September 5 – Ezekiel 28-30

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 28-30. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

When God predicts His judgment against Tyre he begins with their pride beginning at the top level … “In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’” (Ezekiel 28:2b NLT)  God was angry with Tyre and its prince because he claimed to be a god. Now this was not anything new. Most kings of the ancient world believed in a plethora of gods. Many even believed as kings they were a god themselves. God saw this as pride and arrogance.

As I examine my own life I realize I am not much different than the prince of Tyre. Now I do not believe I am deity. I do not believe in any way that I am a god, but I sure do try to live like it. I try to live as if I know everything. I try to live as if the whole world revolves around me, and sadly this is often ramped up in my own home. I try to live with all the pleasures I can afford. While I may not put myself on the same playing field as some form of deity, I certainly try to live like a God.

I think my actions anger God like the prince of Tyre’s did. What about you, do you see yourself falling into the same trap as the Prince of Tyer did? For him it was incredibly easy, he was the prince of a very beautiful city and region. He had wealth. He had servants. He had material possessions. He had people bowing down to him. And for us it is easy to. As American’s God has richly blessed our nation. We in a sense do not constantly need God (We really do, but be honest, how many of us are so in need that the only option to turn to is God himself?). Because of God’s blessings, too many times we do not turn to God, but to our own self. Those actions make us like the prince of Tyre, proud and seeing ourselves as a god. Be on guard though, God does not like competition. 

June 21 – 1 Kings 10-11 & 2 Chronicles 8

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Kings 10-11 & 2 Chronicles 8. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

We have finally come to an incredibly sad time in our reading of the Bible. We began our reading looking at the beauty and majesty of all that Solomon had acquired. He had certainly made the nation of Israel unlike any before or since. It was the only nation in existence operating under the leadership of the one true God. The blessings, the riches, their importance was all the result of God’s work! Sadly though, with all his wisdom, Solomon still could not overcome it.

We quickly shift from the beauty and majesty, the parade of riches Solomon is able to take the queen of Sheba on, to the proclamation of destruction. Solomon has let false worship into the nation through his many pagan wives and concubines. With all his wisdom he still was not wise enough to follow the commands and decrees found in God’s law. His choices have now set the nation of Israel on a downward spiral ultimately to destruction.

What lessons can you learn from this? Maybe the best is to listen and accept wisdom, but always measure that wisdom against the wisdom of God found in his word. No matter how good others wisdom is if it does not jive with God’s word then the wisdom is faulty. Trust in God first and foremost!

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