At Your Doorstep

Vol. 8-10 – 03-05-2023 – At Your Doorstep

Catastrophe

And the Ark of God remained with the household of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that he had. –1 Chronicles 14:14

If you have not already discovered, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles reflect much of the same teaching, except that the audience is different, so the details are for different audiences. We have the same thing with Matthew, Mark, and Luke (and to an extent, John). There are great resources that present those OT books and NT books in the form of harmonies. Some are updated to reflect the Bible versions you currently use.

Obed-Edom was pretty much minding his own business. Lived in the country. A farmer.

Then a procession came. After 20 years the Ark of the Covenant was returning to Jerusalem. The Ark was the symbol of God’s presence. King Saul abandoned any sense of watch-care over the Ark. King David intended to set things right. It would be a cause for celebration—until it was not.

God had given instructions for the Ark’s moving. You have read about the rules. The Ark represented God’s glory, His holiness. How it was treated is important. Uzzah touched the Ark and was struck dead—immediately. The movement of the Ark stopped.

Who will die next? This catastrophe brought fear to the people. Do you think that Obed-Edom was concerned? Would you be concerned? Make one wrong step, you would forfeit your life.

God can take a situation in our life and redeem it for His purposes. Obed-Edom was about to experience that truth. (Put your name in place of his.) How did he respond? In faith. This was an unexpected and fearful season of life for Obed-Edom. God was allowing this. Obed-Edom had to respond. His choice? Faith in God.

This was not over in one night—three months would elapse. What changed for this farmer?

God blessed him and his household (1 Chronicles 14:14)
He played the harp in the procession of the Ark to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:21)
He became one of the gate-keepers for the Ark (1 Chronicles 16:8)
God gave him 8 sons/62 descendants (1 Chronicles 26:8)
He was given the responsibility to care for the national treasures (2 Chronicles 25:24)

Is this an unusual faith? Unexpected? No.

This kind of faith is available to every believer; indeed, this kind of faith is expected.

Choices

We are powerless against . . . this . . . that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. –2 Chronicles 20 12b

In our nature, we push our preferences (choices). There seem to be all kinds of choices; but are there really many choices under God? God keeps things simple for us; however, our choices may often interfere with what God expects of us.

The problem for Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, a godly king, was that someone was knocking on the door. A massive army. He is alarmed: Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:3).

Is that what you would have done? Gathered the people of God to seek Him? Or would you sound the alarm to gather as many troops as your leaders can to come against the vast armies?

The spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel . . . in the midst of the assembly. . ..” You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf” (2 Chronicles 20:14, 17).

What are Jehoshaphat’s choices: 1) to believe in the impossibility of the circumstances, or 2) to believe God’s Word?

We face these kinds of choices/decisions; perhaps as often as daily.

Without lifting a spear, or using a bow, God gave the Judeans victory. What started this victory? Prayer. Seeking the Almighty God. Believing. These prerequisites brought God to release His great power that is dependable against all our foes. Regardless of the nature of our foes.

And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. So, the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around (2 Chronicles 20:29-30).

Life Application

As we face the overwhelming days of our lives, we have choices—two choices—we can try to believe what we see as a human, or we can trust in the promises God has already given us. This is not unusual faith; it is the faith God gives His believers if they would choose to use it.

I carry a number of cards with me to use on my visits. I printed and laminated them. They have been useful and a source of encouragement for those special visits. Here is what the cards say:

What Tragedy/Illness/or End of Life Conditions Cannot Do: They are so limited . . .