speak up

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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speak up

1 Kings 1:11-27 (JDV)

1 Kings 1:11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba (Solomon’s mother) “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and our lord David is not aware of it?
1 Kings 1:12 Now please come and let me advise you. Rescue your throat and the throat of your son Solomon.
1 Kings 1:13 Go, approach King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your servant: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne? So why has Adonijah become king? ‘
1 Kings 1:14 At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I’ll come in after you and confirm your words.”
1 Kings 1:15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was attending to him.
1 Kings 1:16 Bathsheba knelt low and paid homage to the king, and he asked, “What do you want?”
1 Kings 1:17 She replied, “My lord, you swore to your servant by Yahveh your God, ‘Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne.’
1 Kings 1:18 Now look, Adonijah has become king. And, my lord the king, you were not aware of it.
1 Kings 1:19 He has lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon.
1 Kings 1:20 Now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
1 Kings 1:21 Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be regarded as criminals.”
1 Kings 1:22 At that moment, while she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan arrived,
1 Kings 1:23 and it was announced to the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” He came into the king’s presence and paid homage to him with his face to the ground.
1 Kings 1:24 “My lord the king,” Nathan said, “did you say, ‘Adonijah is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne’?
1 Kings 1:25 For today he went down and lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and the priest Abiathar. And look! They’re eating and drinking in his presence, and they’re saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
1 Kings 1:26 But he did not invite me — me, your servant — or the priest Zadok or Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your servant Solomon.
1 Kings 1:27 I’m certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant know who will sit on my lord the king’s throne after him.”

speak up

Nathan and Bathsheba are appealing to David for their lives and the lives of others here, but they are also providing two witnesses to establish the truth of David’s promise. When faced with this obvious conspiracy, neither of these people can keep silent.

Times in our life will come which demand that we speak up to protect ourselves or those around us who are in danger. We are not guaranteed that our intercession will work. It may lead to our destruction. But we must speak out.

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I will be king

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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I will be king

1 Kings 1:1-10 (JDV)

1 Kings 1:1 Now King David was old and advanced in age. Although they covered him with blankets, he could not get warm.
1 Kings 1:2 So his servants said to him: “Let us search for a young virgin for my lord the king. She is to attend the king and be his caregiver. She is to lie by your side so that my lord the king will get warm.”
1 Kings 1:3 They searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel; they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.
1 Kings 1:4 The girl was of unsurpassed beauty, and she became the king’s caregiver. She attended to him, but he was not intimate with her.
1 Kings 1:5 Adonijah son of Haggith kept exalting himself, saying, “I will be king!” He prepared chariots, cavalry, and fifty men to run ahead of him.
1 Kings 1:6 But his father had never once infuriated him by asking, “Why did you do that?” In addition, he was quite handsome and was born after Absalom.
1 Kings 1:7 He conspired with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar. They supported Adonijah,
1 Kings 1:8 but the priest Zadok, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David’s royal guard did not side with Adonijah.
1 Kings 1:9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, goats, cattle, and fattened cattle near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king,
1 Kings 1:10 but he did not invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the royal guard, or his brother Solomon.

I will be king

There is a teaching within Christianity that prescribes declaring what you want as if it is a given, and it will happen. Adonijah made his positive confession and even conspired to get support from others. But it was not God’s will, so it never happened. He tried to exalt himself, and God does not want us to do that. There may be success in your future as well, but instead of trying to manufacture it, learn to live one day at a time. Put your future in God’s hands. He can be trusted to manage it.

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replacement, not restoration

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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replacement, not restoration

Obadiah 17-21 (JDV)

Obadiah 1:17 But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion, and it will be holy; the house of Jacob will dispossess those who dispossessed them.
Obadiah 1:18 Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire, and the house of Joseph, a burning flame, but the house of Esau will be stubble; Jacob will set them on fire and consume Edom. Therefore, no survivor will remain of the house of Esau, for Yahveh has spoken.
Obadiah 1:19 People from the Negev will possess the hill country of Esau; those from the Judean foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will possess the territories of Ephraim and Samaria, while Benjamin will possess Gilead.
Obadiah 1:20 The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah and who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath as well as the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev.
Obadiah 1:21 Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be Yahveh’s.

replacement, not restoration

A theology of restoration is growing in popularity today. It says that God’s purpose in the final judgment is restoration — that hell will purge the sinner from sin, but that all will be eventually restored. As appealing as such an idea might be, it fails to correspond to what Scripture says about God’s judgment. From this passage we discover that Edom will be judged, destroyed by a consuming fire from God, and the land they occupy with other people. What happened to Edom serves as an example of how God treats individuals who consistently rebel against his commands.

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retaliation will return

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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retaliation will return

Obadiah 12-16 (JDV)

Obadiah 1:12 Do not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction; do not boastfully mock in the day of affliction.
Obadiah 1:13 Do not enter my people’s city gate in the day of their disaster. Yes, you — do not gloat over their misery in the day of their misfortune, and do not appropriate their possessions in the day of their disaster.
Obadiah 1:14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off their fugitives, and do not hand over their survivors in the day of distress.
Obadiah 1:15 For the day of Yahveh is near, against all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; retaliation will return on your own head.
Obadiah 1:16 As you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and gulp down and be as though they had never been.

retaliation will return

The prophet speaks of a day of Yahveh in which all the nations will be judged based on how they treated other nations. He warns Edom not to do what they are considering. Every one of these thoughts about taking advantage of Judah were plans that the Edomites were actively planning.

How about you. Are you planning how to get ahead by taking advantage of a neighbor’s bad fortune? Are you secretly happy when things don’t go well with one of your local enemies. God’s message for all of us is to stop thinking such thoughts. The day of Yahveh is nerar. Retaliation will return on our own head. Love your neighbor as yourself.

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like one of them

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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like one of them

Obadiah 1-4 (JDV)

Obadiah 1:9 Teman, your warriors will be terrified so that everyone from the hill country of Esau will be destroyed by slaughter.
Obadiah 1:10 You will be covered with shame and destroyed forever because of violence done to your brother Jacob.
Obadiah 1:11 On the day you stood aloof, on the day illegals captured his wealth, while foreigners entered his city gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them.

like one of them

Edom stood aloof and cheered when Jerusalem was ransacked. Edom was just like the looters. It would be destroyed because it refused to help when God’s people were being violently attacked.

If someone I know is being abused or harmed, it is my duty to intervene. I cannot turn the other way and stay silent. If I do so, I share in the crime. I will also share in the punishment.

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cleaned out

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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cleaned out

Obadiah 5-8 (JDV)

Obadiah 1:5 If thieves came to you, if destroyers by night — how ravaged you would be! — wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn’t they leave some things to glean?
Obadiah 1:6 How Esau will be turned inside-out, his hidden treasures discovered!
Obadiah 1:7 Everyone who has a treaty with you will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you. He will be unaware of it.
Obadiah 1:8 In that day — this is Yahveh’s declaration — will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom and those who understand from the hill country of Esau?

cleaned out

Edom will be attacked in such a way as to leave them nothing to start over again with. They will be cleaned out — nothing left. Such is the threat to those who oppose God and his people. Jesus says that those thrown into hell will be destroyed body and soul. There will be nothing left. God does not promise eternal life to the wicked even in misery. He promises permanent destruction.

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too significant

Posted on August 24, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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too significant

Obadiah 1-4 (JDV)

Obadiah 1:1 The vision of Obadiah. This is what Lord Yahveh has said about Edom: We have heard a message from Yahveh; an envoy has been sent among the nations: “Rise up, and let us go to war against her.”
Obadiah 1:2 Watch, I will make you insignificant among the nations; you will be deeply despised.
Obadiah 1:3 Your arrogant heart has deceived you, you who live in clefts of the rock in your home on the heights, who say to yourself, “Who can bring me down to the ground?”
Obadiah 1:4 Though you seem to soar like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down. This is Yahveh’s declaration.

too significant

The nation of Edom saw Judah in danger and gloated. The LORD spoke out against them for their proud assumption that it couldn’t happen to them. We are never in more danger than when we think we are too significant to suffer harm.

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stay set to the standard

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Stay set to the standard

1 Peter 5:12-14 (JDV)

1 Peter 5:12 Through Silvanus, a faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly to encourage you and to testify that this is the true favor of God. Stand firm in it!
1 Peter 5:13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son.
1 Peter 5:14 Greet one another with a caring kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Stay set to the standard

Peter’s final word of encouragement is for his readers to stand firm. Throughout this study of 1 Peter, I have been posting each devotional with a picture of stones. The idea is that Peter sees the church as stones set upon the pattern of the cornerstone, Jesus Christ. His final encouragement is for his readers to stay set to the standard so that others see examples of the gospel of God’s favor set against the backdrop of a culture that opposes it. Stand firm, brothers and sisters. The world is watching!

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a temporary lion

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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a temporary lion

1 Peter 5:8-11 (JDV)

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is walking around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
1 Peter 5:9 Resist that lion, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.
1 Peter 5:10 The God of all grace, who called you to his permanent glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support after you have suffered a little while.
1 Peter 5:11 To him be dominion permanently. Amen.

a temporary lion

Satan is walking around making a lot of noise, and the danger he poses for us is real. But the danger is temporary. Our watchword today is not to hide from this danger, but to actively and consciously resist him. The suffering will be with us for a little while. But God’s victory will come permanently. There are no guarantees that we will be victorious over Satan’s attacks during this little while. But nothing he can do to us will last forever. What God has promised us will last forever.

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humility toward one another

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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humility toward one another

1 Peter 5:5-7 (JDV)

1 Peter 5:5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time,

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

humility toward one another

Peter’s use of homoios (in the same way) points back to the shepherding task as not dictatorial leadership but humbling service to the flock. Likewise, the younger members of the flock should humble themselves – clothing themselves with humility toward one another. Pride can destroy the young as well as the old. We all need to learn mutual reciprocal submission and allowing God to do the exalting.

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