Jim Gallagher

Psalm 93:1

“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.”

It seems to me, if one thing is certain in life, it is that things are constantly moving. We live on a moving planet. At the equator, the Earth is spinning at 1000 miles per hour, moving at 67,000 miles per hour around the Sun, and our entire Galaxy is moving at about 185 miles per second. Since this motion is constant, we cannot feel its effects. However, there is other movement that we do notice. The United States Geological Survey website lists dozens of earthquakes that have happened around the world in the past seven days. Earthquakes happen because the earth’s surface is like a thin crust. This crust is made up of many pieces, like a puzzle…

2 Kings 18:33

“Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?”

Assyria was on a campaign to conquer the world. Their armies were sent out to defeat any nation that showed the least resistance. Judah had watched as their neighbors Israel and Syria were defeated, and the people taken away as slaves. Now, with the Assyrian army at their doorstep, it seemed as though Judah would be the next to fall. Delegates, representing the king of Assyria, came to Jerusalem and openly threatened the people, in order to destroy what little confidence they might have had in the Lord. These delegates reminded the people that no other nation had been able to resist the Assyrian conquest, and Judah would be no different. It was here, they made their biggest mistake. They thought Israel’s God was no…

Psalm 91:7

“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.”

The Psalmist is speaking of the benefits derived from living in an intimate, abiding, relationship with God. Jesus also spoke on the same subject when He refered to Himself as the vine and us as the branches. He made it clear, the only way to bear fruit in our life was by remaining in a close and personal relationship with Him. This verse expresses one of the most important benefits of abiding.

“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.”

Sadly, we have all seen Christians fall by the wayside. People who, at one time, were walking with the Lord, but have fallen back into the life from which they were delivered. We…

2 Kings 17:9

“Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city.”

Webster’s dictionary defines secret as, “kept from view or hidden”. It goes on to speak of something as “being covert or stealth”, implying that great pains are taken to avoid detection.

During the time that led to the fall of Israel, the people were involved in secret sins. They knew the things they were doing were wrong, hence they were hidden, but they continued in them none the less. Sadly, the more they practiced these sins, the harder their hearts became, until they eventually built places of worship, and brought their secret transgressions into public view. Soon, what had once been recognized as sinful behavior, and practiced only in secret, was now being done…

Psalm 90:10

“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years.”

When we are young we think we will live forever; death, even aging, is for other people. As we age, we still cannot imagine a world of which we are not a part. Yet, the Psalmist is making clear, we have been designed by God with a shelf life. In other words, one day we will expire. The bodies that we live in will no longer be able to sustain life, and we will move on to an eternal habitation. James put it like this, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The word ‘vapor’ is defined as, “diffused matter floating in the air impairing its transparency.” In other words, a vapor is only…

2 Kings 15:4

“…the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”

Over the years I have discovered something about myself, I am better at projects than I am at maintenance. My yard is a classic example. We worked hard to irrigate, lay sod, and plant trees, and our yard looked good for a little while. As time went on however, we discovered that neglect undid much of our labors, and before long, things looked rather unkept. It seems like Azariah had a similar problem; while he desired to live pleasing to the Lord and made great strides, he still neglected certain areas that needed his attention. One area in particular, was the “high places”, where altars were built to false gods. These shrines were destructive to the nation because they served as an open door to lead the people away from the true and living God. The…

2 Kings 14:25

“He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.”

The Northern tribes of Israel reached the zenith of their strength under king Jeroboam II. Here we are given insight into the secret behind their success:

“. . . according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah. . .”

Most of us are familiar with the story of Jonah. He was the reluctant prophet who went through great difficulty because of his refusal to obey God. When he finally surrendered to the Lord, he delivered God’s message, and the inhabitants of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, were saved.

When we put…

2 Kings 13:4-5“

So Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.”

Even a casual reading of Scripture should reveal a pattern; when things get dark, God will raise up a deliverer. We see this when Israel was enslaved in Egypt and God raised up Moses, when they were oppressed by the Midianites and God called Gideon, and here, when Israel was harassed by Syria. A few things are worth noting.  First, God responded to the cry of the king. Jehoahaz was not the godliest of men, but he knew enough to cry out to the Lord when things got difficult. We find…

Psalm 88:3

“For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave.”

This Psalm is entitled, “A Contemplation of Heman.” Heman was one of Israel’s worship leaders. As such, he was a man who was committed to the Lord, and to His service. Yet, he describes a time in his life when trials have mounted up against him. It seems as though there is no way out. While he does not explain the cause, he does describe the effects.

There seems to be at least three ingredients to this time of suffering. First, his trial includes some level of physical suffering; perhaps an illness. He speaks of being afflicted, having no strength, and being like those who lie in the grave. Second, his suffering is in some way connected to personal sin. He speaks of being distraught, and experiencing God’s wrath. Finally, in this…