MAY 14, 2023

  “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” 

― Albert Einstein

2 KINGS 9-11

30The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” 31Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit..... 17Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. 18All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the Lord. 19He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the Lord and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne. 20All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace.

JOHN 5:1-24

 16So the Jewish leaders began harassing^c Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. 17But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” 18So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.19So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. 21For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. 22In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, 23so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.24“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

JOURNAL 

There is so much here in these passages. The story of Jehu and then the foiling of the plan of Athaliah is rich in drama. I can only imagine if this story was delved into and I could see it play out. It reminds me that there is so much more to learn and understand as God is interwoven into the lives of all these former kings. I also see how they all had their flaws yet God was gracious.

The story of the healing of the lame man at the pool gives a glimpse into the absolute restrictive culture the Jews protected. Jesus defying the laws and traditions for the sake of healing and loving reminds me that he came to free us from oppressive religious practices. He came to free us from tying ourselves in knots over "what people may think".  It also reminds me that God always has something deeper going on than the obvious. Healing is never just a healing, a miracle is never just a miracle, a sermon is never just a sermon and a sacrifice is never just a sacrifice. Just as the Bible and it's stories are never just words on a page...they contain so much more.

God gives us and blesses me with so many resources, the Bible being one of them. I don't have to rely on someone to interpret it for me. I can seek out answers and God pushes me to do so. In doing so I learn, struggle, contemplate and fall deeper into the arms of God. 

16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.  

2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17