Today’s reading: 2 Chron 1:1–3:17, Titus 1:1–4, Ps 91:1–16
Today’s theme: Pray for wisdom
Today we learn a simple but crucial lesson, that we must ask God for wisdom for everything in our lives. We desperately need God’s wisdom every day. We also learn that God is omnipresent and that it is He who establishes the great works we seek to do for Him, our great God, the one who chose us and desires that we grow up in Christ.
2 Chronicles 1:1–3:17
Pray for wisdom
Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” 2 Chronicles 1:10 (ESV)
We learn a good lesson from King Solomon about one of the key things we should be asking God for in prayer – wisdom. We need wisdom to govern our own lives, for our family life, ministry and work.
We need to be humble like Solomon, admit we do not have wisdom and therefore ask God to grant it to us. We read in James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
The wisdom that God gives is better than the wisdom of the world. In James 3:13–17 we read “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”
Great works for our great God
The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 2 Chronicles 2:5 (ESV)
Our God is great so when we do something for God’s glory, we should not do it in a half hearted way, or be slap dash and messy. We should seek to give God our very best and to do great works for Him.
We should have an attitude to do things for God with excellence. We should also be willing to do big things for God in faith, because God is great and whatever we do for Him should bring Him great glory.
Jesus taught us that those that have much, more will be given to them in context to faithful working for the Lord, in His kingdom, in Matthew 25:28–29 “So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
God alone is omnipresent
But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 2 Chronicles 2:6 (ESV)
This is one of the things we understand about God; God is not just located in one place, He is everywhere at the same time, His being is unlike any other. God alone is omnipresent. God is in all places at all times.
God created time and space when He created the universe, so God is not bound by time or space. He is the transcendent creator, He inhabits eternity and is both outside and inside time and space.
This understanding should help us to live for Him because there is no place that any of us can hide from God.
Established by God’s strength
He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz. 2 Chronicles 3:17 (ESV)
Jachin means “he establishes” and Boaz means “in him is strength”. The symbolic meaning of these two names is significant. They speak of the temple not being merely the work of a man but something established by God’s strength. Whatever we do for the Lord should be established by God’s strength not ours.
Titus 1:1–4
Chosen to grow
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, Titus 1:1 (ESV)
Paul is a servant and Apostle, not for the world but specifically for God’s elect and his mission is to build them up in their faith and knowledge of the truth, as well as teaching them to live holy lives.
We should be encouraged that once we are saved, God does not leave us to ourselves, we are His elect, chosen before the world began, we are precious to Him. God gives us leaders like our own Pastors, to ensure we grow to God’s glory and our joy.
Chosen before the world began
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began Titus 1:2 (ESV)
This helps us to understand the plan of the ages. God planned before He created the world, that He would save the elect and give them the gift of eternal life.
Our salvation was not an afterthought or a knee jerk reaction, God planned for our salvation before the world began. This should fill us with awe and worship.
The importance of the preached word
and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:3 (ESV)
The preaching of God’s word is so important, it is through the preaching of God’s word that we grow in knowledge of the truth and through which God’s plans and mysteries are made known. We should eagerly sit under the preaching of God’s word every week at church.
The Trinity
To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Titus 1:4 (ESV)
Further evidence that God the Father and Jesus Christ are equal. In the previous verse, Paul mentions God our Saviour and now he says Christ Jesus our Saviour. This is not modalism (God in various modes as Father, as Son and as Spirit, but not a trinity), as the oneness pentecostals teach, because they are referred to distinctly as two separate persons. This is the biblical teaching that God is a trinity, one God in three distinct persons.
Psalm 91:1–16
God our refuge
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1–2 (ESV)
God is our refuge. Jesus calls us to abide in Him in John 15:9, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
God is faithful
He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 (ESV)
We can have complete confidence in God’s faithfulness to Himself and the words He has spoken.
Ministering Angels
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11 (ESV)
We can trust that God’s angels are God’s servants who minster on our behalf, as we read in Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.
Additional resources
The Gospel Coalition on Titus 1