First Baptist Church, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Devotional: 1 Chronicles 2:1-55

Today’s passage: 1 Chronicles 2:1-55

Helpful thoughts:

  • Today’s genealogy moves to the nation of Israel, starting with the tribe of Judah.
  • Judah’s daughter-in-law also became the mother of two of his sons (Genesis 38).
  • The account of Achan’s sin is found in Joshua 7:1-26.

Questions to consider:

  1. Why would it make sense to recount Israel’s heritage with the line of Judah first?  What makes Judah’s line special?
  2. Why shouldn’t it surprise us that there is sinfulness involved in the line to David, and therefore in the line of Christ?  Outside of Jesus, is anyone without sin (Romans 3:10)?  What did Judah, David, Solomon, and every other person in the line of Christ need just as much as we do?

Devotional: 1 Chronicles 1:1-54

Today’s passage: 1 Chronicles 1:1-54

Helpful thoughts:

  • Background information:
    • 1 and 2 Chronicles were initially presented as one volume or one book that was later split into “First” and “Second” in the Greek Translation, called the Septuagint.
    • The author of the book is never stated, though traditionally it is believed to have been Ezra.  It was written somewhere around and after 450 B.C.  Generally speaking, when people refer to the writer of these books, they call him, “The Chronicler.”
    • The information and events covered in 1 Chronicles pairs with the beginning of the Old Testament (With the genealogies) up to and primarily 2 Samuel and the reign of King David.  2 Chronicles will cover the same period as 1 and 2 Kings.
    • These books were written at the time of the return of the Jews from their exile to remind them who they were, who God is, and who they were to be.
  • In the first chapter, we make it from Adam to the descendants of Esau (The Edomites).  The next chapter will move to Jacob’s (Or Israel’s) line.
  • Due to the flood, there was no need to have further record than the line that led directly to Noah and his sons and their descendants.  No one in the world is descended from any other line prior to the flood.
  • The earth being divided during the days of Peleg refers to the scattering of the people groups after the Tower of Babel.

Questions to consider:

  1. We are about to read 9 chapter of genealogies (1 down, 8 to go!).  Why do you think they might have been significant for Israel to read and know upon their return?  What can we learn about them, and about God by reading them?
  2. What should the fact that every person in the world is descended from Shem, Ham and Japheth and their wives teach us about humanity and races?  Is there any human being who was not made in the image of God?  Who is your neighbor?
  3. As we read these different descendants of Abraham, we see people who would go to war (And still are going to war) against each other.  Why do people not treat one another as neighbors in love?  Whom would God bring about through Israel to conquer sin and deliver us from death’s grip?

Devotional: Amos 9:1-15

Today’s passage: Amos 9:1-15

Helpful thoughts:

  • If verses 1-4 make someone ask the question, “How could he do this?”, verses 5-6 answer that question.
    • Those who know God’s grace and desire to follow Christ delight in and rest in the omnipresence of God.  Those who reject Him will only desire to escape it, and they will fail.
  • The altar Amos sees the Lord standing by is in Bethel.  Therefore, the Lord is calling on the structures of Israel’s false worship to be torn down.
  • God has committed to saving a remnant from all Israel and they will one day live in victory and peace in the land God has given to them.
    • This victory will include peoples from the nations.  These final promises are not so much Israel conquering the nations through war, but the inclusion of the nations within the people of God. (Acts 15:12-19)

Questions to consider:

  1. Contrast verses 2-4 with Psalm 139:1-12.  Why are these similar passages so different?  What fundamental truths change the perspective and outcome?
  2. Some view the “God of the Old Testament” as being different than the “God of the New Testament.”  How does today’s reading show that idea to be false?  In what ways to we see judgment and grace on display?  Does God change? (Psalm 33:11)
  3. Is the remnant of Israel any better or more righteous in their own power than those who have and will receive judgment?  Why do we have reason for humility, gratitude, and loyalty as those who are benefactors of God’s grace?

Devotional: Amos 8:1-14

Today’s passage: Amos 8:1-14

Helpful thoughts:

  • The vision of summer fruit served as a picture of Israel being ripe for judgment.
    • The greed of the people was evidenced by their mistreatment of others for personal gain and waiting impatiently for Sabbath rest to end so they can return to their greedy practices.
  • Some believe the term, “Pride of Jacob” refers to the literal sinful pride of the people of Israel (Meaning, as surely as Israel remained sinfully proud, God would bring about judgment).  It does seem strange that the Lord would swear by anything other than Himself.  I think the Pride of Jacob should be a capital P “Pride”…meaning God Himself.
    • Either way, judgment was coming.
  • While the powerful in Israel enjoyed their earthly prosperity, they were disinterested in any word from the Lord.  Later, when they were desperate to hear from Him, there would be no word.

Questions to consider:

  1. What were the methods described in verses 4-6?  How might those same greedy practices be accomplished today?  Not just with money or goods, but also with information and social status?
  2. What kind of a word from the Lord do you think those who are under judgment would want?  What do they want to hear?  How did their desires for “good” words (According to their tastes and expectations) make them deaf to the truth?
  3. What aspects of the gospel message are hard to hear?  What bad news are we prone to ignore or reject that would prevent people from hearing and believing the good news?

Devotional: Amos 7:1-17

Today’s passage: Amos 7:1-17

Helpful thoughts:

  • This chapter introduces a series of visions.  God will not utterly wipe out all Israel, but there will be judgment for their unrighteousness.
  • There were major differences between Amos (God’s prophet) and Amaziah (The priest of the royal temple in Bethel).
    • Amos was called by God to declare His word and obeyed.
    • Amaziah desired to make a living by religious practices that please powerful and affluent people, and assumed Amos had done the same.  This is why he accused Amos of conspiracy.
      • No false prophet would say what Amos was saying unless they thought it would be to their financial or personal benefit.
  • Amos’ prophecy given directly to Amaziah the false prophet would be fulfilled when Assyria invades Israel.

Questions to consider:

  1. What are the various reasons people like religion, church, social gatherings, etc.?  What IS church?  Why do we worship together?  What happens to church when we make it about ourselves?
  2. How should the apparent success of a false prophet like Amaziah give us caution in how we evaluate what “success” in ministry or as a church really is?
  3. Because God is holy, because He is our sovereign Lord, and because He is just, sin must be punished.  How do our lives measure up to God’s standard of righteousness and what Has God done about it to reconciled us to Himself? (Romans 3:10-26)

Devotional: Amos 6:1-14

Today’s passage: Amos 6:1-14

Helpful thoughts:

  • One of the greatest desires we have to fight against is the chief desire for a life of ease.  We feel like we must be blessed by God if/when life is simple and easy, carefree.
    • There’s nothing wrong with a nice house or nice cars or nice clothes, etc.  But, when we want them more than to be pleasing to God, or if we are willing to sin in order to get them…
    • Jesus died to save us from our sin.  Sometimes we might wish he would rather guarantee us an easy life.
  • These leaders is Israel and Judah were living the easy life at the expense of others who were suffering.  Judgment was coming.
  • The judgment would be so severe, people would be scared to even mention the name of the Lord (Verse 10) for fear they might be next, as if they would catch God’s attention and He would remember to judge them too.

Questions to consider:

  1. God called for righteousness and justice, what had Israel done to those terms (Verse 12, Isaiah 5:20)?  What kinds of things were they doing and calling it “right” and “just” if it was being called “poison” and “wormwood” (Bitterness)?
  2. Can you think of any instances in our culture where evil things are called “Good” and good things, “Evil”?  Or where some people have been forced to suffer for the increase of others?  What is the Christian position on these kinds of issues?  From where are we to be informed as we would seek to be salt and light in the world?
  3. As we see evils occurring around us in the world, do these passages seem to indicate that we should just sit back and watch it unfold?  What is our role?  What can we do?  Even if it doesn’t seem like we are succeeding, what can we be confident of knowing that God is Lord and Judge?

Devotional: Amos 5:18-27

Today’s passage: Amos 5:18-27

Helpful thoughts:

  • The people of Israel longed for the Day of the Lord (The day of judgment), assuming it would be their day of glory.  God warns them otherwise.
  • Doing religious things in order to earn God’s favor without repentance is just more sin.  God has strong words against these evil practices.
  • Israel was also guilty of pairing symbolic false worship of God with the worship of false gods. (Verse 26)

Questions to consider:

  1. If these unbelieving Israelites were able to “worship” God along with all the other gods, and if they expected the judgment of the Lord to be a good day for them, what must have been their worldview?  What was the purpose of all the gods?  If God didn’t “perform” to their expectations, what did they feel free to do?
  2. How big of a god did Israel treat the one true God like?  How far off was their view of God from the truth of who He is?  Is He just a national god who makes sure we get all our stuff on time and keep us safe from our neighboring nations?
  3. What is God right to require of His people? (Verse 24, Micah 6:8, Romans 12:1-2, Joshua 1:8-9, Matthew 18:18-20, etc.)

Devotional: Amos 5:1-17

Today’s passage: Amos 5:1-17

Helpful thoughts:

  • Bethel, Gilgal and Beer-sheba were locations of idolatrous worship.  God commanded Israel to seek Him instead of their false idols.
  • The Israelites were worshipping the stars (Or the gods man “found” in the stars) instead of the Creator of the stars (Verse 8).  Anything that is not worship of the Creator is worship of the created.
  • “Those who are skilled in lamentation” (Verse 16) were paid professional mourners.  Israel knew when to mourn and knew how to mourn, but their hearts were far from repentance.
    • God was able to call on them to turn/repent and tell them judgment was coming.  He knows all things.

Questions to consider:

  1. What does God promise to those who seek Him?  What comes to those who turn elsewhere?
  2. What becomes of the lives of those who turn to God?  What are the actions of those who have turned elsewhere?  What is the source of injustice, evil, bribery, etc.?
  3. When we refer to a “time” as evil, what does that mean (Verse 13)?  Where is the evil coming from?  Are the problems and sins coming from outside of man or inside?  Are the problems of our day the result of the economy, the government, or a pandemic, or something else?  What is the cure?