History – The Lowedown

April 27, 2026April 27, 2026

What is Your Greatest Wish?

2 Chronicles 1

¹Solomon, the son of King David, now took firm control of the kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him very powerful. ²He called together all Israel—the generals and captains of the army, the judges, and all the political and clan leaders. ³Then Solomon led the entire assembly to the hill at Gibeon where God’s Tabernacle was located. This was the Tabernacle that Moses, the LORD’s servant, had constructed in the wilderness. ⁴David had already moved the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the special tent he had prepared for it in Jerusalem. ⁵But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur was still at Gibeon in front of the Tabernacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the people gathered in front of it to consult the LORD. ⁶There in front of the Tabernacle, Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the LORD’s presence and sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings on it.

⁷That night God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

⁸Solomon replied to God, “You have been so faithful and kind to my father, David, and now you have made me king in his place. ⁹Now, LORD God, please keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! ¹⁰Give me wisdom and knowledge to rule them properly, for who is able to govern this great nation of yours?”

¹¹God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for personal wealth and honor or the death of your enemies or even a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people, ¹²I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. And I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor such as no other king has ever had before you or will ever have again!” ¹³Then Solomon returned to Jerusalem from the Tabernacle at the hill of Gibeon, and he reigned over Israel. (2 Chronicles 1:1-13, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

Imagine that you acquire an old lamp like the one from the movie Aladdin.

You rub the lamp and out pops a genie, who grants you one wish.

What would you wish for?

There’s an old Twilight Zone episode whose story follows this very premise.

A couple is barely making ends meet as the owners of a second-hand thrift shop. A woman comes in needing money, offering to sell an old wine bottle she found. Though financially strapped themselves, they buy the worthless bottle out of pity and compassion for the woman.

Wanting to recoup his money, the man attempts to clean up the bottle so he can put it on the shelf and sell it. While rubbing the bottle to clean it up, out pops a genie, who grants the couple four wishes.

The first wish is used to fix the broken glass of their main display case, thus proving the genie’s power and ability to grant wishes.

The couple decides to use their 2nd wish on money and they instantly have a million dollars in cash (valued in 1960). They promptly give thousands away to their friends and begin living the good life. But then the IRS shows up, demanding their cut. In the end, the couple has only $5 left of the million they had wished for.

The owner decides that maybe power would be a better thing to wish for, so he asks to be an all-powerful dictator who cannot be voted out of his position.

He’s instantly transformed into Hitler and it’s the final days of World War II. An officer enters the bunker where he’s hiding and offers him a vial of cyanide to commit suicide. At that moment, the shop-owner-turned-Hitler wishes for his old lifestyle back.

The man is instantly transformed back to his shop where things are pretty much exactly like they were before they met the genie, except their display cabinet glass is still intact from the first wish. A few moments later, while sweeping up in front of the display case, the broom handle accidentally hits the case and the glass breaks.

The moral of this episode is “be careful what you wish for” because what we think will bring meaning, purpose and fulfillment often has unforeseen consequences that bring trouble and pain.

It turns out that Solomon, the successor to King David, was faced with this exact scenario early in his reign.

God (not a genie) appears to Solomon in a dream and asks him “what do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you.”

Solomon isn’t given four wishes. He’s given only one wish. Having only one wish heightens the drama as it forces the person to choose from the array of things they desire. What you ultimately wish for is a reflection of your deepest desire and what is most important to you.

What would you have asked for?

If you’re like most people, you probably would have asked for riches, allowing you to quit working and ensuring that you would be financially set for life. Others might ask for fame, enabling them to be loved and adored by millions, feeding their egos and massaging their insecurities.

Still others would ask for long life or power, guaranteeing that their rule would be firmly established for many years.

But Solomon asks for none of these things.

Instead, Solomon asks God to give him wisdom so that he could rule the people under his authority properly, with fairness and justice.

God is so impressed with Solomon’s selfless request that he not only grants his wish. but he also gives him the things he didn’t ask for, namely, riches, power and fame.

Why would God give Solomon what he didn’t ask for?

God gave Solomon what he didn’t ask for because He knew he could be trusted to steward those resources for God’s purposes. Solomon could be trusted because his heart was inclined toward others and not himself.

In man’s mind, the most important commodities are money and power. We think that if we can acquire these things our lives will be better and things will go well for us.

But in God’s economy, wisdom is better than riches or fame. This truth is repeated and emphasized over and over by Solomon throughout Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

Wisdom is not just knowing things. Wisdom is knowing how to apply and implement what you know in a way that is righteous and god-honoring.

Being wise doesn’t guarantee that you’ll become rich, powerful and famous, as Solomon did. But it does greatly improve your chances at a rich and meaningful lifestyle as your choices will follow God’s pattern instead of your own selfish desires. God’s pattern for living is more likely to bring ultimate satisfaction as you avoid the pitfalls that selfish and reckless behavior so often brings.

So what do you think? If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

If you said wisdom, then congratulations are in order. The good news is that you don’t have to wish for it. You can ask for wisdom and God will give it to you. In fact, He has already provided a master-class on wisdom in His word, the Bible.

He promises that if you study this book (the Bible), your life will be on the right path and you will experience His blessings.

If your one wish is for something else, like money, fame, power or an indestructible lifestyle, then be careful what you wish for as the things we think will bring ultimate meaning, purpose and fulfillment often come with unforeseen consequences, liabilities and obligations that lead to struggle and pain.

Did you enjoy this post? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to like, leave a comment below, and share it with your friends or on social media if you found it helpful or interesting. Your support keeps the conversation going!

Reflection

When growing up and faced with the prospect of three wishes (you can’t wish for more wishes) what were the things you typically wished for?

What do you think is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?

What are some reasons why wisdom would be preferable to have instead of wealth, or fame?

What are the ways you are seeking to become a wise person? How do you think a person acquires wisdom?

Photo by Vika Glitter: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-posing-in-arabic-clothing-with-genie-lamp-15499799/

September 18, 2024

The Last Supper and the Human Condition

Last month, Jen and I took a break from our daily routine and traveled to Italy to visit our son Joshua, who is an Army officer stationed there.

It was a great to visit him and see what his world is like. It was also fun to get a taste (literally) of Italy, though we only saw a small portion of the country.

Enjoying lunch in a Vicenza cafe with our son Joshua

In addition to spending a day in Venice and a few days in Florence, where we saw Michelangelo’s famous statue of David, Jen and I also took a day trip to Milan, where we experienced a very informative walking tour through parts of the city that included seeing the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) as well as the famous DaVinci masterpiece “The Last Supper”.

I have to admit that the Last Supper was not exactly what I expected. It looked a little different than all the photos you see. It turns out that there’s a reason for that.

Venice was exactly how I imagined it from watching movies like “The Italian Job”

Joshua and Jen at dusk in Florence on a bridge overlooking the Arno river

Jen and Dave pose with the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) in the background

Our guide explained that when DaVinci was commissioned to make the painting, he decided against the tried and true traditional Fresco style of painting, which creates a permanent image because the painting is all done in wet plaster.

The downside of this technique is that you have to paint very quickly before the plaster dries. DaVinci wanted to take his time and create a painting with more intricate detail than the fresco technique would allow, so he developed a completely new technique that allowed him to take his time.

Michaelangelos famous statue of “David” is located in Florence

The result was an undisputed masterpiece. However, it became more clear, over time, that DaVinci’s novel new technique was flawed, as parts of the painting literally began to flake away from the wall.

To fix this problem, other painters were often called in to fill in the gaps and “restore” those portions to match copies that demonstrated the original image.

Fast forward hundreds of years and the image on the wall has been painted over dozens of times. The original image is actually lost as many of the finer details, such as facial expressions, don’t look exactly as Leonardo had painted them.

In 1977, it was decided that the painting would go through a restoration process whereby all the extra layers of paint would be removed so that the image that remained would be only what Leonardo had painted. It was risky because they weren’t sure if ANYTHING would be left when they removed all the layers.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of Leonardo’s original image still intact when all of the extraneous layers were removed. At that point, what was left underwent an extensive 25 year restoration process to ensure that the image would not experience further decay. In fact, our guide told us that Leonardo’s masterpiece should remain intact for another 500 years!

What remains is still amazing but it is not exactly the original. There are parts that have faded or flaked away. We have a good idea of what the original looked like based on copies that were created when it was more complete.

I think the Last Supper illustrates the human condition. The Bible tells us that we are God’s masterpiece, but it also says that we’re broken because of sin.

Just as the Last Supper was in a constant state of decay, so too are we. Without outside intervention, the Last Supper was doomed to decay into, at best, a muted reflection of the original masterpiece and at worst, nothingness!

The same is true with us. Without God’s intervention, we have no hope of reflecting the true masterpiece that God says we are. And even in this life, the best we can hope for is a muted, partial reflection of God’s artistry.

The Last Supper will never be restored to the original image that Leonardo painted. But we, as believers, have the hope and assurance that one day, we will experience the final restoration of our bodies and our souls. Sin will be eradicated and we will no longer experience death or decay!

THAT is good news and it’s amazing!

Thank you for your partnership with us, which allows us to help others realize that we are all “masterpieces” in need of restoration!

Arrivederci!

Jen and I loved hanging out with our son Joshua in Italy, where he is serving as an officer in the U.S. Army.

January 14, 2021February 25, 2026

A Pivotal Council in the Early Church

Acts 15

While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the Christians: “Unless you keep the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” ²Paul and Barnabas, disagreeing with them, argued forcefully and at length. Finally, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. ³The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted. ⁴When they arrived in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported on what God had been doing through their ministry. ⁵But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood up and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and be required to follow the law of Moses. ⁶So the apostles and church elders got together to decide this question. ⁷At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. ⁸God, who knows people’s hearts, confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he gave him to us. ⁹He made no distinction between us and them, for he also cleansed their hearts through faith. ¹⁰Why are you now questioning God’s way by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? ¹¹We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the special favor of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 15:1-11, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

Acts 15 is perhaps the most important chapter in the entire book of Acts because it highlights an important dispute that arose in the early church.

The issue wasn’t just about the rite of circumcision. At issue was what was necessary to be saved. The dispute seemed to be led by some Pharisees who had been converted (see verse 5). These men believed that salvation was for the Jews and therefore, they believed that the only way a Gentile could become saved was to convert to Judaism. This meant adopting Jewish customs, including observance of the law.

Circumcision was really an outward representation that a person had converted to Judaism. So when these men from Judea began teaching that Gentiles needed to be circumcised in order to be saved, what they were really asserting was that Gentiles needed to become culturally Jewish before they could accept the Jewish Messiah.

So the question became: can Jesus save non-Jews, or do Gentiles need to adopt Jewish culture and become Jews before they can be saved by the Messiah?

Paul and Barnabas argued that Gentiles didn’t need to adopt Jewish customs, including circumcision, but only needed to receive Jesus by faith in order to be saved.

Peter also advocated for this position as he recalled his experience with Cornelius, the Roman centurion in Acts 10. Peter noted that Cornelius and his family, all Gentiles, had received the Holy Spirit just as the Jews had, on the basis of faith alone.

All of the church leaders agreed. The issue was settled, and from that point on, it was clear that the Jewish Messiah was not just for Jews but for all the peoples of the world. And more importantly, it was clear that the only requirement to receive the Jewish Messiah was faith. It was not necessary to become culturally Jewish.

There are important implications for us today as we seek to share Jesus with a dying world. The principle here is that when sharing the gospel with others, we want to help them become followers of Jesus, not adopt our culture. Sometimes, it’s easy to conflate the two. People need Jesus. They don’t need my culturalized version of Jesus.

Reflection

In what ways has your culture influenced your view and understanding of Jesus?

What examples can you think of in which a person’s invitation to come to Jesus might include unnecessary cultural expectations?

How can you ensure that when you share Jesus with others you are not taking a Pharisaical approach – injecting cultural requirements into the gospel message?