have better. But most people don't have/want the latest and greatest. My brother-in-law is not a bad person, just was living in a bubble. I was in mid-level management with a major corporation having been educated as an electrical engineer before I attended Dallas Seminary and began pastoring small rural churches. My office is networked with my home so I can work from either (in Linux, BTW), but we are not Dallas or San Francisco. I am sure SimpleChurchCRM is a great product, but $360/year is not reasonable for many churches and I would be throw out if I suggested RFID cards. Point? Sometimes the ivory tower folks need to get out into the real world--outside the beltway, so to speak, an into flyover country. From wa3fkg at gmail.com Wed Feb 9 12:16:01 2011 From: wa3fkg at gmail.com (Ken Sprouse) Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2011 12:16:01 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux4christians Digest, Vol 82, Issue 8 Church Accounting Software? In-Reply-To: <1297268757.3511.42.camel@rob-E6510> References: <4D51F7F6.4080906@bible.org> <1297268757.3511.42.camel@rob-E6510> Message-ID: > > No tinfoil hat here and this post is not intended to offend, but is just > an observation I have made over the last few years. > > We really do live in a divided country. There are those who live with > the allusion that everyone else lives in the same conditions they live > in and then there are the rest of us. I agree people do tend to be somewhat myopic in their day to day lives. > Example: a couple of years ago at > a family gathering tech subjects came up. My brother-in-law just could > not believe that most businesses had not switched to Vista (or maybe it > was Win 7 & Linux? that was for techys, real work was done in Windows). > When you get above x number of employees business is VERY slow to change and with good reason. When you mix and match software support becomes a nightmare. This is especially true if you are large enough that you want to manage individual computers from a central point. Just keeping up with Microsoft security patches is a job in and of its self. I think the only way Linux will displace the desktops in corporate America is if Microsoft and others price themselves out of the market. A fine line by the way that their bean counters seem to love walking. > My son said his hospital the largest in a city of ~225,000 was still > running Win 2000. He was aghast that I was on dialup Internet (only > option here that money can buy at any price unless you go with satellite > which gets bad local reviews due to weather and terrain or broadband > wireless which requires boosters for a cell conversations). Now I know > most people have better. But most people don't have/want the latest and > greatest. My brother-in-law is not a bad person, just was living in a > bubble. I was in mid-level management with a major corporation having > been educated as an electrical engineer before I attended Dallas > Seminary and began pastoring small rural churches. My office is > networked with my home so I can work from either (in Linux, BTW), but we > are not Dallas or San Francisco. > At my workplace we have over 800 desktops in use and just within the past year have we retired the last of the Windows 2000 machines and then only because it is corporate policy that non supported operating systems are not permitted to connect to the network. The vast majority of our desktop and laptop systems are still running XP and we have just begun to migrate to Windows 7. I live in the Pittsburgh area where you can be in the heart of downtown and in less than a forty minute drive be in farm land where dial up is your only option for access to the Internet so I understand. I think however it may actually be you not your brother-in-law who lives in the bubble. I realize that I'm looking at this through biased blinders because I have been a propeller head since I was a kid. I wanted a computer at home long before it was possible or practical. I think do think that as technology advances that you don't necessarily have to have FiOS with 15 megs up and 20 megs down to use the Internet but that you are missing a great deal if you are not connected and the faster the better. I currently have DSL at home and the very minute that FiOS becomes available I will switch. I do consulting work from time to time for non profit groups and churches and they tend to be a very hard sell when it comes to budgeting money for new hardware / software since much of the work is done on a volunteer basis. The only think I can tell them is that by becoming more efficient there is more time to spend in the primary goal of spreading the Gospel and helping people. I view computers and technology as just another tool to carry out God's work and thus think we should make use of it as much as we can. > I am sure SimpleChurchCRM is a great product, but $360/year is not > reasonable for many churches and I would be throw out if I suggested > RFID cards. > As to the RFID cards. The tech head side of me says it is a great idea. I also realize that if I were to present the idea to the deacons and the congregation that I would surely have certain parts of my anatomy removed for me. :-) > > Point? Sometimes the ivory tower folks need to get out into the real > world--outside the beltway, so to speak, an into flyover country. > I think we actually need to see what we can do as a society to include "fly over county" in the mix of advancing technology. -- Ken Sprouse / WA3FKG John 3:16 http://www.wa3fkg.com You meet the nicest people at a TEA Party. The box said "Win98/2000/XP or better" so I installed Linux! Smith & Wesson - The ultimate point and click user interface. If handguns cause crime, mine is defective. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Wed Feb 9 20:18:10 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:18:10 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Thursday - 1 Kings 17 - 18 Message-ID: <4D533CD2.70905@bibleseven.com> Thursday 1 Kings 17 - 18 Elijah Visits a Widow in Sidonian Territory 17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve), there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command." 17:2 The Lord told him: 17:3 "Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:4 Drink from the stream; I have already told the ravens to bring you food there." 17:5 So he did as the Lord told him; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he would drink from the stream. 17:7 After a while, the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 17:8 The Lord told him, 17:9 "Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told a widow who lives there to provide for you." 17:10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, "Please give me a cup of water, so I can take a drink." 17:11 As she went to get it, he called out to her, "Please bring me a piece of bread." 17:12 She said, "As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I'm going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation." 17:13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go and do as you planned. But first make a small cake for me and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. 17:14 For this is what the Lord God of Israel says, 'The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.'" 17:15 She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family. 17:16 The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. 17:17 After this the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was so severe he could no longer breathe. 17:18 She asked Elijah, "Why, prophet, have you come to me to confront me with my sin and kill my son?" 17:19 He said to her, "Hand me your son." He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him down on his bed. 17:20 Then he called out to the Lord, "O Lord, my God, are you also bringing disaster on this widow I am staying with by killing her son?" 17:21 He stretched out over the boy three times and called out to the Lord, "O Lord, my God, please let this boy's breath return to him." 17:22 The Lord answered Elijah's prayer; the boy's breath returned to him and he lived. 17:23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room to the house, and handed him to his mother. Elijah then said, "See, your son is alive!" 17:24 The woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a prophet and that the Lord really does speak through you." Elijah Meets the King's Servant 18:1 Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah, "Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground." 18:2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 18:3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord. 18:4 When Jezebel was killing the Lord's prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) 18:5 Ahab told Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill some of the animals." 18:6 They divided up the land between them; Ahab went one way and Obadiah went the other. 18:7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, "Is it really you, my master, Elijah?" 18:8 He replied, "Yes, go and say to your master, 'Elijah is back.'" 18:9 Obadiah said, "What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution? 18:10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, 'He's not here,' he makes them swear an oath that they could not find you. 18:11 Now you say, 'Go and say to your master, "Elijah is back."' 18:12 But when I leave you, the Lord's spirit will carry you away so I can't find you. If I go tell Ahab I've seen you, he won't be able to find you and he will kill me. That would not be fair, because your servant has been a loyal follower of the Lord from my youth. 18:13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did when Jezebel was killing the Lord's prophets. I hid one hundred of the Lord's prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water. 18:14 Now you say, 'Go and say to your master, "Elijah is back,"' but he will kill me." 18:15 But Elijah said, "As certainly as the Lord who rules over all lives (whom I serve), I will make an appearance before him today." Elijah Confronts Baal's Prophets 18:16 When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the king went to meet Elijah. 18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is it really you, the one who brings disaster on Israel?" 18:18 Elijah replied, "I have not brought disaster on Israel. But you and your father's dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord's commandments and following the Baals. 18:19 Now send out messengers and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. 18:20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel. 18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!" But the people did not say a word. 18:22 Elijah said to them: "I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 18:23 Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. 18:24 Then you will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God." All the people responded, "This will be a fair test." 18:25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire." 18:26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made. 18:27 At noon Elijah mocked them, "Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened." 18:28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. 18:29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. 18:30 Elijah then told all the people, "Approach me." So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 18:31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, "Israel will be your new name." 18:32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord. Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs of seed. 18:33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. 18:34 Then he said, "Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood." When they had done so, he said, "Do it again." So they did it again. Then he said, "Do it a third time." So they did it a third time. 18:35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. 18:36 When it was time for the evening offering, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and prayed: "O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 18:37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God and that you are winning back their allegiance." 18:38 Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. 18:39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, "The Lord is the true God! The Lord is the true God!" 18:40 Elijah told them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Don't let even one of them escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed them there. 18:41 Then Elijah told Ahab, "Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy rainstorm can be heard." 18:42 So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 18:43 He told his servant, "Go on up and look in the direction of the sea." So he went on up, looked, and reported, "There is nothing." Seven times Elijah sent him to look. 18:44 The seventh time the servant said, "Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man's hand, is rising up from the sea." Elijah then said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won't overtake you.'" 18:45 Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward Jezreel. 18:46 Now the Lord energized Elijah with power; he tucked his robe into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. Prayer Lord, at the end of all of the demonic fraud and noise there is only one true God and that is You. May I be bold to declare You truth and to stand against the lies of the enemies of truth. Commentary Elijah confronted Ahab with a prophesy of drought until the Lord God instructed him that He was lifting it. Then the Lord told Elijah to wait-out Ahab's wrath as the prophesy took hold and provided for him through a stream and ravens sent to deliver food. When the stream dried up from the drought the Lord directed Elijah to a widow in a nearby town. She protested that she had only enough for one last meal for herself and he young son, then she expected they would starve to death. Elijah assured her that God would provide endless flour and oil for cooking until the drought was over, which he did. When her son took ill she challenged him for bringing trouble, Elijah cried out to God, and her son was healed. Obadiah, a loyal servant of the Lord who had (unbeknownst to her) hidden 100 prophets from the murderous intentions of Jezebel, was summoned by Ahab to assist him as they each searched half of the kingdom for a source of water. As he traveled he met Elijah who had come out of God-assisted hiding from Ahab. Elijah told him to bring him to Ahab but Obadiah was afraid Ahab would kill him and though Elijah's request was unfair given his loyalty to the Lord God. Elijah insisted and Obadiah obeyed. Elijah instructed Ahab to gather all of the false prophets at Mt Carmel, together with the people, then once-gathered he challenged them to build an altar with a sacrificial bull and to call upon their "god" to set it ablaze. They did so and Elijah taunted them when there was no response, to which they responded by cutting themselves and dancing more furiously until they collapsed in the wasted effort. Elijah then presented his offering, having people flood it with water, and when he prayed the Lord God not only consumed the offering He also consumed the water and the rocks with fire from Heaven. Elijah had the people seize all of the false prophets and took them to the Kidron Valley where they were executed. He then prophesied the coming of rain to break the drought. As Ahab and Elijah's servant traveled back to Jezreel using chariots the Lord God empowered Elijah to run fast enough to overtake and precede them there. Interaction Consider The drought caused Ahab to become desperate enough to respond to Elijah's challenge to a duel with the false prophets. Discuss Why would Ahab think that he could harm the prophet whom God had empowered to deliver drought to the land? Reflect Romans 6:23 says "The wages of sin are death ..." and denying the Lord God and promoting a false god, as the false prophets had one, are the worse sort of sin. Share When have you experienced or observed a person of strong faith overcome challenges that appeared to be overwhelming? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a time when He protected you from evil. Action: Today I will offer praise and thanks to the Lord God for His faithfulness in keeping me from the harm He revealed to me. I humbly agree to fearlessly stand for and with the Lord God in the face of false teaching, trusting Him to give me courage and wisdom. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Friday's text will be: 1 Kings 19 -- 20 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shengchieh at linuxmail.org Thu Feb 10 00:39:57 2011 From: shengchieh at linuxmail.org (shengchieh at linuxmail.org) Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:39:57 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? In-Reply-To: <8e12fbf6f227d3ef6e34ccb56417fa71@localhost> References: <1297014151.7621.38.camel@rob-E6510><1297050294.7137.0.camel@P-733-Lin><1297053167.5081.5.camel@rob-E6510> <8e12fbf6f227d3ef6e34ccb56417fa71@localhost> Message-ID: <8CD96FC15D57FD0-648-4BF3@web-mmc-m03.sysops.aol.com> -----Original Message----- From: Raoul Snyman To: Linux for Christians Sent: Sun, Feb 6, 2011 9:00 pm Subject: Re: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? On Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:32:47 -0600, Rob Matlack wrote: >> > Churches need to keep track of accounts such as Gen Fund, designated >> > gifts, VBS, Awana, missions, etc. plus donor records for end of year >> > reports for tax purposes. Does anyone have a template for gnucash for >> > this or know of some good software that can easily do this? >> > Thanks for the response. I think I have figured it out in gnucash. I > will work with it a bit more and report back. > Sorry that I'm late to the party, but did you look at KMyMoney2 or > Skrooge? KMyMoney2 has a number of sets of accounts for different purposes, > and I think there might be one or two for non-profit organisations, which > might fit a church better. I'm even later. Take a look at these two - I don't know if they have accounting in it. http://chaddb.sourceforge.net/ (CHADDB [Database]) http://www.churchdb.org/ (ChurchInfo [Database])-- Also surf thru the long list of accounting softwares in http://shengchieh.50webs.com/tuxslinks.html -> softwares -> accounting Sheng-Chieh Raoul Snyman, B.Tech IT (Software Engineering) Saturn Laboratories m: 082 550 3754 e: raoul.snyman at saturnlaboratories.co.za w: www.saturnlaboratories.co.za b: blog.saturnlaboratories.co.za _______________________________________________ Linux4christians mailing list Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From okie2003 at gmail.com Thu Feb 10 11:12:36 2011 From: okie2003 at gmail.com (Rob Matlack) Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:12:36 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? In-Reply-To: <8CD96FC15D57FD0-648-4BF3@web-mmc-m03.sysops.aol.com> References: <1297014151.7621.38.camel@rob-E6510> <1297050294.7137.0.camel@P-733-Lin><1297053167.5081.5.camel@rob-E6510> <8e12fbf6f227d3ef6e34ccb56417fa71@localhost> <8CD96FC15D57FD0-648-4BF3@web-mmc-m03.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <1297354356.11294.4.camel@rob-E6510> On Thu, 2011-02-10 at 00:39 -0500, shengchieh at linuxmail.org wrote: > -----Original Message----- > From: Raoul Snyman > To: Linux for Christians > Sent: Sun, Feb 6, 2011 9:00 pm > Subject: Re: [Linux4christians] Church Accounting Software?? > > On Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:32:47 -0600, Rob Matlack > wrote: > > > > >> > Churches need to keep track of accounts such as Gen Fund, designated > > >> > gifts, VBS, Awana, missions, etc. plus donor records for end of year > > >> > reports for tax purposes. Does anyone have a template for gnucash for > > >> > this or know of some good software that can easily do this? > > >> > > > Thanks for the response. I think I have figured it out in gnucash. I > > > will work with it a bit more and report back. > > > Sorry that I'm late to the party, but did you look at KMyMoney2 or > > > Skrooge? KMyMoney2 has a number of sets of accounts for different purposes, > > > and I think there might be one or two for non-profit organisations, which > > > might fit a church better. > > I'm even later. Take a look at these two - I don't know if they > > have accounting in it. > > http://chaddb.sourceforge.net/ (CHADDB [Database]) > > http://www.churchdb.org/ (ChurchInfo [Database])-- > > Also surf thru the long list of accounting softwares in > http://shengchieh.50webs.com/tuxslinks.html > > -> softwares > > -> accounting > Sheng-Chieh > > Raoul Snyman, B.Tech IT (Software Engineering) > > > Saturn Laboratories > > > m: 082 550 3754 > > > e: raoul.snyman at saturnlaboratories.co.za > > > w: www.saturnlaboratories.co.za > > > b: blog.saturnlaboratories.co.za > Thanks. I will. Rob From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Thu Feb 10 21:41:51 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:41:51 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Friday_-_1_Kings_19_=96_20?= Message-ID: <4D54A1EF.6010701@bibleseven.com> Friday 1 Kings 19 ? 20 Elijah Runs for His Life 19:1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword. 19:2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, ?May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!? 19:3 Elijah was afraid, so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 19:4 while he went a day?s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub and asked the Lord to take his life: ?I?ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I?m no better than my ancestors.? 19:5 He stretched out and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger touched him and said, ?Get up and eat.? 19:6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more. 19:7 The Lord?s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, ?Get up and eat, for otherwise you won?t be able to make the journey.? 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 19:9 He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, ?Why are you here, Elijah?? 19:10 He answered, ?I have been absolutely loyal to the Lord, the sovereign God, even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.? 19:11 The Lord said, ?Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.? A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 19:12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. 19:13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden a voice asked him, ?Why are you here, Elijah?? 19:14 He answered, ?I have been absolutely loyal to the Lord, the sovereign God, even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.? 19:15 The Lord said to him, ?Go back the way you came and then head for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria. 19:16 You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet. 19:17 Jehu will kill anyone who escapes Hazael?s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes Jehu?s sword. 19:18 I still have left in Israel seven thousand followers who have not bowed their knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.? 19:19 Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his robe over him. 19:20 He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, ?Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, then I will follow you.? Elijah said to him, ?Go back! Indeed, what have I done to you?? 19:21 Elisha went back and took his pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He cooked the meat over a fire that he made by burning the harness and yoke. He gave the people meat and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and became his assistant. Ben Hadad Invades Israel 20:1 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria and besieged and attacked it. 20:2 He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city. 20:3 He said to him, ?This is what Ben Hadad says, ?Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.?? 20:4 The king of Israel replied, ?It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and all I own belong to you.? 20:5 The messengers came again and said, ?This is what Ben Hadad says, ?I sent this message to you, ?You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.? 20:6 But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will search through your palace and your servants? houses. They will carry away all your valuables.? 20:7 The king of Israel summoned all the leaders of the land and said, ?Notice how this man is looking for trouble. Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him.? 20:8 All the leaders and people said to him, ?Do not give in or agree to his demands.? 20:9 So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, ?Say this to my master, the king, ?I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but I am unable to agree to this latest demand.?? So the messengers went back and gave their report. 20:10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, ?May the gods judge me severely if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.? 20:11 The king of Israel replied, ?Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.? 20:12 When Ben Hadad received this reply, he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters. He ordered his servants, ?Get ready to attack!? So they got ready to attack the city. The Lord Delivers Israel 20:13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, ?This is what the Lord says, ?Do you see this huge army? Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the Lord.?? 20:14 Ahab asked, ?By whom will this be accomplished?? He answered, ?This is what the Lord says, ?By the servants of the district governors.?? Ahab asked, ?Who will launch the attack?? He answered, ?You will.? 20:15 So Ahab assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000. 20:16 They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily in their quarters. 20:17 The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, ?Men are marching out of Samaria.? 20:18 He ordered, ?Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.? 20:19 They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. 20:20 Each one struck down an enemy soldier; the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen. 20:21 Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots; he thoroughly defeated Syria. The Lord Gives Israel Another Victory 20:22 The prophet visited the king of Israel and instructed him, ?Go, fortify your defenses. Determine what you must do, for in the spring the king of Syria will attack you.? 20:23 Now the advisers of the king of Syria said to him: ?Their God is a god of the mountains. That?s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains, we will certainly overpower them. 20:24 So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with military commanders. 20:25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots. Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.? He approved their plan and did as they advised. 20:26 In the spring Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army and marched to Aphek to fight Israel. 20:27 When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the land. 20:28 The prophet visited the king of Israel and said, ?This is what the Lord says: ?Because the Syrians said, ?The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,? I will hand over to you this entire huge army. Then you will know that I am the Lord.?? 20:29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day. 20:30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them. Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room. 20:31 His advisers said to him, ?Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and surrender to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.? 20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, ?Your servant Ben Hadad says, ?Please let me live!?? Ahab replied, ?Is he still alive? He is my brother.? 20:33 The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, ?Ben Hadad is your brother.? Ahab then said, ?Go, get him.? So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot. 20:34 Ben Hadad said, ?I will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up markets in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria.? Ahab then said, ?I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.? So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him. A Prophet Denounces Ahab?s Actions 20:35 One of the members of the prophetic guild, speaking with divine authority, ordered his companion, ?Wound me!? But the man refused to wound him. 20:36 So the prophet said to him, ?Because you have disobeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.? When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him. 20:37 He found another man and said, ?Wound me!? So the man wounded him severely. 20:38 The prophet then went and stood by the road, waiting for the king. He also disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes. 20:39 When the king passed by, he called out to the king, ?Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me, ?Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.? 20:40 Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that, he disappeared.? The king of Israel said to him, ?Your punishment is already determined by your own testimony.? 20:41 The prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets. 20:42 The prophet then said to him, ?This is what the Lord says, ?Because you released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people.?? 20:43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria bitter and angry. Prayer Lord, when we are obedient to You the omnipotent God we have nothing to fear from mere humans, not matter their earthly power nor the fierceness of their rage. My I never shrink from Your service, nor fear for my well-being, out of fear of mere humans as long as I live. Commentary Jezebel was furious when she heard what Elijah had done and sent word that she intended to seem him dead. Elijah was fearful, in his flesh, and fled to the desert to hide. There the Lord God provided for him food and water and when He asked why Elijah was there he replied that despite his faithfulness his life was at-risk ? so he wanted God to take him home. The Lord God instructed him to go to the mountain where He revealed Himself to him, demonstrating His omnipotence, then giving Elijah new instructions. Elijah was to anoint Hazael king over Syria, Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha as his successor. Elijah set out to do as instructed. All three would be His instruments of judgment for rebellious Israel ? only 7,000 had remained obedient to the Law. Ben Hadad, still king of Syria, gathered thirty-two other kings and attacked Israel on the mountain, but the Lord God protected them. They gathered again and attacked in the plain, and again the Lord God delivered Israel. But instead of killing Hadad as the Lord had instructed Ahab made a treaty ? which disobedience brought judgment upon Ahab and the people. Interaction Consider Ahab had a history of taking the Lord God for granted and going his way and one-again he did so in sparing Ben Hadad of Syria ? even negotiating a treaty with him. Discuss After the Lord God had answered his prayer to obliterate the water-soaked altar and offering, empowered him to kill the 450 false prophets, and invigorated him to out-run the chariots why would Elijah fear a threat from Jezebel? Reflect The Lord God ignored Elijah's whining-in-the-flesh and instead demonstrated His power then sent him on a new mission. Elijah, to his credit, immediately ceased whining and again stepped out in faith. Share When have you felt threatened and forgotten that you serve an omnipotent God? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where fear is interfering with your confidence to serve. Action: Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement with me as I partner with the Holy Spirit to see the Lord God clearly where then enemy has tricked me into taking my eyes off of Him. I will confidently receive His new, or reiterated instructions, and boldly set out in obedient faith. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Saturday's text will be: 1 Kings 21-22 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shengchieh at linuxmail.org Fri Feb 11 12:55:09 2011 From: shengchieh at linuxmail.org (shengchieh at linuxmail.org) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:55:09 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] cellphone bible passages Message-ID: <8CD982BF57F9A7C-2250-1F76@web-mmc-d02.sysops.aol.com> To All: The Lord has recently led me to translate the bible using crammed SMS. If you are bored, then read http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/ps23/ps23.html http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/mt6_9b_13/rfthr.html Home page is at http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/ Enjoy! Sheng-Chieh -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Fri Feb 11 21:27:05 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:27:05 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - 1 Kings 21-22 Message-ID: <4D55EFF9.3050607@bibleseven.com> Saturday 1 Kings 21-22 Ahab Murders Naboth 21:1 After this the following episode took place. Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 21:2 Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will pay you silver for it." 21:3 But Naboth replied to Ahab, "The Lord forbid that I should sell you my ancestral inheritance." 21:4 So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said, "I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance." He lay down on his bed, pouted, and would not eat. 21:5 Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him, "Why do you have a bitter attitude and refuse to eat?" 21:6 He answered her, "While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not sell you my vineyard.'" 21:7 His wife Jezebel said to him, "You are the king of Israel! Get up, eat some food, and have a good time. I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you." 21:8 She wrote out orders, signed Ahab's name to them, and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders to the leaders and to the nobles who lived in Naboth's city. 21:9 This is what she wrote: "Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people. 21:10 Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death." 21:11 The men of the city, the leaders and the nobles who lived there, followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them. 21:12 They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people. 21:13 The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death. 21:14 Then they reported to Jezebel, "Naboth has been stoned to death." 21:15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, "Get up, take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you for silver, for Naboth is no longer alive; he's dead." 21:16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. 21:17 The Lord told Elijah the Tishbite: 21:18 "Get up, go down and meet King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria. He is at the vineyard of Naboth; he has gone down there to take possession of it. 21:19 Say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: "Haven't you committed murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?"' Then say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: "In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth's blood they will also lick up your blood -- yes, yours!"'" 21:20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, "So, you have found me, my enemy!" Elijah replied, "I have found you, because you are committed to doing evil in the sight of the Lord. 21:21 The Lord says, 'Look, I am ready to bring disaster on you. I will destroy you and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 21:22 I will make your dynasty like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah because you angered me and made Israel sin.' 21:23 The Lord says this about Jezebel, 'Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer wall of Jezreel.' 21:24 As for Ahab's family, dogs will eat the ones who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country." 21:25 (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed to doing evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. 21:26 He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, just like the Amorites whom the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.) 21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected. 21:28 The Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, 21:29 "Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse before me? Because he shows remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime, but during the reign of his son." Ahab Dies in Battle 22:1 There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years. 22:2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit the king of Israel. 22:3 The king of Israel said to his servants, "Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of Syria." 22:4 Then he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal." 22:5 Then Jehoshaphat added, "First seek an oracle from the Lord." 22:6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, "Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?" They said, "Attack! The sovereign one will hand it over to the king." 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?" 22:8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord's will. But I despise him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say such things." 22:9 The king of Israel summoned an official and said, "Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah." 22:10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. 22:11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, "This is what the Lord says, 'With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.'" 22:12 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, "Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king." 22:13 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success." 22:14 But Micaiah said, "As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord tells me to say." 22:15 When he came before the king, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?" He answered him, "Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king." 22:16 The king said to him, "How many times must I make you solemnly promise in the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?" 22:17 Micaiah said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, 'They have no master. They should go home in peace.'" 22:18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?" 22:19 Micaiah said, "That being the case, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. 22:20 The Lord said, 'Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?' One said this and another that. 22:21 Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, 'I will deceive him.' The Lord asked him, 'How?' 22:22 He replied, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' The Lord said, 'Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.' 22:23 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you." 22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, "Which way did the Lord's spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?" 22:25 Micaiah replied, "Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide." 22:26 Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king's son. 22:27 Say, 'This is what the king says, "Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water until I safely return."'" 22:28 Micaiah said, "If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me." Then he added, "Take note, all you people." 22:29 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. 22:30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and then enter into the battle; but you wear your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle. 22:31 Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, "Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; fight only the king of Israel." 22:32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "He must be the king of Israel." So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. 22:33 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 22:34 Now an archer shot an arrow at random, and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king ordered his charioteer, "Turn around and take me from the battle line, because I'm wounded." 22:35 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. 22:36 As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, "Each one should return to his city and to his homeland." 22:37 So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him. 22:38 They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria (this was where the prostitutes bathed); dogs licked his blood, just as the Lord had said would happen. 22:39 The rest of the events of Ahab's reign, including a record of his accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 22:40 Ahab passed away. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king. Jehoshaphat's Reign over Judah 22:41 In the fourth year of King Ahab's reign over Israel, Asa's son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. 22:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 22:43 He followed in his father Asa's footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. (22:44) However, the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 22:44 (22:45) Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel. 22:45 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat's reign, including his successes and military exploits, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 22:46 He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa. 22:47 There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled. 22:48 Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships to travel to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion Geber. 22:49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my sailors join yours in the fleet," but Jehoshaphat refused. 22:50 Jehoshaphat passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king. Ahaziah's Reign over Israel 22:51 In the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat's reign over Judah, Ahab's son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria. He ruled for two years over Israel. 22:52 He did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed in the footsteps of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin. 22:53 He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, angering the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done. Prayer Lord, those who fail to follow Your teaching and who fail to listen to Your voice of correction are doomed to disaster. May I be always-accountable to You through faithful fellow believers who prayerfully hold me to Your Word, and obedient in my choices. Commentary Ahab wanted the land of Naboth and offered to buy it or trade better land for it but Naboth refused to sell land that had been in his family for generations. When Queen Jezebel heard of it she schemed to have Naboth falsely accused and stoned to death on Ahab's behalf. When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead he went to take the land but the Lord God sent Elijah to confront him with a terrible prophesy of for the murder of Naboth and Ahab's persistent rebellion. When Ahab responded with a repentant heart the Lord God postponed the punishment, obliterating Ahab's entire family, until his son took the throne. Ahab of Israel and Jehosophat of Judah joined forces to attack the Syrians who occupied Ramoth Gilead. The consulted the 400 false prophets who encouraged them but Jehosophat insisted that they consult a true prophet. Ahab resisted because he did not like bad news and surely the true prophet, Micaiah, after mocking Ahab and the false prophets a bit, prophesied disaster. Ahab and Jehosophat ignored the prophet of God and attacked and were defeated and Ahab was mortally wounded, his blood licked up by the dogs, just as Elijah had prophesied. Jehosophat ruled Judah for twenty-five years and continued the mostly-faithful example of his father Asa, removing all male cultic prostitutes that escaped Asa's purge, but also failing to remove the pagan places of worship on the high places. His son Jehoram followed him as king. In Israel Ahaziah followed Ahab as king and was as evil and rebellious as his father and mother. Faith in Action Consider Ahab knew that when his evil wife Jezebel said she'd take care of things with Naboth she would have him murdered, and he said nothing, which is why God held him responsible for the murder. Discuss Since Micaiah, like Elijah, had a history of speaking truth why would Ahab and Jehosophat ignore him at risk of disaster? Reflect Jehosophat incrementally improved things in Judah by removing the last of the male cultic prostitutes, and continued his personal obedience to the Lord God, but inexplicably failed to remove the pagan places of sacrifice which ensnared many of the people. Share When have you observed a leader who tried to live faithfully, and who made small efforts to deal with bad doctrine within the fellowship that they led, but seemed blind or unconcerned about an obvious terrible place of sin? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you have been dealing decisively with a place of sin in your life, or business, or family, or fellowship, or other association, and one to which you have been blind. Action: Today I will celebrate with a fellow believer what the Holy Spirit has done in and through me to the glory of the Lord God. I will ask that same believer to pray in-agreement that I will have the courage to respond decisively to repent (turn away from) the sin that He reveals to me. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: 2 Kings 1 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From webservant at trinitybclaramie.org Sat Feb 12 00:22:55 2011 From: webservant at trinitybclaramie.org (Peter B. Steiger) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:22:55 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] cellphone bible passages In-Reply-To: <8CD982BF57F9A7C-2250-1F76@web-mmc-d02.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CD982BF57F9A7C-2250-1F76@web-mmc-d02.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: Interesting! The Australian Bible Society tried that a few years ago but I don't think they ever got anywhere with it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4318750.stm Can't find it on their website now, so I guess they gave up. *PBS* On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 10:55 AM, wrote: > To All: > > The Lord has recently led me to translate the bible using crammed SMS. > > If you are bored, then read > > http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/ps23/ps23.html > http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/mt6_9b_13/rfthr.html > > Home page is at > > http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/ > > Enjoy! > > Sheng-Chieh > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shengchieh at linuxmail.org Sat Feb 12 12:40:04 2011 From: shengchieh at linuxmail.org (shengchieh at linuxmail.org) Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:40:04 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] cellphone bible passages In-Reply-To: References: <8CD982BF57F9A7C-2250-1F76@web-mmc-d02.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8CD98F30415919A-14EC-23171@web-mmc-d06.sysops.aol.com> News articles stated that there is a SMS bible created in Australia http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4318750.stm http://au.christiantoday.com/article/australian.bible.society.launches.sms.version.of.bible/1746.htm but I can't find it in http://www.biblesociety.com.au/ (Not that I need to). Their SMS translation is NOT crammed like mine, i.e., alot of spaces, whole words, etc. They probably shrunk the bible 10-30% (don't know actual count). STMB passages are about 50% text reduction. Sheng-Chieh -----Original Message----- From: Peter B. Steiger To: Linux for Christians Sent: Fri, Feb 11, 2011 9:22 pm Subject: Re: [Linux4christians] cellphone bible passages Interesting! The Australian Bible Society tried that a few years ago but I don't think they ever got anywhere with it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4318750.stm Can't find it on their website now, so I guess they gave up. PBS On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 10:55 AM, wrote: To All: The Lord has recently led me to translate the bible using crammed SMS. If you are bored, then read http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/ps23/ps23.html http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/mt6_9b_13/rfthr.html Home page is at http://stmb.onlinewebshop.net/ Enjoy! Sheng-Chieh _______________________________________________ Linux4christians mailing list Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Feb 12 20:58:27 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:58:27 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Sunday - 2 Kings 1 Message-ID: <4D573AC3.109@bibleseven.com> Sunday 2 Kings 1 Elijah Confronts the King and His Commanders 1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. 1:2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders, "Go, ask Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury." 1:3 But the Lord's angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, "Get up, go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: 'You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron. 1:4 Therefore this is what the Lord says, "You will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die!"'" So Elijah went on his way. 1:5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you returned?" 1:6 They replied, "A man came up to meet us. He told us, "Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, 'This is what the Lord says: "You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die."'" 1:7 The king asked them, "Describe the appearance of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things." 1:8 They replied, "He was a hairy man and had a leather belt tied around his waist." The king said, "He is Elijah the Tishbite." 1:9 The king sent a captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. The captain went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. He told him, "Prophet, the king says, 'Come down!'" 1:10 Elijah replied to the captain, "If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!" Fire then came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers. 1:11 The king sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, "Prophet, this is what the king says, 'Come down at once!'" 1:12 Elijah replied to them, "If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!" Fire from God came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers. 1:13 The king sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, "Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 1:14 Indeed, fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. So now, please have respect for my life." 1:15 The Lord's angelic messenger said to Elijah, "Go down with him. Don't be afraid of him." So he got up and went down with him to the king. 1:16 Elijah said to the king, "This is what the Lord says, 'You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.'" 1:17 He died just as the Lord had prophesied through Elijah. In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah's brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son. 1:18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah's reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. Prayer Lord, when we look for truth from any spiritual source but You Lord we are in rebellion and in trouble. May I never consult anything but Your Word and Your Holy Spirit for spiritual truth. Commentary Moab rebelled against the rule of Israel and then King Ahaziah of Israel was badly injured falling through lattice on the upper floor of the castle. Instead of consulting a prophet of Israel Ahaziah sent for an oracle from the false god of Baal. The Lord God informed Elijah who intercepted Ahaziah's messengers and sent them back with the word from God that because he had done so Ahaziah would die where he laid in his bed. Ahaziah sent soldiers to get Elijah three times, the first two Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume them, the third time the captain begged for mercy and God instructed Elijah to go to Ahaziah. Elijah delivered his prophesy in person and Ahaziah died. His brother Jehoram followed him as king because Ahziah had no son. Interaction Consider When Ahaziah sent for word from Baal he was consulting Satan. Elijah made that clear when he declared "You must think there is no God in Israel!" Discuss Given Elijah's history of accuracy and power why would Ahziah be so foolish as to consult a false prophet of a false god when he could have consulted the true prophet of on the One true God of Israel? Reflect The obliteration of the first two groups of soldiers demonstrated that Elijah did not answer to the mere human king but to the Lord God. Share When have you observed a Christian consulting instruments of evil for spiritual guidance, such as a "Magic 8-Ball", Tarot cards, Ouija board, horoscopes, fortune tellers, etc.? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you may engage in a superstitious or otherwise non-Biblical means of dealing with an unclear situation. Action: Today I will confess and repent of any place that the Holy Spirit has revealed as seeking guidance from a non-Biblical source. It may be as obvious as a "Magic 8-Ball", Tarot cards, Ouija board, horoscopes, fortune tellers, or the like, or some other "throw salt over your shoulder", avoiding a hotel room numbered "13", astrology-numerology, etc. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: 2 Kings 2 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Feb 13 21:45:44 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:45:44 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Monday - 2 Kings 2 Message-ID: <4D589758.6000601@bibleseven.com> Monday 2 Kings 2 Elijah Makes a Swift Departure 2:1 Just before the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2:2 Elijah told Elisha, "Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 2:3 Some members of the prophetic guild in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, "Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?" He answered, "Yes, I know. Be quiet." 2:4 Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he replied, "As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho. 2:5 Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, "Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?" He answered, "Yes, I know. Be quiet." 2:6 Elijah said to him, "Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he replied, "As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they traveled on together. 2:7 The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan. 2:8 Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 2:9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "What can I do for you, before I am taken away from you?" Elisha answered, "May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you." 2:10 Elijah replied, "That's a difficult request! If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don't, it will not happen." 2:11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot pulled by fiery horses appeared. They went between Elijah and Elisha, and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. 2:12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, "My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!" Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two. 2:13 He picked up Elijah's cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. 2:14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, hit the water with it, and said, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over. 2:15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, who were standing at a distance, saw him do this, they said, "The spirit that energized Elijah rests upon Elisha." They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 2:16 They said to him, "Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the Lord may have carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys." But Elisha replied, "Don't send them out." 2:17 But they were so insistent, he became embarrassed. So he said, "Send them out." They sent the fifty men out and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah. 2:18 When they came back, Elisha was staying in Jericho. He said to them, "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't go'?" Elisha Demonstrates His Authority 2:19 The men of the city said to Elisha, "Look, the city has a good location, as our master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn't produce crops." 2:20 Elisha said, "Get me a new jar and put some salt in it." So they got it. 2:21 He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said, "This is what the Lord says, 'I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or fail to produce crops." 2:22 The water has been pure to this very day, just as Elisha prophesied. 2:23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was traveling up the road, some young boys came out of the city and made fun of him, saying, "Go on up, baldy! Go on up, baldy!" 2:24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God's judgment down on them. Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces. 2:25 From there he traveled to Mount Carmel and then back to Samaria. Prayer Lord, Elijah had been an exceptional mentor to Elisha, so when his time was done Elisha was ready to do all that he had done and more. May I mentor one or more people so that they will be equipped to serve You in much greater ways than I have. Commentary Elisha, knowing in his Spirit that the Lord God was to take Elijah -- his mentor -- away refused to part from him and instructed prophets in the three towns they visited to be quiet when they prophesied Elijah's imminent departure. When it was time Elijah asked Elisha what gift he wanted, he asked for twice Elijah's prophetic gift, to which Elijah replied that it was a lot to ask but would be granted if Elisha witnessed Elijah's departure. He did. When first crossing the Jordan Elijah struck the water with his cloak and it parted for them, on his return trip without Elijah, Elisha did the same and the watching guild of local prophets bowed in respect to Elisha's gift from God. Those same prophets noted that the water was poor, affecting health and crops, so Elisha blessed it and made if abundant and clean. A gang of boys we disrespectful toward Elisha so he cursed them and two bears tore 42 of the boys to pieces. Elisha then continued on his journey. Interaction Consider The boys who came out from the city were apparently ruffians with no respect for a man of God, and given the constant threat of muggings along the roads between cities, they may have been intent upon much greater harm than name-calling. Their disrespect and threatening behavior, directed at the premier prophet of God, earned them a very unpleasant death. Discuss Might Elijah have wanted Elisha to see how he was taken-up by the Lord God so that Elisha would not only receive a double-portion of prophetic power but also be reminded Who it was to be used to serve? Reflect Parting the Jordan, blessing the community well, and cursing the 42 ruffians were memorable evidences of Elisha's new-found power from God. Share When have you observed a leader who mentored his successor? When there was a transfer of responsibility was it obvious that the mentoree had been well-prepared? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone He wants you to mentor. Action: Today I will either make plans to invest myself more intentionally, or make a new plan, and in either case to be a faithful instrument of the Lord in raising up another to partner with me and to go on afterward and be even more valuable to Him. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday's text will be: 2 Kings 3 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Mon Feb 14 23:26:36 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:26:36 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tuesday - 2 Kings 3 Message-ID: <4D5A007C.60703@bibleseven.com> Tuesday 2 Kings 3 Moab Fights with Israel 3:1 In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat's reign over Judah, Ahab's son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; he ruled for twelve years. 3:2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3:3 Yet he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin; he did not turn from them. 3:4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. He would send as tribute to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 3:5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 3:6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war. 3:7 He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight with me against Moab?" Jehoshaphat replied, "I will join you in the campaign; my army and horses are at your disposal." 3:8 He then asked, "Which invasion route are we going to take?" Jehoram answered, "By the road through the Desert of Edom." 3:9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom set out together. They wandered around on the road for seven days and finally ran out of water for the men and animals they had with them. 3:10 The king of Israel said, "Oh no! Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!" 3:11 Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord's direction?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah's servant." 3:12 Jehoshaphat said, "The Lord speaks through him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him. 3:13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "Why are you here? Go to your father's prophets or your mother's prophets!" The king of Israel replied to him, "No, for the Lord is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab." 3:14 Elisha said, "As certainly as the Lord who rules over all lives (whom I serve), if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. 3:15 But now, get me a musician." When the musician played, the Lord energized him, 3:16 and he said, "This is what the Lord says, 'Make many cisterns in this valley,' 3:17 for this is what the Lord says, 'You will not feel any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.' 3:18 This is an easy task for the Lord; he will also hand Moab over to you. 3:19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important city. You must chop down every productive tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the cultivated land with stones." 3:20 Sure enough, the next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water came flowing down from Edom and filled the land. 3:21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking, so everyone old enough to fight was mustered and placed at the border. 3:22 When they got up early the next morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites, who were some distance away, the water looked red like blood. 3:23 The Moabites said, "It's blood! The kings are totally destroyed! They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!" 3:24 When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites thoroughly defeated Moab. 3:25 They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered. They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left intact, but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. 3:26 When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle, he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack the king of Edom, but they failed. 3:27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. There was an outburst of divine anger against Israel, so they broke off the attack and returned to their homeland. Prayer Lord, when You choose to intervene it is from Your perfect wisdom and for Your purposes, and it may not always be apparent to us why You do what You do the way that You do it. May I remember to be obedient and not to worry about knowing all of Your details. Commentary Jehoram followed Ahab as king of Israel and though he removed the sacred pillar of the false god Baal Ahab had erected he otherwise persisted in the same evil practices as his father. The king of Moab, who had been paying a huge tribute to Israel, decided to rebel when Ahab died. Jehoram joined with Jehosophat and the king of Edom to attack Moab but they did not consult the Lord God first. When they were lost for three days and out of water Jehosophat suggested they find a prophet of the Lord and ask if they should continue. Elisha tested their submission to him by requiring a musician and then, empowered by the Lord, gave them instructions for victory. The Lord God gave Moab over to the three armies and in return they destroyed the farmland and productive trees and cities there at His command. The king of Moab was trapped in the only remaining city of Kir Hareseth, which came under siege. When he tried to break-out with seven-hundred men he failed and so he offered his first-born son as a sacrifice on the city wall. At that point the Lord turned against Israel so they relented from the attack and returned home. Interaction Consider Israel and Judah and Edom were guilty of worshiping false gods, in some cases offering their own children as sacrifices to them, so it may be that when the king of Moab sacrificed his son it was a reminder that those attacking him were no better in the Lord God's sight. Discuss After all of the evidence that wisdom for battle always came from the prophets of the Lord God, not only if they should fight but also how, why would the kings of Israel and Judah have failed to consult first? Reflect Elisha respected King Jehoshaphat of Judah but not King Jehoram of Israel. Share When have you observed the Lord at work but were confused as to some of the details? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal a place in your life where you may be wandering in the desert and feeling spiritually-parched because you took off with your own plan and forgot to consult Him first. Action: Today I will stop what I am doing that which is not being blessed by the Lord and take some time to search His Word and to pray for His direction. I will consult at least one fellow believer who meets the Biblical standard for an "elder" ad ask them to pray in-agreement for the Holy Spirit to make-clear His direction for me. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Wednesday's text will be: 2 Kings 4 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Feb 15 20:47:09 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:47:09 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Wednesday - 2 Kings 4 Message-ID: <4D5B2C9D.2060702@bibleseven.com> Wednesday 2 Kings 4 Elisha Helps a Widow and Her Sons 4:1 Now a wife of one of the prophets appealed to Elisha for help, saying, "Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants." 4:2 Elisha said to her, "What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" She answered, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil." 4:3 He said, "Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. Get as many as you can. 4:4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; set aside each one when you have filled it." 4:5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. 4:6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons, "Bring me another container." But he answered her, "There are no more." Then the olive oil stopped flowing. 4:7 She went and told the prophet. He said, "Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit." Elisha Gives Life to a Boy 4:8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. 4:9 She said to her husband, "Look, I'm sure that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet. 4:10 Let's make a small private upper room and furnish it with a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there." 4:11 One day Elisha came for a visit; he went into the upper room and rested. 4:12 He told his servant Gehazi, "Ask the Shunammite woman to come here." So he did so and she came to him. 4:13 Elisha said to Gehazi, "Tell her, 'Look, you have treated us with such great respect. What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?'" She replied, "I'm quite secure." 4:14 So he asked Gehazi, "What can I do for her?" Gehazi replied, "She has no son, and her husband is old." 4:15 Elisha told him, "Ask her to come here." So he did so and she came and stood in the doorway. 4:16 He said, "About this time next year you will be holding a son." She said, "No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!" 4:17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her. 4:18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. 4:19 He said to his father, "My head! My head!" His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother." 4:20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap until noon and then died. 4:21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet's bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 4:22 She called to her husband, "Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return." 4:23 He said, "Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon or the Sabbath." She said, "Everything's fine." 4:24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, "Lead on. Do not stop unless I say so." 4:25 So she went to visit the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, "Look, it's the Shunammite woman. 4:26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, 'Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?'" She told Gehazi, "Everything's fine." 4:27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, "Leave her alone, for she is very upset. The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn't tell me about it." 4:28 She said, "Did I ask my master for a son? Didn't I say, 'Don't mislead me?'" 4:29 Elisha told Gehazi, "Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, and go! Don't stop to exchange greetings with anyone! Place my staff on the child's face." 4:30 The mother of the child said, "As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So Elisha got up and followed her back. 4:31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child's face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha he told him, "The child did not wake up." 4:32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was the child lying dead on his bed. 4:33 He went in by himself and closed the door. Then he prayed to the Lord. 4:34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over the boy; he put his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes over the boy's eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy's palms. He bent down over him, and the boy's skin grew warm. 4:35 Elisha went back and walked around in the house. Then he got up on the bed again and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 4:36 Elisha called to Gehazi and said, "Get the Shunammite woman." So he did so and she came to him. He said to her, "Take your son." 4:37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left. Elisha Makes a Meal Edible 4:38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him and he told his servant, "Put the big pot on the fire and boil some stew for the prophets." 4:39 Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. He picked some of its fruit, enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful. 4:40 The stew was poured out for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, "Death is in the pot, O prophet!" They could not eat it. 4:41 He said, "Get some flour." Then he threw it into the pot and said, "Now pour some out for the men so they may eat." There was no longer anything harmful in the pot. Elisha Miraculously Feeds a Hundred People 4:42 Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet -- twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. Elisha said, "Set it before the people so they may eat." 4:43 But his attendant said, "How can I feed a hundred men with this?" He replied, "Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says, 'They will eat and have some left over.'" 4:44 So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as the Lord predicted. Prayer Lord, when You speak through Your Word and through Your prophets Your power and truth is made known, and there is nothing in the world -- not even death -- that escapes Your power. May I never forget the awesome God Whom I serve. Commentary The Lord God performed a series of miracles through Elisha: He caused a widow and her son to receive adequate filled containers to sell and cover their debt as well as to live on for a long time. He prophesied the birth of a son to a childless woman with an elderly husband and later raised that child from the dead. He caused poisonous food to be safe. He fed two hundred people from twenty loaves of bread. Interaction Consider The Lord God provided enough to meet the immediate and future needs of the widow and her son but there was no excess or waste. Discuss Is it possible that the Lord God allowed the Shunnamite woman's son to die because she had doubted Elisha's prophecy and needed to come to trust the God he served without doubt? Reflect In each case it was the faithful trust of Elisha which allowed the miracle to be poured-out through him, and in each case that was accompanied by the trust of the ones being blessed. Share When have you the Lord God pouring out blessings upon one person through another -- and both were required to act in ways that demonstrated genuine confidence and trust in Him? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you trusted and obeyed and as a result you were either a vessel of His blessing poured-out into another, or you were the recipient of His blessing. Action: Today I will share my story with a fellow believer and together we will share praise and worship of our great and loving God. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Thursday's text will be: 2 Kings 5 -- 6:7 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Wed Feb 16 21:57:52 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:57:52 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Thursday_-_2_Kings_5_=96_6=3A?= =?windows-1252?q?7?= Message-ID: <4D5C8EB0.6050106@bibleseven.com> Thursday 2 Kings 5 ? 6:7 Elisha Heals a Syrian General 5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria?s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. 5:2 Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman?s wife. 5:3 She told her mistress, ?If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.? 5:4 Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5:5 The king of Syria said, ?Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.? So Naaman went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten suits of clothes. 5:6 He brought the letter to king of Israel. It read: ?This is a letter of introduction for my servant Naaman, whom I have sent to be cured of his skin disease.? 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ?Am I God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin disease? Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!? 5:8 When Elisha the prophet heard that the king had torn his clothes, he sent this message to the king, ?Why did you tear your clothes? Send him to me so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.? 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood in the doorway of Elisha?s house. 5:10 Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, ?Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored and you will be healed.? 5:11 Naaman went away angry. He said, ?Look, I thought for sure he would come out, stand there, invoke the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the area, and cure the skin disease. 5:12 The rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar, are better than any of the waters of Israel! Could I not wash in them and be healed?? So he turned around and went away angry. 5:13 His servants approached and said to him, ?O master, if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task, you would have been willing to do it. It seems you should be happy that he simply said, ?Wash and you will be healed.? 5:14 So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the prophet had instructed. His skin became as smooth as a young child?s and he was healed. 5:15 He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman came and stood before him. He said, ?For sure I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.? 5:16 But Elisha replied, ?As certainly as the Lord lives (whom I serve), I will take nothing from you.? Naaman insisted that he take it, but he refused. 5:17 Naaman said, ?If not, then please give your servant a load of dirt, enough for a pair of mules to carry, for your servant will never again offer a burnt offering or sacrifice to a god other than the Lord. 5:18 May the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.? 5:19 Elisha said to him, ?Go in peace.? When he had gone a short distance, 5:20 Gehazi, the prophet Elisha?s servant, thought, ?Look, my master did not accept what this Syrian Naaman offered him. As certainly as the Lord lives, I will run after him and accept something from him.? 5:21 So Gehazi ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and asked, ?Is everything all right?? 5:22 He answered, ?Everything is fine. My master sent me with this message, ?Look, two servants of the prophets just arrived from the Ephraimite hill country. Please give them a talent of silver and two suits of clothes.?? 5:23 Naaman said, ?Please accept two talents of silver. He insisted, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, along with two suits of clothes. He gave them to two of his servants and they carried them for Gehazi. 5:24 When he arrived at the hill, he took them from the servants and put them in the house. Then he sent the men on their way. 5:25 When he came and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, ?Where have you been, Gehazi?? He answered, ?Your servant hasn?t been anywhere.? 5:26 Elisha replied, ?I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you. This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants. 5:27 Therefore Naaman?s skin disease will afflict you and your descendants forever!? When Gehazi went out from his presence, his skin was as white as snow. Elisha Makes an Ax Head Float 6:1 Some of the prophets said to Elisha, ?Look, the place where we meet with you is too cramped for us. 6:2 Let?s go to the Jordan. Each of us will get a log from there and we will build a meeting place for ourselves there.? He said, ?Go.? 6:3 One of them said, ?Please come along with your servants.? He replied, ?All right, I?ll come.? 6:4 So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting down trees. 6:5 As one of them was felling a log, the ax head dropped into the water. He shouted, ?Oh no, my master! It was borrowed!? 6:6 The prophet asked, ?Where did it drop in?? When he showed him the spot, Elisha cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float. 6:7 He said, ?Lift it out.? So he reached out his hand and grabbed it. Prayer Lord, Your grant blessings on Your terms and in Your time, and You often do so through Your human servants. May I never be confused that Your gifts, poured out through me, are for my direct or indirect (financial or other) benefit. Being used as Your instrument of blessing is more than enough. Commentary Naaman, a Syrian general, had a skin disease and a captured Israelite servant girl told his wife that he could be healed by a prophet who lived in Samaria. Naaman told the king who wrote a letter to the king of Israel and Naaman headed off along with valuable gifts. When he presented the simple letter to the king of Israel, which only said here is Naaman for you to cure of his skin disease, the king tore his clothes in the expectation that Syria was picking a fight. Elisha heard that the king of Israel was in mourning over the letter and sent word to have Naaman sent to him. When Naaman arrived, expecting a formal and official welcome, Elisha sent a messenger to him to dip in the Jordan River seven times and he'd be cured. Naaman was angered at the apparent disrespect and dismissed the instructions but when he turned away in anger to return home his servants persuaded him to reconsider. They argued that if the prophet had challenged him to a more onerous process he'd have complied so why not give it a try? Naaman did so and was healed. When Naaman returned to the prophet's home, testifying that there was no God but the God of Israel, and he offered the gifts he had brought but Elisha refused them. Naaman asked to take a load of dirt home so he could only make offerings to the God of Israel. He also asked for forgiveness that the king of Syria would require his company when he went to worship their false god and Elisha told him to go in peace. One of Elisha's students was upset that Elisha refused the gifts and sneaked out to catch Naaman to lie and say that Elisha had changed his mind. Naaman gladly consented, giving him more than he requested, but when Elisha confronted him the skin disease of Naaman became the punishment for Gehazi's offense. The student prophets asked to build a larger meeting place and Elisha agreed. When they began felling trees one of the ax heads fell into the water. The prophet informed Elisha that it was a borrowed tool and pointed to where it fell. Elisha tossed a branch in that location and the ax head floated to the surface where it was retrieved. Interaction Consider Naaman was apparently an intelligent, teachable, man. He listened to his wife's servant girl, then to his other servants. Discuss Why would Elisha's student have imagined Elisha would not uncover his foolish actions? Reflect The Lord God used many people to teach Naaman and the enemy tried to interfere via the king of Syria's careless letter and Elisha's selfish student. Share When have you been blessed because you were teachable? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you have resisted His leading. Action: Today I will accept the challenge of the Holy Spirit to trust Him and be led to where He desires to bless me with healing. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement that I will hear rightly, obey completely, and not turn back until the Lord's work in me is complete. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Friday's text will be: 2 Kings 6:8 - 7 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Thu Feb 17 21:22:33 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:22:33 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Friday - 2 Kings 6:8 - 7 Message-ID: <4D5DD7E9.8050906@bibleseven.com> Friday 2 Kings 6:8 - 7 Elisha Defeats an Army 6:8 Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his advisers, who said, "Invade at such and such a place." 6:9 But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel, "Make sure you don't pass through this place because Syria is invading there." 6:10 So the king of Israel sent a message to the place the prophet had pointed out, warning it to be on its guard. This happened on several occasions. 6:11 This made the king of Syria upset. So he summoned his advisers and said to them, "One of us must be helping the king of Israel." 6:12 One of his advisers said, "No, my master, O king. The prophet Elisha who lives in Israel keeps telling the king of Israel the things you say in your bedroom." 6:13 The king ordered, "Go, find out where he is, so I can send some men to capture him." The king was told, "He is in Dothan." 6:14 So he sent horses and chariots there, along with a good-sized army. They arrived during the night and surrounded the city. 6:15 The prophet's attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said to Elisha, "Oh no, my master! What will we do?" 6:16 He replied, "Don't be afraid, for our side outnumbers them." 6:17 Then Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he can see." The Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw that the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 6:18 As they approached him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, "Strike these people with blindness." The Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha requested. 6:19 Then Elisha said to them, "This is not the right road or city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you're looking for." He led them to Samaria. 6:20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O Lord, open their eyes, so they can see." The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria. 6:21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Should I strike them down, my master?" 6:22 He replied, "Do not strike them down! You did not capture them with your sword or bow, so what gives you the right to strike them down? Give them some food and water, so they can eat and drink and then go back to their master." 6:23 So he threw a big banquet for them and they ate and drank. Then he sent them back to their master. After that no Syrian raiding parties again invaded the land of Israel. The Lord Saves Samaria 6:24 Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked and besieged Samaria. 6:25 Samaria's food supply ran out. They laid siege to it so long that a donkey's head was selling for eighty shekels of silver and a quarter of a kab of dove's droppings for five shekels of silver. 6:26 While the king of Israel was passing by on the city wall, a woman shouted to him, "Help us, my master, O king!" 6:27 He replied, "No, let the Lord help you. How can I help you? The threshing floor and winepress are empty." 6:28 Then the king asked her, "What's your problem?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Hand over your son; we'll eat him today and then eat my son tomorrow.' 6:29 So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, 'Hand over your son and we'll eat him.' But she hid her son!" 6:30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. 6:31 Then he said, "May God judge me severely if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!" 6:32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders. The king sent a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the leaders, "Do you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head?" Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right behind him." 6:33 He was still talking to them when the messenger approached and said, "Look, the Lord is responsible for this disaster! Why should I continue to wait for the Lord to help?" 7:1 Elisha replied, "Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says, 'About this time tomorrow a seah of finely milled flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.'" 7:2 An officer who was the king's right-hand man responded to the prophet, "Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?" Elisha said, "Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!" 7:3 Now four men with a skin disease were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, "Why are we just sitting here waiting to die? 7:4 If we go into the city, we'll die of starvation, and if we stay here we'll die! So come on, let's defect to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, we'll live; if they kill us -- well, we were going to die anyway." 7:5 So they started toward the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there. 7:6 The Lord had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!" 7:7 So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. 7:8 When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal. They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all. Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it and went and hid what they had taken. 7:9 Then they said to one another, "It's not right what we're doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven't told anyone. If we wait until dawn, we'll be punished. So come on, let's go and inform the royal palace." 7:10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, "We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn't even hear a man's voice. But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up." 7:11 The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace. 7:12 The king got up in the night and said to his advisers, "I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp and hid in the field, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and enter the city.'" 7:13 One of his advisers replied, "Pick some men and have them take five of the horses that are left in the city. (Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people -- we're all going to die!) Let's send them out so we can know for sure what's going on." 7:14 So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian army. He ordered them, "Go and find out what's going on." 7:15 So they tracked them as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste. The scouts went back and told the king. 7:16 Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah of finely milled flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as the Lord had said they would. 7:17 Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. This fulfilled the prophet's word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him. 7:18 The prophet told the king, "Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria." 7:19 But the officer replied to the prophet, "Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?" Elisha said, "Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!" 7:20 This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the city gate. Prayer Lord, Your power is greater that that of armies, and those who refuse to trust You are doomed to miss out on Your blessings. May I never doubt that You are the omnipotent God and never question anything that You say. Commentary Syria was at war with Israel but every time they planned a place of ambush or attack Elisha warned the king of Israel. At first the Syrians thought they had a traitor but their spies explained that it was Elisha. The Syrians sent an army to capture him but the Lord God provided an army of horses and chariots of fire to protect Elisha then blinded the Syrians at Elisha's request. He then led them, unknown to them, to Samaria where the King of Israel waited. The King of Israel wanted to kill them but Elisha reminded him that he had nothing to do their capture so he had nothing to say about their treatment. Elisha instead instructed that they be given water and a feast and sent home. They did so and after they returned to Syria no raiding parties were sent for a long time. King Ben Hadad of Syria some time later laid siege to Samaria for so long that the people were so desperate for food that some actually killed and ate a child. The king was angry and blamed Elisha and set out to kill him. When the king's messenger arrived Elisha informed him that the people would be feasting the next day, but a military man who overheard expressed his doubt because there were no crops to grow nor animals to slaughter -- so Elisha repeated the prophesy but added that the doubting soldier would not participate in the feast. Four men who were ceremonially unclean from a skin disease were starving outside the city gates and decided to defect to the Syrians in hopes of food -- they knew they would die of starvation so if the Syrians killed them they'd be no worse off. When they arrived in the Syrian camp they found it abandoned. The Lord God had caused them to hear the sound of chariots and they thought the Samarians had hired Egyptians and Hittites to attack them. There was food enough for an army, so they ate, then decided to tell the others. The king sent two horsemen to check on the Syrians and they found nothing but discarded supplies as the Syrians fled in terror. The people stormed out of through the city gate, trampling to death the soldier who had doubted Elisha, thus fulfilling the prophesy of abundant food and nothing for him. Interaction Consider Rather than consult Elisha and ask for the Lord God's intervention the king of Samaria doubted God and blamed Elisha. Discuss Given his history why would the military man doubt his prophesy rather than merely ask for clarification? Reflect The Syrians, who worshiped false gods, were used by the Lord God to provide for the Samarians. Share When have you experienced or observed a situation where the Lord God was either not consulted or doubted and then blamed for bad circumstances? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where He has blessed you through someone whose intent was to be your enemy, or where He is in the process of doing so. Action: Today I will praise the Lord for His amazing provision, be it past or present, and I will testify to His faithfulness to a fellow believer as an encouragement to them. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Saturday's text will be: 2 Kings 8 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Fri Feb 18 20:46:32 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:46:32 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - 2 Kings 8 Message-ID: <4D5F20F8.8000606@bibleseven.com> Saturday 2 Kings 8 Elisha Again Helps the Shunammite Woman 8:1 Now Elisha advised the woman whose son he had brought back to life, "You and your family should go and live somewhere else for a while, for the Lord has decreed that a famine will overtake the land for seven years." 8:2 So the woman did as the prophet said. She and her family went and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 8:3 After seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and went to ask the king to give her back her house and field. 8:4 Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet's servant, and said, "Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done." 8:5 While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to life, the woman whose son he had brought back to life came to ask the king for her house and field. Gehazi said, "My master, O king, this is the very woman and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!" 8:6 The king asked the woman about it, and she gave him the details. The king assigned a eunuch to take care of her request and ordered him, "Give her back everything she owns, as well as the amount of crops her field produced from the day she left the land until now." Elisha Meets with Hazael 8:7 Elisha traveled to Damascus while King Ben Hadad of Syria was sick. The king was told, "The prophet has come here." 8:8 So the king told Hazael, "Take a gift and go visit the prophet. Request from him an oracle from the Lord. Ask him, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'" 8:9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. He took along a gift, as well as forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, "Your son, King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'" 8:10 Elisha said to him, "Go and tell him, 'You will surely recover,' but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die." 8:11 Elisha just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the prophet started crying. 8:12 Hazael asked, "Why are you crying, my master?" He replied, "Because I know the trouble you will cause the Israelites. You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to bits, and rip open their pregnant women." 8:13 Hazael said, "How could your servant, who is as insignificant as a dog, accomplish this great military victory?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria." 8:14 He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad asked him, "What did Elisha tell you?" Hazael replied, "He told me you would surely recover." 8:15 The next day Hazael took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad's face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king. Jehoram's Reign over Judah 8:16 In the fifth year of the reign of Israel's King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram became king over Judah. 8:17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 8:18 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab's dynasty had done, for he married Ahab's daughter. He did evil in the sight of the Lord. 8:19 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty. 8:20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah's control and set up their own king. 8:21 Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. The Israelite army retreated to their homeland. 8:22 So Edom has remained free from Judah's control to this very day. At that same time Libnah also rebelled. 8:23 The rest of the events of Joram's reign, including a record of his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 8:24 Joram passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king. Ahaziah Takes the Throne of Judah 8:25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Israel's King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoram's son Ahaziah became king over Judah. 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. 8:27 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab's dynasty and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like Ahab's dynasty, for he was related to Ahab's family. 8:28 He joined Ahab's son Joram in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. 8:29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill. Prayer Lord, Your knowledge is perfect, and though You know the evil men plan in their hearts, Your perfecting timing sometimes means that You respond or not as is right. May I never question Your perfect knowledge and wisdom even when I do not like or understand what is happening. Commentary Elisha warned the Shunammite woman to take her son to another region as a famine was coming. She went to the land of the Philistines and when she returned she petitioned the king for the return of her property. Elisha's assistant, Gehazi, was just-then telling the king of Elisha's expressions of God's power -- including the story of bringing the Shunammite woman's son back to life -- so the king inquired then hearing her story returned her property and all that her property had produced while she was gone. Elisha traveled to Damascus, in Syria, when the king was ill. The king requested an oracle from a prophet and his assistant found Elisha. Hazael learned that the king would survive the illness but would still die. Elisha stared at Hazael then cried as the Lord God revealed to him the horrors he would visit upon the Israeli people, Hazael didn't understand until Elisha told him he would be come king.Hazael gave the king the news of his recovery then smothered him to death in his sick bed and took over as king of Syria. Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram became king over Judah but he married Ahab's daughter and did evil like Ahab and the other kings of Judah. The Edomites rebelled and when Joram, king of Israel, went to challenge them he was overwhelmingly defeated. Jehoram's son Ahaziah became king of Judah but was a descendant of Ahab and sinned against God. He joined Joram in attacking King Hazael of Syria but things went badly and Joram was injured, so Jehoram went to see him in Jezreel. Interaction Consider The Lord God continued to use Elisha to bless the faithfulness of the Shunammite widow and her son. Discuss Why would the kings have attacked Syria without first consulting Elisha? Reflect That Elisha, through God, knew what Hazael would do he was not empowered by God to stop him as the people of Israel and Judah were constantly rebellious. Share When have you experienced or observed the Lord God returning to bless again someone whom He had previously blessed in a profound way. Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you have set-off on a course of action without pausing to consult and patiently wait on God's leadership. Action: Today I will stop what I am doing and consult the Lord God via prayer and searching His Word. I will also ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement that I recognize the leadership of the Lord for my life. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: 2 Kings 9 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Feb 19 22:50:11 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 22:50:11 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Sunday - 2 Kings 9 Message-ID: <4D608F73.8070100@bibleseven.com> Sunday 2 Kings 9 Jehu Becomes King 9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild and told him, "Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 9:2 When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take him aside into an inner room. 9:3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, 'This is what the Lord says, "I have designated you as king over Israel."' Then open the door and run away quickly!" 9:4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. 9:5 When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there. So he said, "I have a message for you, O officer." Jehu asked, "For which one of us?" He replied, "For you, O officer." 9:6 So Jehu got up and went inside. Then the prophet poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, "This is what the Lord God of Israel says, 'I have designated you as king over the Lord's people Israel. 9:7 You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord's servants. 9:8 Ahab's entire family will die. I will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 9:9 I will make Ahab's dynasty like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. 9:10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be buried.'" Then he opened the door and ran away. 9:11 When Jehu rejoined his master's servants, they asked him, "Is everything all right? Why did this madman visit you?" He replied, "Ah, it's not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says." 9:12 But they said, "You're lying! Tell us what he said." So he told them what he had said. He also related how he had said, "This is what the Lord says, 'I have designated you as king over Israel.'" 9:13 Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu's feet on the steps. The trumpet was blown and they shouted, "Jehu is king!" 9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Jehu the Assassin Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army, guarding against an invasion by King Hazael of Syria. 9:15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. Jehu told his supporters, "If you really want me to be king, then don't let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel." 9:16 Jehu drove his chariot to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating there. (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram.) 9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu's troops approaching. He said, "I see troops!" Jehoram ordered, "Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, 'Is everything all right?'" 9:18 So the horseman went to meet him and said, "This is what the king says, 'Is everything all right?'" Jehu replied, "None of your business! Follow me." The watchman reported, "The messenger reached them, but hasn't started back." 9:19 So he sent a second horseman out to them and he said, "This is what the king says, 'Is everything all right?'" Jehu replied, "None of your business! Follow me." 9:20 The watchman reported, "He reached them, but hasn't started back. The one who drives the lead chariot drives like Jehu son of Nimshi; he drives recklessly." 9:21 Jehoram ordered, "Hitch up my chariot." When his chariot had been hitched up, King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots to meet Jehu. They met up with him in the plot of land that had once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. 9:22 When Jehoram saw Jehu, he asked, "Is everything all right, Jehu?" He replied, "How can everything be all right as long as your mother Jezebel promotes idolatry and pagan practices?" 9:23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. He said to Ahaziah, "It's a trap, Ahaziah!" 9:24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram's shoulders. The arrow went through his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot. 9:25 Jehu ordered his officer Bidkar, "Pick him up and throw him into the part of the field that once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. Remember, you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, when the Lord pronounced this judgment on him, 9:26 '"Know for sure that I saw the shed blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday," says the Lord, "and that I will give you what you deserve right here in this plot of land," says the Lord.' So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said." 9:27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him and ordered, "Shoot him too." They shot him while he was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam. He fled to Megiddo and died there. 9:28 His servants took his body back to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David. 9:29 Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab. 9:30 Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner, fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window. 9:31 When Jehu came through the gate, she said, "Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?" 9:32 He looked up at the window and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 9:33 He said, "Throw her down!" So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground, her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her. 9:34 He went inside and had a meal. Then he said, "Dispose of this accursed woman's corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king's daughter." 9:35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. 9:36 When they went back and told him, he said, "The Lord's word through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, has come to pass. He warned, 'In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel's flesh. 9:37 Jezebel's corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.'" Prayer Lord, Your prophesies always come true, even though fallen man makes things messier than they need to be. May I trust You and not try to rush things that You have ordained. Commentary Elisha sent one of his young student prophets to Jehu with instructions to privately anoint him with oil and inform him that he would become king of Israel in place of Joram, a descendant of Ahab. The young prophet did as he was told. He is recorded in the text as having delivered a much more detailed message than that recorded in Elisha's instructions to him. Jehu tried to pretend with his nearby friends that the young prophet said nothing worth repeating but they chided him until he shared and then they laid down their jackets and celebrated as if he was already king. Jehu immediately began a conspiracy to kill Joram. Jehu marched to Jezreel where king Joram of Israel was recovering from his battle injuries and king Ahaziah of Judah was visiting him. When Jehu refused to reply to the two messengers he sent, and they were informed that the chariot driver drove wildly in the style of Jehu, Joram and Ahaziah rode out to meet him. Jehu murdered Joram and then chased and murdered Ahaziah as well. As he was chasing Ahaziah he encouraged his men by quoting the prophesy of God's vengeance against the families of both kings. Jehu then went into Jezreel and was challenged by Jezebel. He challenged her eunuchs to prove their loyalty to him as their new king and they threw her out the window. She died and was devoured by dogs as had been prophesied. Interaction Consider The names Joram and Jeho'ram are, inexplicably, used interchangeably in the text. Easton's Bible Dictionary asserts that both are acceptable renderings of the name from the original text. There is no explanation given as to why each translation would not choose one or the other in order to avoid confusion. Discuss Does it not seem that the arrogance of Jezebel contributed to her death? Rather than welcome Jehu and attempt an alliance she insulted him. Reflect The prophet had not instructed Jehu to kill either of the kings, though when He sent the prophesy to Jehu via the prophet the Lord God surely knew that he was not a mature or patient man. Share When have you experienced or observed someone who believed they were receiving a promotion and either tried to rush the process or began to act as if they had already been promoted? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place he plans to increase your authority and your responsibilities. Action: Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement, and be my accountability-partner so that I do not get out ahead of the Lord and that I am careful to use my new authority to meet my responsibilities with wisdom from Him. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: 2 Kings 10 -- 11:20 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Sat Feb 19 22:15:23 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 22:15:23 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: The Shocking Truth About UFOs, Ghosts and Psychic Powers Message-ID: <4D60874B.1020501@lightlink.com> *The Shocking Truth About UFOs, Ghosts, * *and Psychic Powers* Part One - The Tasmanian Devil * * * *Are UFO's really spacecraft belonging to an intelligent life-form from some other galaxy? If not, what is behind this phenomenon? Are ghosts real? If so, are they the departed souls of human beings? Can the living speak to the dead? Can human beings read the minds of other human beings or discern things about which they have no natural knowledge, like the fictional TV show, "Medium," or famous real life psychics like John Edwards? Real or imagined, is there a connection between all of these phenomenon? * *In 1978 I attended the first world congress of the New Age movement in Anaheim, California. My guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation, was there along with Uri Geller, the Israeli psychic, Ruth Carter Stapleton, George Lucas, author and producer of "Star Wars", the leaders of the Findhorn Foundation, a British community that works with nature spirits, astrologists, Tibetan priests, fortune tellers, white witches, Satanists, medicine men, sorcerers, and every ilk of New Age occult practitioner and New Age spiritualist known to man. The theme was "unity in diversity" and the buzzword was "synergy". Leaders and organizers of the event enthused us with the open forum announcement that we, the New Age people, would spearhead the transition from the old Piscean Age into the new Aquarian Age by influencing society world-wide at every level with the New Age message: "We are all God, and every spiritual path, no matter how diverse, leads to the discovery and awakening of our god-consciousness, ultimately resulting in peace and fulfillment for mankind in the New Age." maharishi What an amazing and wonderful message. We are all "god," and no matter what we believe or practice, the ultimate result will be peace and fulfillment for mankind. Who would not be attracted to that message? And who, thirty-three years later, can deny the influence that the New Age message has had and continues to have, especially in America and the western world...even in the church of Jesus Christ? This message, we were told, would infiltrate all forms of media, education, science, commerce, politics, and religion, including the Christian religion (typically seen as the only religion antithetical toward the New Age movement). An entire generation of children would be powerfully influenced by the New Age message from birth through mature adulthood, and it would be this generation that would experience the fulfillment of the Aquarian Age. Uri Geller, the famous Israeli psychic, told us that the New Age would be ushered in through a crucible of change during which the entire world would experience unprecedented conflict and disaster. An advanced alien he called "IS" (Intelligence in the Sky) from a planet called "Hoova", informed him that they had experienced the same crucible of change themselves and that they had been watching the human struggle for centuries. They would not interfere until, in a single night, at the peak of the conflict, they would remove millions of humans who resist this initiation into a higher spiritual consciousness and "re-educate" them before returning them to Earth a few years later. Seven years earlier, at the ripe old age of thirty-one, as a Deist who was skeptical about both Christianity and New Age religion and occult practices, including all claims of "psychic" or paranormal phenomenon, I experienced my own "awakening" when my former wife and I attended a Transcendental Meditation seminar in Hobart, Tasmania. It was advertised as a psychological exercise to enhance creativity, and, after the initial orientation, each person was told to bring a small offering of fruit or flowers to place on an altar under the photograph of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. We were told that this was not a religious exercise but a traditional form of acknowledging and thanking the guru for the knowledge being imparted to us (in addition to the fee, of course). After placing the gift on the altar each individual was given a secret mantra, a Sanskrit phrase (which was not translated for us) that we were to repeat in private over and over with our eyes closed to induce the meditational state of transcendent awareness. If we had been told the truth, that this phrase was an invitation to a Hindu "god" to invade our consciousness and "enlighten" us, we would not have participated, but we accepted the explanation without question. Within a week of beginning this practice my former wife and I were experiencing telepathic thought transference, including visual images. We were surprised but delighted by this experience of being able to hold a mental image in our minds and have the other "see" that image in their own mind, but we assumed that this was a form of natural mental phenomenon made possible by entering the transcendent state of awareness brought on by our frequent meditations. I still rejected all notions of reincarnation and any other "spiritual" experience claimed by various religionists from Christianity through Zoroastrianism, but I now had a chink in my mental armor concerning paranormal events. We were sharing a house with another couple in Hobart, Tasmania, and with the help of a former university professor I had submitted a grant request to the IUCN/WWF to study the status of Tasmanian Tiger. I woke up one morning after dreaming that I had received a letter from the IUCN/WWF granting me a project number, project 1064, in partnership with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. With some excitement I told my wife and our housemates about my dream, and when the mail came at 1pm the letter arrived. We crowded around as I opened the letter, and it was verbatim what I had dreamed, including the specific project number. I had no choice then but to admit that something outside what I considered to be "normal" was in operation. To be closer to my field research we moved into a large farmhouse with three other couples in the northwest of Tasmania, a farm commune of sorts, with a geodesic dome greenhouse, a ten acre onion field for our cash crop, and a vegetable garden for our own consumption. The chink in my mental armor widened again one night when I woke up to experience a strange vision in which I saw a Mayan sorcerer in full, brightly feathered regalia with strange symbols floating around in the background. This vision frightened me, and I did not know what to think about it. One of our housemates who believed in reincarnation said, "You had a vision about one of your past lives, mate. You're beginning to remember who you are. That's really cool." Upon returning to Texas a year later, my ex-wife and I joined the Inner Peace Movement, a quasi-religious psychic awareness group. They taught us how to ask and receive guidance from the angelic hierarchy or guardian angels each of us had. We had no way of knowing that these "guardian angels" were really demonic "familiar spirits" sent to guide us into the so-called "deeper things of Satan". These so-called "deeper things of Satan" included out-of-body "astral projection", mediumship, dream interpretation, visions, and even telepathic hypnosis. The way it works is quite simple. If I have opened the doors to demonic connections in my spirit then I have a direct demonic connection to anyone else who is connected in the same way. I am, in a sense, "wirelessly" connected to them on the spiritual internet via demonic conduits. When the British were still exploring Australia they discovered what they called "the bush telegraph." An aboriginal sorcerer in Melbourne, though he did not speak the same language as a similar sorcerer in Alice Springs, could go into trance and receive visual images of the British exploration party arriving in Alice Springs as it happened. The sorcerer in Melbourne then reported how many horses, how many white men, how many camels, how many camel drivers, etc. in the party arriving in Alice Springs. This information was recorded, but it was not confirmed until the British authorities in Melbourne received a report from the exploration party months later. In the 1950's a British couple studying paranormal phenomenon set up two 16mm cameras to watch an Indian rope charmer do his "trick" for an audience of more than two hundred people. What this couple witnessed was the old man in his turban sitting in front of a large clay pot filled with rope while his assistant, a young boy, sat beside him. As the old man rocked back and forth chanting, the rope began to uncoil and stretch out skyward. When the rope was at its full length the young boy climbed the rope, and then he climbed back down. The rope then fell neatly back into the clay pot. The couple then interviewed as many of those in the astonished audience as they could, and everyone in the audience saw exactly the same thing. A month later, after the film was developed, the couple were shocked to find that during the entire event the rope did not uncoil as they had "seen", and the boy did not climb the rope as they had "seen." All that was recorded on the film was the old man rocking back and forth as he chanted with his eyes closed. What the audience had "seen" was what the old man projected from his own mind via the wireless connection provided by demons. All psychic powers and mediumship work in the same way. Astral projection, for instance, is easily explained. The "psychic" thinks that it is his own soul that leaves his body and travels wherever it wills, but the familiar spirit (demon) is simply acting like a remote camera. The demon having access to the adept's thoughts, knows where the adept wants to go, and he "flys" him to the destination, even passing through walls, so that the adept is viewing a live broadcast of real time events. In one case I willed in a trance state to go into the microscopic level of a leaf I was holding in my hand, and I was transported there with the same ease that I had in willing myself to visit a certain house or a certain person. As for mediums communicating with the dead, apart from the hucksters who pretend mediumship for gain, the communications are real, but the communications are with a familiar spirit (demon) who knows and is familiar with the life of the departed. The demon's answers, then, frequently contain information that the medium could not possibly know, but the family member seeking communication with his/her dearly departed is convinced that they are actually communicating with the dearly departed. In regard to what I believed was a prophetic dream about the future, the demons knew the content of the letter from IUCN/WWF as it was written, and they simply transferred that information to me in a dream. The deceptive purpose, of course, was to make me believe that I had a "prophetic" dream. Demons do not have omniscience. Any dreams they project to men about the future beyond their immediate knowledge are speculative. But, by comparison, the prophetic dreams given to Christian believers by God are from an omniscient source. It is easy, then, to understand Satan's motive in all of this. He can give his "psychics," mediums, sorcerers, gurus and other adepts all kinds of very real spiritual experiences to deceive them into believing that what they are experiencing is true spirituality. In George Lucas's own terms it is being connected to "the force." New Agers even use the same phrase that Christians use to describe the empowerments of the Holy Spirit. They call their various manifestations of demonic empowerment, "spiritual gifts." It is through this demonic empowerment disguised as "spiritual gifts" (though the source of these "gifts" is rarely explored or explained) that Satan introduced all false religion into the world. All false scripture from the Bhagavad Gita to the Book of Mormon have been introduced in exactly this way. And it is all for the same purpose. Satan desires to be worshipped as "god," which will be played out to its full extent when he possesses the man who will become the AntiChrist as that devil-man, in imitation of the God-man, Jesus Christ, announces to the world that he is "god," the "Messiah," in the rebuilt temple of Soloman in Jerusalem. In another group, spirits who identified themselves as "The Universal Mind", avatars, or even by the name "Paul", spoke to us through a medium and counseled us as we asked questions related to our individual lives or to spiritual truth in general. Their answers seemed gentle and wise, and various members of the group bore witness about how the advice given to them through the medium had worked out. A well known Abilene astrologer was known to everyone in the group, and, of course, we all had our charts done and had personal hand reading sessions with her. I was particularly impressed when she revealed something about me that no one knew about.The "watchers" (familiar spirits) knew about it, though, and they communicated it to her for the purpose of giving her credibility, not only in my mind, but in hers as well. Each of us, it seemed, had begun our lives, at least through high school, as nominal practicing Christians. Some even believed that they were still "Christians", but the only churches they felt comfortable in were the Catholic Church or the Unity Church. At that time I read a book from my grandfather's library, a book that had belonged to his grandfather, General John Sayles, a thirty-third degree Mason, after whom the Abilene chapter of the Masonic Lodge is named. The book was "Morals and Dogma" by Albert Pike, and I recognized it immediately as an occult work. Afterwards, that gave me insight into the Satanic origin and purpose of the Masonic Lodge that has compromised a great many "born again" believers in Jesus Christ who have accepted their participation in that "brotherhood" as being an elite Christian community. The Masonic Lodge, though, teaches "works" and initiations rather than grace, and the Satanic purpose of dividing the body of Christ through elitism is clearly evident. Our attitude and the attitude of the "seekers" we associated with was that the traditional denominational Christian churches were dead, or, worse, hopelessly mediocre and lacking the vitality, inspiration, and power of Jesus Christ's teachings. And nothing could be less appetizing to those who hunger after God than a luke-warm religion. How could we guess that we were partially right about the mediocrity and lifelessness of much of the modern Christian church but completely wrong about the source of the marvelous spiritual power we were experiencing? We knew that witchcraft and sorcery were wrong, but we were seekers of the bright white light of God's presence, on the high path of illumination, having chosen this lifetime to help usher in the new "Aquarian Age" as the old "Piscean Age" draws to a close. This change would occur as a change in world spiritual consciousness, which we would help bring about. But something went terribly wrong. My ex-wife began to hear voices. Her "guides", as they called themselves, told her that she had been initiated into the next higher level of illumination, but the result of her initiation included sexual perversity, anger, resentment, violence, and a loss of contact with reality. Our spiritual friends were convinced that she was schizophrenic and/or demon-possessed, but with all our "spiritual" power we were helpless to do anything for her. And when I refused to support and participate in her deepening confusion, she divorced me. Although I drew back from my occult associations, I was still convinced that I was on the path of illumination, and I identified so strongly with the New Age Movement that I attended the first World Congress of the New Age Movement in Anaheim, California as I have reported in the opening paragraphs of this article. As a New Ager I believed that Jesus Christ was one of many Avatars (world saviors) or perfected beings who incarnate from time to time to guide us through the process of spiritual awakening. And those who were involved in the New Age Movement sensed that the time limit for this process, which had been taking place throughout the past ages, was rushing headlong toward a crisis as the new "Aquarian Age" was about to dawn. We believed that this New Age would be forged out of the crucible of tribulation, and the world would either be saved or condemned to destruction by our acceptance or lack of acceptance of this New Age "initiation" into a higher level of spiritual consciousness. This is still the prevailing "prophetic" belief among the myriad of New Age practitioners, and the connection with end times AntiChrist deceptions is obvious. New Agers are the ultimate left wingers who will be "tuned in" to the false prophet, who will totally accept a one world religion (tolerant of all the paths to god-consciousness other than genuine Christianity), and who will eagerly accept the mark of the beast. I should have been able to distinguish the signs as many of the seekers I knew began to experience incredible social, psychological and spiritual wreckage in their lives. However, I stubbornly believed that it was a matter of maintaining balance and awareness along the narrow path of illumination, a path that was often dangerous, perhaps even treacherous. It was, after all, as George Lucas preached, only a matter of whether we used "the force" for good or for evil. Fortunately for me I met and married a beautiful Christian lady named Peggy. She had prayed to meet and marry a strong, Christian family man, but she fell in love with a long-haired, bushy-bearded hippie cowboy who thought it was cute to say he was a "Calathumpian Bush Bhuddist" or a "Zen Christian". Undaunted by the strength and resolution of my convictions, Peggy and her friends prayed for me and urged me to attend church with her. I resented their efforts, because I held Christians in contempt, especially Southern Baptist Christians. But I finally attended Sunday school as much for the opportunity to debate with shallow-minded Christians as to please her. /* For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.*/1 Corinthians 1:18 NASB (emphasis is the author's) God has a way of reaching us, though, through the agency we most despise. Then as I began to hear the word of God preached and taught with conviction, the Holy Spirit gave me "ears to hear", and I struggled between what I had believed and what I was now receiving from God. I was too rich in spiritual pride and too wise in the profound knowledge of the so-called deeper things of Satan to give in easily. And I resisted the Spirit of truth with all my might, but the outcome was never in doubt with God. Through a miraculous circumstance I was allowed to chaperone the youth to the Baptist Encampment at Lueders, Texas. I was neither a church member nor a Christian at the time, and I was changed as much as any boy there when God opened my heart, opened it against all reason, against a long history of cynicism, against the power of Satan's cruel imagination, opened my heart and demonstrated the greatest miracle of all, the life-changing miracle of God's love and redemptive purpose through the life, death, and resurrection of His only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. * /For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - not of works, lest any man should boast. /*Ephesians 2:8 NIV Before my regeneration experience I attended one last trance medium session (s?ance) against Peggy's will. The voice of the Universal Mind was as gentle and wise as ever, but I was prompted, as I know now, by the Holy Spirit to ask one particular question. "Who are you truly?" *The Shocking Truth About UFOs, Ghosts, * *and Psychic Powers* A great, physical, almost paralyzing heaviness came over me as I heard the answer. *"I am the one you know as god."* I knew intuitively that if the one speaking to me really was GOD I would have fallen on my face in reverential awe. Instead, all I felt was a heavy, dark spirit of confusion and doubt. Later I would be reminded of William Blake's vision of Satan, the long white hair and flowing beard, the strong but gentle hands, the piercing eyes and white robe, all exactly the same as his vision of God the Creator except for one barely discernible flaw, a cloven hoof. The one I had known as god was Satan himself, the god of this age, prince of the powers of the air, disguised as an angel of light, */who would deceive the very elect if that be possible./* */ /**/For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants/*...(deceived men, not demons)...*/also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. /*2 Corinthians 11:14 NASB I had known Satan as "god," and he had deceived me in his attempt to make me one of his many ministers of deception. But I was rescued by the Lord to become a witness against Satan and a witness to the truth. Part 2 - The Ultimate Conman Exposed -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: nature_header1.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 5502 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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URL: From hpp3 at lavabit.com Sun Feb 20 10:03:47 2011 From: hpp3 at lavabit.com (hpp3 at lavabit.com) Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 10:03:47 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Linux4christians] (no subject) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7231.38.100.225.206.1298214227.squirrel@lavabit.com> Virus target, don't click... > > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Feb 20 20:33:57 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:33:57 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Monday_-_2_Kings_10_=96_11=3A?= =?windows-1252?q?20?= Message-ID: <4D61C105.1020708@bibleseven.com> Monday 2 Kings 10 ? 11:20 Jehu Wipes Out Ahab?s Family 10:1 Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab?s dynasty. This is what the letters said, 10:2 ?You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives, 10:3 pick the best and most capable of your master?s sons, place him on his father?s throne, and defend your master?s dynasty.? 10:4 They were absolutely terrified and said, ?Look, two kings could not stop him! How can we?? 10:5 So the palace supervisor, the city commissioner, the leaders, and the guardians sent this message to Jehu, ?We are your subjects! Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.? 10:6 He wrote them a second letter, saying, ?If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, then take the heads of your master?s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.? Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent men of the city were raising them. 10:7 When they received the letter, they seized the king?s sons and executed all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. 10:8 The messenger came and told Jehu, ?They have brought the heads of the king?s sons.? Jehu said, ?Stack them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.? 10:9 In the morning he went out and stood there. Then he said to all the people, ?You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him. But who struck down all of these men? 10:10 Therefore take note that not one of the judgments the Lord announced against Ahab?s dynasty has failed to materialize. The Lord had done what he announced through his servant Elijah.? 10:11 Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab?s family in Jezreel, and all his nobles, close friends, and priests. He left no survivors. 10:12 Jehu then left there and set out for Samaria. While he was traveling through Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 10:13 Jehu encountered the relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked, ?Who are you?? They replied, ?We are Ahaziah?s relatives. We have come down to see how the king?s sons and the queen mother?s sons are doing.? 10:14 He said, ?Capture them alive!? So they captured them alive and then executed all forty-two of them in the cistern at Beth Eked. He left no survivors. 10:15 When he left there, he met Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who had been looking for him. Jehu greeted him and asked, ?Are you as committed to me as I am to you?? Jehonadab answered, ?I am!? Jehu replied, ?If so, give me your hand.? So he offered his hand and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot. 10:16 Jehu said, ?Come with me and see how zealous I am for the Lord?s cause.? So he took him along in his chariot. 10:17 He went to Samaria and exterminated all the members of Ahab?s family who were still alive in Samaria, just as the Lord had announced to Elijah. Jehu Executes the Prophets and Priests of Baal 10:18 Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, ?Ahab worshiped Baal a little; Jehu will worship him with great devotion. 10:19 So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests. None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to Baal. Any of them who fail to appear will lose their lives.? But Jehu was tricking them so he could destroy the servants of Baal. 10:20 Then Jehu ordered, ?Make arrangements for a celebration for Baal.? So they announced it. 10:21 Jehu sent invitations throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not one was absent. They arrived at the temple of Baal and filled it up from end to end. 10:22 Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe, ?Bring out robes for all the servants of Baal.? So he brought out robes for them. 10:23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went to the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the servants of Baal, ?Make sure there are no servants of the Lord here with you; there must be only servants of Baal.? 10:24 They went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside. He had told them, ?If any of the men inside get away, you will pay with your lives!? 10:25 When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard and officers, ?Come in and strike them down! Don?t let any escape!? So the royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies lying there. Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. 10:26 They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. 10:27 They demolished the sacred pillar of Baal and the temple of Baal; it is used as a latrine to this very day. 10:28 So Jehu eradicated Baal worship from Israel. A Summary of Jehu?s Reign 10:29 However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves remained in Bethel and Dan. 10:30 The Lord said to Jehu, ?You have done well. You have accomplished my will and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab?s dynasty. Therefore four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.? 10:31 But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the Lord God of Israel. He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit. 10:32 In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel?s territory. Hazael attacked their eastern border. 10:33 He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan. 10:34 The rest of the events of Jehu?s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 10:35 Jehu passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king. 10:36 Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria. Athaliah is Eliminated 11:1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line. 11:2 So Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah?s son Joash and sneaked him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. So he was hidden from Athaliah and escaped execution. 11:3 He hid out with his nurse in the Lord?s temple for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land. 11:4 In the seventh year Jehoiada summoned the officers of the units of hundreds of the Carians and the royal bodyguard. He met with them in the Lord?s temple. He made an agreement with them and made them swear an oath of allegiance in the Lord?s temple. Then he showed them the king?s son. 11:5 He ordered them, ?This is what you must do. One third of the unit that is on duty during the Sabbath will guard the royal palace. 11:6 Another third of you will be stationed at the Foundation Gate. Still another third of you will be stationed at the gate behind the royal guard. You will take turns guarding the palace. 11:7 The two units who are off duty on the Sabbath will guard the Lord?s temple and protect the king. 11:8 You must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever approaches your ranks must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.? 11:9 The officers of the units of hundreds did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath, and reported to Jehoiada the priest. 11:10 The priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David?s spears and the shields that were kept in the Lord?s temple. 11:11 The royal bodyguard took their stations, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. 11:12 Jehoiada led out the king?s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. They clapped their hands and cried out, ?Long live the king!? 11:13 When Athaliah heard the royal guard shout, she joined the crowd at the Lord?s temple. 11:14 Then she saw the king standing by the pillar, according to custom. The officers stood beside the king with their trumpets and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, ?Treason, treason!? 11:15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, ?Bring her outside the temple to the guards. Put the sword to anyone who follows her.? The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord?s temple. 11:16 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses? entrance. There she was executed. 11:17 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the Lord. 11:18 All the people of the land went and demolished the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols to bits. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar. Jehoiada the priest then placed guards at the Lord?s temple. 11:19 He took the officers of the units of hundreds, the Carians, the royal bodyguard, and all the people of land, and together they led the king down from the Lord?s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Gate of the Royal Bodyguard, and the king sat down on the royal throne. 11:20 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace. Prayer Lord, You use the available tools to fulfill Your prophesy and the occasional willing leader to purge the land of evil. May I be more than available, and more than occasionally willing, but rather strive to be always-available and always-willing. Commentary Jehu convinced the frightened leaders in the home town of Ahab to kill his sons, then he killed the rest of his family and associates. He also killed forty-two of the relatives of Ahaziah. Jehu then tricked the priest of Baal into their temple and had them all killed, he destroyed their temple, and their idols and altars. Jehu did not destroy the sacred cows and therefore was only partially obedient to the Lord God. He was promised only four generations of descendants as kings. Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah conspired to destroy the rest of the family line after his death, but his sister hid his son Joash. The priest Jehoiada gathered warriors to protect Joash and then crowned him king of Judah. They executed Athaliah and Mattan the priest of Baal and destroyed the temples and artifacts of the worship of the false god of Baal. Interaction Consider Jehu used clever strategy to fulfill part of the prophesy of the Lord God, to purge the land of the descendants of disobedient kings, and to purge the places of worship of Baal. It was a form of warfare, just as was the original taking of the Promised Land, which made the strategy and violence acceptable before the Lord. Discuss Why would Jehu not get rid of the golden calves at the same time he was getting rid of the Baal worship? Reflect The Lord God used the aunt of young Joash to keep him alive, then the priest and many soldiers to protect him as they elevated him to king of Judah. This was a pattern of God, choosing to work through several faithful and willing people. Share When have you observed leaders dealing with one obvious problem but leaving another equally-obvious problem unaddressed? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where an idol, great or small, still needs to be removed. Action: Today I will celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, removing one idol, and I will partner with Him to remove the one that I previously ignored, missed, or have tolerated. It may be too much attention focused on a mere human celebrity, displacing the Lord God. It may a hobby, or money, a worry or an obsession, it may be something from the past or the present which I don't allow the Lord to heal, it may be a lust for a pleasure in this world or a retreat from the world to where I am useless for evangelistic-missions. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday's text will be: 2 Kings 11:21 ? 13:13 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Mon Feb 21 19:24:11 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:24:11 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Tuesday_-_2_Kings_11=3A21_=96?= =?windows-1252?q?_13=3A13?= Message-ID: <4D63022B.9070004@bibleseven.com> Tuesday 2 Kings 11:21 ? 13:13 Joash?s Reign over Judah 11:21 (12:1) Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign. 12:1 (12:2) In Jehu?s seventh year Jehoash became king; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 12:2 Throughout his lifetime Jehoash did what the Lord approved, just as Jehoiada the priest taught him. 12:3 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 12:4 Jehoash said to the priests, ?I place at your disposal all the consecrated silver that has been brought to the Lord?s temple, including the silver collected from the census tax, the silver received from those who have made vows, and all the silver that people have voluntarily contributed to the Lord?s temple. 12:5 The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair any damage to the temple they discover.? 12:6 By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash?s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple. 12:7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, ?Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage.? 12:8 The priests agreed not to collect silver from the people and relieved themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs. 12:9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of the Lord?s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the Lord?s temple. 12:10 When they saw the chest was full of silver, the royal secretary and the high priest counted the silver that had been brought to the Lord?s temple and bagged it up. 12:11 They would then hand over the silver that had been weighed to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord?s temple. They hired carpenters and builders to work on the Lord?s temple, 12:12 as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to repair the damage to the Lord?s temple and also paid for all the other expenses. 12:13 The silver brought to the Lord?s temple was not used for silver bowls, trimming shears, basins, trumpets, or any kind of gold or silver implements. 12:14 It was handed over to the foremen who used it to repair the Lord?s temple. 12:15 They did not audit the treasurers who disbursed the funds to the foremen, for they were honest. 12:16 (The silver collected in conjunction with reparation offerings and sin offerings was not brought to the Lord?s temple; it belonged to the priests.) 12:17 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked Gath and captured it. Hazael then decided to attack Jerusalem. 12:18 King Jehoash of Judah collected all the sacred items that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had consecrated, as well as his own sacred items and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of the Lord?s temple and the royal palace. He sent it all to King Hazael of Syria, who then withdrew from Jerusalem. 12:19 The rest of the events of Joash?s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 12:20 His servants conspired against him and murdered Joash at Beth-Millo, on the road that goes down to Silla. 12:21 His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered him. He was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Amaziah replaced him as king. Jehoahaz?s Reign over Israel 13:1 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Judah?s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehu?s son Jehoahaz became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for seventeen years. 13:2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He continued in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who had encouraged Israel to sin; he did not repudiate those sins. 13:3 The Lord was furious with Israel and handed them over to King Hazael of Syria and to Hazael?s son Ben Hadad for many years. 13:4 Jehoahaz asked for the Lord?s mercy and the Lord responded favorably, for he saw that Israel was oppressed by the king of Syria. 13:5 The Lord provided a deliverer for Israel and they were freed from Syria?s power. The Israelites once more lived in security. 13:6 But they did not repudiate the sinful ways of the family of Jeroboam, who encouraged Israel to sin; they continued in those sins. There was even an Asherah pole standing in Samaria. 13:7 Jehoahaz had no army left except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Syria had destroyed his troops and trampled on them like dust. 13:8 The rest of the events of Jehoahaz?s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 13:9 Jehoahaz passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Joash replaced him as king. Jehoash?s Reign over Israel 13:10 In the thirty-seventh year of King Joash?s reign over Judah, Jehoahaz?s son Jehoash became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for sixteen years. 13:11 He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin; he continued in those sins. 13:12 The rest of the events of Joash?s reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 13:13 Joash passed away and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Prayer Lord, partial faithfulness to You results in partial blessings from You. May I mature day by day so that I draw ever closer and more obedient to You. Commentary Joash/Jeh'oash became king at seven years old and generally followed the Lord God, other than failing to abolish the high places of improper worship. He commanded that the temple silver be used to repair the temple but the priests failed to get the job done and some time later he challenged Jehoiada the high priest to get the job done, so they hired contractors and the work was immediately begun. King Hazael marched on Jerusalem so Joash/Jeh'oash sent all of the gold and gold articles he could find and Hazael was satisfied to turn away from his attack. In the same year that Joash/Jeh'oash caused the repairs to the temple in Judah to finally begin Jehu?s son Jehoahaz became king over Israel. Jehoahaz was disobedient to the Lord God so the Syrians were allowed to destroy their army and oppress them for a time. Jehoahaz cried out to the Lord and He broke the hold of the Syrians. Jehoahaz?s son Jehoash became king over Israel but continued his father's evil ways. King Joash/Jeh'oash of Judah was murdered by some evil servants and his son Jeroboam became king. Interaction Consider King Joash/Jeh'oash might have been empowered by the Lord God to accomplish more but he, inexplicably, failed to remove the high places of worship. Discuss What would the priest have failed to make repairs to the temple? The text doesn't say that they were stealing the silver, perhaps they lacked the skills? Reflect Joash/Jeh'oash was wise enough to bribe the Syrians to not attack Jerusalem in Judah, Jehoahaz was so rebellious before the Lord God that the Syrians were allowed to overrun Israel for a time. Share When have you experienced or observed a situation where the resources to do a good work were available but were hoarded rather than used for the intended purpose? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place here you may be failing to act out of fear of failure or neglect even though the Lord God has otherwise provided the necessary resources. Action: Today I will step out in faith, and invite others with talents I lack, to serve the Lord God in whatever way He has called and provided. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Wednesday's text will be: 2 Kings 13:14 - 14 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Feb 22 22:13:40 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:13:40 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Wednesday - 2 Kings 13:14 - 14 Message-ID: <4D647B64.5080403@bibleseven.com> Wednesday 2 Kings 13:14 - 14 Elisha Makes One Final Prophecy 13:14 Now Elisha had a terminal illness. King Joash of Israel went down to visit him. He wept before him and said, "My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!" 13:15 Elisha told him, "Take a bow and some arrows," and he did so. 13:16 Then Elisha told the king of Israel, "Aim the bow." He did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king's hands. 13:17 Elisha said, "Open the east window," and he did so. Elisha said, "Shoot!" and he did so. Elisha said, "This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria. You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!" 13:18 Then Elisha said, "Take the arrows," and he did so. He told the king of Israel, "Strike the ground!" He struck the ground three times and stopped. 13:19 The prophet got angry at him and said, "If you had struck the ground five or six times, you would have annihilated Syria! But now, you will defeat Syria only three times." 13:20 Elisha died and was buried. Moabite raiding parties invaded the land at the beginning of the year. 13:21 One day some men were burying a man when they spotted a raiding party. So they threw the dead man into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man came to life and stood on his feet. 13:22 Now King Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz's reign. 13:23 But the Lord had mercy on them and felt pity for them. He extended his favor to them because of the promise he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very day. 13:24 When King Hazael of Syria died, his son Ben Hadad replaced him as king. 13:25 Jehoahaz's son Jehoash took back from Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Joash defeated him three times and recovered the Israelite cities. Amaziah's Reign over Judah 14:1 In the second year of the reign of Israel's King Joash son of Joahaz, Joash's son Amaziah became king over Judah. 14:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 14:3 He did what the Lord approved, but not like David his father. He followed the example of his father Joash. 14:4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 14:5 When he had secured control of the kingdom, he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. 14:6 But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord's commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, "Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do, and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do. A man must be put to death only for his own sin." 14:7 He defeated 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day. 14:8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, "Come, let's meet face to face." 14:9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, "A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, 'Give your daughter to my son as a wife.' Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn. 14:10 You thoroughly defeated Edom and it has gone to your head! Gloat over your success, but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?" 14:11 But Amaziah would not heed the warning, so King Jehoash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 14:12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. 14:13 King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He attacked Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate -- a distance of about six hundred feet. 14:14 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord's temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria. ( 14:15 The rest of the events of Jehoash's reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 14:16 Jehoash passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.) 14:17 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 14:18 The rest of the events of Amaziah's reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 14:19 Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him and they killed him there. 14:20 His body was carried back by horses and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the city of David. 14:21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah's place. 14:22 Azariah built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king had passed away. Jeroboam II's Reign over Israel 14:23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah's King Amaziah, son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria. 14:24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 14:25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of the Arabah in the south, in accordance with the word of the Lord God of Israel announced through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 14:26 The Lord saw Israel's intense suffering; everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer. 14:27 The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel's memory from under heaven, so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash. 14:28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam's reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 14:29 Jeroboam passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah replaced him as king. Prayer Lord, when we don't listen we miss Your promises. May I be a good listener, to You and to others. Commentary Elisha's last miracle/promise/prophesy was to King Joash of Israel. Joash did not respond to his instructions correctly, so the promise was less powerful than Elisha had intended. After Elisha died, and King Hazael of Syria died, Joash fulfilled the limited promise by driving Ben Hadad of Syria out of three regions in Israel which Hazael had conquered. Amaziah became king of Judah and led a very successful battle against the Edomites and then he challenged King Joash of Israel. Joash warned him to not be too bold after only one victory but Amaziah continued to threaten them so Israel attacked and defeated Judah. Joash tore down part of the wall around Jerusalem and sacked the temple and royal palace for gold and silver, then took Amaziah and several others captive. Joash died and his son Jeroboam replaced him as king of Israel. Amaziah also died and his son Azariah became king of Judah. Although he failed to discourage false gods Jeroboam was successful in restoring Israelite control of border regions. Interaction Consider Jeroboam possessed military skills and God desired to restore much of the coastline which Israel had lost, so despite his failure to purge evil from Israel the Lord God used him. Discuss Why would Amaziah of Judah threaten Joash of Israel? Reflect Had Joash listened closely to Elisha and obeyed fully he would have been empowered to obliterate Syria as an enemy. Share When have you experienced or observed the Lord God blessing someone either in spite of their limited obedience and not as completely as He might have because of their limited obedience? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you are not listening closely and not obeying fully. Action: Today I will pause and pray and listen closely to the Lord God for what He has been trying to tell me. I will do so several times during the day and make time to reflect upon what I believe He is saying and to consult my Bible. As appropriate I will ask a fellow believer to listen to my reflections, to pray in-agreement for wisdom, and to share anything the Lord may reveal to them. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Thursday's text will be: 2 Kings 15 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Wed Feb 23 20:28:56 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:28:56 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Thursday - 2 Kings 15 Message-ID: <4D65B458.8080001@bibleseven.com> Thursday 2 Kings 15 Azariah's Reign over Judah 15:1 In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam's reign over Israel, Amaziah's son Azariah became king over Judah. 15:2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. 15:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. 15:4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 15:5 The Lord afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, while his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land. 15:6 The rest of the events of Azariah's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 15:7 Azariah passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Jotham replaced him as king. Zechariah's Reign over Israel 15:8 In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah's reign over Judah, Jeroboam's son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for six months. 15:9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestors had done. He did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam and took his place as king. 15:11 The rest of the events of Zechariah's reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 15:12 His assassination brought to fulfillment the Lord's word to Jehu, "Four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel." That is exactly what happened. 15:13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah's reign over Judah. He reigned for one month in Samaria. 15:14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh. He killed him and took his place as king. 15:15 The rest of the events of Shallum's reign, including the conspiracy he organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 15:16 At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not surrender. He even ripped open the pregnant women. Menahem's Reign over Israel 15:17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah's reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for twelve years in Samaria. 15:18 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. During his reign, 15:19 Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and to solidify his control of the kingdom. 15:20 Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took fifty shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land. 15:21 The rest of the events of Menahem's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 15:22 Menahem passed away and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king. Pekahiah's Reign over Israel 15:23 In the fiftieth year of King Azariah's reign over Judah, Menahem's son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for two years. 15:24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:25 His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and fifty Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace. Pekah then took his place as king. 15:26 The rest of the events of Pekahiah's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. Pekah's Reign over Israel 15:27 In the fifty-second year of King Azariah's reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for twenty years. 15:28 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:29 During Pekah's reign over Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people to Assyria. 15:30 Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated him and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah. 15:31 The rest of the events of Pekah's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. Jotham's Reign over Judah 15:32 In the second year of the reign of Israel's King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah's son Jotham became king over Judah. 15:33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 15:34 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. 15:35 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord's temple. 15:36 The rest of the events of Jotham's reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 15:37 In those days the Lord prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah to attack Judah. 15:38 Jotham passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king. Prayer Lord, when leaders compromise with Your great and perfect plan everyone around them suffers. May I take care to do things Your way and not make excuses for exceptions which rebel against You. Commentary Azariah became king over Judah at the age of 16 but failed to remove the high places -- after a time the Lord God visited him with a skin disease so his son Jotham functioned as the public ruler while he was hidden away in his private quarters. Jeroboam's son Zechariah became king over Israel for six months, he was an evil king who promoted the worship of false gods, Shallum son of Jabesh murdered him and became king for one month until Menahem son of Gadi killed him and took his place as king. Menahem was so evil that during one attack he even cut open pregnant women. Pul, king of Assyria, invaded Israel so Menahem paid him a thousand talents of silver (taken from wealthy citizens) to buy Pul's support and solidify his own power. Menahem's son Pekahiah became king over Israel for two years, he was evil like his predecessors and was murdered by his officer Pekah, who then reigned for twenty-two years. Pekah was also evil and King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria captured several regions of Israel, deporting many of the people to Assyria as slaves. Jotham became king over Judah for sixteen years, he was generally obedient to the Lord God but did not remove the high places. At the Lord's prompting King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel attacked Judah. During his reign Jotham built the Upper Gate to the Lord's Temple. After his death Jotham's son Ahaz became king. Interaction Consider Menahem was evil but clever, he tolerated the domination of Pul of Assyria -- rather than fight and probably lose - paying Pul with wealth taken from the wealthy, so he could remain as king. Discuss Given the history of troubles why did none of these kings figure out that ignoring God's expectation that they remove the high places was a major reason for the absence of blessing? Reflect The tolerance of the evil high places created an evil environment where king after king was murdered and replaced by their murderers. Share When have you experienced or observed troubles that flowed from disobedience yet the disobedience continued? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you have made excuses for something that you know to be offensive to the Lord God. Action: Today I will begin the process of purging that which offends the Lord God from my life. I will ask a fellow believer to be my accountability partner and to pray in-agreement for my complete and continued freedom. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Friday's text will be: 2 Kings 16 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Thu Feb 24 12:16:43 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:16:43 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] The face of Watson Message-ID: <4D66927B.9030004@lightlink.com> "Watson's hardware specs are impressive: 90 IBM Power 750 servers using 15 terabytes of RAM and 2,880 processor cores, but it is IBM's DeepQA tech that is doing the 'thinking". Under development for many years, IBM says the code software represents a leap forward in the maturity of intelligent systems and language processing in general. What's more, due to feedback algorithms, Watson evinces an ability to learn from correct and incorrect answers. This is something historic, and this video shows how it works." http://www-943.ibm.com/innovation/us/watson/what-is-watson/the-face-of-watson.html -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karl at kleinpaste.org Thu Feb 24 12:29:16 2011 From: karl at kleinpaste.org (Karl Kleinpaste) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:29:16 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] The face of Watson In-Reply-To: <4D66927B.9030004@lightlink.com> (Fred A. Miller's message of "Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:16:43 -0500") References: <4D66927B.9030004@lightlink.com> Message-ID: "Fred A. Miller" writes: > Watson evinces an ability to learn from correct and incorrect answers. OK, everyone who remembers _The Adolescence of P1_, raise your hands. From fmiller at lightlink.com Thu Feb 24 12:34:14 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:34:14 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] The face of Watson In-Reply-To: References: <4D66927B.9030004@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <4D669696.70102@lightlink.com> On 02/24/2011 12:29 PM, Karl Kleinpaste wrote: > "Fred A. Miller" writes: >> > Watson evinces an ability to learn from correct and incorrect answers. > OK, everyone who remembers _The Adolescence of P1_, raise your hands. There's plenty here who do.....can't see their hands yet. ;) Fred -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Thu Feb 24 22:05:34 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:05:34 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Friday - 2 Kings 16 Message-ID: <4D671C7E.2060504@bibleseven.com> Friday 2 Kings 16 Ahaz's Reign over Judah 16:1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham's son Ahaz became king over Judah. 16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. 16:3 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 16:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree. 16:5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz, but were unable to conquer him. 16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. Syrians arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your dependent. March up and rescue me from the power of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked me." 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the Lord's temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute to the king of Assyria. 16:9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; he attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people to Kir and executed Rezin. 16:10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. 16:11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. 16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and offered a sacrifice on it. 16:13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 16:14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord's presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord's temple) and put it on the north side of the new altar. 16:15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, "On the large altar offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use." 16:16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as King Ahaz ordered. 16:17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took "The Sea" down from the bronze bulls that supported it and put it on the pavement. 16:18 He also removed the Sabbath awning that had been built in the temple and the king's outer entranceway, on account of the king of Assyria. 16:19 The rest of the events of Ahaz's reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 16:20 Ahaz passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king. Prayer Lord, the chronic disobedience of the king, and the people led to terrible trouble, yet You patiently defended the essence of Israel and Judah. May I remember that my choices have consequences; the blessings you wish to bestow for obedience, and the troubles that will come from disobedience. Commentary Ahaz was king of Judah for sixteen years, he was an evil king who even passed his son through the fire. King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel attacked so Ahaz appealed to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria -- sending him all the silver and gold in the temple and royal residence and offering to become his dependent were he to rescue him. The Assyrians agreed and attacked Damascus, deporting the people, and killing king Rezin. Ahaz traveled to Assyrian to see the king and while there he saw the altar. He drew diagrams then sent word to Uriah the priest to duplicate them, which he did. Upon Ahaz's return he initiated new schedules for regular sacrifices and otherwise rearranged things in the temple. Interaction Consider Despite generations of evidence that obedience brought blessings to the king and people alike Ahaz followed his foolish predecessors and disrespected the Lord God. Discuss Why did king Ahaz suddenly begin worship of the Lord? Reflect Assyria has now become the major power in the region, obliterating Damascus and essentially controlling Israel and Judah. Share When have you experienced a terrible experience causing a return to the Lord? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to drive a wedge between anything in the world which distracts you from the priority of your relationship with the Lord God. Action: Today I will listen to the Holy Spirit and obey. I will turn away from the idols and obsessions of this temporary world and rather give my attention and worship to the eternal things of God. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Saturday's text will be: 2 Kings 17 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Fri Feb 25 22:53:53 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:53:53 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - 2 Kings 17 Message-ID: <4D687951.5050108@bibleseven.com> Saturday 2 Kings 17 Hoshea's Reign over Israel 17:1 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz's reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for nine years. 17:2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him. 17:3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened him; Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute. 17:4 The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt. Hoshea had sent messengers to King So of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him. 17:5 The king of Assyria marched through the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea's reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. A Summary of Israel's Sinful History 17:7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods; 17:8 they observed the practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel. 17:9 The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right. They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. 17:10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 17:11 They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry. 17:12 They worshiped the disgusting idols in blatant disregard of the Lord's command. 17:13 The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, "Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands." 17:14 But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, who had not trusted the Lord their God. 17:15 They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord's command. 17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, and worshiped Baal. 17:17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry. 17:18 So the Lord was furious with Israel and rejected them; only the tribe of Judah was left. 17:19 Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the Lord their God; they followed Israel's example. 17:20 So the Lord rejected all of Israel's descendants; he humiliated them and handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence. 17:21 He tore Israel away from David's dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from the Lord and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. 17:22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and did not repudiate them. 17:23 Finally the Lord rejected Israel just as he had warned he would do through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day. The King of Assyria Populates Israel with Foreigners 17:24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 17:25 When they first moved in, they did not worship the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. 17:26 The king of Assyria was told, "The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land." 17:27 So the king of Assyria ordered, "Take back one of the priests whom you deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land." 17:28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. He taught them how to worship the Lord. 17:29 But each of these nations made its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 17:30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the people from Cuth made Nergal, the people from Hamath made Ashima, 17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. 17:33 They were worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported. 17:34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 17:35 The Lord made an agreement with them and instructed them, "You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 17:36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability; bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 17:37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 17:38 You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 17:39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies." 17:40 But they pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. 17:41 These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day. Prayer Lord, Your ancient people of Israel refused to learn and to obey and thus squandered the blessing of the Promised Land and surrendered the gift of freedom You had given them. May I learn to be more obedient so that I do not become again a servant of the sin of this fallen world. Commentary Hoshea was king of Israel for nine years and while he was not as evil as many who came before him he still failed to follow the Lord fully. King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened to invade Israel so Hoshea submitted Israel and paid tribute. Hoshea then decided to ask Egypt for assistance in a rebellion against Assyria and Shalmaneser discovered the plan, arrested Hoshea and laid siege against Israel for three years, finally overwhelming it and deporting the people. The Lord God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, brought them to the promised land, and then caused them to be removed from the Promised Land due to their chronic disobedience. Assyria then repopulated the Promised Land with foreigners who again filled it with pagan worship of false gods. The Lord God sent lions among the foreigners and many were killed so that the Assyrians brought back priests from the deported Israelites to teach them how to worship what they understood to be "the god of the land". They added those worship rituals to their pagan rituals. Interaction Consider Despite the clear promise of blessing for obedience and curse for disobedience Israel and Judah chose the path of rebellion. Discuss When Israel say Assyria deport so many from Judah why would they not desperately seek a way to please the Lord God so that they would be protected from the same fate? Reflect The Promised Land reverted to its Fallen and cursed condition despite all that the Lord God did to make it a wonderful home for Israel. Share When have you experienced or observed poor decisions made over and over despite the clear evidence that they would lead to bad results. Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you are being disobedient. Action: Today I will repent (confess and turn away from) my rebellion. It may be a failure to pray, a failure to fellowship, a failure to serve, a failure to witness, a failure to resist or to flee sin. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement for my surrender of this place in my life and to be my accountability partner as I cooperate with the Holy Spirit in never returning to that sin. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: 2 Kings 18 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Feb 27 08:24:23 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2011 08:24:23 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Sunday - 2 Kings 18 Message-ID: <4D6A5087.7020905@bibleseven.com> Sunday 2 Kings 18 Hezekiah Becomes King of Judah 18:1 In the third year of the reign of Israel's King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz's son Hezekiah became king over Judah. 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah. 18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. 18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after. 18:6 He was loyal to the Lord and did not abandon him. He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to Moses. 18:7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him. 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from the watchtower to the city fortress. 18:9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah's reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel's King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched up against Samaria and besieged it. 18:10 After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea's reign over Israel Samaria was captured. 18:11 The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. 18:12 This happened because they did not obey the Lord their God and broke his agreement with them. They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the Lord's servant, had commanded. Sennacherib Invades Judah 18:13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 18:14 King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, "I have violated our treaty. If you leave, I will do whatever you demand." So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver in the Lord's temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace. 18:16 At that time King Hezekiah of Judah stripped the metal overlays from the doors of the Lord's temple and from the posts which he had plated and gave them to the king of Assyria. 18:17 The king of Assyria sent his commanding general, the chief eunuch, and the chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large army. They went up and arrived at Jerusalem. They went and stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 18:18 They summoned the king, so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet them. 18:19 The chief adviser said to them, "Tell Hezekiah: 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: "What is your source of confidence? 18:20 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In whom are you trusting that you would dare to rebel against me? 18:21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him. 18:22 Perhaps you will tell me, 'We are trusting in the Lord our God.' But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, 'You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem.' 18:23 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 18:24 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master's minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 18:25 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this place to destroy it. The Lord told me, 'March up against this land and destroy it.'"'" 18:26 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, "Speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don't speak with us in the Judahite dialect in the hearing of the people who are on the wall." 18:27 But the chief adviser said to them, "My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you." 18:28 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, "Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 18:29 This is what the king says: 'Don't let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you from my hand! 18:30 Don't let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord when he says, "The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." 18:31 Don't listen to Hezekiah!' For this is what the king of Assyria says, 'Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 18:32 until I come and take you to a land just like your own -- a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Then you will live and not die. Don't listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, "The Lord will rescue us." 18:33 Have any of the gods of the nations actually rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 18:34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria from my power? 18:35 Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?'" 18:36 The people were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, "Don't respond to him." 18:37 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. Prayer Lord, it was always obvious what every king before him should have done, but only Hezekiah was obedient and teachable enough to do the right thing before You. May I look to Hezekiah as my role model -- to do the right thing rather than the convenient or the ordinary. Commentary Hezekiah was king of Judah for twenty-nine years. He was the only king, before or afterward, who fully-obeyed the Lord God. He not only led the people to obey by doing so himself, he removed the high places, he removed the Asherah pole, and he removed the bronze serpent which Moses had made and they had been misusing as a tool of false worship. Israel had been decimated by the king of Assyria because they had refused to be faithful to the Lord God. The king of Assyria then threatened Jerusalem and the rest of what was left of Judah and Hezekiah attempted to placate him with silver and gold. The Assyrians arrived with a huge army and challenged the people to rebel against Hezekiah, to recognize that they were helpless before them, and to surrender rather than resist and die. The priests and leaders whom Hezekiah had sent out to meet the Chief Adviser to the king of the Assyrians heard him insult the Lord God and they tore their clothes and reported back to Hezekiah. The people heard what he said but did not respond as Hezekiah has instructed them not to respond. Interaction Consider Hezekiah was the greatest and most-true king of God's children because he fully obeyed. Discuss Hezekiah had offered tribute in order to keep the Assyrians from invading and trying to destroy Judah, deporting and enslaving the people, as they had Israel. Why would the Assyrians challenge the God of Hezekiah and demand their complete surrender when they could have received service and tribute from Judah as a subject-state? Reflect Not only had the people engaged in the idolatry of false gods, they had turned symbols of the One True God from Moses (the bronze serpent, originally a tool of healing) into a tool of their false worship. Share When have you experienced or observed things that were originally of God misused in empty ritual and/or superstitious ways? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something in your faith practices that has become more of an empty ritual and/or a superstitious ritual rather than a genuine expression of worship. Action: Today I will prayerfully examine my exercise of faith in praise and worship for things that have become less-genuine. It may be a prayer that has become more of a thoughtless chant than a genuine communication with the Lord God, it may be a worship style that appeals to my flesh more than lifting my spirit (the cultural comfort of ancient hymns, the exuberance of gospel songs, or the emotional energy of modern praise), it may be works that get in the way of worship, it may be an idolatry of religious celebrity or of a man-made denomination, it may be a cycle of confess -- sin -- confess - sin where repentance (turning away) never occurs, or some other place there the enemy has tricked me into an empty and false and powerless "religion". I will share with a fellow believer, asking them for prayers in-agreement, and I will partner with the Holy Spirit to get right before the Lord God. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: 2 Kings 19 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Feb 27 23:10:26 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:10:26 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Monday - 2 Kings 19 Message-ID: <4D6B2032.9000105@bibleseven.com> Monday 2 Kings 19 2 Kings 19 19:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord's temple. 19:2 He sent Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, clothed in sackcloth, with this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 19:3 "This is what Hezekiah says: 'This is a day of distress, insults, and humiliation, as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 19:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains.'" 19:5 When King Hezekiah's servants came to Isaiah, 19:6 Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master this: 'This is what the Lord says: "Don't be afraid because of the things you have heard -- these insults the king of Assyria's servants have hurled against me. 19:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land."'" 19:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 19:9 The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 19:10 "Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: 'Don't let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, "Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." 19:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. Do you really think you will be rescued? 19:12 Were the nations whom my ancestors destroyed -- the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar -- rescued by their gods? 19:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?'" 19:14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord's temple and spread it out before the Lord. 19:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: "Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubs! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky and the earth. 19:16 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 19:17 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands. 19:18 They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 19:19 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, Lord, are the only God." 19:20 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: 'I have heard your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria. 19:21 This is what the Lord says about him: "The virgin daughter Zion despises you, she makes fun of you; Daughter Jerusalem shakes her head after you. 19:22 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at? At whom have you shouted, and looked so arrogantly? At the Holy One of Israel! 19:23 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 'With my many chariots I climbed up the high mountains, the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedars, and its best evergreens. I invaded its most remote regions, its thickest woods. 19:24 I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands. With the soles of my feet I dried up all the rivers of Egypt.' 19:25 Certainly you must have heard! Long ago I worked it out, In ancient times I planned it; and now I am bringing it to pass. The plan is this: Fortified cities will crash into heaps of ruins. 19:26 Their residents are powerless, they are terrified and ashamed. They are as short-lived as plants in the field, or green vegetation. They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind. 19:27 I know where you live, and everything you do. 19:28 Because you rage against me, and the uproar you create has reached my ears; I will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle between your lips, and I will lead you back the way you came." 19:29 This will be your confirmation that I have spoken the truth: This year you will eat what grows wild, and next year what grows on its own from that. But in the third year you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 19:30 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 19:31 For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion. The intense devotion of the sovereign Lord to his people will accomplish this. 19:32 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his shield-carrying warriors, nor will he build siege works against it. 19:33 He will go back the way he came. He will not enter this city," says the Lord. 19:34 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.'" 19:35 That very night the Lord's messenger went out and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses. 19:36 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 19:37 One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They escaped to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king. Prayer Lord, it is a dangerous thing indeed for a mere human king or his associates to mock the living an all-powerful God, Your patience with man is not without boundaries. May I be careful with my own words, and advise others to do so as well, because You deserve our respect. Commentary Hezekiah asked the prophet Isaiah to appeal to the Lord God for help and he replied that the Lord God intended to deal with the king of Assyria. News came to the chief adviser to the king of Assyria that they were under attack from the king of Ethiopia and as he departed to support the king's forces he sent additional insults and threats and ultimatums to Hezekiah. Hezekiah brought his messages to the altar and asked the Lord God to defend them. Isaiah replied with a detailed message from the Lord which reminded Hezekiah of what He had done before and that He would now deal harshly with the Assyrians. The angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 of King Sennacherib of Assyria's troops as they slept and shortly after he returned home two of his sons murdered him as he offered sacrifices to a false god, then fled, and a third son took his place as king. Interaction Consider Hezekiah was wise, he not only did not respond to the insults he instructed the people to not do so either. Discuss Could it be that the second set of insults, threats, and ultimatums from the Assyrians may have been sent because he was even more surprised that there was no reaction than he would have been had they attacked wildly or tried to flee? Reflect Hezekiah recognized the threat but seemed at least as upset about the insult to the Lord God as he was about the impending battle. Share When have you felt threatened and appealed to the Lord God for protection? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a time in your life where you responded to a fearful situation by trusting Him and He responded to your faith with an effective intervention. Action: Today I will share the story of God's mercy and protection with a fellow believer as an encouragement to them. We will share praise and worship together. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday's text will be: 2 Kings 20 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Mon Feb 28 20:54:16 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:54:16 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tuesday - 2 Kings 20 Message-ID: <4D6C51C8.3070405@bibleseven.com> Tuesday 2 Kings 20 Hezekiah is Healed 20:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, "This is what the Lord says, 'Give your household instructions, for you are about to die; you will not get well.'" 20:2 He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 20:3 "Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, and how I have carried out your will." Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. 20:4 Isaiah was still in the middle courtyard when the Lord told him, 20:5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: 'This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. The day after tomorrow you will go up to the Lord's temple. 20:6 I will add fifteen years to your life and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant."'" 20:7 Isaiah ordered, "Get a fig cake." So they did as he ordered and placed it on the ulcerated sore, and he recovered. 20:8 Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, "What is the confirming sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord's temple the day after tomorrow?" 20:9 Isaiah replied, "This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to go back ten steps?" 20:10 Hezekiah answered, "It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for it to go back ten steps." 20:11 Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz. Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah 20:12 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill. 20:13 Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them his whole storehouse, with its silver, gold, spices, and high quality olive oil, as well as his armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. 20:14 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men say? Where do they come from?" Hezekiah replied, "They come from the distant land of Babylon." 20:15 Isaiah asked, "What have they seen in your palace?" Hezekiah replied, "They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in my treasuries." 20:16 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the word of the Lord, 20:17 'Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the Lord. 20:18 'Some of your very own descendants whom you father will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'" 20:19 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The Lord's word which you have announced is appropriate." Then he added, "At least there will be peace and stability during my lifetime." 20:20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah's reign and all his accomplishments, including how he built a pool and conduit to bring water into the city, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 20:21 Hezekiah passed away and his son Manasseh replaced him as king. Prayer Lord, sometimes when we cling to the things of this world You allow us to have them, but the consequences are often bad. May I cling only to the things which You give, including the days in this world You have allotted to me. Commentary Hezekiah was dying from a disease and cried out to the Lord for healing because he had been a very faithful king. Isaiah informed him that the Lord would give him fifteen more years and had him apply a fig cake to his ulcerated sore as the means of healing. Visitors came from Babylon with gifts as they had heard he was ill. He showed them all of the riches of his kingdom. Isaiah confronted him, asking who visited and what he showed them, when informed he prophesied that all he had shown the foreigners would be taken away as well as his descendants. Hezekiah agreed that the prophesy was a righteous consequence of his actions but that he was grateful that he would not live to see it implemented. Interaction Consider While Hezekiah had been the most faithful king in the history of the Israelites, unlike the prophets he valued his earthly existence too greatly. Discuss Why would Hezekiah have been so foolish as to show all of the riches of the kingdom to strangers from another nation? Reflect The foolishness of Hezekiah, flowing from his obsession with the false value of worldly things, resulted in tragedy for his people. Share When have you observed a Christian clinging to life as if they didn't really trust the Lord God for their eternity? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you may be boasting or otherwise sharing information about yourself or others, or that involves others, which you should not. Action: Today I will humbly accept the chastising of the Holy Spirit and intentionally refrain from boasting or inappropriately disclosing personal and/or private information to those who have no legitimate need to know. If I have a need to share I will do so with those whom the Lord God has brought into my intimate circle of Christian friends. If I lack such friends I will pray and seek to develop them -- because a Christian is not expected to walk through this world alone. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Wednesday 2 Kings 21 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! http://ixquick.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: