July 12- God- The Ultimate Consultant

July 12, 2011

Scripture Readings:
1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17; Romans 1:1-17;
Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 19:4-5

If you're not part of the solution, there is good money to be made in prolonging the problem.  ~Anonymous

1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17

Have you noticed that everyone seems to be a consultant these days?  If a person gets laid off of their management job after years of service and they can't get a another job because of the tight job market, they can always become a consultant.  There are consultants for constructions, design, marketing, financial issues, and even life coach consultants.  Today, David sees the bad results and the good results of his decisions based upon whether or not he consults the greatest consultant of all- God.

David has it in his mind to bring the Ark of God back to Jerusalem, the capital city of David.  This is a good thing to want.  It shows David's desire to have a meeting place with God among his people. During the split in the tribes of Israel between the north and the south, the Tabernacle had been lost and the Ark of the Covenant was kept by the family of Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim.  Although it appears to be a good thing to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, David is not following God's regulations on how the Ark is to be transported.  In Numbers 4:15, the nation of Israel is instructed that the Ark is to be carried on the shoulders of the clan of Kohath from the tribe of Levi.  Remember, the Ark is a picture of Christ being carried to the world on the shoulders of the Israelites, initially, and by the Church in the future.  You and I carry Christ to the unbelieving world each day.  David was messing with God's picture.  This shows us that not knowing God's Word can lead to disastrous consequences.  David was not aware of these regulations and did not consult God on this occasion. This sin led to death. Lesson: Consult your Bible to avoid disastrous life mistakes.

As the Ark is being carted on a cart, rather than on the priests shoulders, the Ark slips and a man named Uzzah tries to steady it.  He dies immediately upon touching it.  The festive atmosphere of tambourine shaking and flute playing stops abruptly as Uzzah falls dead.  David is angry, but he only has himself to blame.  He should have consulted God.

Later, we see David building a palace and marrying many wives.  We learn that David marrying many wives was against God's original intent for marriage and will bring judgment upon David and his family. Again, we have an example of David doing what was right in his own eyes and not consulting God.  There are consequences for this mistake.

The Philistines mobilize their forces to come against David, now that he is the king over all of Israel.  You may remember that they liked David when he was on the run from Saul.  David is wise when it comes to approaching the threat of a military enemy.  The first thing he does is consult God.  As a man of war, David is aware that God is a warrior.  David asks the Lord for direction and is given instructions for battle on two different occasions as recorded in 1 Chronicles.  These passages prove that God is intimately involved in preserving Israel in battle against their enemies.  He fights for David and for the nation of Israel and wins.  Our reading ends with this verse, "So David's fame spread everywhere and the Lord caused all the nations to fear David."

As a type of Christ, we see all of the nations fearing David is a shadow of what is to come.  All nations in the future will fear King Jesus.  As it says in Philippians 2:9-11,

"God has given him a name which is above every name- that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..."

And Psalm 2:5 says,

"The He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying, 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.'"

Lesson:  Consult God for the decisions in your life.  Follow God's principles in order to achieve success in your spiritual walk on earth.

Do you pray before you act?  Do you know your Bible well enough to know God's principles for living?

Romans 1:1-17

We are now about to begin perhaps the greatest letter ever written.  We just finished the book of Acts and left Paul under house arrest teaching the citizens of Rome about God.  This letter to the Romans was written prior to Paul arriving in Rome.  The church of Rome was founded by Paul from long distance.  As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul's preaching and church planting throughout the Roman Empire caused believers who were going back to the epicenter of the world, Rome, to establish the Roman church from Paul's teachings.  We can be sure that Paul would not have sent this letter to the church in Rome if someone other than himself was considered the founder of the church.  It is with great love and concern that Paul writes this letter to establish this mainly Gentile fellowship in the faith and truth of Jesus Christ.

Paul establishes certain things in his introduction to the Romans:

• Paul is a slave to Jesus Christ.  Paul has made the choice to serve Jesus.
• Paul has been chosen by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles.  In this case, God chose Paul for a mission. 
• Paul has been sent out by God to preach God's Good News.

In this introduction we have learned Paul's position, his possession, and his purpose.  Do you know those three things about yourself?

Paul then explains what this Good News is.  He clarifies that it was promised long ago by God through God's prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The Good News is that God has a son named Jesus who came through the royal line of David and proved that he was God's Son when God raised him from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice that Paul includes each member of the Trinity when explaining the Good News.

Paul explains that God has given him, Paul, the authority to share this Good News and make it available to Gentiles so that they can believe, obey, and glorify God.  God is calling Gentiles to be his very own people.

Paul shares in this letter that the faith of the Roman church is becoming known throughout the world, and Paul prays for them constantly to continue to grow in faith.  He also prays that he will get to personally come to them.  We know from our reading in the book of Acts that Paul's prayers are answered and he does personally teach them in Rome.  Notice that although he is a brilliant scholar and teacher, the faith of these Roman Christians are a source of encouragement to him.

Paul now starts a section of this letter known as the "I am's.":

• I am obligated to Greeks and non-Greeks.  Vs. 14  In other words because of what Christ has done in Paul's life, he is in debt to all men to share about what Christ has done.
• I am eager to preach the gospel of Jesus in Rome.
• I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

So, Paul is obligated to preach, is eager to preach, and is not ashamed of the gospel that he preaches.  Can you say the same thing in your life?

This is the good news of how God makes us right in His sight.  Paul concludes by saying that this can only be accomplished from start to finish by faith.  Amen.  Our belief in the truth of these concepts saves us. 

Have you heard the gospel, believed it in your heart, and been saved?

Psalm 9:13-20

Vs. 17 says, "The wicked will go down to the grave.  This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God."

Proverbs 19:4-5

It is funny how having money causes people to like you.  Dirt poor people do not have groupies.

What did you learn today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton