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Daily devotionals are a good introduction, helping to explain the main of ideas of the text without getting overly technical. As devotionals, they aim to enrich our relationship with God rather than turn us into academics!
Last month we looked at the peak of Israel’s story, with the golden age of Jerusalem ruled by David and then Solomon. Tragically, this period was short lived. At the peak of his power, now we shall see that Solomon begins to turn away from God. He marries foreign women (against God’s commands), worships their gods (as God predicts), and builds them palaces and temples throughout Jerusalem.
After his death, the Kingdom splits in two, with ten tribes in the north rejecting the house of David and establishing their own capital in Samaria. This begins a period of decline for the people: king after king, “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Time and again God sends prophets to warn his people to remember the covenant. But they continue in idolatry and spiritual adultery. The people of God again look indistinguishable from the surrounding nations. The deathbed warnings of Moses, Joshua and David hang over the story as Israel spirals towards eviction from their land. Soon, captives taken against their will to serve foreign kings.
At the height of his reign, Solomon rejects God in favour of his own wants. In 1 Kings 11:1 the phrase, “loved many foreign women…” suggests an appetite — lust — which corrupted him and led him away from God. The conclusion of verse 3 says it all: “… and his wives led him astray.”
The king who looked most likely to fulfil the promise given to Abraham starts to worship foreign gods and begins to force the Israelites into many building projects– beyond the temple– which display his glory. Ironically, Solomon begins to look more and more like the despots of the surrounding nations while Israel’s way of life begins to unravel. The prophecy of Ahijah the prophet concerning Jeroboam foretells the division of Solomon’s Kingdom. Once again, the promises of God seem to be under threat.
For further reflection:
- 1. When did Solomon’s wives and concubines become a problem to him? Was it the 2nd, the 22nd or the 222nd wife that was the problem? Or was it something else?
- 2. Removing the categories of gender and marriage, how would you describe the underlying problem?
- 3. How do you manage this ‘underlying problem’ in your own life of following God? How would you describe your attitude to sin?
The book of Ecclesiastes is framed as Solomon’s search for satisfaction apart from God. Knowing that Solomon’s wandering heart was not entirely faithful God, the reader learns to weigh the words of ‘The Teacher,’ rather than blindly accepting everything on face value. Wisdom is gained in this interaction. At the end, the ageing King’s demise leads the reader to conclude that true satisfaction and security can only be found in fearing God.
God still remains faithful to the covenant with David, but the peace that the Kingdom had enjoyed is broken as it splits in two. Soon there is civil war between “Judah” in the south and “Israel/Ephraim” in the north. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, does not have his father’s wisdom. Instead, his pride and thirst for power means that the divided kingdom appears to frustrate the blessings promised by God.
The summation of Rehoboam’s rule in Jerusalem in 1 Kings 14:21-31 shows how far he had departed from the covenant. Jerusalem’s vulnerability to attack from surrounding nations stands in stark contrast to the security enjoyed under David and Solomon.
To Ponder:
- What does the writer suggest about the character of Rehoboam (without explicitly saying so)?
- Rehoboam rejects the advice of the elders and ‘consults’ his peers instead. Whom has he failed to consult?
- What counsel would you have given Rehoboam?
Jeroboam’s rule in the North had already been foretold in 1 Kings 11 by the prophet Ahijah but any hope that he might put God first is soon lost. Instead, he shows himself a shrewd politician driven by a lust for power. He uses ‘religion’ to secure his regime: a counterfeit cult is established as a substitute for true worship. Jeroboam’s two golden calfs remind us that Israel has not progressed far since their rebellion in the desert.
To Ponder:
- In our place and time, what does ‘counterfeit religion’ look like? In what ways does it appeal to you?
- What is your strategy for negating the appeal of ‘counterfeit religion’?
Successive kings reject God and lead his people into idolatry and all kinds of evil. God calls a series of prophets to confront them. Through Elijah, God spectacularly demonstrates to Israel, as he once did to Egypt, that he is still in control.
For further thought:
- What is the role of a prophet as demonstrated in this passage?
- What do you make of Elijah’s response to God’s act of deliverance?
Israel’s history during their decline includes some curious stories. One of these is the healing of Naaman, a Syrian military commander, and enemy of Israel. The blessing that Israel enjoys “spills over” to affect someone from another nation. Moreover, in the midst of Israel’s decline and apostasy, God still ensures that everyone will know that “there is a prophet in Israel” (v8).
God is not without testimony even in the darkest time as Elisha’s remarkable deeds demonstrate God’s sovereignty. The reader is reminded of God’s plan to bring the blessing promised to Abraham to all nations. And yet, God’s ways are still ignored to the great detriment of his people.
The two kingdoms of Israel and Judah are ruled by a succession of kings, some being faithful, but most not. By the time of the reign of Manasseh, the evil of God’s people has exceeded that of the surrounding nations, and once again God promises to intervene: Israel will go into exile.
To ponder:
- In what ways does Manasseh reject God’s intent for his people?
- What justification for the punishment of exile does the author give?
The first 39 chapters of Isaiah are written to Israel in the days of their decline, warning them to repent or face exile. In the haunting song of Isaiah 5, God outlines his case against Israel. As this parable is turned against the fruitless national life of Israel, we see that God is not indifferent to Israel. Instead, his passionate love for them means that he cannot simply ‘watch from a distance’. He must act.
For further thought:
- What ‘fruit’ might God have been looking for in Israel?
- What ‘fruit’ does Jesus look for from his disciples?
In one of Israel’s darkest days, the Northern Kingdom is destroyed by the Assyrians and its people are carried into captivity, being systematically divided and assimilated into the Assyrian culture. Their identity as the people of God seems to be beyond recovery.
For reflection:
- What questions are now raised about God’s plan to bless all nations through the offspring of Abraham (Gen 12:1-3)?
Throughout the decline, prophets continue to call Israel back to God. Jeremiah is one of these prophets whose calls to repentance are ultimately ignored. Another prophet, Hosea, lives a life that is a powerful metaphor for Israel’s rejection of God: he marries an unfaithful woman and is told by God to remain faithful to her. He is to woo her back.
- What do you think Hosea teaches Israel (and us) about God’s love?
Growth Exercises are practical exercises we can try to help us grow as disciples of Christ. They are split into exercises to focus on for the coming week.
It might seem like overkill to devote a whole month to the topic of Rest, but the truth is that most of us are simply hopeless at resting. We are experts at ‘Leisure’ but not at ‘Rest’. Our culture has shaped us to be frantic such that we have forgotten how to stop. Or if we are forced to stop, then we go stir-crazy because we don’t know how to rest when we run out of leisure diversions.
Rest is not leisure nor is it entertainment. Rest may include leisure and entertainment but they ought not be confused. Rest is a spiritual matter but, unfortunately, we have been conditioned to think that the most publicly active people are the most privately spiritual. Actually, it is a mistake to think that our spiritual life can be looked after while we put enormous and long-term strain on our bodies and minds; to think that all is well as long as we squeeze in a quick fix ‘spiritual experience’— a Quiet Time, an uplifting podcast, or some Christian radio while we drive to our next meeting.
If you have made it this far into the year in Growing Disciples, you may well have realised that your spiritual life requires intentional effort and prioritised attention. The reader who joined this blog in January hoping that it would neatly fit into their busy schedule and give them a bit of a lift— well, they’re probably not reading this bit. Further, the person who does not give themselves to Rest will remain spiritually undernourished.
Much has been written about the physiology and psychology of rest. An excellent example of this work is, “Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. Since human beings are ‘embodied souls’ and ‘ensouled bodies’, we embrace such wholistic approaches to the topic, but if, as we propose, rest is a fundamentally spiritual act then we do well to begin with God. We rest because God rests. At the climax of the Genesis creation account, God rests and he calls humanity to enter into his Rest.
The Garden of Eden account in Genesis, following on from the preface in Gen 2:1-2, is logically a description of resting with God. In its poetic form, this chapter informs our understanding of human beings in healthy and right relationships with God, with one another and with their environment. Indeed, following the rebellion of Genesis 3, the remainder of the biblical narrative is the story of this ‘rest’ being regained.
Choosing to rest along the way to this perfect restoration is a way of bringing the future into our present, enjoying that final situation in a proleptic sense right now. Rest is therefore not a weakness. Instead, it is trusting God to fulfil his purposes for us and for his world without our help. As we embrace rest, we recognise our dependence on God for all things. Jesus shows us the way in his incarnation. As he lived among us, he got tired, hungry and needed sleep. It is commonplace in the gospels to find Jesus retreating to a quiet place to rest from his work and enjoy restorative time with his Father.
In order that our rest is not ‘whatever is left over at the end of a busy week’ we need to plan to rest. Our “exercise” (ironic, eh?) is to rest for 1 day. 24 hours of rest is the goal, but if that seems impossible this week, in your diary set aside the time that you will intentionally rest this coming week. Then plan exactly what you will do in order to rest during that time.
Reflect: How did you go with your planned ‘Rest’ last week? Did you actually rest, even as you planned to do so? We know that God rested. But in Exodus 31:17 it says something else of the Lord as well. It says, “…and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.”
We might be tempted to view our need for refreshment as evidence of our weakness or even our falseness. But we see here that, whatever else it might mean that God was ‘refreshed”, it must allow for our rest to be refreshing. We should expect rest to have a restorative effect. While the Lord Jesus seemed willing to contravene many of the Sabbath ‘rules’ of his day, he was always passionately advocating for the true purpose of Sabbath as rest and restoration (eg Mark 2:23-3:6).
Consider the boundaries you will need to place around a ‘Sabbath time’ in your week, and the length of time within those boundaries, in order for restoration to occur. In doing so, remember that God gifted us with a whole day for Sabbath. This week’s exercise:
Part A – To crystallise your thinking on this matter, write out your personal Sabbath manifesto in your journal and find someone to share this with.
Part B – As you did last week, in your diary set aside a time for rest this coming week and plan what you will do during that time.
Reflect: How did your planned Rest go this past week? What could you do to improve it? Here’s your challenge: enjoy an electronic-technology-free sabbath. No phone, TV, computer, iPad, radio… etc.
I think that using lights, refrigerators, heaters and cooking appliances could be allowed, but you can set your own boundaries. In the introduction to Neil Postman’s prescient book, “Amusing Ourselves To Death: public discourse in the age of show business,” a University professor describes the experience of his students to do likewise:
Each student has his or her own weakness— for some it is TV, some the cellphone/device, some the internet. But no matter how much they hate abstaining, or how hard it is to hear the phone ring but not answer it, they take time to do things they haven’t done in years. They actually walk down the street to visit a friend. They have extended conversations… The experience changes them.
Let this experience change you. Schedule a technology free Sabbath, a perhaps even a regular work day that is ‘unplugged.’ Our electronic advances can bring with them urgency, interruption and distraction. All of which are enemies of true rest.
Reflect: How did your planned Rest go this past week? Did you go ‘technology free’? One of the benefits of declaring a Sabbath Day for the entire community is that everyone shares their day of Rest with others: we all get to do it together.
This coming week, plan your time of Rest with a friend or partner. Another benefit of planning your rest with a friend is that they can keep you accountable to actually do it! Reflect: How has this month of ‘learning to rest’ gone for you? What have you learned about yourself? What impact has planning to rest had on your relationship with God?
For the month of May, we are praying for the work of Youthworks, which specializes in youth and children’s ministries in Sydney, Australia (see youthworks.net). Their vision is to see an effective youth and children’s ministry in every church. To this end they supply training, resources and support for those engaged in this strategic ministry area. They do this through Christian Outdoor Education, Youthworks College, Youthworks Media (including CEP publications), Conference Centres and the Year 13 program.
Week 1: May 6
As we launch the annual Mid-Year Appeal, we pray that God would incline the hearts of many people to prayerfully and financial support Youthworks. Please pray for potential students attending the Youthworks College Open Day on Tuesday May 9. Pray that God will enable them and their churches with the resources to partner with College for effective children’s and youth ministry. Please pray for the Theology Think Tank evening with Ed Drew and the wisdom he will share for effective children’s ministry.
Week 2: May 13
Praise God for the opportunity that Youthworks College has in resourcing and equipping the next generation of African pastors to reach, win and disciple young people to maturity in Christ (2 Timothy 2:2). Pray also for Youthworks CEO, Craig Roberts. Ask the God would grant him wisdom, vision and courage as he leads this important ministry.
Week 3: May 20
Pray for the CEP team as they continue to work to produce resources that will support those in ministry to children, youth and families. Their excellent material stands behind the SRE (Scripture) programs in all NSW State Schools. Give thanks to God and pray for the Youthworks Ministry Support Team, headed up by Andy Stevenson.
Week 4: May 27
Give thanks for the deep learning and fellowship that Year 13 students have been able to enjoy through Term 1. Pray that they would put into practice all that they have been learning as they serve in local churches and ministries, and in the workplace. Please pray that Term 2 might be a continued blessing to all students and those they minister to (2 Timothy 3:15).
