Personal Devotions
Notes from Mark's personal Bible reading and meditation
With a goal to apply one truth from each day's reading to my life that day
Feb 17, 2024, 8:22 AM
Passage Read: 2 Kings 4-7
Meditation Verse: 5:26
Thought
Gehazi didn't like that Naaman, an enemy of Israel, had received blessing from God, and Elisha didn't take any payment from him. He wanted the foreigner at least to leave a blessing in return. And of course, he had brought a lot as a gift to the prophet, if he could help him. It was too much for Gehazi, the temptation and the justification. But he should have trusted his master and left off his greed.
Feb 16, 2024, 8:23 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 22 - 2 Kings 3
Meditation Verses: 2 Kings 1:9-12
Thought
Elijah and Elisha are a lot more cavalier about the lives of others than seems right. Elijah seems to casually say that if he is a man of God, then let fire come down and consume the soldiers and their commander. And he does so twice! Then not long after, Elisha curses some boys who mock him, and they are mauled by a bear! Where is the love and compassion of God? Either this is out of character for God, or we don't correctly understand the character of God.
Feb 15, 2024, 6:49 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 18-21
Meditation Verse: 21:29
Thought
It is hard to tell whether Ahab himself is so evil or is it all his wife? He seems like such a child at times, vexed and sullen, pouting on his bed. Every now and then he seems like a king, but so often he doesn't. His wife, however, is very decisive and quick to action, though very cruel. She doesn't hesitate to condemn innocent men and kill them. Then here, Ahab humbles himself and the Lord decides to delay His condemnation of Ahab and his family.
Feb 14, 2024, 6:50 AM
Feb 12, 2024, 6:52 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 10-13
Meditation Verses: 11:6-10
Thought
The Law of God for Israel did not allow for freedom of religion in the sense that people could worship any god they desired. God commanded that Israel as a nation and a people worship only the Lord. Any foreigner who chose to dwell among them was also required to worship the Lord only. There was one law, for native and alien who dwelt in Israel. The Lord is the only true God, so He did not permit His people to worship any other god.
Feb 11, 2024, 6:53 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 6-9
Meditation Verses: 9:4-7
Thought
The obedience of Solomon and his sons allows the Lord to keep His promise to David, and allows Him to bless the nation. But if he or his sons disobey, the Lord will bring trouble on them and on the nation, even casting the nation out of their land. God honors obedience and curses disobedience. We may receive extra grace because of the obedience of our fathers or leaders, but if we will not walk in the Lord's ways, we cannot expect blessing and favor, but trial and tribulation.
Feb 9, 2024, 6:55 AM
Passage Read: 1 Kings 2-5
Meditation Verses: 2:40-43
Thought
After the years of living in Jerusalem, knowing he wasn't to leave under penalty of death, Shimei left the city in pursuit of two runaway slaves. Solomon's men knew when he had gone and knew when he returned. Was it gate guards who recognized him or were there regular patrols that checked in on him? Somehow Solomon knew that he had left the city. No one reminded Shimei before he left that he would violate the terms of his parole, not his friends and not the men who might have seen him packing for a journey.
Feb 8, 2024, 6:34 PM
Passage Read: 2 Samuel 22 - 1 Kings 1
Meditation Verses: 2 Samuel 22:17-20
Thought
It's interesting how David sees his own life, especially in contrast to Jacob. Jacob endured a number of hard things, some because of his own choices, though not necessarily because he did wrong. Yet at age 130, he told Pharaoh that his days were few and evil. David lived about half as long, and suffered many things, some because of his own sin, yet he rejoices in God's graciousness, kindness and deliverance.
Feb 7, 2024, 6:36 PM
Passage Read: 2 Samuel 18-21
Meditation Verses: 19:6-7
Thought
Joab warned David that he was shaming his servants by weeping over Absalom. If he didn't speak kindly to those who risked their lives for him and his household, they would all be gone by morning and he would be left alone. He had sent them out and they did do his bidding. They loved him more than their own lives, so he owed them gratitude. He owed them his life, though it seems he would rather be dead than Absalom.
Feb 6, 2024, 6:37 PM
Passage Read: 2 Samuel 14-17
Meditation Verse: 16:8
Thought
This is a great example that people see what they want to see and freely ascribe to the Lord what they want to be true. The text tells us why these things happened to David, and it had nothing to do with the house of Saul, whom David had only honored, not attacked. But people see what they want to see, Shimei's bitterness blinded him. He hates David and saw this as punishment from the Lord for David's rebellion and usurping of Saul's throne.
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