“So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. 22 It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. 23 As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot.24 Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. 25 Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.” -Jeremiah 36:20-26

This brazen attitude demonstrated by King Jehoiakim is, I feel, being repeated in our modern world and even by many leaders within our nation. Granted we are not a theocracy, I understand that, but the utter disregard to many of the clear teachings of scripture in our current culture by our governmental leaders who claim to follow God is a dangerous position. It would be better for them to say, “we know the Bible does not agree with us and we are not doing this based on a Christian worldview” than to make some of the decisions that are being made under the banner and the false assertion that we are a “Christian nation.”

Tonight we had a heartbreaking experience in our home and I realized something…

Our dog Bear, a beautiful and sweet girl, was hit by a car and died. I let her out in our back yard to go to the bathroom after I had fed her. After about 15 minutes the normal amount of time she usually likes to go out after this feeding to do her business I went to the back door and called for her. I was tired and wanted to have an early night and so I wanted to get her in her crate for the night and head to bed myself. I called, she didn’t come, so I went around to the front of the house and it was then that I heard a car door slam and a lady scream there were some kids out by the road and everyone seemed to be upset…then I saw something lying on the ground. I ran out there and it was our beautiful sweet Bear. The poor lady was heartbroken, she kept apologizing I hugged her not really even thinking about anything else…she had white hair like my mom and my heart hurt for her, but all the while I was looking at my dog that was sleeping so peacefully.

I picked-up Bear’s lifeless body and placed her in a bag and then carried her back to the house.

Telling my boys was the hardest part. Although Bear was only with us about 6 months I knew their hearts would break. Dayton and Landon were distraught Levi didn’t shed a tear at first his lower lip quivered and he just kept saying, “Daddy tell Jesus to make her alive! Daddy tell Jesus to make her come alive!” When Levi did see her in the bag though the tears broke loose, Bear truly was his best buddy.

I know this is a morbid tale, but I can’t sleep and I need to process it out.

I have often times joked in front of my church to pray for me because I don’t know what I was thinking getting a dog. Or I would joke about how I wanted to get rid of her, Christina and I would say to everyone that said she was cute, “Do you want her? You can have her!” We acted like we meant it, now we are both just so sad…And though I wouldn’t call us dog people…I would say this, I’ve lost cats before and been sad…but there is definitely something much different about losing a dog.

I still don’t know what I was thinking getting a dog and now I hate to think of what it will be like to not have Bear!

I will never again say to a dog person, “It is just a dog.”    

I decided to finish off the book of Job tonight. Since chapters 38-41 are all of a similar theme, God’s response.

I love God’s response to all the questions of “why?” in the book of Job. His answer, “you have spoken without understanding.” Then God delivers a laundry list of natures attributes that demonstrate His power and wonder. It is almost in a much probably firmer way than we are used to or we would like for God to speak to us, but to me I almost hear God saying, “You just have to trust me! Look at everything in nature, trust me I can handle your world!”

Three points that struck me in the last few verses of the final chapter:

1. Even though Job’s friends were very unsupportive during his crisis, he still prayed to God on their behalf and they were protected and blessed due to Job’s ministry unto them, even though they had encouraged Job just to give-up and die when he was in struggle.
2. Job left an inheritance to his daughters (Job 42:15). I don’t believe this verse is in there by accident. I believe it illustrates the abundant fairness of Job. Not due to him being just a good dad, but because he was righteous.
3. Job 42:17 = “And Job died, an old man and full of days.” The book ends with reality though. Even though Job’s health was restored and the rest of his life was a blessing, he at the end of it all still died. We all will have the same fate if the world lasts long enough. Death will eventually meet us all…and we like Job, because we are powerless against death, must trust in the God described in chapters 38 through 41. We must trust He who makes the dawn, He who stops the waves, He who does not fear the javelin, it is He who also gave us victory over the grave through His life, death, and resurrection.

Next Reading: Jeremiah 32-36

My margin notes from the Psalms:

The response to this:

Behold, God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your faithfulness put an end to them. -Psalm 54:4, 5

and this,

For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. -Psalm 54:7

Is this…

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. -Psalm 54:6

Not TITHE–freewill offerings are our token of “thanks” to Jesus for everything!

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The Bible even speaks to what it feels like to be betrayed by a friend…

For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God’s house we walked in the throng. -Psalm 55:12-14

What is the solution when this happens?

Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved. -Psalm 55:22

Jesus is a friend that will not forsake even when other friends have!

Next Reading: Job 37 & 38

We all know the story…well all that grew-up in church…of 2 Samuel 11…the infamous story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah the Hittite. This is a story of many lessons.

• Don’t be where you aren’t supposed to be (the roof at bath time)
• Look away (don’t gaze on a naked woman)
• Idle hands… (David should have been out at war)
• Don’t try and cover things up (you only make them worse)
• Other people get hurt even if we are only thinking we are hurting one person (many husbands died when Joab pulled back support)
• etc.

But one of the most important lessons precedes the story of David and Bathsheba and it is encapsulated in these verses,

And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. 19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.” -2 Samuel 10:18, 19

Just in case you missed the lesson of those verses in connection to the story of David and Bathsheba here it is from what I wrote in the margins of my Bible:

After great victory is when we are most susceptible to have our greatest fall.

I know the English and flow of that sentence is poor…it was a margin writing.

I don’t say this simply from David’s sorrowful tale. I unfortunately have had some of my biggest blunders after or in the midst of some of my greatest “triumphs.”

So here is the lesson then. I’ve learned to be more on guard in those times and I hope you will too. More on our knees, more in the Word, more in accountability to the Christian community Jesus has put around us!

Next Reading: Psalms 54-56

As is the case in the Bible there are things I cannot fully explain in a way that would fully appease the modern day mind. I think there are things in these 4 chapters of Exodus that would be appalling to our 21st Century Western conditioned minds. For instance, I don’t know that any jury would be willing to give a person the death penalty because their animal killed another person…even if they knew there was a potential it could happen. I am sure there are some that feel if a dog kills a child then the owners should die, but again no jury would enforce such a sentiment.

Yet this is what God commands,

“If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.” -Exodus 21:29

Also we read this,

 “But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” -Exodus 21:24, 25

But it is contradicted by Jesus here,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” -Matthew 5:38, 39

One seems to teach just punishment is equal revenge and the other that equal retribution is to be avoided.

So did God suddenly become enlightened over the ages? Did Jesus and God the Father not agree on this principle in the first place and now that Jesus is on earth and has the captive attention of the people He’s going to get His two cents in? Was God just having a bad day when Exodus 21 was inspired and feeling much better about things by Matthew 5?

I don’t believe any of the above make sense. One common argument is that it is not about the specific laws but the principles. But then one could ask why would God order someone to be killed in order to teach a principle.

If someone were to say, “Well God wanted people to understand the importance of personal responsibility” say in regards to the law of the careless Ox owner, I would say I don’t think I like a God that is willing to take a life in one century to teach me a principle centuries later.

Could I say this…I don’t understand all of these laws…

But I know the God who saved me and loves me and is coming back for me and until He chooses to give me insight I will wonder, but I will not doubt. I will be confused, but I will not be dismayed. I will be curious but I will not search after other gods, because I know that I am not God, He is, and one day I will see…even if that day is not now, or maybe not ’till eternity.

Next Reading: 2 Samuel 10-14