Even Ahab; Even Me!

Posted on 2014/06/17 by Shawn Thomas

The Bible describes Ahab, the King of Israel during the time of Elijah the prophet, as one of the most wicked kings ever. I Kings 21:25 summarizes his life by saying that he “sold himself to do evil in the sight of YHWH” and “acted very abominably in following idols.” Yet Ahab’s response to his rebuke from God brought a surprising result:

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Icons of Christ

Posted on 2014/06/16 by Shawn Thomas

The word “icon” is defined in freedictionary.com as “an image, a representation”, a “representation of a sacred or sanctified Christian personage.” “Icons” or pictures of the Lord and of His saints are venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is interesting therefore, that in Colossians 3:10 the Bible says that Christians are “being renewed to a true knowledge according to the IMAGE of the One who created him.” The word “image” in that verse is the Greek word “icona” — we get our word “icon” from it!

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Your Heart’s Inclination

Posted on 2014/06/13 by Shawn Thomas

“Have you murdered and also taken possession?” This is the question Elijah asked King Ahab in I Kings 21:19, after Ahab had killed Naboth and stolen his vineyard. The prophet also foretold the disaster that was come upon Ahab because of his sin. It might occur to one that the sentence of Elijah could have applied, word for word, to King David. What was the difference?

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Patience With Holiness

Posted on 2014/06/12 by Shawn Thomas

Colossians 3:10 says that Christians “have put on the new self, who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him …”. It should be instructive to us that the verse says the Christian “IS BEING renewed”. “Is being renewed” is a present participle, meaning that it is something which is currently underway. It is not a “done deal.” It is a process. This has some important applications for us: Continue reading →

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The Prophetic Function of God’s Word

Posted on 2014/06/11 by Shawn Thomas

In I Kings 21, after King Ahab took the land which was the inheritance of his neighbor Naboth, :17 says: “Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite …” God did not overlook this evil deed of Ahab’s, but had a word to speak to him about it, and the judgment that was coming to him for his sin. Similarly, He does not overlook OUR evil ways either, but beholds them all, and holds us accountable for our deeds — and speaks to us regarding them in His word.

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That We Might Know Him

Posted on 2014/06/10 by Shawn Thomas

In I Kings 20:13 one of God’s prophets approached Ahab the king and told him that God was going to deliver him from an oppressive army that day, “and you shall know that I am the LORD.” This is just what Elijah had said when he prayed to God on Mount Carmel, that He would answer by fire “that this people may know that You, O Yahweh, are God …”. We see phrases like this repeatedly in scripture: “and you shall know that I am the LORD (literally “Yahweh”). Thus we see that this is the ultimate purpose for everything God does — it is that we may know that He is God! Continue reading →

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Against “Trash Talk”

Posted on 2014/06/09 by Shawn Thomas

“Trash talking” is an attempt to verbally intimidate an opponent, and it has become a familiar part of American culture, especially in sports and video games — but it has infiltrated many other segments of our society as well. In I Kings 20, we see that “trash talking” is not anything new: King Ben-hadad of Aram came down to Syria and besieged Samaria and he used “trash talk” to intimidate the King of Israel. But Ahab had a word in response which some of us may find useful at some point: Continue reading →

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Sin & the Body of Christ

Posted on 2014/06/06 by Shawn Thomas

Colossians 3:8 says: “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.” It is interesting that in the Greek text, the word “mouth” is singular, but the word “your” is plural. It appears that the point is it that there is ONE mouth he is referring to here (that of the church) that we should put these things away from, and not merely their individual mouths. It would certainly challenge us to a different level of application of this verse, and to a wider picture of our sin:

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“Decisions” & Following

Posted on 2014/06/05 by Shawn Thomas

I Kings 19:21 says that when Elijah called Elisha to be his disciple, that Elisha sacrificed the oxen he had been plowing with (demonstrating that he was “all in”, see devotion here) and the text continues: “then he arose and followed Elijah …”

All the preceding surrounding Elisha’s “decision” to follow Elijah would have been superfluous had he not then actually gotten up and followed him!

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All In

Posted on 2014/06/04 by Shawn Thomas

In I Kings 19, God told the prophet Elijah to anoint Elisha to take his place, and Elijah departed from the Lord and threw his mantle over Elisha, who was plowing with some oxen, calling him to be his disciple. :21 says “So (Elisha) took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.” While Elisha’s actions may seem strange, they actually reveal a lot about the commitment he was making:

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