Thursday, July 03, 2014
Reading for the day: 1 Kings 15:25-16:34, 2 Chronicles 17

What the Lord says He will do. Why is that so hard for us to understand? In today’s reading there’s a brief account of a man named Hiel of Bethel who rebuilds Jericho. 1 Kings 16:34, it says, “he laid its (Jericho’s) foundation at the cost of his first born son Abiram and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub”. This verse, I feel, is significant because if you remember, after Joshua and the Israelites destroyed Jericho, Joshua pronounces a curse on anyone who rebuilds Jericho. (Joshua 6:26). He swore that anyone who rebuilds Jericho will do so at the cost of his first born and youngest sons. 

What the Lord says He will do.  

What this says to me is that God is not kidding when he tells us what we should and shouldn’t do. Like the Ten Commandments aren’t the ten “suggestions”. Why is it so hard for us to follow God’s laws? Jesus summed up all the commandments for us in an easy to remember way, He said, “love God and love others”. If we are willing to accept God’s promises of grace and mercy and forgiveness, we should also, recognize that there are often consequences for our actions. Now this should not depress us or scare us into obedience – in actuality for me, it lets me know that I can trust God completely, because he is just and true. He does what He says He will do.

Blessings
Pastor Kathy