Day #95
Scripture Reading: II Chronicles 25 - 28 ...
Why do people do it? The longer I live the
more clearly I see the utter foolishness of mankind's rejection of the one true
God, which some days leads me to become so frustrated with people that I long
for God to reveal Himself in such a powerful way that people would HAVE to take
notice!! Of course, that would mean Jesus would have to return ... and
that would mean that millions upon millions of people would face the same fate
that many in our reading today faced: the swift and awesome judgment of
God. So very often these days I think of mercy. I think of God's
mercy for me and of His desire that I show the same mercy to people that HE has
shown to me in Christ.
Reading through the lives of the kings is always a
bit depressing. There are those rare moments when God worked in one of
the kings of Judah to accomplish some good, but even then you still see
glimpses of the remaining sin of the human heart that insists on doing its own
thing and going its own way. King Joash (Chapter 24) had done many good
things while Jehoiada, the priest, was still alive, but when he died, Joash
actually had Jehoiada's son stoned to death. Joash, too, would die in
disgrace, and his son, Amaziah would take the throne.
It was said of Amaziah that "he did what
was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly" (25:2).
Isn't that a commentary on so many who "believe in God" today?
Like many of the other kings, Amaziah didn't trust in the Lord, but actually
hired soldiers from Israel to help him fight against his enemies. God
wasn't impressed. He told Amaziah to send them back, but when he did,
these soldiers (who had already been paid) attacked some cities in Judah and
killed 3,000 people and carried off plunder for themselves (25:13). Such
ungodly activity is "normal" for the sinful nature of men whose
hearts are not on serving the LORD, our God.
Yet, what is even more astounding than such
behavior is that of King Amaziah. Having defeated the Edomites, "he
brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own
gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them" (25:14).
God asks him the logical question: "Why do you consult this
people's gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?" (25:15).
Throughout the times of the Kings of Israel and Judah God sent prophets
to call His people to return to Him and to warn of judgment if they didn't.
Rarely did they listen ... and all of this is an illustration for those who
are God's people TODAY!
It's so easy to go on about our lives and forget
that God speaks to us today through His Word. The more you read God's
Word and know God's character, the more you pray and seek His wisdom and
guidance, the more you hear His voice as He directs you through each day.
But how few listen? Being devoted to God requires shutting out the
other "voices" and being devoted to Him. That's why Paul
writes, "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful"
(Colossians 4:2).
After Amaziah died, his son, Uzziah, became king in
Judah. His was one of the longest reigns - fifty-two years; and we read
that "he sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in
the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success"
(26:5). People look for a "formula for success" these days
... here it is! Seek the LORD!! Pray for wisdom. Devote
yourself to serving God every day. Live for HIM, rather than yourself.
God was blessing Uzziah and He gave him "fame and fortune" and
victory over his enemies. So what do you think happened then? "After
Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful
to the LORD his God" (26:16).
Pride is itself such a foolish response to success
in life. Anything good that you and I accomplish is done only through the
wisdom and strength of God. Our "boasting" can only be that God
is with us and that in His grace He has used us for His glory. We can
accomplish nothing by our own strength and our wisdom is like nothing compared
to His! Uzziah fell prey to pride like so many before and after him
because he took his eyes off of God and looked at himself and his
accomplishments. Never ... never follow that example! It leads to
ruin every single time. In his foolish pride, Uzziah entered the temple
to offer his own sacrifices and God struck him with leprosy ... and that's how
he died.
At least his son, Jotham, learned from his mistake.
But the people of Judah continued in their sin and rebellion.
As we read through Kings and Chronicles don't you long to get to the New
Testament?! Don't you long to hear some GOOD NEWS?!! Yet, even in
the Old Testament God offered hope through the words of the prophets for those
who drew near to Him. God always has a remnant, a small group of people
in whom He is at work by His Spirit. Are YOU one of them? Each of
us makes many choices each day ... hundreds of them each week. Where is
God in the midst of your choices?
Though there were certainly no perfect kings in
Judah or Israel, there is a pattern of blessing for obedience and judgment for
disobedience that follows both the kings of Judah and the people of Judah.
Thank God that He does not always deal with us as our actions deserve.
Jotham's son, Ahaz, became king after him and he turned away from the
LORD and worshiped idols. God used Pekah, king of Israel, to bring His
judgment on Ahaz and Judah, and here we see another important lesson: a
lesson on MERCY.
God had used Pekah to judge King Ahaz and Judah. King Ahaz was allowed to live, but instead of
thanking God for His mercy, "in his time of trouble King Ahaz became
even more unfaithful to the LORD" (28:22). Don't repeat the
mistakes of those in the past who ignored God's warnings and offered Him
half-hearted devotion! Devote yourself to the Lord, your God, remembering
the words of the prophet, Micah, "He has showed you, O man, what is
good. And what does the LORD requires of you? To act justly and to
love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).
"Heavenly Father, You have placed within my
heart the desire to please You, to follow Your commands, to be merciful to
others as You have been merciful to me. Fill me with Your patience and balance
my zeal for Your glory with Your love for those yet lost and in bondage to sin.
I humble myself in Your presence and thank You for Your grace. In
Jesus' name, Amen"
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