Month: January 2011

Song of Solomon

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Love.

“Place me like a seal over your heart, or like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, and its jealousy is as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.” ­– Song of Solomon 8:6 NLT

This is probably one of the most hotly debated books in the Bible. The interpretations of its meaning are countless and questions regarding its purpose are endless. Some see it as an allegory with deeper spiritual meaning. Others read it as an actual autobiographical story featuring events from the life of Solomon himself. There is little debate that it is a love poem. That is clear from a cursory reading of the eight short chapters. But why is it in the Bible? If all Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof and training in righteousness, why is this book included? What is it attempting to teach us? As I read through it this morning I was struck by the many times that it caused me to reflect on the love of God. It seems to reveal the kind of love God has for His people and that He longs for them to have for Him. It is the same kind of love that Christ has for His bride, the Church, and that He desires to receive in return. And finally, it is the kind of love that any husband should feel for his wife and she willingly returns to Him.

It is indeed a book about love. Whether it is about real people and real events, I can’t say. But it IS about love. And a faithful, eyes-for-you-only kind of love that God illustrates in His love for those He calls His own. It is the kind of love that caused Christ to take on human flesh and die a sinner’s death in our place on the cross. This kind of love is selfless and sacrificial. It is passionate and powerful. It is intimate and intense. I cant help but read this book and be reminded of my Father’s love for me. I am blown away by the way in which Christ expresses His love for me each and every day. God the Father and God the Son call out to me daily, longing to have a love relationship with me that is two-way, not one-way. But so often I am more than willing to accept their love, but refuse to return it. The Song of Solomon shows love that is given and received. Neither character can live without the other. There is a level of infatuation in the poem that borders on embarassing. The words these two use to describe their love for one another are syrupy and saccharine. The almost feel a little bit over the top and uncomfortable to read – like you’re looking at someone’s private love letters. But the love expressed here is genuine and sincere. It is intimate and personal. There is a sense of infatuation and focused quality behind the love expressed in these eight chapters that reflect the way we are loved by God and the manner in which we should return that love to Him.

Father, may my love for You and Your Son grow to such a degree that it is almost embarrassing for others to listen to me express it out loud. May I discover the intense kind of love for my heavenly Father and His Son that they have expressed to me so often. Help me to learn to love as I have been loved. And help me to recognize just how loved I really am. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Psalm 119:141-176

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The Desire For Discernment.

“O LORD, listen to my cry; give me the discerning mind you promised.” ­– Psalm 119:169 NLT

The psalmist longed for the ability to discern right from wrong. He desired wisdom and he knew it could only come from one place: God. So he prayed and asked God for it. Remember Solomon’s dream? In it, Solomon was asked by God, “What do you want? Ask and I will give it to you.” Wow! What an opportunity. Here was the God of the universe handing Solomon a blank check and telling him to fill in the amount. He could have asked for anything, but I think God knew Solomon’s heart. God knew what Solomon was going to ask for. And what was it? Wisdom. “I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am among your own chosen people, a nation so great they are too numerous to count! Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great nation of yours?” (1 Kings 3:7-9 NLT). Solomon asked for discernment – the ability to discern right from wrong. And God gave it.

The writer of Psalm 119 was anxious for God to give him the same thing. He knew the key was his ability to understand the commands and decrees of God. “Your decrees are always fair; help me to understand them, that I may live” (Psalm 119:144 NLT). He wasn’t content with a blind obedience. He wanted to understand the intent  behind the commands of God, because he knew that they were the source of life. Like children who obey without understanding, we can go through the motions, but as soon as we get the chance, we stop obeying because we have never really understood the real reason behind the need for obedience. To understand the commands of God is to understand the heart of God. There is method to His seeming madness and there are reasons behind His rules. The psalmist longed to know what they were. Do you long for the same thing? Do you want to understand the heart of God? Do you desire a discerning mind that can tell the difference between right from wrong, good from evil? Rules are great. But they are really intended for those who can’t discern right from wrong. Rules are for the unruly. But if we all knew right from wrong, if we all knew the heart of God and how to please Him, no rules would be necessary. Even the Ten Commandments can become burdensome and laborious if we never get to know the God who gave them. What was His intent? What was His real desire behind them? That is what the psalmist wanted to know. Do you?

Father, I want a discerning mind, but more than that, I want to know You. Open my eyes so that I might see the way You see. Give me a heart that is similar to Yours. May I see the world the way You see it. Don’t ever let Your Word just become a list of dos and don’ts to me. I want to grasp the meaning behind them and get to know the God who gave them. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Psalm 119:89-140

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

A Confession of Obsession.

“Oh, how I love your law! I think about it all day long.” ­– Psalm 119:97 NLT

What kinds of things do you find yourself thinking about during the day? For most of us it probably varies. When we’re at work, we probably think about work-related things, or we may think about going home. If we’re at home, our minds may dwell on the myriad of things we need to accomplish around the house, or again, we may find ourselves wishing we were at work. All throughout the day we find ourselves thinking about a lot of different things. Some good. Some not so good. And occasionally we may find ourselves thinking about a single thing so much that it borders on an obsession. It could be someone we are deeply in love with and we just can’t get them off our mind. It could be an event that is coming up of extreme significance in our lives, and we can’t stop thinking about it. It could be a particular item we long for, like a new car, and we find ourselves daydreaming about it throughout the day. But how many of us find ourselves obsessing about the Word of God? How many of us would dare to claim that we’re obsessed with God’s Word? The psalmist did. He said he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He claimed that the words of God were sweeter than honey. They were his treasure, his heart’s delight. He meditated and thought on them constantly. He considered them so wonderful he couldn’t get enough of them. He literally cried because there were those who chose to reject and disobey God’s Word. He found himself filled with rage over those who disregard what God has to say. He loved the Word of God and couldn’t understand why everyone else didn’t feel the same way. He had found God’s Word to be fulfilling, comforting, directing, encouraging, convicting, and restoring. He went to bed at night thinking about it and woke up with it on his mind first thing in the morning. To the psalmist, the Word was life.

But what about me? Am I even remotely obsessed with the Word of God? Is it always on my mind? Do I think about it constantly? The honest answer is no. And yet I truly believe that I love God’s Word. I read it, study it, teach it, believe it, and try to live my life according to it. But I think the difference between the psalmist and myself is that he viewed the Word of God as equal to God Himself. The laws, decrees, principles, precepts, and written expressions of God’s expectations for man were to the psalmist a direct extension of God Himself. To read God’s written Word was to speak with God. It was to hear directly from God. It was like having intimate communication with God. For many of us, we have disconnected the Scriptures from the One who wrote them. We look at the Bible as some kind of self-help guide or a manual for living, with helpful tips and techniques on everything from child-rearing to marriage. And while the Bible can and does address life issues, it is really the revelation of God. It is the written Word of God that shows us who God is and how He wants to relate to mankind. The psalmist seemed to understand this. He didn’t look at it as a document to be studied and applied. It was the direct communication of God to man and was to be obeyed. And what he had found was that the Word of God brought life. It brought joy, peace, contentment, wisdom, well-being, direction, it made meaning out of the difficulties of life, gave insight into the day-to-day decisions we all face, and provided answers to all of life’s questions. The psalmist was obsessed with God’s Word because He was obsessed with the God who spoke it to begin with. It was his lifeline to God. And he held onto it relentlessly and faithfully.

Father, may I grow ever more obsessed with Your Word. May it permeate every area of my life. May I grow deeper and deeper in love with it as I realize just how powerful and life-changing it really is. May I see it as more than just a document to be read and studied, but as a revelation of who You are. May I search for You in it and find You. May it fill my mind and fulfill the desires of my life. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 72

/ kdmiller55 / 1 Comment

An Instrument of Thy Peace.

“Bless the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Bless his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!” ­– Psalm 72:18-19 NLT

Solomon had God-given wisdom and blessings beyond belief – also directly provided by the hand of God. He reigned over a powerful kingdom that was hand-picked by God as the people group upon which He would shower His grace and mercy. God dwelt in their midst, directed their paths, and protected their borders. Solomon’s wisdom and the nation’s wealth were gifts from God and Solomon knew it. He also knew just how dependent he was on God’s continued presence and provision. He was nothing without God. And his song recorded in Psalm 72 is a clear indication of his’s comprehension of his need for God. Everything he had and all that he was as a man was directly attributable to God. He knew he could not judge well without God’s help. He knew he could not rule fairly without God’s direction. He knew his reign could end up destroying the lives of those he ruled if God was not on his side. Solomon knew that his kingdom would be a blessing only as long as God continued to bless his leadership. His kingdom was simply a conduit through which God could bless the people of Israel and the nations around them.

What a healthy perspective for all of us to embrace. To recognize that I am nothing without God could have a powerful impact on how I live my life. It would put  everything in perspective. My role as a husband, father, employee or even employer takes on new meaning when I realize that I have been placed where I am by God Himself and that I am nothing without Him. Solomon longed to do what was right. He wanted to rule righteously and lead his people justly. He knew that he had been given authority and responsibility by God to care for the people of God. He took that role seriously. He longed to rule well and represent God faithfully. What about us? Do we see ourselves as God’s conduits through which He wants to pour out His grace and mercy to those under our care? Do we long to lead well and administer our daily responsibilities righteously so that those around us are blessed by God through us? Take a close look at this Psalm. It is actually a prayer – a request from an earthly king to his heavenly Father – that his life would make a difference in the world. Solomon wanted to leave the world a better place than he had found it. He wanted to be used by God. Do you?

This all reminds me of the prayer of St. Francis of Assissi:

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Father, my life and ministry are nothing without You. I cannot accomplish anything of value without You. I want my life to leave a lasting impact on those around me. But I can only do it because You graciously choose to use me. Make me a willing vessel through which Your blessings might be poured out on those around me.  Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





1 Kings 3; 4

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The Little Foxes.

“Solomon had four thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand horses.” ­– 1 Kings 4:26 NLT

A quick read through chapters three and four of 1 Kings and you immediately see a picture of success and blessing. Solomon is not king of Israel. He has inherited a powerful and secure kingdom from his father David. He is enjoying an unprecedented period of peace. He is blessed with tremendous wealth and unparalleled wisdom. Both gifts from God. His kingdom is the envy of other nations who send their dignitaries to investigate first-hand if all that they hear about Israel is true. When it comes to wisdom, Solomon was without peer. He was an author and composer. He was a botanist, biologist, herpetologist, ichthyologist, zoologist, and ornithologist. He was powerful, erudite and one of the most influential leaders in the known world. He seemed to have everything going for himself, including the blessing of God. But in this glowing picture of success there is a dark mark, a flaw. It is small and seemingly insignificant. But it’s there. Solomon had a love affair with “stuff.” He was enamored with material things and all the trappings of success and power that came with his position. He was obsessed with knowing. Intelligence and learning were like an addiction to him. And when we come to the book of Ecclesiastes, we’ll discover just how much all this accumulation of wealth and wisdom ended up meaning to him.

But you catch a glimpse of what is to come in one small verse nestled within these two chapters. It simply states that Solomon had 4,000 stalls in which he maintained and cared for 12,000 chariot horses. Wow! That’s some stable. Just another example of Solomon’s vast wealth. But there’s more. It’s also a not-so-subtle reminder of Solomon’s struggle with the trappings of his position. You see, Solomon knew better. He would have known that God had warned His people that when they choose a king for themselves, there was going to be stipulations and requirements. God’s king would rule according to a different set of standards. While the people would demand a king like all the other nations, God was going to make sure that the man to lead His people would march to a different drummer and lead according to a separate set of standards. All the way back in the book of Deuteronomy, God had communicated His terms:

“You will soon arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, and you will conquer it and settle there. Then you may begin to think, ‘We ought to have a king like the other nations around us.’ If this happens, be sure that you select as king the man the LORD your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite, not a foreigner. The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself, and he must never send his people to Egypt to buy horses there, for the LORD has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will lead him away from the LORD. And he must not accumulate vast amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself. – Deuteronomy 17:14-17 NLT

We read later in 1 Kings 11 that “Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The LORD had clearly instructed his people not to intermarry with those nations, because the women they married would lead them to worship their gods. Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. And sure enough, they led his heart away from the LORD” (1 Kings 11:1-3 NLT). Solomon had wives and lots of them. He had horses by the thousands, and his wealth was immeasurable. Now it can be argued that Solomon’s wealth was give to him by God. Yet even the blessings of God can become stumbling blocks if we lose sight of their intent or allow them to take significance over the one who gave them. Solomon’s wealth would become an obsession. His wisdom would leave him with more questions than answers. His wives would turn him away from the very one who had given him all he enjoyed.

There is a little saying or proverb that Solomon wrote. It speaks of the very problem Solomon would experience as a result of his tendency to ignore the commands of God. It’s found in the Songs of Solomon and reads, “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom” (Song of Solomon 2:15 NIV). This saying speaks of the little things that sneak in and destroy what is of real value. They are subtle and seemingly insignificant, but if left unattended, they can wreak destruction. It’s the small areas of disobedience, the little sins that can do so much harm if left unconfessed and unaddressed. Like small foxes in a vineyard, they will end up doing harm that cannot be repaired. Solomon had it all. His kingdom was fruitful and flourishing, but he had allowed the “little foxes” of disobedience and compromise to infiltrate his vineyard. And the effects would be serious. No amount of wealth or wisdom can replace willing submission to the commands of God. Compromise is subtle and creeps in slowly, causing us to cut corners spiritually and water down our commitments to God. It happened to Solomon and it can happen to us. Even the blessings of God can end up turning us from God – unless we continually remember the one from whom the blessings come.

Father, keep me more in love with You than with Your blessings. Continually convict me when I stray from the path You have established for me as Your child. Keep me in Your Word and give me the strength and determination to obey it. Open my eyes so that I might see the “little foxes” that lurk in my life, ready to destroy what You have blessed me with. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Psalms 119:45-88

/ kdmiller55 / 1 Comment

We Could All Use A Little Good Sense.

“You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands.” ­– Psalm 119:73 NLT

Give me the sense to follow Your commands. That should be the first prayer I pray each and every day. Because even though God made me, I still have the tendency to disobey His commands. All because of the fall and my own sin nature. Rather than follow His commands faithfully and willingly, I am tempted to do things my way or the world’s way. So I need God to give me the good sense to do what is right. And to do that He sometimes allows me to suffer – to learn His lessons the hard way. The Psalmist seemed to understand this fact. “The suffering you sent was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your principles” (Psalm 119:71 NLT). “I know, O LORD, that your decisions are fair; you disciplined me because I needed it” (Psalm 119:75 NLT). Sometimes God has to get our attention by allowing us to learn just how much we need Him. Difficulty comes into our lives and we often discover that it is all because we have disobeyed the clear commands of God. It could be something as simple as His command to have no other God’s in place of Him. But how often do we break that command? We make idols and cheap God-replacements out of just about everything and everyone. We worship our work and our careers. We expect money to meet all our needs. We give entertainment a special place in our lives because we think it can bring us joy. We put people on pedestals, hoping that they will bring us happiness or make us feel significant. We place our faith in the government or political leaders. And so God allows us to learn the valuable lesson that there really are no other gods beside Him. They disappoint us, let us down, turn their backs on us, and fail to deliver whatever it was we were expecting them to do for us. Then we can say with the Psalmist,  “I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word” (Psalm 119:67 NLT).

The amazing thing about this Psalm is the author’s repeated expressions of love for the laws or commands of God. He delights in them. He loves them. He meditates on them. He wakes up at midnight thinking about them. He says that they are the music of his life. The commands of God are worth more to him than millions in gold and silver. Why? Because he has learned that obeying God’s commands is the secret to contentment, joy, peace, satisfaction, wisdom, and the blessing of God. God loves us so much that He is always teaching us the value of keeping His commands, of living life on His terms and not ours. He knows we are surrounded with other options and the daily temptation to trust in something other than Him for our needs. But He faithfully disciplines us, allowing us to learn that He alone can satisfy our every desire. More money, nicer cars, bigger homes, raises, recognition, friends, fame, or any other thing this world has to offer can ever replace the role of God in our lives. He wants us to love Him by making Him the highest priority in our lives. But we can’t really love Him if we are not willing to obey Him. And we can’t effectively obey Him if we don’t know what He wants us to do. And we can’t know what He wants us to do if we never spend time in His Word. The Scriptures are where we discover God’s expectations of us. As we read it, He speaks to us through His Holy Spirit, convicting us, directing us, and prompting us to take the next step in our spiritual journey. Faithful obedience to His Word brings His blessing. The Psalmist knew it. But do we?

Father, Your Word is alive and well. Your commands are written down in black and white. They are there for us to discover and obey. But we sometimes we refuse to even read them, let alone obey them. Give us the sense to follow Your commands, because it alone will bring us the joy, contentment, peace and fulfillment we are looking for. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Psalms 119:1-44

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The World Vs. The Word.

“Give me an eagerness for your decrees; do not inflict me with love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.” ­– Psalm 119:36-37 NLT

A love for the world and a love for the Word of God. Those are our two options. We can cultivate one or the other, but it is next to impossible to cultivate both and have them each equally flourish. To try and do so would be like attempting to nourish the weeds and the flowers in your garden equally. Ultimately, the weeds, if given equal right to exist in your garden, will take over completely. They will end up dominating the flowers and choking them out. Which is exactly what happens to many of us in our spiritual lives. We believe we can love the world and the Word of God equally. We can give them both a portion of our attention and affection, and we think they each will prosper. But the Psalmist knew better. He knew that a love for Gods Word was the key to life and happiness. He asks God to “Give me a bent for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot. Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way” (MSG). In these first 44 verses of this, the longest of the Psalms, we read over and over again of the Psalmist’s single-minded love for God and His law, found in His Word. The Psalmist speaks of God’s law, statutes, decrees, commandments, principles, and truths – all of which are found in His written Word. These are God’s spoken and written expectations of His people. They are His expressed will for the way in which we should live. They give guidance, direction, comfort, wisdom, joy, understanding, blessing, and ultimately, true happiness. What is amazing is that the world offers the same list of benefits. The only problem is, the world can’t deliver what is promises. Yet we pursue the world with a vengeance, expecting it to provide what only God Himself can provide. Sure, the world offers temporary fulfillment and what looks like happiness and joy. But it is always short-lived. The joy doesn’t last. The fulfillment never lingers.

Every one of us as Christ-followers struggles with a constant urge to love the things of this world. We spend countless hours watching media, playing games, attending sporting events, reading books, going shopping, working out – none of which is evil or inherently sinful. But how many times have we confessed that we don’t spend much time reading our Bibles, but we always seem to have time to do any and all of the above. There’s always enough time to watch a little TV at the end of the day. There’s always enough time to catch up on the latest news in the morning before starting our day. There’s always enough time to see a movie, grab a latte or read the latest best-selling book. But we just never seem to have enough time to read God’s Word. And I think the real issue is less about time than it is about the perceived benefits. For many of us, reading our Bibles does not seem to bring us much joy. It doesn’t seem to give us much insight. We’re looking for answers to life’s problems, and if we don’t get it on the first reading, then we get disappointed. But the Psalmist seemed to understand that the Word was simply a means of hearing from the one who wrote it. The commands of God were only important because they were spoken by God. They were his link to God. Do we read our Bibles that way. Do we desire to hear from God, spend time with God, listen to God? Or is our time in the Word just another task to check off our to-do list?

The Psalmist said, “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law. I am but a foreigner here on earth; I need the guidance of your commands. Don’t hide them from me!” (Psalms 119:18-18 NLT). Do you sense the need, the longing, the dependency he had on God’s Word. He craved to hear from God. He saw himself as an alien and stranger living in a foreign land. He couldn’t make it without a word from God. Do we share that same sense of dependency and reliance? May our prayer be that of the Psalmist: “Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.”

Father, how many times I have allowed my love of the world to crowd out and displace Your Word. I confess that I have loved the world and the things it offers far more often than I have loved reading Your Word or obeying what it has to say. Give me the mindset of the Psalmist, that Your Word would become more precious to me than life itself. All because I begin to understand that Your Word is how I hear from You. It is how You have chosen to reveal Yourself to Me. Like a letter from a loved one I haven’t seen in years, it is my connection and conduit of Your expressed love to me. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





1 Kings 2; Psalms 94

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Their Just Desserts.

“‘The LORD isn’t looking,’ they say, ‘and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.’ Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on? Is the one who made your ears deaf? Is the one who formed your eyes blind? He punishes the nations — won’t he also punish you? He knows everything — doesn’t he also know what you are doing? The LORD knows people’s thoughts, that they are worthless!” ­– Psalm 94:7-11 NLT

Justice. We all want it. At least we think we do. Especially when it applies to someone else. When we read of someone doing something wrong or unfair, we demand that justice be done. We want to see them brought to justice – whether it is a corporate executive who has swindled money from his investors or an extreme radical terrorist who has taken innocent lives in some cowardly fashion. We long to see justice served and the guilty punished. But what is justice? Do we understand what it even means? According to the dictionary definition, it is “the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause; the administering of deserved punishment or reward.” It is both the quality of being just or righteous – doing the right thing, and it is the action of upholding what is right by punishing those who have done wrong.
There have always been those who believe that justice does not apply to them. They are above the law. They can somehow break the rules and escape justice. And sometimes our society allows them to do so. They may even believe that they can escape the justice of God. In Psalms 94 we see a glimpse of their attitude. They think that the God who created them cannot see what they are doing or hear what they are saying. He is somehow blind to their actions and attitudes, and even if He could see what they are doing, He is impotent to do anything about it. But the Psalmist reminds us of the idiocy of this conclusion. God sees all, and because He is just and righteous, He deals with all in a righteous way. Maybe not in the time frame we would like to see, but eventually God makes all things right. He brings about justice. No one escapes it. You see a picture of this in 1 Kings 2 as Solomon ascends to the throne of Israel. In this chapter Solomon begins his reign by establishing justice and giving some evil men their just desserts. In quick succession he deals with Joab for his murders, Shimei for his unfaithfulness, Adonijah for his deceitfulness and treachery, and Abiathar for his role in Adonijah’s rebellion. Each of these men had acted unfaithfully in some way. They had committed an unjustice and deserved to be punished. Adonijah had attempted to take the throne of David away from Solomon. Joab had disobeyed David and killed two innocent men. Abiathar had aided Adonijah in his aborted coupe attempt. Shimei had turned against David and cursed him when he had been forced to flee Jerusalem when his son, Absalom took over the city. Each of these men were guilty and deserved punishment, and some of them had seen enough time elapse that they thought they had escaped justice. They were home free. But Solomon began his reign by making sure justice was served. The wrongs were made right. The guilty were punished.
In this story we see a glimpse of the justice of God. He will deal with the evil that exists in our land. We may feel like He is blind to what is going on around us, or perhaps incapable of doing anything about it. But God has a good memory and is patient. He will deal with the injustices of this world in His time and according to His ways. But rest assured, justice will be done. With the Psalmist we can cry out, “O LORD, the God to whom vengeance belongs, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice be seen! Arise, O judge of the earth. Sentence the proud to the penalties they deserve.” (Psalms 94:1-2 NLT). He will do what needs to be done. He will right every wrong and punish every wrong doer. What Solomon did in an imperfect way, God will do perfectly. We can know that justice will be served. One day God will administer His justice righteously and completely. So when we see evil taking place around us, we can rest in the fact that God sees and God will act. He will deal with it.

Father, we live in a world filled with injustice. People take advantage of others. People unfairly harm others. The innocent suffer and the wicked seem to get away with doing what is wrong. But You are not asleep. You are not powerless or disinterested. You are just and righteous. You see all that is going on and You will repay each person for the evil they have done. Thank You for that reminder. But also, thank You for the assurance that my sins are forgiven. That I will not have to undergo punishment for the evil I have done because of Your Son’s death on the cross. Never let me use that as an excuse to live the way I want to live, but help me to serve You obediently and faithfully out of gratitude that I am seen as just in Your eyes. The punishment for my sins has been paid in full. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





1 Kings 1; Psalms 37, 71

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Old, But Not Forgotten.

“Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.” ­– Psalm 71:18 NLT

David has reached the end of his life. He is advanced in years and no longer the strong, virile young man he used to be. He is mostly bed-ridden and under the constant care of a nurse. Yet even in old age, David is still seeking the Lord and confident in His activity in his life. He has learned over the years that He can trust God to come through. And God does come through yet again. We have seen before that if David had a weakness it was in his parenting skills. He has lost two sons to death and had one of his daughters raped by her half brother. Now we see one of his sons attempting to usurp the throne without David’s knowledge or permission. David is oblivious to what is going on. But Nathan the prophet is not. He gets wind of Adonijah’s plan and informs David’s wife Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. David had promised Bathsheba to make her son Solomon the next king of Israel. Yet Adonijah is just hours away from having himself declared king, leaving Solomon as a potential threat to Adonijah’s kingship and therefore in danger for his life. Nathan and Bathsheba inform David what is going on and he responds by immediately having Solomon crowned king in his place, thus thwarting Adonijah’s plan.

This story reflects David’s understanding of how God worked in his life. God was protecting him by using Nathan and Bathsheba. The protection and presence of God in our lives does not mean we will not have opposition or trouble. It is going to come because it is part of living life in a fallen world. Yet we have the assurance that God will intervene in ways we can’t always anticipate or see. God was fully aware of what Adonijah was doing, and God used Nathan the prophet to expose it to Bathsheba and David. God was protecting David even in his advanced years. While David was old, weak, and vulnerable, God was not. He was going to make sure that His plans for Solomon and his kingship would come about just as He had promised David.

David does not seem surprised at the news about Adonijah and appears to react calmly and quickly. He immediately has Solomon crowned king. He didn’t hesitate or waver, because he knew this was what God wanted. Adonijah had simply created the unplanned impetus for Solomon to be crowned at this time. This all caught David, Nathan, and Bathsheba by surprise, but not God. It was countless experiences like this over the years that made it possible for David to write, “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7 NLT). “The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming” (Psalm 37:12-13 NLT). “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7 NLT). “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly forsaken, nor seen their children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25 NLT).

David was old, but not forgotten by God. And he had not forgotten that God was still in control. The plans of God would not be stopped, even by a disobedient son. God was watching over David even in his old age.

Father, thanks for the reminder that You are there for me even when I am oblivious to the danger around me. You are always alert and ready to step in, protecting me in ways that I don’t even see. Thanks for surrounding each of us with friends like Nathan who are sensitive to Your leading and help us know what to do. You are always there for us. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Psalms 115-118

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The Lord is For Me!

“The LORD is for me, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” ­– Psalm 118:6 NLT

The Lord is for me! Really? Me? Why in the world would He be for me after all I have done to disobey, disappoint, and disregard Him in my life? But here it is in black and white and right in the middle of His Word to me. He is for me. He loves me. He answers my prayers. He helps me when I call on Him. But the problem seems to be that I don’t really believe He is for me. I doubt that He really loves me. I think I have to earn that love and keep Him pleased by my behavior – and I’m not too good at that. I make mistakes. I fail. I give in to temptations and fall prey to my own sin nature too often. And because I think God loves the same way I do – conditionally and not constantly – I believe there are times He is not for me. That’s when these four Psalms need to be a part of my daily reading schedule. Better yet, I need to memorize them and meditate on them so they are right there in my brain when I need them.

These Psalms speak of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness. They remind me that God is always there for me. I literally walk in His presence each and every day (Psalms 116:9). He is watching over me, and I can trust Him. In fact, the Psalmist reminds me that “It is better to trust the LORD than to put confidence in people” (Psalms 118:8 NLT). People let me down, just like I let them down. But God never lets me down. He never disappoints. He never fails to come through. He may not do things the way I want them done, but He always comes through – in ways I could never have imagined – and they are always for my good and His glory. “The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things!” (Psalms 118:16 NLT). The Lord is for me. And He is always doing things for me. So why don’t I trust Him more? I think it’s because I don’t recognize His hand in my life often enough. I have not trained myself to look for the signs of His presence. They are there. His answers to prayers. His interventions at just the right time. His provision in so many ways. His protection over me in spite of myself. God is for me. He loves me. That thought blows me away this morning. Now I need to remind myself of it it all day long!

Father, thank You for being for me. I couldn’t live this life without You. Forgive me for not recognizing You in my life and praising You for all You do. May this year be filled with praises for who You are and all that You are doing. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org