The battle lines were drawn. Assyria is going to attack Judah. Hezekiah’s back is against the wall and he is racing to build up their defenses before the coming invasion. Assyria has been rolling over every nation in their path. They are the world super-power of the day. No one has been able to stop them. They are a rolling bulldozer, and they are headed for Judah!
While Hezekiah’s back may be against the wall, his faith is grounded in the grace, power, and faithfulness of God! He knows full well that from the human perspective, Judah doesn’t stand a chance. However, he also knows this will not just involve humans! Hezekiah knows that God is in control and victory or defeat ultimately lay in his hands. If Judah will serve the Lord, the Lord will fight for them. Hezekiah boldly declares, “With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight out battles” (32:8).
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had an entirely different point of view! He boldly declared, “For no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand...How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand” (32:15)! Hezekiah would not leave God out of the equation; Sennacherib never had God anywhere near his equation! In his mind, he was above all gods. He could defeat any nation, and therefore, any god!
So what happened? The Lord sent an angel to destroy the Assyrian warriors, and Sennacherib returned home only to be killed by his sons! “So the Lord saved Hezekiah...from the hand of Sennacherib” (32:22). You can’t avoid polar opposites in this life, but you better be sure you are on the Lord’s side when you are involved in one!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Blessing of Unity - 2 Chron 29-31
The reforms under Hezekiah were an amazing accomplishment and turnaround for Judah. Under Hezekiah’s leadership the Temple was restored, the Levites were re-employed, Temple worship was restored, and the Passover was again celebrated! These were remarkable days of revival and refreshment. Underneath it all, was remarkable unity!
Picture the scene. The people of Judah had not followed the Lord for so long that the Holy Place was filthy! Hezekiah calls for the people to return and they follow his lead with zeal. Was it because Hezekiah was such a dynamic personality? Was he a charismatic leader?
No. Those are man’s answers. The Bible reveals that the Lord was at work among his people with Hezekiah as his instrument (29:36). The people followed because the Lord gave them a heart of unity! “The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord” (30:12). God-given unity was underneath this incredible time of restoration and revival!
So the blessing of unity comes from the Lord. Let us pray fervently that he would grant our churches to follow their leaders with “one heart.” In addition to the blessing of unity comes additional blessings because of unity. When the Passover was re-instituted, Judah celebrated for two weeks! There was much feasting and many offerings, but most of all, there was “gladness” (30:23) and “great joy” (30:26).
There is nothing more miserable than division and nothing more joyful than unity! We must pray for and strive for unity within the church!
Picture the scene. The people of Judah had not followed the Lord for so long that the Holy Place was filthy! Hezekiah calls for the people to return and they follow his lead with zeal. Was it because Hezekiah was such a dynamic personality? Was he a charismatic leader?
No. Those are man’s answers. The Bible reveals that the Lord was at work among his people with Hezekiah as his instrument (29:36). The people followed because the Lord gave them a heart of unity! “The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord” (30:12). God-given unity was underneath this incredible time of restoration and revival!
So the blessing of unity comes from the Lord. Let us pray fervently that he would grant our churches to follow their leaders with “one heart.” In addition to the blessing of unity comes additional blessings because of unity. When the Passover was re-instituted, Judah celebrated for two weeks! There was much feasting and many offerings, but most of all, there was “gladness” (30:23) and “great joy” (30:26).
There is nothing more miserable than division and nothing more joyful than unity! We must pray for and strive for unity within the church!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Recognize God in Defeat - 2 Chron 25-28
King Ahaz made a terrible, terrifying, self-condemning deduction! He concluded that if Judah had been defeated by Syria, then Syria’s gods must be better and more powerful than Jehovah! A horrible, wrong conclusion. This is the way pagans think. Whoever has the most powerful army must have the most powerful god. This inevitably leads to pluralism. The more gods you have, the more bases you have covered! This is not reality.
In truth, there is only one God, and nations rise and fall according to his plan, purposes, and will. Ahaz did not lead Judah into defeat because God was more deficient than Syria’s god! Judah was defeated because God was judging Judah! Syria’s army was simply God’s means for bringing it about. Should Judah repent, turn to the Lord, and seek Him, He would free them from their enemies and restore their power. It all had to do with Judah’s relationship with the Lord not with some cosmic battle of the gods! God is not at war with other gods. God is at war with sin, and God wins!
This is the final analysis for Ahaz. “In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, ‘Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.’ But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel” (2 Chron 28:22-23).
Recognize God in defeat! He has a purpose. It may not be judgment; it may be strengthening your faith and character. The correct response is to seek Him and learn the lesson he has for you! Ahaz could have repented and found life, but he rather rebelled and it was his ruin!
In truth, there is only one God, and nations rise and fall according to his plan, purposes, and will. Ahaz did not lead Judah into defeat because God was more deficient than Syria’s god! Judah was defeated because God was judging Judah! Syria’s army was simply God’s means for bringing it about. Should Judah repent, turn to the Lord, and seek Him, He would free them from their enemies and restore their power. It all had to do with Judah’s relationship with the Lord not with some cosmic battle of the gods! God is not at war with other gods. God is at war with sin, and God wins!
This is the final analysis for Ahaz. “In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, ‘Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.’ But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel” (2 Chron 28:22-23).
Recognize God in defeat! He has a purpose. It may not be judgment; it may be strengthening your faith and character. The correct response is to seek Him and learn the lesson he has for you! Ahaz could have repented and found life, but he rather rebelled and it was his ruin!
Monday, June 7, 2010
A Good Tax - 2 Chron 21-24
Taxes. A necessary requirement or burden upon society for the upholding of civil government. Every citizen realizes the necessity, but much disagreement abounds as to how much a person should be taxed. It is a hot issue. One which resulted in the Revolutionary War because there was “taxation without representation!”
It is not often that one finds taxing and rejoicing in the same context, but that is exactly what happened in Joash’s day! Joash, king of Judah, set out to repair the Temple. The Temple had been neglected, vandalized, and broken into to. Joash commanded the Levites to go throughout the land and gather money from the people to repair the temple. They were slow to act! So Joash proclaimed throughout the land that the people should bring the tax Moses commanded in the wilderness, that is, the offering for the tent of meeting.
Joash commanded a chest to made and set outside the house of the Lord. “And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished” (24:10). When the chest was full, they would empty it and the people would fill it again. This continued until the repairs were complete and all utensils were made!
How can joy and tax be found together? The key is the purpose. The purpose of repairing the Temple and restoring worship was greater than the desire for material possessions. Worship exceeded pocketbooks! The people of God rejoice to give when the end result is the worship of God. The purpose in repairing the Temple was to restore worship for the people, and that makes for a good tax!
It is not often that one finds taxing and rejoicing in the same context, but that is exactly what happened in Joash’s day! Joash, king of Judah, set out to repair the Temple. The Temple had been neglected, vandalized, and broken into to. Joash commanded the Levites to go throughout the land and gather money from the people to repair the temple. They were slow to act! So Joash proclaimed throughout the land that the people should bring the tax Moses commanded in the wilderness, that is, the offering for the tent of meeting.
Joash commanded a chest to made and set outside the house of the Lord. “And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished” (24:10). When the chest was full, they would empty it and the people would fill it again. This continued until the repairs were complete and all utensils were made!
How can joy and tax be found together? The key is the purpose. The purpose of repairing the Temple and restoring worship was greater than the desire for material possessions. Worship exceeded pocketbooks! The people of God rejoice to give when the end result is the worship of God. The purpose in repairing the Temple was to restore worship for the people, and that makes for a good tax!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
A Faithful Prophet - 2 Chron 17-20
Micaiah was a prophet of the Lord during the reign of Ahab over Israel. Ahab had gathered around him 400 prophets who somehow seemed to prophesy in Ahab’s favor every single time! There was one man, though, who stood alone. There was one man who would not be bought or threatened. There was one man who considered God’s approval above that of Ahab. That man was Micaiah. He was the faithful prophet!
Micaiah declared in 2 Chronicles 18:13, “As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” That was his job as a prophet, but more than that, it was his calling, his life. He was to speak to others what God had spoken to him, and he was committed to please the Lord no matter if he never pleased man.
As a result of his commitment to the Lord, Micaiah was not favored by Ahab, and he suffered under Ahab’s angry resentment of God’s truth. First, Ahab said of him, “I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil” (18:7). In other words, Ahab was not concerned with truth, just with prophets who agree with him! When Micaiah would not abide by his wishes, he hated him. Second, when Micaiah stood for the truth, Ahab seized him and threw him in prison (18:25-26)!
Dear fellow believers and especially fellow pastors, if we stand for truth, proclaim truth, and refuse to please man we will suffer at some time, in some way! Some will hate us, despise us, reject us, and do all they can to silence us! Just remember, pleasing God does not necessarily mean never going to jail! It simply means staying true to his Word! In the end, Micaiah was right, and those 400 other prophets were wrong!
Micaiah declared in 2 Chronicles 18:13, “As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” That was his job as a prophet, but more than that, it was his calling, his life. He was to speak to others what God had spoken to him, and he was committed to please the Lord no matter if he never pleased man.
As a result of his commitment to the Lord, Micaiah was not favored by Ahab, and he suffered under Ahab’s angry resentment of God’s truth. First, Ahab said of him, “I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil” (18:7). In other words, Ahab was not concerned with truth, just with prophets who agree with him! When Micaiah would not abide by his wishes, he hated him. Second, when Micaiah stood for the truth, Ahab seized him and threw him in prison (18:25-26)!
Dear fellow believers and especially fellow pastors, if we stand for truth, proclaim truth, and refuse to please man we will suffer at some time, in some way! Some will hate us, despise us, reject us, and do all they can to silence us! Just remember, pleasing God does not necessarily mean never going to jail! It simply means staying true to his Word! In the end, Micaiah was right, and those 400 other prophets were wrong!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
On the Hunt - 2 Chron 13-16
2 Chronicles 16:9 reads, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” God is on the hunt! He is daily, constantly canvasing the globe in search of hearts blameless toward him. And when he finds those hearts, he strongly supports those people. Consider these three observations.
First, what an image of the Lord this creates! The eyes of the Lord running to and fro throughout the whole earth, searching, piercing, discerning, looking past the surface and into the heart, detecting true blamelessness from false religious facades, pinpointing the favored few out of the many. The Lord’s eyes will run the course of humanity today, and they will glide over us. Will they stop? Will he find our hearts blameless toward him?
Second, what does it mean for the heart to be blameless toward God? We know it does not mean “sinless.” Given the context of the verse, it probably does not mean “believer” as in being “blameless in Christ.” It seems to mean that you fully trust God in a given situation, and you rely on him, not on self or others. Asa was being chided by Hanani for resorting to the king of Syria to help defeat Israel instead of trusting in God. God had already defeated the large Ethiopian army? Why not trust him now? Wherever we find ourselves today, we should ask ourselves, “Why NOT trust him now?”
Third, what does it mean for God to strongly support a person with a blameless heart? Simply out, it means that God will bring about the best solution for whatever the scenario may be.
Trust him completely today - He’s looking for those who do!
First, what an image of the Lord this creates! The eyes of the Lord running to and fro throughout the whole earth, searching, piercing, discerning, looking past the surface and into the heart, detecting true blamelessness from false religious facades, pinpointing the favored few out of the many. The Lord’s eyes will run the course of humanity today, and they will glide over us. Will they stop? Will he find our hearts blameless toward him?
Second, what does it mean for the heart to be blameless toward God? We know it does not mean “sinless.” Given the context of the verse, it probably does not mean “believer” as in being “blameless in Christ.” It seems to mean that you fully trust God in a given situation, and you rely on him, not on self or others. Asa was being chided by Hanani for resorting to the king of Syria to help defeat Israel instead of trusting in God. God had already defeated the large Ethiopian army? Why not trust him now? Wherever we find ourselves today, we should ask ourselves, “Why NOT trust him now?”
Third, what does it mean for God to strongly support a person with a blameless heart? Simply out, it means that God will bring about the best solution for whatever the scenario may be.
Trust him completely today - He’s looking for those who do!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Solomon's Prayer Answered - 2 Chron 9-12
In Solomon’s prayer of dedication, he listed a number of scenarios where the people of Israel would find themselves under judgment or in great need. His prayer was that if they would turn to God in those times, that God would hear, forgive, heal, and restore. That day of dedication was so glorious, little would anyone there have guessed that Solomon’s prayer would be answered in the days of his son Rehoboam.
Rehoboam could not have found himself in a more favored position. He came to rule after his father passed away, and Solomon had passed on to him riches and power beyond any other nation. Just days after taking the throne, Rehoboam’s arrogance resulted in a divided kingdom. Surprisingly though, under his rule Judah walked in the way of David - at least for three years.
However, “When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.” (12:1) Amazing to see this constant theme of fallen humanity; when the Lord grants strength, we conclude we don’t need the Lord! As a result, judgment fell from the Egyptians. Rehoboam and the princes, however, humbled themselves before the Lord, and the Lord withheld their destruction! This is exactly what Solomon had prayed for in 6:24-25! Probably never entered his mind that his own son would fit that scenario.
There are several key applications from this text. Let us be constantly aware of where our strength lies and daily resist the sin of false self-sufficiency. Let us be quick to humble ourselves before the Lord when we sin. And let us pray for God’s mercy towards us, as Solomon did.
Rehoboam could not have found himself in a more favored position. He came to rule after his father passed away, and Solomon had passed on to him riches and power beyond any other nation. Just days after taking the throne, Rehoboam’s arrogance resulted in a divided kingdom. Surprisingly though, under his rule Judah walked in the way of David - at least for three years.
However, “When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.” (12:1) Amazing to see this constant theme of fallen humanity; when the Lord grants strength, we conclude we don’t need the Lord! As a result, judgment fell from the Egyptians. Rehoboam and the princes, however, humbled themselves before the Lord, and the Lord withheld their destruction! This is exactly what Solomon had prayed for in 6:24-25! Probably never entered his mind that his own son would fit that scenario.
There are several key applications from this text. Let us be constantly aware of where our strength lies and daily resist the sin of false self-sufficiency. Let us be quick to humble ourselves before the Lord when we sin. And let us pray for God’s mercy towards us, as Solomon did.
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