Author: Dave Dishman (Page 30 of 390)

A very nice gentleman stopped by our house recently to sell us replacement windows. His company’s windows are top of the line. Rigorously tested, they perform admirably and weather wonderfully in the intense sunlight and harsh cold of Colorado. I’m sure we would enjoy them, but the price was simply too high.

The longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, focuses on the importance of God’s law. I gain insight into the value of the words of God, as well as the heart of a writer who loves the Lord despite the oppression of evil. Here’s an example:

You are righteous, Lord, and your laws are right. The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words. Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.

Despite enemies who ignore the words of God, the psalmist revels in the fact that the Lord and his teachings are righteous. The psalmist turns to God for promises rigorously tested over centuries.

I hold these same tested writings in my hand. What else in my possession is so trustworthy? Where else can I turn for such wisdom? Best of all the price is not out of reach, allowing me to enjoy the performance of the Scriptures in my life.

Psalm 119 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Nicolas Solerieu

In a world where good and bad seem topsy-turvy, how do we consistently fill our souls with ideas, concepts and thoughts leaning toward the good?

The psalmist gives an answer—You (God) are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.

In order to bring goodness into my life, I need to stay close to the source of all things good. The Lord defines good, and what he does is good. All the goodness I experience, in relationships, health, adventures, housing and sustenance originate in the Lord.

So how do we gain insight and knowledge of the Lord and his goodness? Through his decrees, his words, the Holy Bible in my hands.

Want to discover goodness? Open the Good Book. Nothing else comes close.

Psalm 119 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by madeleine ragsdale

The prophets of Baal took to Elijah’s proposal like pigs to slop. Elijah challenged the Baal followers to a contest on the top of Mount Carmel. They would call out to Baal, Elijah would call out to the Jehovah, and the deity that answered would show up as the true God.

The devotees of Baal whirled around their alter. They called out, shouted and begged. Slashing themselves , they added blood and pain to their entreaties. They exhibited great faith. These champions begged from morning to afternoon, under a hot sun, but to no avail—there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

Then Elijah took center stage. After preparing his sacrifice and dousing it with buckets and buckets of water, Elijah asked the Lord to show himself. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

The onlookers fell on their faces in fear and awe and worship. No decision about God left.

Which leaves me to wonder, what gods I look to for answers which are no gods at all? Where do I put my trust apart from the Lord? My own perceived wisdom, the whisperings of the world, the cravings in my gut? What does is mean to live a good life—overflowing bank accounts or strong relationships with those around me?

Only one God rules this world. The Lord responds in his time and his ways. Fire may not shoot down from heaven when I pray, but I can rest assured that the Lord pays attention.

I Kings 18 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jeremy Thomas

In just a few lines of text we get introduced to two of the most reprehensible men found in the Bible. Ahab ascended to the throne of Israel. He committed all the sins of his fathers, married the conniving Jezebel, and led his people into the embrace of demonic gods. Ahab did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.

In those same days a man rebuilt the city of Jericho. Destroyed when the children of Israel entered the promised land, the city lay under a curse. Joshua swore: Cursed in the presence of the Lord is the man who restores and rebuilds this city of Jericho! He will lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn, and at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.

Hiel, a man of staggering ambition, didn’t believe in curses. Or, he felt the loss of two sons was a small price for making a name for himself. Regardless, he moved forward: Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.

That these two loathsome men appear on the same page of our Bible speaks to the callous nature of the era. Life was cheap. Leaders moved away from the Lord and toward the veneration of power and wealth. Society devolved, beginning a long slide towards God’s judgement.

Who’s to say we’re not in the midst of such decline today? Let us pray for our country and our world, and ask the Lord to check those who use others for personal gain. Because regardless of the despicable characters around us, God still controls this world and all who move upon it.

1 Kings 16 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Don Kaveen