Another day with Jesus

  The Queen of Sheba 1 Kings 10:1-13, 2 Chronicles 9:1-9.   If you were the Australian prime minister, what gift would you present to the President of the United States? An artwork of an indigenous painter? What would you receive in return? State gifts smooth relationships between countries and create goodwill for the ensuing negotiations.   Monarchs have relied on diplomacy since ancient times. King Solomon reigned in Israel between 970 B.C. and 931 B.C. As he ascended the throne, he asked God for wisdom rather than wealth and God, in his kindness, blessed him with both.     Solomon built palaces and a temple to the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It had been King David’s lifelong ambition, but Solomon achieved it for his father. The fame of his kingdom spread as far as Sheba, some three thousand to four thousand kilometers south from Jerusalem due to his seafaring trade with Hiram, king of Tyre. Historians refer to Southern Arab...

  JEZEBEL   LOVE OR HATE HER?     What’s the difference between Queen Jezebel and Rahab, or Delilah, Potiphar’s wife, and the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at Jacob’s well? Why did God bless Rahab, but let the dogs strip the flesh from Jezebel’s bones?                 Did God love the prostitute and hate the queen?    Jezebel married King Ahab, the king of Israel. After she enticed him away from Jehovah, he built a temple to Baal and erected a pole to Asherah, the fertility goddess. Jezebel entertained nine hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and Asherah at her table. She killed the Lord’s prophets, and her evil deeds drove Elijah to challenge Ahab on Mount Carmel. Elijah asked the king to gather Baal’s prophets and the people to a sacrifice where he confronted them about their allegiance to Jehovah.  And this is what he said:      “If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal...

  A Treasure of God’s Grace: Rahab. How was your week? Did you experience God's grace? He's amazing!    Boaz’s mother must have told him how the spies rescued her from Jericho. Do you realize she is Ruth’s second mother-in-law? Although Naomi was her first through her marriage to Mahlon, Ruth later married Boaz. We don’t know if Ruth and Rahab met, but it’s likely she’d died by the time Boaz married. He was much older than Ruth. By then, Bethlehem was an established town.     As Israel entered Canaan, God promised they’d conquer Jericho, and Rahab’s role was vital. The Lord chose a prostitute and a liar to protect the spies. Are you surprised? An odd negotiator for a military campaign? No-one in Jericho cared whether she lived or died. She knew how they felt about her, and she lived by her wits, a streetwise prostitute whose only value was the sale of her body.     Rahab was aware of God’s power before the Israelites invaded Jericho. H...

  Hope restored: Who’d have imagined? And Naomi praised the Lord again.   Art: Philip Hermogenes Caulderon 1833-1898. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5.   Life! As you mature, you reflect. As a young mum, you think the nappies, the cooking and cleaning are endless. There’s little opportunity to rest or take stock, but if you love Jesus, and you’re over sixty, you may understand why the Lord allowed you to walk that path. For me, losing my dad to suicide at twenty-one was an earth shattering experience. At seventy, I realize the Lord allowed it to change my life and my family’s trajectory. If you’re intrigued, you can read about it in my book, When They Prayed. Who would have thought I’d become an amateur writer or live in another state? Just as the Lord has shaped my journey, he’ll guide you if you trust him.      The numbers of mature women who live alone ha...

          Part 3… Esther, Mordecai, and the King of Persia     Sleep eluded the king. In frustration, he ordered his servants to read to him the events of his reign. He’d forgotten about the two gatekeepers who had been hanged. When he discovered Mordecai had alerted the authorities, the king guessed the Jew had been overlooked.   Another coincidence? Why tonight? Haman intended to execute Mordecai the next day. Remember the spiritual battle? Unknown to the Jew, God kept Xerxes awake to alert him to Mordecai’s integrity, and to engender his gratitude for saving the king’s life.          If Haman wanted to hang Mordecai on the gallows, he needed the king’s approval. He waited in the court until the king admitted him.   “How should the king honor an illustrious man?” the king asked Haman.   Haman’s chest swelled with pride. The king must be referring to him! Now Susa would ...