Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – 2 Chronicles 6:12-42 (day seven)

“When […] there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin […] send rain on Your land.” 26-27

There must have been a lot of repenting this week, because we had not gotten rain like that in a very long time! For clarity, I do not know if God continues to use weather patterns as a punishment for sin, but let me ask you a few questions:

Did you go outside after the rain let up? What did you see? Were the colors of the land brighter? Had there been new growth? How was nature reacting?

The rain was a cleansing for the land. Confession and repentance does the same thing for our soul. Every thing is brighter. We are seeing the world without a layer grime blocking our vision. New growth begins to come up in the form of relationships. Our relationship with others is restored. Our relationship with God flourishes. The storms that roll through can be dark and frightening, as can confession, but the healing that comes as a result makes the storm worth enduring.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Chronicles 6:1-11 (day seven)

“He said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hands.'” vs 4

Read that last part again “fulfilled it with His hands.” God is not some clockmaker who created the world, wound it up, and set it in motion to function on its own. God has always been and always will be hands on with His creation. He is personal. Paul tells us in Romans 8:28 that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.” Then again in Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God is at work in the life of every believer. Even if you feel abandoned or that God is not near, one day you will look back and see how God connected all the dots along the way. He fulfills it with His hands!

Re:Verse passage – 2 Chronicles 5:1-14 (day seven)

I’m normally a silver-linings type of guy, but there is something dark in this passage that caught my eye.

“And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.” Vs 6

Animals lined up to be slaughtered, a massacre in the midst of a celebration. One can only imagine the amount of sacrificial blood that was shed on this day. It seems unnecessary. You are having this grand celebration and decide to have this ritual in the middle of it all? It sounds out of place… until we take into consideration the Presence of the Lord. A Devine encounter will always result in genuine repentance. As the people came into the temple they were overwhelmed by the Spirit of the Lord, which up against Perfection highlighted their imperfections and need for forgiveness.

Christ took on the massacre so blood is no longer on our hands; He only asks that we continue to draw near to His presence. Our encounters with Him will always result in genuine repentance.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Chronicles 3:1-17 (day seven)

On this day last week, our church gathered in worship to celebrate our Savior defeating the grave, but the celebration didn’t end at 11:59pm April 4th…

Matthew 27:51 tells us that the veil was torn from top to bottom, a symbol that the holy of holies was now open. If we read the footnotes in our re:verse  passage this week, verse 8 could literally read, “Now he made the [house] of the holy of holies.” The purpose of this room was to be a house for the presence of the Lord, so where does God move to in Matthew 27?  His new “home” is you. His new “home” is me. His new “home” is inside of all who call upon His name.

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

Not only are you the new temple, you are the most holy place where God will make His “home.” We have seen Solomon going to extraordinary lengths to build a home for the Lord. To what lengths are you going to prepare your home for the Lord?

Re:Verse passage – 2 Chronicles 2:1-12 (day seven)

“Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.” vs 11

The Lord loves His people and He gave them a king that would rule with wisdom. He gave them a king that would bring glory to Himself.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” Ephesians 2:4-5

The Lord loves His people. He loves them so much He gave them a King that would conquer the enemy for good. He gave them a King that would rule with wisdom from above. He gave them a King that would sit eternally on the Throne. He gave them Himself!

The King is Risen Indeed!

Re:Verse passage – 2 Chronicles 1:1-13 (day seven)

“And I will give you riches and wealth and honor.” vs 12b

The temptation of this passage is to make a direct correlation of wisdom and prosperity. We subtly believe that by honoring God and asking for His wisdom that we will be blessed by Him as Solomon was. That was not the point of what God was trying to teach Solomon. The point comes directly before that:

“that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king” vs 11b

Receiving wisdom from God does not mean we will have a prosperous or perfect life (we will learn about that in the weeks ahead), but when we seek God’s wisdom, we will better lead those whom God has entrusted into our hands. Seeking wisdom from Above in our decisions will sometimes result in earthly success but will always result in spiritual fulfillment and trustworthy leadership.

Who are the people in your life that God has entrusted you to lead?
How will they benefit from you seeking wisdom from Above?

Re:Verse passage – 1 Chronicles 29:1-11 (day seven)  

“Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?” vs 5b

What exactly was David calling his people to commit to? It was more than a tithe. It was a commitment of one’s whole self to the Lord. Tithing was a byproduct of the commitment, but what he is really asking is for them to set themselves apart and be wholly committed to be holy. New Testament language would call this sanctification. It is a lifelong process of devoting oneself to the Lord and growing closer to Him. It is not a one time gift or decision. David wants this to be a lifelong commitment. He knows the health of the country and the success of his son are directly correlated to each individual’s personal consecration. If every person does their part, the whole will succeed.

The same goes for the church today. We ask,”Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?” We are stronger when you grow. We are stronger together.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Chronicles 28:11-21 (day seven)  

“do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you…” 1 Chronicles 28:20

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;” Psalm 23:4

David might not have gotten to build a “home” for the Lord, but David learned through his life experiences that the Spirit of the Lord is not confined to a box. God is with us. He is living and active at all times. He is there in the darkest valleys. He is there when we fight our giants. He is there when enemies are at our doorstep. He is there to clean our hearts when we make mistakes. God is always with us.

The lesson for Solomon: Don’t become so consumed with a building that you neglect the Spirit that is present with you in the moment. May we not do the same today. God is with us.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Chronicles 28:1-10 (day seven)  

“I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God.” vs 2

How many times have you  started a sentence like this, “My intentions were good, but…”? The key here is the focus on self. “My intentions” or for David “I had intended” clearly the focus is on what the individual thought was best.  Thomas Edison once said, “A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.” The approach that we get in trouble for the most is not approaching the Throne and communicating with the Lord before making our decisions. In our intentions, we take all the responsibility, we take all the burden, but that is not what God intended. His intentions are that We (us and Him) plan together so He takes the burden. When we approach the Throne before following our intentions, the result will always be perfect.