Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings Chapter 20.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+20&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“26 At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.  27 The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them;  and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country.  28 Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’”  29 So they camped one over against the other seven days.  And on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel killed of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day.  30 But the rest fled to Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left.  And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city into an inner chamber.”  1 Kings 20:26-30.

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Indeed, the LORD is not just a god of the mountains, nor just a god of the valleys.  The LORD is God of all as declared in the following Psalm. 

“1 O clap your hands, all peoples;
Shout to God with the voice of joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is to be feared,
A great King over all the earth.
3 He subdues peoples under us
And nations under our feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us,
The glory of Jacob whom He loves.  Selah.

5 God has ascended with a shout,
The Lord, with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with a skillful psalm.
8 God reigns over the nations,
God sits on His holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham,
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is highly exalted.”  Psalm Chapter 47.

Some doctrine wants to put limitations on our LORD like the Arameans.  They say:  “The LORD is god over the mountains and the stars, but He is not god over man’s free-will.”

They form their doctrine and say:

“Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”  Psalm 2:3.

But, Reformed Doctrine replies “The LORD is God over all, the mountains and the stars and man and all of creation”: 

“2 For the Lord Most High is to be feared,
A great King over all the earth.
3 He subdues peoples under us
And nations under our feet.”  Psalm 47:2-3.

To the desire of other doctrine to be free of the LORD’s Sovereign and Almighty iron grip on them,

“4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”  Psalm 2:4-9.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings Chapter 19.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+19&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.  2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”  3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.  4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”  5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree;  and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.”  6 Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water.  So he ate and drank and lay down again.  7 The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”  8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

9 Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  10 He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword.  And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.”  And behold, the Lord was passing by!  And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord;  but the Lord was not in the wind.  And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  12 After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire;  and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.  13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.  And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  14 Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts;  for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword.  And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

15 The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram;  16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.  17 It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.  18 Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”  1 Kings 19:1-18.

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Today’s Scripture shows us God’s grace given to Elijah in different forms which are also familiar to us.

Sometimes, God’s grace comes to us as simple as food and drink which strengthens us and cheers us.

Sometimes, God’s grace comes to us a spiritual “mountain-top” experience like a church retreat.

Sometimes, God’s grace comes to us in the “fire” of God’s word.  “Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”  Jeremiah 23:29.

Sometimes, God’s grace comes to us as a gentle blowing of the wind.  We feel a gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit to do or to not do something.

And sometimes, God’s grace comes to us as encouragement from realization that we are not alone.  There are fellow saints out there to encourage and help us.

Sometimes, it may not be the grace that we want or expect, but, whatever grace we do receive, God’s grace is sufficient for us.  “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”  2 Corinthians 12:9.

But, when we try to meditate on the total number and the nature of the lovingkindnesses that we receive, we learn more and more of “the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:7.  We learn more and more of “the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”  Ephesians 1:7-8.

And, our own words are too weak, so we use Scripture to form our praise.

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!”  Psalm 139:17.

“22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”  Lamentations 3:22-23.

“14 But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation (“TULIP” – smile) all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them.
16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.”  Psalm 71:14-16.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings Chapter 18.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+18&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.  21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”  But the people did not answer him a word.  22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.  23 Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it;  and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.  24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”  And all the people said, “That is a good idea.”

25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”  26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.”  But there was no voice and no one answered.  And they leaped about the altar which they made.  27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”  28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.  29 When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice;  but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.”  So all the people came near to him.  And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down.  31 Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”  32 So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.  33 Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.  34 And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”  And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time.  And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.  35 The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

36 At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”  38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.  39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces;  and they said, “The Lord, He is God;  the Lord, He is God.”  40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.”  So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.”  1 Kings 18:20-40.

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The vivid but futile “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” of the prophets of Baal in today’s Scripture remind us of other doctrine which is also about man and his actions:  “Just do it!  Get more people together.  Show more passion.  Plead more often.  Leap.  It is all about your blood, sweat, and tears.”   

In sharp contrast, the focus on God and the short and simple prayer of Elijah remind us of Reformed Doctrine which is all about God’s Almighty actions:  “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

The prayer of Elijah recognized that if the people’s hearts would be turned back to God, it would need to be God Who would do it.  “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”  Verse 38.

God’s Almighty Action (of His fire which consumed the burnt offering and surrounding elements) caused the people to fall on their faces and confess that the LORD is God.  God did turn their heart back again as Elijah requested.  “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.  When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces;  and they said, “The Lord, He is God;  the Lord, He is God.”  Verses 38-39.

“16 And He saw that there was no man,
And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;
Then His own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His righteousness upheld Him.
17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing
And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.
18 According to their deeds, so He will repay,
Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;
To the coastlands He will make recompense.
19 So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west
And His glory from the rising of the sun,
For He will come like a rushing stream
Which the wind of the Lord drives.
20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the Lord.

21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord:  “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”  Isaiah 59:16-21.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings 17:17-24.

“17 Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick;  and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.  18 So she said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God?  You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!”  19 He said to her, “Give me your son.”  Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed.  20 He called to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?”  21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.”  22 The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived. 2 3 Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother;  and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.”  Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”  1 Kings 17:17-24.

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In this chapter, we have seen the widow of Zarephath face death three times.  We have seen the widow face death by famine, but the LORD delivered her by causing the bowl of flour and jar of oil to last.  We have seen the widow face the death of her son, but the LORD returned the life to him and he revived.  We have seen the widow face spiritual death in bringing her iniquity to remembrance, but the LORD caused her to believe.  “Then (seeing her son alive, raised from the dead) the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”  Verse 24.

The miracle of raising the boy from the dead in today’s Scripture points us to “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”  Ephesians 1:19.  “These (the ability to believe and all other spiritual blessings that God gives us) are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,”  Ephesians 1:19-20.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:4-7.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  1 Peter 1:3-5.

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”  Colossians 3:1.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings 17:1-16.

“1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”  2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.  4 It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”  5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.  6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook.  7 It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there;  behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”  10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks;  and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.”  11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”  12 But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar;  and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.”  13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear;  go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son.  14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’”  15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.”    1 Kings 17:1-16.

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If we believe that God is both Almighty and our Faithful Father, then we will believe that God can provide for us, no matter how hopeless our situation seems to us to be (because He is Almighty) and will faithfully provide all that we need (because He is our Faithful Father).

The Heidelberg Catechism exhorts us to not meaninglessly repeat the Apostle’s Creed without believing the meaning behind its words.

Q. 26.  What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?

A.  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them;  who likewise upholds and governs the same by His eternal counsel and providence is, for the sake of Christ His Son, my God and my Father;  on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt but He will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body;  and further, that He will make whatever evils He sends upon me, in this valley of tears, turn out to my advantage;  for He is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.

In addition to this major lesson, we can glean two minor lessons from today’s Scripture.

First, just because God helps us through one trial does not mean that there will be no more trials.  We first saw that God delivered Elijah from a drought through a miraculous provision of ravens at Cherith brook.  However, the brook dried up.  Then, God delivered Elijah through he miraculous provision of a widow and her handful of flour and a little oil in the jar.

We cannot determine or know how many trials we will face or how God will deliver us.  Too often, I set my hope on having no more trials.

After God’s financial delivery of me, I tend to think that I will face no more financial trials.  But I become faced with another financial trial.  I cannot depend on having life without troubles.  I can only depend on an Almighty God and Faithful Father Who delivers me out of all my troubles.

“The righteous cry and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous;  But the LORD delivers him out of them all.  Psalm 34: 17-19 (Emphasis added).

Second, God helps us often through humble and unexpected means.  God fed Elijah through the mouths of ravens.  God fed Elijah from a widow’s bowl who thought she did not have enough for herself and her son.  Too often, I set my hope on receiving a check in the mail.  Very often, God uses other and often humble and unexpected means to deliver me, time and time again.

For example, I remember being hungry without money and being called to visit my Pastor to do something for him.  In my heart, I grumbled at having to do this service while I felt the LORD left me hanging financially.  When I walked into the fellowship hall to meet the Pastor, I was surprised to see the ladies of the church were having a luncheon.  They invited me to sit down and eat.  Each lady seem to want to please me and show off her own food as each put her own food in front of me to eat.  I felt that I was at a loving and lavish banquet.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings Chapter 16.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+16&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“25 Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him.  26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their idols.  27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?  28 So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son became king in his place.

29 Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.  30 Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.

31 It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him.  32 So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria.  33 Ahab also made the Asherah.  Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”  1 Kings 16:25-33.

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The Israelite Kings in this chapter were all bad and got worse and worse.  There was no break in this chapter as there was in the previous chapter when there was one relatively good king (Asa) who ruled over Judah as an oasis among all the other kings who were bad.

“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked man rules, people groan.”  Proverbs 29:2.

We too may groan.  We may turn our focus from God to man and feel overwhelmed at all the evil we see.

But, there is hope! 

“1 Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my groaning.
2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3 In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
6 You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.

8 O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
9 There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself.
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.

11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.”  Psalm Chapter 5.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings Chapter 15.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+15&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“8 And Abijam slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son became king in his place.

9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah.  10 He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.  11 Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father.  12 He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols which his fathers had made.  13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah;  and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron.  14 But the high places were not taken away; nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the Lord all his days.  15 He brought into the house of the Lord the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things:  silver and gold and utensils.”  1 Kings 15:8-15.

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Although certainly not perfect, Asa was better than most kings and seems like an oasis in a listing of kings of both Israel and Judah in 1 Kings Chapter 15 who did evil.  For example, we read about Nadab, one of the kings over Israel.  “He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”  Verse 26.

We noticed what Asa did to do “what was right in the sight of the Lord”.  Asa removed idols and people in authority (Maacah his mother from being queen mother) who did the evil.

The following Scriptures also urge us to hate evil and gives us examples of how we hate evil and what God does for us.

“4 I do not sit with deceitful men,
Nor will I go with pretenders.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I shall wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving
And declare all Your wonders.”  Psalm 26:4-7.

We notice that we do not associate with evildoers.  Instead, we associate with Christians and go to church.  We declare God’s wonders.

“Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”  Psalm 97:10.

God preserves our souls and delivers us from the hand of the wicked.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.”  Proverbs 8:13.

Pride, arrogance, and the perverted mouth are, so to speak, the tip of the iceberg of evil that we see, and we rise in opposition against those things when we see them.

“Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of hosts
May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”  Amos 5:15.

Not only to we hate evil, we love good.  We see that Asa not only removed idols and people in authority who did the evil, he did good.  “He brought into the house of the Lord the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things:  silver and gold and utensils.”  Verse 15.

And, we establish justice.  Too often, we think of only God’s lovingkindness and mercy.  But, God is also a God of justice who executes punishment upon the wicked.  What would we think of an earthly judge who refused to punish anyone and let all the criminals go free?!    

In today’s Scripture, we see God’s justice in fulfilling His Word against Jeroboam.  “It came about as soon as he (Baasha) was king (of Israel), he struck down all the household of Jeroboam.  He did not leave to Jeroboam any persons alive, until he had destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.”  Verses 29-30.

In conclusion, in the words “Perhaps the Lord God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”, there is the hope that as we do these things (hate evil, do good, and establish justice) we become more and more aware of God’s grace:  God is working within us and we are part of God’s elect.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings 14:21-31.

“21 Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah.  Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there.  And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.  22 Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with the sins which they committed.  23 For they also built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree.  24 There were also male cult prostitutes in the land.  They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.

25 Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.  26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and he took everything, even taking all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.  27 So King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and committed them to the care of the commanders of the guard who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.  28 Then it happened as often as the king entered the house of the Lord, that the guards would carry them and would bring them back into the guards’ room.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.  31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David;  and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.  And Abijam his son became king in his place.”    1 Kings 14:21-31.

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Because “Naamah  the Ammonitess” is mentioned twice as the mother of Rehoboam in today’s Scripture (verses 21 and 31), we think about it. 

We remember how Solomon, Rehoboam’s father loved many foreign women including “Ammonite” women in spite of how God warned the sons of Israel:  “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.”  1 Kings 11:1-2.

We also remember how indeed his wives turned his heart away after their gods.  “For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods;  and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.”  1 Kings 11:4-5.

We can infer that “Naamah  the Ammonitess” not only was a bad influence on her husband Solomon but she was a bad influence on her son Rehoboam for we read in today’s Scripture:  “Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with the sins which they committed.  For they also built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree.  There were also male cult prostitutes in the land.  …”  Verses 22-25.

“14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers;  for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?  15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?  16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For we are the temple of the living God;  just as God said,

“I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.”  2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

The lesson from today’s Scripture is that if a believing spouse is bound together with an unbelieving spouse, not only can harm come to the believing spouse, harm can also come to the believing spouse’s children.   

And, as believers, we are called to be more than not just a bad influence on our children or even more than being of no influence to our children, we are called to be a Godly influence on our children.  We are called to do many Godly things for our children.

For example, let us consider how much more difficult it will be for a believer to put his or her children in a Christian school with an unbelieving spouse resisting or dragging against the believing spouse’s attempts to do so.

Making a good specific call for Christian education, but also more generally convincing us of the importance of parents training their children according to their Christian beliefs. here is the quote from:

THE REFORMED WITNESS HOUR
Message title: “Conviction for Christian Education”
Broadcast date: August 24, 2014 (No.3738)
Radio pastor: Rev. Carl Haak (of the Protestant Reformed Churches)

         “… But the conviction out of which a Christian school arises is this:  it is the calling of parents to train their children according to what they believe so that their children might know how to serve the living God in every area of life.  That is a parental responsibility.  Isaiah 38:19:  “The father to the children shall make known thy truth.”  This is the distinctive calling of a parent.  Deuteronomy 6:6, 7:  “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.”  And in Ephesians 6:4:  Fathers, nurture your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  (Emphasis added by Bill)
 
        It is only the conviction that it is a parental calling to educate one’s children that can hold the weight of a Christian school.  Convictions are formed by the Word of God.  Convictions are formed by the Word of God being brought to bear upon the heart of the believer.  Convictions are not formed by arguments.  They are not formed by straight-armed tactics.  They are not formed by pressure of one group upon other individuals to conform.  No.  Convictions are sacred.  The Holy Spirit brings the Word to bear upon my heart and shows me the way that I must go.
 
        Let us look to the Word of God to form our conviction for Christian education.
 
        What is it that you really want for your children?  What should you want, according to the Word of God? 
 
        Of course, there are many things that we want for our children that, of themselves, are right and proper and that also rest upon our heart today.  I am not referring simply to carnal things, for instance, a desire that your son be the leading scorer on a basketball team, or your daughter grow up to be beautiful or popular, or that your children grow up and have a beautiful home to live in.  These are the desires that would center merely in the eyes of men.
 
        No, our desires for our children center in the eye of God.  We have, in that connection, many legitimate desires for them.  We have questions:  Whom are they going to marry?  Who will their friends be?  Where will they go and with whom?  What work will they get?  Where are they going to go to school as children and young people?  What kind of education are they going to get?  What will be the school environment?  Will this education equip them, will it serve them, or will it be inadequate? 
 
        We reject with all of our souls the attitude that education is only worthwhile if it teaches us how to make a dollar and to be successful.  We want an education that will serve our children, in today’s world, to teach them how to be a godly person in this world—a godly husband, a godly wife, a godly parent—to teach them to be responsible, to live in the world as the friend-servant of God.  We want that for our children. 
 
        In one word, we want godliness for our children—that they live a godly life.  (Emphasis added by Bill)  That is the most important thing in the world, that they live godly—unto God—in this world.  That is not a false piety.  That is what some people think when they hear of godliness.  They think of a mask, of a pious look, of someone who is of no use to present-day situations in which people live.  No, biblical godliness is what we want for our children—a full-orbed, solid, faith-rooted godliness. 
 
        In the Scriptures we read, in Genesis 17:18, that Abraham expresses this desire for his flesh-and-blood thirteen-year-old son, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!”  Paul says concerning Timothy, his spiritual son, “This is my desire for you, Timothy, be not ashamed of the gospel nor of me its prisoner.”  Look into the book of Proverbs.  The book of Proverbs turns the heart of a believing parent inside out and tells you what ought to be written in that heart.  And what is that desire?  “My son, be thou in the fear of God all thy days.”  Therefore Proverbs speaks to the son and daughter about their companionship, about sexual purity, about greed, about honesty, about industry, about integrity, about a host of other subjects.  We want our children to be men and women of God, thoroughly equipped, say the Scriptures, unto every good work, possessing the comfort and the attractiveness of vital godliness.  We want a generation that will be to the honor of God.  We want to educate them in such a way that they will be wise to discern, skillful to work.  That they will be delivered from folly, immorality, greed, pride, dishonesty, all of which stalk the youth of the land, and that they be stalwart sons and daughters fair, a nobility of grace in Jesus Christ.  In short, we want for our children what lies in the bottom of our own heart by grace—that they might know Jesus Christ and know God and have eternal life in Him.” 

Today’s devotion comes 1 Kings 14:1-20.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+14&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“5 Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick.  You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that she will pretend to be another woman.”

6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman?  For I am sent to you with a harsh message.  7 Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight;  9 you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— 10 therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.  11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat.  And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat;  for the Lord has spoken it.”’  12 Now you, arise, go to your house.  When your feet enter the city the child will die.  13 All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him something good was found toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover, the Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on.

15 “For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water;  and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.  16 He will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”  1 Kings 14:5-16.

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“Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;  but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them;  He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.  Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.”  Deuteronomy 7:9-11.

“According to their deeds, so He will repay,
Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;
To the coastlands He will make recompense.”  Isaiah 59:18.

We may think that we can sneak a sin by God.

We may think that God will defer to our alleged free-will.

Like Jeroboam, we may think somehow we can steal a blessing from God.

We may think that God will take pity on us and our family, certainly because we have a sick son.

But, today’s Scripture clearly shows that God is not hesitant to deliver “a harsh message”.  Verse 6.

God “… repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them;  He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.”  Deuteronomy 7:10.

“10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the Lord with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”  Psalm 2:10-12.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings 13:11-34.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+13&version=NASB

“11 Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel;  the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father.  12 Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?”  Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone.  13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.”  So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it.  14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”  And he said, “I am.”  15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”  16 He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.  17 For a command came to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’”  18 He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’”  But he lied to him.  19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

20 Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the command of the Lord, and have not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’”  23 It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back.  24 Now when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body.  25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body;  so they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord;  therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.”

…

33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people;  any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places.  34 This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.”  1 Kings Chapter 13:  Verses 11-26 and 33-34.

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The danger is shown in today’s Scripture that just because one is a prophet (preacher or teacher), maybe even an old and well-respected one, it does not necessarily mean that he is speaking the truth.

And even if one claims that an angel spoke to him, it does not necessarily mean that he is speaking the truth.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”  1 John 4:1.

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!  As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”  Galatians 1:8-9.

And, we need to go further.  There are preachers and teachers who do not intentionally lie.  They go on mission trips.  They are really good at taking care of the elderly, children, and poor in the congregation.  They are liked by everyone.  But, they just do not sufficiently know the truth to properly preach or teach.

The “About Me” tag at the top of my Home Page of my Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotion web site tells my story.  You can click on it above or use this link to it – https://reformeddoctrine.com/about/

I quote part of it.

“In 1977, I moved to Florida to go to law school, and I stayed here in Florida.  I attended and was a member, even a lay leader, in a large range of churches from Assembly of God to Baptist to Calvary Chapel to United Methodist to nondenominational churches and small fellowships.  At first, I thought Reformed Doctrine would be preached in all Christian Protestant churches.  When I heard some strange preaching or teaching, I first thought that the problem was just with that particular minister or teacher.  Eventually, a childhood friend, who now lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, asked me if I remembered “TULIP” which is also known as the Five Points of Calvinism and the Reformed Doctrine of salvation.  I studied the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism.  That study made me aware that often what bothered me was not just bad preaching or teaching, but rather the problem was caused by bad doctrine (Arminianism) that broadly and deeply affected that church and its denomination which at some time of its history strayed away from Reformed Doctrine rediscovered in the Reformation.  In contrast to this bad doctrine which I encountered, I began to appreciate more the truth, logic, beauty, and simplicity of “TULIP” which is my heritage.  Though the years, when I would go back to Michigan, it was like a breath of fresh air when I would hear it in a Christian Reformed Church. 

I am now passionate about promoting “TULIP” a/k/a The Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, because most Protestant Churches do not teach it.  Even in a Christian Reformed Church in Florida, I remember an Elder coming to me after a Sunday School class that I taught on “TULIP”, and he said with wonder and appreciation that he had not heard it taught before.”

In conclusion, the Apostle Paul did not exclude himself but directed us to examine and test himself and his team and not necessarily accept everything that they said.  “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”  Galatians 1:8.

How much more should we examine and test everyone else!  

Here is what I concluded in the “About Me” section.  “Although I do my best to present true teachings, these are my teachings (by a layman).  And, although I have been taught by and otherwise influenced by certain Reformed denominations through the years from a very early age to date, my teachings are not necessarily the teachings of the Christian Reformed Churches, the Presbyterian Churches of America, the Protestant Reformed Churches, or any other denomination.  The reader is advised to follow the example set forth in Acts 17:11:  “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”