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Keeping Track of the Kings in Kings
Reading 2 Kings after the stories of Elisha could get a bit confusing. Who was in Israel? Who was in Judah? What is Samaria? One way to at least try and stay on task that has been helpful for me is to notice when a new king comes in the picture. I look for a few things that get mentioned…
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Living in the Current Anointing of God
In reading through the story of Elisha I am struck by the ease with which Elisha moves in each situation. The miraculous pours from him. He has not looked back since he struck the Jordan River with Elijah’s cloak. There is almost the mundane situation of having the stew taste funny and he knew what to do. Then there is…
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Can You Stand as a Prophetic Witness?
2 Kings 2 When Elijah and Elisha came to Bethel, a company of prophets came to greet them. Bethel was a place of rebellion. Jeroboam had set up one of the golden calves to lead Israel from the worship of God in Jerusalem. Elijah and Elisha themselves were prophets in Israel, the northern tribes, in an era when Israel had…
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Where is the God of Elijah?
Elisha asks this question as he comes back to the Jordan after witnessing Elijah being taken to heaven. He has the mantle of Elijah and he has asked for the firstborn’s inheritance: a double portion. He cries out, “Where is the God of Elijah?” and strikes the water. The Jordan parts again. As I read this passage and look through…
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Sniveling, Spoiled, Rich Ruler
For all the admiration I have for Elijah in the story of 1 Kings, the one guy who drives me nuts is Ahab. He does nothing for his people, lives only for himself, and has a wife whose name represents evil personified in some Christian circles. (“She’s such a Jezebel.” Or, “This place has a Jezebel spirit.” Something like that.)…
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Burn the Plows
There are those moments. Times when something stirs in your heart. Windows of time when you know there is a decision to be made. But the question is too stark. It’s not a gradual question. It’s a hard question. “Are you all in, or not?” Something like that. Those moments come. They come when God is ready, and he honestly knows we are ready. But we…
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Elijah
Of all the stories and sermons I remember from growing up, and being a young preacher, the stories of Elijah are the most captivating to me. His life is fascinating and there are just a dozen great sermons (and titles) I think of when I read through the stories of Elijah. I’m fairly sure this guy would be on meds…
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The Place of Holy Habitation
N T Wright’s work on the Kingdom of God, and lately his book Simply Jesus, has given me a fresh look at the Temple. Wright’s view on “heaven” and “earth” have stirred up my thinking and I’m still processing the whole idea he keeps putting out in his writing. The separation of “heaven” and “earth” is not a matter of how…
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Don’t Cross the Man of God
When we get into 1 Kings, we get more stories of the prophets. This is quite a bunch in these stories. In 1 Kings 13, Jeroboam is met by a man of God who prophesies doom on Jeroboam. Jeroboam doesn’t like it, and being king, he thinks he can simply arrest the seer. Not so fast. 4 When King Jeroboam heard…
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Why We Need Multiple Generations — the lesson of Rehoboam
After Solomon’s death Rehoboam came to the throne. The people came and made a request: Please ease up on us! We’ve worked hard doing all this work to build Jerusalem! It’s time to let up on the gas a bit. Rehoboam consulted two groups: his father’s advisors and his own “posse.” What would Solomon’s advisers know, anyway? They were all…
Category: Bible Study
