1 – Ezra 3:6 (ESV) ⁶ From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

RAF: In days of restoration, as these were for the exiles, priorities are sometimes more clearly defined. While there had been no work on restoring the Temple proper yet, the altar was restored first and rightly so. When we have gone through seasons of estrangment from God, perhaps the distance that has followed a fall into sin, we know where to go first – to the cross. We go to God’s altar. Where the one true Lamb that was offered for sin was slain. We go back there and renew ourselves in the knowledge of what our sin deserved, how the Father sent His Son to take our punishment in our place, and how He is the only sin offering we can bring. And isn’t He our fellowship offering too? And our thank offering? Everything is restored to focus on this one place – Christ Jesus, and His death for us.

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1 – 2 Chronicles 32:18-19 (ESV) ¹⁸ And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city. ¹⁹ And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men’s hands.

RAF: The Devil knows our language. He knows how to communicate to us in ways we will hear clearly – and always with the aim of undermining our trust in God. He knows how to play on our fears to make us think God is somehow not able to keep us, not willing to keep us, or corrupt in some way. These are Satan’s devices, and he uses them skillfully. But our ears must be tuned to God’s voice. To remember Who and What He is. To stand firm in the knowledge of God’s perfections, promises and the holy character of His person. Then, we can stand strong. Only then.

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1 – 1 Chronicles 13:1 (ESV) David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader.

RAF: Good leadership knows the value of the opinions, experiences and insights of others. Being unchallengable as though we have all the answers is a sure way not to lead others, but rather to drive them. Perhaps even to drive them away.

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1 – 1 Chronicles 5:20 (ESV) ²⁰ And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him.

RAF: This is both so simple and so profound. A powerful impetus to pray. Note four simple things.

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1 – 2 Kings 18:4 (ESV) ⁴ He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).

RAF: Even symbols of God’s goodness to us can become idols. In this case it was the bronze serpent that was raised up on a pole to stop the plague among the Israelites in Numbers 21. The transferrance is from God Himself, to a “thing.” Loving or focusing upon the gift above the Giver. Heavenly Father, this is so easy for us to do. Please keep us from it. Please keep our eyes on you.

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1 – 2 Kings 6:1-7 (ESV) Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. ² Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” ³ Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” ⁴ So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. ⁵ But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” ⁶ Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. ⁷ And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

RAF: All of the graces we had in Adam, were granted to us – “borrowed” from God, are were not ours inherently. This is so because we did not create ourselves nor do we sustain ourselves. (1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV) For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?) All we had was from Him. And what little we have left is still from Him. But our righteousness, this we lost. The holiness and uprightness we were created in is gone. The very image of God in us was marred beyond recognition. We were no longer able to glorify – to reveal Him as were created to do. Lost so as to be irrecoverable by human means. It would take a miracle of grace alone to do the impossible in saving us. The very transcendence of nature and its laws. That which could only be done by God Himelf. Oh, what a glorious salvation belongs to those who believe.

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1 – 1 Kings 13:33-34 (ESV) ³³ After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places. ³⁴ And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.

RAF: It is true that in the Church, we are all “a royal priesthood”. And yet, this is not to remove all distinctions in service, ministry and office. 1 Corinthains 12 for instance remainds us that “not all are teachers” (vs. 29 – etc). Even within the Levitical Priesthood there were at least three major divisions of duties, and maybe more. To obliterate these, brings confusion to the Chuch. It is the record of history that a failure of carefulness in this issue breeds destructive results. We are not to simply ordain “any who would.” Willingness is not qualification by itself.

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1- 2 Samuel 12:4 (ESV) ⁴ Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

RAF: Nathan’s portrayal of lust or desire as a traveler is most useful. It is a temporary thing that has the appearance of making legitimate demands, which we then try to meet by illegitimate means.

It WILL go away.

I don’t HAVE to give it a lamb.

I have legitimate means to deal with it. But I am unwilling to use those means.

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1 – 1 Samuel 30:23-31 (ESV) ²³ But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. ²⁴ Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” ²⁵ And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.” ²⁷ It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, ²⁸ in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, ²⁹ in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰ in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, ³¹ in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.

RAF: May we never be stingy with grace. David receives God’s bounty, and so he pours it back out. This is how God would bless both us and others – when we give what we’ve received at His pleasure. This is true materially, but also spiritually. Where the Father has been pleased to give us something of His own sweetness in communion with Him, we need to let some portion of that touch others too. Where we’ve been comforted, we ought to comfort others. What we’ve found rest in, we need to pass on to our brothers and sisters. The things that God as utilized to keep us, that have stabilized us, sustained or recovered us in His Word and by His Spirit, these need to be expressed to others that they too might share in His goodness. We never diminish His grace by sharing it with others. Freely we’ve received, let us freely give.

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1 – 1 Samuel 16:1 (ESV) The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

RAF: It is easy to sympathize with Samuel. How quick we are to pronounce the final word on things, when God is not done yet. Yes Saul was God’s anointed. Yes God had set His seal to all of this, even in the face of His People’s rebellion. But no, this was not the end of the story. It was right to mourn what had happened, but not so as to imagine God’s purpose and plan were thwarted. Our trust is in a God who transcends all of these things. Who will yet bring forth even that which is better than we had hoped at the beginning. Trust him.

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