Jason Locke's Blog

When it comes to our spiritual development, there's no such thing as a body at rest. You're always moving. One way or another. You're never completely standing still, despite appearances. Think about it first from the perspective of science. You may think you're not moving, but it's an illusion. For one thing, the earth is always spinning around its axis. Depending on where you are, you could be moving as fast as 1,000 miles/hour! Add to that the fact that the earth is orbiting the sun. And then there are the entire solar system and galaxy all speeding away from the center of the universe. It's dizzying to consider! But my point is simple: you're always moving one way or another. The same is true from a spiritual point of view. Your life is always moving on a trajectory of one kind or another. You're either moving closer to God, or you're gradually pulling away from God. There’s no such thing as standing spiritually still. Either you're g...

As we continue our study on the books of 1 & 2 Kings, we reach the apparent pinnacle of Israel's greatness in 1 Kings 4:29-34. (It's 5:9-14 in the Hebrew text). Solomon seems to be the greatest king ever for the small and otherwise insignificant nation of Israel. His wisdom, wealth and glory put Israel on the map of world powers. Solomon maximized the potential of Israel, at least in an economic and geopolitical sense. He was a master of public relations, churning out loads of artistic material and know-how, making him the envy of world leaders near and far. This chapter and the surrounding narrative also contain a cynical undercurrent. While the story of Solomon speaks of great bounty and success, it also calls into question the nature of a Solomonic kingdom. God does not hold back in giving Solomon a wise mind and discerning heart, but this seems to produce in Solomon a man who suffers from memory loss. Although God is blessing him richly, he seems to quickly forge...

This week, our church in Fresno begins a three-month, congregational study on 1 & 2 Kings. The title of the study is "The Peril of Power & the Power of Prophetic Resistance." This material covers 400 years of Israelite history, from the ascension of Solomon in 961 BC to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Most of the prophetic books overlap with this time period. The books of 1 & 2 Chronicles mostly duplicate these stories. In other words, there's no shortage of biblical material spanning these four centuries. Covering all this in 13 weeks will be no easy task. As we'll see throughout our study, these books aren't purely history. While they certainly deal with the history of Israel and Judah, the books of 1 & 2 Kings provide theological reflection upon history. They give us a divine critique of Israel & Judah's failed experiment with monarchies. These stories show us in living color what happened when the people of God failed to...