2nd Evangelical Free Church

The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: Selfish pride in the presence of God is sin.

2 Chronicles 26-27

Uzziah demonstrates again to us the lesson of God’s retribution. He followed the ways of his grandfather and father and started out obedient to the Lord but then became unfaithful. In his reign he achieved many good things. He enhanced the military and economic life of the nation and made up for the losses suffered by his father. Unfortunately his success went to his head and he became proud and egotistical. He disobeyed God by offering incense in the Temple. He presumed to worship God, to go before Him without the benefit of the mediating ministry of the priests whom the Lord had appointed and consecrated for their task. This showed disrespect not only for the priests but also the Lord. For that he was punished. 

Uzziah’s son, Jotham, apparently learned a good lesson in the blessings of faithfulness from his father’s failure. We too can glean some valuable insights. We learn of the dangers of success. If we are not in humble prayer before the Lord on a constant basis, we can let success eclipse our love and devotion for God for it can readily lead to pride. Pride can lead to spiritual downfall, sin and God’s discipline as we have seen with the Kings of Judah who, one after another, fell away from the Lord and were punished. The ones who are humbled by God’s discipline and repent can again serve the Lord in godliness. But we must all recognize that success can also lead us to presume that we can go before the Lord on our own merits and our own strength. We begin to think we do not need a mediator. We must realize that no one gets to heaven by his or her own works. We are too sinful to even get close to God were it not for the fact that He has provided a mediator in Jesus. No one gets into fellowship with God apart from Him. 

 

The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: Selective Obedience.

2 Chronicles 25

Amaziah started out his reign in godliness as his father Joash had done. He appeared to know the law of God. He even heeded the counsel of the prophet regarding his attempt to go to war trusting in Israelite mercenaries rather than the Lord. Yet it became apparent that he obeyed and enforced only those laws and rules which suited his own ends. He seemed to be following God but he was really following the dictates of his own will. This is revealed in his worshipping of the Edomite idols he captured. He did this rather than not give Yahweh the glory for the victory which was due to His strength and faithfulness to Judah. Instead, he felt that victory was his because those idols betrayed Edom and had become his supporters. Therefore the Lord judged him for his unfaithfulness.

There are many politicians, leaders, celebrities and, yes, even pastors who claim to be Christians yet they demonstrate by their actions and attitudes that they are hypocrites. They are in the church but not of the church. They are worldly people who claim to serve God but really use Christianity in a selective manner, obeying those commands which suit their desires or make them look good and honorable, but rejecting those beliefs and standards of Biblical morality that get in their way. For instance there are many who claim to worship Jesus as Lord but support a woman’s right to choose abortion, or the rights of homosexual and others to practice their ungodly proclivities as they desire without being criticized or harassed by believers who call such actions and lifestyles sins. A Christian cannot support God and sin at the same time even if sin is called “civil rights”.  Sooner or later, God’s judgment will fall. 

 

 

The wisdom of Godly Counsel.

2 Chronicles 24

In the next few chapters, the Chronicler depicted the theme of divine retribution in the lives of the Kings of Judah. He showed that God rewarded faithfulness and punished apostasy. In addition, he demonstrated the wisdom of following godly counsel versus the folly of ignoring it or heeding the advice of the nonbeliever. The former brings God’s favor and blessings while the latter leads to failure and judgment. Joash started out with godly intentions and actions, probably due to the wise counsel he received from Jehoiada. Jehoiada seemed to be the co-ruler of the nation which was a good place for such a godly and faithful man as he. No doubt the Chronicler wanted his audience to take note of how important the religious ruler is in the life of the people since those Jews who had returned from exile had no King. The priest could rule with wisdom and judge with equity and mercy. He was the one the people could look to for wise counsel. 

Jehoiada shows us the benefit of walking with the Lord. He lived to the age of 130, longer than Moses and Joshua, a sure sign of God’s blessing. Unfortunately, when he died, Joash fell into apostasy. He turned the hearts of the people away from the Lord and ignored the wise counsel of Zechariah the prophet. He had the prophet executed, an act which caused the Lord to bring judgment upon him. 

The Lord often sends troubles into the lives of those who stray from Him. Sometimes that trouble is God’s discipline designed to bring the erring ones to Him in repentance. However, the tribulations God sends on people and nations also serve as God’s punishment for their sins and as a warning to others that God takes sin seriously. 

 

The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: What to do when things look really bad, Part 2.

2 Chronicles 22-23

Things got worse as Ahaziah and Athaliah led Judah deeper into apostasy. Ahaziah continued the sordid ways of his father and suffered a rather ignominious death. His mother Athaliah behaved in a demonically inspired way as she attempted to destroy the line of King David. But she was opposing the Lord who had promised to uphold and protect the line of David. Her cold blooded efforts designed to thwart God’s will created many problems for Judah and her people, but, ultimately, her efforts failed. The Lord was working in the situation to preserve the lamp of David through the heroic efforts of Jehoshabeath and her husband Jehoiada, the priest. They saved Joash from the queen-mother’s fury and then worked to install him as the rightful King. 

The message of the Chronicler for those returned from exile and for us who suffer persecution in this world and who endure the widespread acceptance of immorality and evil in our own society is that despite how bad things may look, God is always at work. He is working in the situations, difficulties and illnesses we face to strengthen uphold and protect those who worship Him and place their faith in Him. Wicked men seem to prosper, gain in popularity and lead many astray. Evil is at its height. The devil seem to have the whole world fooled and under his thumb. Yet we see from the triumph of Joash that no matter how much evil is exalted, in the end, God will have His way. He will punish all iniquity. Thus we can have hope in the midst of utter darkness. 

 

The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: The penalty for disobedience.

2 Chronicles 21

The many sons of Jehoshaphat were a sign of God’s blessings on this godly and righteous King even despite his many flaws. However, the son who succeeded him on the throne, Jehoram, saw his brothers as a threat to his own power and authority. He was probably urged on by his wife Athaliah, the Baal worshipping daughter of Ahab and his unholy wife Jezebel. Jehoram’s actions and his entire reign dishonored God. Because of his lack of faithfulness to God’s covenant, the whole nation fell into apostasy and was torn apart by the rebellion of tributary nations. All the gains his father had achieved were wiped out by his sin. For this reason the Lord cursed Jehoram with a painful, disgusting, and extremely humiliating illness that did not lead him to repentance but to death. 

The Chronicler used this incident to remind us that although God honors His covenant we still hold us accountable for our actions. In addition, our actions affect those around us. We and our families and other people are blessed if we worship the Lord and trust in Him alone rather than in philosophy or in material things. We and they both suffer if we stray. This is especially true of our families. The covenant God made with our parents or forefathers when they came to faith will not save us. This is true even if we were baptized as infants or children and/or were brought up in the church. Though such a covenant and upbringing bless us and lead us in the right direction, we still need to come to repentance and to place our faith in Christ. Yet many people think they are saved just because they were raised as Christians or because they carry our certain rituals. Such an attitude can lead to destruction unless one gets right with God based on the covenant blood of Jesus. 

 

The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: What to do when things look really bad.

2 Chronicles 20

This is probably one of the most inspiring chapters in the Bible, one which ought to fill us with faith and courage in the face of trouble. After all, Jehoshaphat was not a super saint, but someone like us who was fallible, who often lacked faith in God and did things that were not pleasing to the Lord. Yet, as we see here, he was capable of great faith. When the armies of the 3 nations marched against him, he was afraid, but his fear drove him to his knees in prayer before the Lord. Jehoshaphat's prayer drew upon the prayer that Solomon prayed at the temple dedication (2 Chron. 6:12-42). He went before the Lord in the Temple and reminded Him of His promises. God gave him an answer through one of the prophets, one which allayed his fears. He knew he could have faith in God and follow His instructions knowing that He would deliver Judah from His enemies. Though he did not know what form God’s deliverance would take, he knew that the battle was in a Holy War that God was waging against His enemies. 

When the storm clouds gather, when the obstacles before us appear insurmountable, we often want to take some action. As we see from Jehoshaphat, our first and last action as people of faith is to approach the Lord in prayer. But after that, often we still want to act, we want to move quickly, to form a response, a plan based on our own wisdom or the counsel of others, often the ungodly and foolish. We want to take tangible steps to meet the enemy head on. But faith often involves taking intangible steps, waiting on God and throwing ourselves on His resources and strength. Jehoshaphat had that great faith. If we want to see God’s hand of power and glory we must often just be still and trust that He is already moving on our behalf. In this way we can stand firm in the face of what seem to be insurmountable obstacles.

 

The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: Seek Justice.

2 Chronicles 19

The Lord chastened Jehoshaphat because of his foolhardy alliance with Ahab. The discipline bought him back into right relationship with God. His repentance led him to institute judicial reforms, to bring Judah back into accord with the Mosaic Law and to insure that the poor and needy received justice and equity. There was to be no partiality or favoritism shown to anyone based on social status or wealth. Those who administered justice were to emulate the Lord, to judge with righteousness and mercy. The Chronicler desired that the Jews who had returned from Babylon would heed this lesson and remember the Lord.

And no doubt most our own leaders, judges, and politicians should take heed of Jehoshaphat’s example. They should remember that they are servants of God and servants of the people. They are not to get others to serve them, to feather their own nests or make a name or amass wealth and power for themselves. They are to provide justice and protection for those who have no one to speak for them. They are not to be influenced by groups who bribe them with money and promises for such are an abomination before the Lord. If our politicians were to carry out the ways of the Lord, the nation will be greatly blessed. But why stop there? It is also up to us, the business men and the common people to be just and fair in our dealings with other. We should always seek to build up the church and the community so that we might have a greater influence on our neighbors.

 

The Chronicles of the Kings: Beware of lying prophets!

2 Chronicles 18

The Chronicler took great pains to stress the importance of relying on the Lord. His example here is found in the poor judgment of Jehoshaphat who joined forces with Ahab in order to mount a campaign in defiance of the Lord’s will. Although they consulted the prophets of Israel, those prophets spoke lies. They were false prophets but they did not know they were repeating a lie. The Lord was behind the lie, He wanted to punish Israel. He was under no obligation to reveal the truth to them but he revealed it to Michaiah, but his words were ignored and he was abused by Ahab who was determined to carry out his own plans knowing full well he was opposing the Lord. Jehoshaphat should have known better but he too ignored the truth. They both agreed to try and bypass God’s words through a ruse. 

The lesson we learn is that no one can ignore the will of God. What He has decided to do He will carry out no matter how hard we may try to get around Him or circumvent His laws or nullify His judgments and punishments. Human governments may make laws that are opposed to God’s law, but this does not change God’s word. In addition we Christians cannot expect to do well or be blessed either if we follow the counsel of ungodly people. Very often heeding the voice of God flies in the face of science and logic but faith in Jesus Christ and His Word is indisputable: obedience is the only course of action that inevitably makes sense and will bless us in the long run.

 

The Chronicles of the Kings: Second: Know the Word of God.

2 Chronicles 17

The Chronicler focuses on Asa’s successor, Jehoshaphat, in order to highlight the blessings of God’s presence bestowed upon those who live lives of godly obedience. He indicates that one thing that is vital to godly living is study and understanding of God’s truth, His word. Jehoshaphat understood this and set up a program whereby the Levites went among the people and instructed them in the Law of God. Those in the Chronicler’s audience would need the same instruction for they must become familiar with the Lord through His word in order to know what He required of them. 

We in the 21^st Century must also become intimate with the Word of God. There are so many competing voices out in the world that unless we know God’s written word we will be unable to discern His among the rest. One of the most important things about God’s word is that it defines sin for us. This definition is nearly always straightforward and uncomplicated. What complicates life for the Christian are those other voices that ignore the Biblical definition of sin. In our culture two of the highest virtues are individualism and personal autonomy. Whatever exalts me, whatever makes me feel good, powerful and fulfilled is desirable. Whatever prevents me from achieving my desires is sin. It is obvious that such a concept is antithetical to scripture in which the highest good is worshipping Yahweh with every aspect of our being and loving our neighbor in word and deed. The Lord must be saddened greatly by human attempts to do ignore sin and away with it for it brings great tribulation and suffering on all people.  

 

 

The Chronicles of the Kings: First: Pray.

2 Chronicles 16

The Chronicler now shows Asa as an example of unfaithfulness and backsliding. Although the Lord had demonstrated His power before, towards the end of his reign Asa chose to ignore the Lord’s counsel. He did not consult the Lord about dealing with Israel or about allying Judah with Aram. Though Asa achieved his goals, the Lord was angry with him. He was rebuked by the Lord’s prophet. He refused to repent and compounded his disobedience by abusing the prophet as well as those people who were under his rule. The Lord sent war and sickness upon him but these too did not turn him back to God. 

The Chronicler desires to teach his audience of the importance of always relying on God for help, no matter what the situation. Asa’s sin was using human means and wisdom in dealing with Israel and later on in his illness. While human means can be helpful, those who do not rely on the Lord will find no relief.

In America today most people no longer seek help from God in prayer. When people become sick they expect the medical profession to provide them with sure cures and therapies. When they fall into financial need they expect the government to bail them out and provide them with all they need and want. People today rarely see the need for confession of sin or repentance. Instead, prompted by the media and the government, most seek help from psychologists, sociologists and educators in dealing with problems such as mass murders, drug addiction, suicide, drunk driving and illegitimacy. The example of Asa teaches us that as long as these sources deny the existence of sin and of a righteous God, their efforts will be in vain.