Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

How far will people go to do evil in the eyes of the Lord?  It seems lately that mankind is testing those limits in even greater measures than our ancestors did. Yes, I know our grandparents said the same, but now that I am a grandparent I get what they were saying.  But sin by any measure is still sin.  It seems that some generations have choose to no longer hide or deny, but to justify sin as right and good! 

The view of many in our world think that “everything’s going to be okay and should not be judged as evil but as mere expressions of following our hearts.” World leaders tell us that “the means justifies the end” so just trust them.  We watch as some local leaders have dissolved once healthy city budgets in projects to please rich influencers who they hope will support their own political careers to greater heights and notoriety.  

Some of God’s churches have accepted the lies of worldview thinking while setting aside the commands of God.  Just last night at a family gathering, Randy and I shared a story from our childhood with our kids and grandkids of a preacher in our generation who would not drink cola from a can so others would not think he was drinking a beer!  My Grandma Lacquement, who I loved dearly and respected greatly for her faith, would not allow a newspaper or magazine (hard copy media before tech media, for those who are way younger reading this) to be placed on top of the family Bible on her side table!  She worshiped God and revered His Word.  She didn’t reprimand anyone; she would just quietly remove anything on top of God’s Word that landed there as a habit. We got the message as her grandkids!  The worship of God, with a humbled response of love and service to God, was real and evident in those who raised me to love God above all. I look back and cherish those who loved me and nurtured my faith in God. 

Therefore, our children were raised knowing that we love and serve God. Our grandchildren got the message, too.  But in the world in which they conduct their lives is extremely different than ours in what is acceptable and what is not.  Decisions made are vital and sometimes a matter of life or death.  It seems more is acceptable, even by laws made, even though not always beneficial for us. Paul wrote about this over a meat issue! (Read the whole chapter.)

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”–Paul, teaching the Corinthian church who included old worldly customs into their new belief of Jesus.  1 Corinthians 10:23-24

These words were part of a lesson over eating meats sacrificed with how that looks to those who do not.  Paul explains further; it’s more about but our intimate relationship with God and our reverence for Him. Paul sums up his lesson with;

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 

Hard decisions, no matter what generations we come from, must be made daily declaring who we follow. God helps those who believe, trust in Jesus, and rely on God’s gifts of His power, wisdom, and His ever present strength by His Holy Spirit living in us. A rule of thumb for me is when in doubt, don’t.  First consult with God and wait until you hear from God’s Holy Spirit who guides us to all that Truth with the right steps to take in the right Spirit. Peace comes when the right decision is made with His Holy Sprit’s guidance.  When I “follow my heart” (which is deceitful says Jesus); chaos occurs.  I would rather follow the heart of God in all things.

It makes us wonder then if Barna’s predictions with proof through his church surveys is right— “The church has become more affected by society then affecting society with God’s message of Truth.” George Barna, a prophet for our times, based on real surveys of the American church, also said, “There is no difference in the behaviors of those who say they believe in God that those who say they do not.”  (The State of the Church, George Barna)  I highly recommend reading this for all church leaders!

A look back—

That godly King Hezekiah should have such a wicked son is another one of those puzzles in biblical history. Manasseh lived a most ungodly life and yet had the longest reign of any king in Jewish history. It was as though the Lord took His hand off the nation and allowed all the filth to pour out of people’s hearts. 

Could this be happening in our generation?  The Lord God is allowing evil to do all that evil does in order to expose the Enemy for who he really is as the Deceiver of all when Jesus comes back? 

My question for us today is—why wait?  Follow Jesus now! He is everything we need!

2 Kings 21

Manasseh King of Judah

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. ² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ³ He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. ⁴ He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” ⁵ In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. ⁶ He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

⁷ He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. ⁸ I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them.” ⁹ But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

¹⁰ The Lord said through his servants the prophets: ¹¹ “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols. ¹² Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. ¹³ I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ¹⁴ I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; ¹⁵ they have done evil in my eyes and have aroused my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

¹⁶ Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

¹⁷ As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ¹⁸ Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. ²⁰ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. ²¹ He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. ²² He forsook the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in obedience to him.

²³ Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated the king in his palace. ²⁴ Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.

²⁵ As for the other events of Amon’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁶ He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How would it be to be known as the one most wicked in the eyes of God? Yikes!

Apparently, the miracles during the reign of Hezekiah made little impression on Manasseh’s heart. Remarkably, Manasseh became the most wicked king in Judah’s history, so much so that he is blamed for the fall of the southern kingdom!

We don’t know which prophets delivered this message, but nobody could misunderstand what they said. If Manasseh and the people didn’t repent and turn from their evil ways, God would send judgment so severe that just “hearing about it would make their ears tingle.” (Verse 12)

How will we be remembered?  What would the One who sees and knows our hearts write about us?

No matter how blatant evil becomes with nothing held back or hidden—God has not given up His authority. God knows and is in control even when we don’t see or feel it. Jesus will come back again.  God wins in the end. (I read ahead!)

Come back to God. Love Him completely with nothing held back. Take His Word as Truth for our good that declares His glory.  Believe that Jesus did exactly what God told Him to be and do—Seek and save the lost without God.  Jesus laid down His life for ours, once and for all, to remove our sins.  Receive this precious forever gift of salvation through repentance of all sins in the Name of Jesus who is our King of kings and Lord of lords. Surrender to God daily while enjoying a growing, intimately loving relationship with God who created each one of us with purpose. His Peace comes to those who truly believe. He promised and God always does what He says!

Lord,

Thank you again for another lesson from Your story of wisdom that gives us clarity and correction in our thinking and behaving. We find ourselves in your story of redemption just like you planned from the beginning!  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with the beauty of truth, and restore the joy of you in us and us in you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

We shake our heads at all the people who still use Ouija boards, stone pendants, crystals, etc. to predict outcomes of current situations. Just last night a singer on The Voice chose her coach based on her swinging pendant she held in her hand.  Wow. We cannot believe that people will fall for leaders who are full of themselves, seeking glory over serving people, and who only want what is good for them. Then we become leaders who fall for the glory seeking habit, too.  We tremble when evil overtakes a person who comes unexpectedly into a place meant for good, where kindness is taught with other lessons are learned to shoot anyone who stands in their way.  The shooter frequently seeks only the glory of notoriety because evil has taken over their entire being and convinced they are not worthy of the love of anyone. 

We wonder why our own finances take a turn for the worse when an unexpected large expense occurs and we don’t have enough to cover it.  We fall for trap to borrow more to pay more with interest!  We have no margin in our lives because we have conformed to the world around us who says we deserve all that we can acquire to satisfy our longings for more. We worship the idols of stuff and sacrifice our time, talents, and offerings for things of this earth that have little to no value that eventually make us feel worthless inside.

Israel had a problem.  We have a problem. We are the same in this problem. The problem is rebellion against the God, the One who created all and owns all. It began with Adam and Eve and continues throughout the ages. This rebellion is called sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”—of God’s best for us! (Romans 3:23)

Sin is anything that stands between the us and our worship of God alone. Sin leads us to worship whatever the current object of our affection in our mind and that we desire to own. These objects of affection include people, things, time, and/or anything else we worship instead of God.  Yes, we have a problem.

God warned Israel about the problem; but they did not listen.  Instead, they saw how other nations who didn’t know God sinned and decided to adopt their practices and conform to their way of sinning which included the sacrifice of their own children to their idol gods!  Ah, but we don’t do that, so we not as sinful as they were, right?  Are you on your phone right now reading this as your child is trying to get your attention?  Yikes.

Mm, I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the Publican (Tax Collector) and the Pharisee.  “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”—Jesus, Luke 18:9-14

God knows all hearts and knows all our sins, from the subtle to sensational.  He grieves when we worship anything other than Him.  But it seems most of us would rather worship what we can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch rather than the One Who knew us before we were born, knows our name, and holds our future in His hands. Sigh.

2 Kings 17

Hoshea Last King of Israel

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. ² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

³ Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute. ⁴ But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore, Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison. ⁵ The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. ⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

⁷ All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods ⁸ and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. ⁹ The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. ¹⁰ They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. ¹¹ At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. ¹² They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.” ¹³ The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”

¹⁴ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

¹⁶ They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. ¹⁷ They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, ¹⁹ and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. ²⁰ Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.

²¹ When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. ²² The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them ²³ until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

Samaria Resettled

²⁴ The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. ²⁵ When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. ²⁶ It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” ²⁸ So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

²⁹ Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. ³⁰ The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. ³³ They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

³⁴ To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. ³⁵ When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. ³⁶ But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. ³⁷ You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. ³⁸ Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. ³⁹ Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰ They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. ⁴¹ Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Sin is sin. There is no ranking of sin.  Sin divides our attention from God to someone or something else.  Sin disobeys God’s best for us. Sin distracts and deceives us to be someone other than God created us to be with purpose in this life.  But sin is not the final answer.

God created a plan, The Plan, to redeem us of all sin once and for all. Here is the Truth and the Answer to our sin problem: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Let’s go back to Romans 3.  Paul further explains our sin problem that separates us from God to being made right with God.  Being “made right with God” is called “righteousness,” not perfection, but in right standing with God upon humbly repenting of our sins to Jesus who we believe as God’s Son. Jesus did what we cannot do for ourselves—remove our sins. In our imperfection we are made right because Jesus took all sin and sacrificed himself taking our place for the punishment we deserve.  We cannot earn it; only Jesus, perfect and without sin, could be that sacrifice for our sin.  Only Jesus reconciles (reconnects) us back to God.

“So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it:

“There’s nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys.
No one’s living right; I can’t find a single one.
Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mudslides.
Every word they speak is tinged with poison. They open their mouths and pollute the air.
They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin,
Don’t know the first thing about living with others. They never give God the time of day.

This makes it clear, doesn’t it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin. –Paul to the church; Romans 3:9-20, MSG

Paul goes on to explain;

“But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:21-24

Hallelujah! To God be the glory, honor, and praise!

Jesus asks us today;

Do you really believe what I have done for you?

Do you believe that God’s Holy Spirit lives within all who believe with power over sin? 

Do you really believe all that God says to be really real?

Do you mean what you pray? Do you get caught up in just saying words and miss their meaning? Continue to pray often—but do so out of a humble, honest heart. If the fancy prayers and big words aren’t you—use your own. God wants to hear what you honestly pray.  God loves like no other and wants to hear from his beloved.

Lord,

You have my undivided attention. Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, make me new with your fresh mercies filling my soul. Restore the joy of you in me and me in you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m yours and I’m listening.

In Jesus Name, Amen

In the ancient world, nations were consistently at war over the acquisition of land and wealth.  War was common, a way of life, for all people.  Kings would come and go while common people lived on farms and in villages, trying to survive while land is fought over in numerous, bloody battles. Borders were changed often while the common people wonder who will be their next king in power.  Who gets what depends on the cunning and manipulations of the ones in current power.  Reading through the pages of the Kings of Israel and Judah, I am reminded of a game we played long ago as kids called “king of the hill.” The classic version of this game had simple rules developed while you played:

1. The first to get on the hill at the start becomes the king.
2. To become a king, you need to go up the hill and push the current king off.
3. Play stops by a teacher’s whistle or a parent calling you home; the current king at the top wins.

Did you know there is a “team” version?  Why, yes there is, and we did this as kids without knowing the game had rules of play! In this version, there are two or more opposing teams:

1. The king is the leader of the first team to get up the hill at the start.
2. To become the new king, the leader of an opposing team must get on the hill and push the king off.
3. Allies of the king can push opponents and enemies off, and non-lead opponents can push off allies but not the king.
4. At the end, the king and his allies win.

Over the years, as I became the teacher on the playground, this game, along with “Red Rover”, “Red Light/Green Light” and even “Mother, May I,” were banned because of bruised bodies caused by overly enthusiastic players! 

During the time of division of God’s people into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, we see that the kings of Israel consistently did what God said was wrong, following their fathers before them. On the other hand, the kings of Judah mostly did what God said was right. (The one exception was Ahaz, who even sacrificed his son to false gods.) These behaviors prompted a“king of the hill” situation between good and evil in civil wars between Judah and Israel.  There were times they would unite against their common enemy as a team sport when other nations wanted what they had. War loomed on every horizon by the Assyrians in this reading and later with other enemies of God’s people.

God used many prophets to speak to these rebellious kings: Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah.  And the words of these prophets are still read and used by God today to warn us of the dangers of following false gods and sacrificing all that is precious to these gods.  Jesus, Son of God, sees all that is going on because he is part of God and is God from the beginning of creation.  When He comes to earth; a new light will shine brightly, piercing the darkness evil has caused over centuries.  But until the Messiah comes…

We learn that God loves His people even when they are unfaithful children. Israel and Judah remained God’s chosen people despite their spiritual adultery.  God is amazing and relentless in His love for us.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 

This is the first Word we learn as believers. God loved us and sent His Son to save us as a sacrifice for our sins!  This Truth of God’s relentless love and His power working in us becomes a part of our being and supplies all we need to do good in the eyes of the Lord as we turn from the dark deeds of evil.  It’s a new day with a new life for all who believe and are saved from evil’s grasp and hold on us!  As we grow in God’s love, we will watch God’s powerful work within us transform us.  He will lead us to cease childish games like “king of the hill” with all other people whom God loves; and instead put all our hope and worship to the One and Only King of kings and Lord of lords, King Jesus! 

God gave us Jesus to save us and set us free from our sins.  Believing, repenting, and living this out loud is accepting this gift with humbled, grateful hearts!  God didn’t give up on His people. He never gives up on us.  Keep this thought in mind as we continue to read the story of God and find ourselves within it.

2 Kings 15

Azariah King of Judah

In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. ² He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

⁵ The Lord afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house. Jotham the king’s son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

⁶ As for the other events of Azariah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ⁷ Azariah rested with his ancestors and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.

Zechariah King of Israel

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. ⁹ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him and succeeded him as king. ¹¹ The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel. ¹² So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

Shallum King of Israel

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria one month. ¹⁴ Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinated him and succeeded him as king.

¹⁵ The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

¹⁶ At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

Menahem King of Israel

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. ¹⁸ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁹ Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. ²⁰ Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and stayed in the land no longer.

²¹ As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ²² Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Pekahiah King of Israel

²³ In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. ²⁴ Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. ²⁵ One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

²⁶ The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

²⁷ In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. ²⁸ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

²⁹ In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria. ³⁰ Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

³¹ As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Jotham King of Judah

³² In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. ³³ He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. ³⁴ He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵ The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord.

³⁶ As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ³⁷ (In those days the Lord began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) ³⁸ Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

What God did give up was His Son, Jesus who was with Him, a part of Him from the beginning of time and creation.  Believe in God whose compassions never fail with a love for us that does not give up.  From the beginning, God always had a plan to save us.

Believing will cause changes in all we think, say, and do.  We thank God more as we think of how much He loves us without conditions of earning it. His love is amazing and beyond what humans think is love. God simply loves us. Our new way of thinking caused us to live grateful lives in response to His never-ending mercy and grace for us.  Others will notice our behavior and see a new light in us and ask what is different. We can’t wait to tell them of King Jesus!

Pause right not to thank God for never giving up on you. Make God’s faithfulness to us be the model for all our relationships.  Don’t give up on others trying to live to please God!  All are sinners in need of God’s grace!  No one is perfect; but all are perfectly forgiven by a God who loves and forgives!

What if we truly loved others the way God loves us?  What if we never gave up on loving others? What if we embodied God’s love? Paul helps us by giving us explanations of God’s love to be modeled in us—

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your loving kindness and patience with me.  Help me to love others the way you love me!

In Jesus Name, Amen

As go through the books of Kings who reign over the divided kingdom, Israel/Judah, of God’s people; we wonder why lessons are not learned and the same mistakes in judgement with detestable sins are repeatedly made.  Why can’t the kings submit to God and do what He says. Why must most kings of Israel and Judah succumb in their leadership to doing “evil in the eyes of the Lord” as an arrogant habitcausing most people who live in their kingdoms to sin as well which leads to destruction and the implosion of their nation? We are not alone for the prophet Isaiah cries, too!

“Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

As we read and study the behaviors of the kings of Israel and Judah, still divided, we might be throwing up our hands in disgust at their sins. We might even be thinking proudly that we are certainly better now than they were. We, in our country, who declare ourselves “one nation under God” while singing “God bless America” must be “doing right in the eyes of the Lord”—but are we? 

Do you not know, have you not heard?!

We must remind ourselves that a relationship with God is personal.We are not saved because of being born of a certain heritage, culture, group or of a nation that speaks of God but does not necessarily do what He says.  We are only saved by the grace of God through Jesus, His Son who died for our sins and rose again in power to declare the glory of God!  His sacrificial act of obedience to God, the Father, redeemed us once and for all. It’s personal!

One by one we must repent of our sin to Jesus Christ who is our sacrificial Savior, accept the guidance and power of His Holy Spirit living in all who believe and repent to do what God says, then truly and committedly by our surrender trust and obey all God’s commands that Jesus taught us and demonstrated for us.  We cannot do life without the Source of Life eternal!  We won’t always get it right; but we will always be God’s children whom He loves unconditionally forever and forgives when we call on His Name.  Jesus reconciled us to God. Jesus did what we could not do for ourselves—remove our repented sins.  Our work is to go and teach others who God is, what Jesus did and how they can be reconciled to God to begin a growing, intimate relationship with God!

This is the continuing story of God where we find ourselves in need of Him today.

2 Kings 14

Amaziah King of Judah

14 In the second year of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. ⁴ The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

⁵ After the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. ⁶ Yet he did not put the children of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses where the Lord commanded: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”

⁷ He was the one who defeated ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela in battle, calling it Joktheel, the name it has to this day.

⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, with the challenge: “Come, let us face each other in battle.”

⁹ But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. ¹⁰ You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”

¹¹ Amaziah, however, would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. ¹² Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. ¹³ Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section about four hundred cubits long. ¹⁴ He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace. He also took hostages and returned to Samaria.

¹⁵ As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, what he did and his achievements, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ¹⁶ Jehoash rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son succeeded him as king.

¹⁷ Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ¹⁸ As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

¹⁹ They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁰ He was brought back by horse and was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors, in the City of David.

²¹ Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ²² He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his ancestors.

Jeroboam II King of Israel

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. ²⁴ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. ²⁵ He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.

²⁶ The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. ²⁷ And since the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

²⁸ As for the other events of Jeroboam’s reign, all he did, and his military achievements, including how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ²⁹ Jeroboam rested with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN AND HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Even in ancient times, the average citizen didn’t care about the character of the nation’s leaders, so long as the people had food on their tables, money in their purses, and no fear of being invaded by their enemies. And it showed!

But as citizens of heaven, as children of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ, our Lord, there is so much more to life!  When God calls us by name, quickly and humbly come and listen to Him. God has great things to say as He relates His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2, MSG

Believe, repent, follow, trust, and obey God—there’s no better way!

Lord,

I offer my life as an offering to you this morning. Show me your agenda for today.  May your glory be seen in and through me today.  I surrender to your will and purpose.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Do you now believe? Jesus replied. A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—Jesus, John 16:31-33 

Jesus is our victory over sin and death when we choose Him first and always!  In choosing Jesus and His gift of salvation; we become children of God, the Father who loves, cares, and completely forgives us when we repent of our sins in Jesus’ Name. 

By God’s grace we overcome because Jesus overcame the enemy!  So, as overcomers with Jesus, all temporary, passing troubles are just that—temporary!

By God’s mercy we are in right standing with him with a secure relationship with God, all because of Jesus. Our relationship with God, the most important relationship we will ever have and need, causes us to take heart and live a victorious life all because of Jesus. All we think, say, and do is now accomplished from the victory over the enemy Jesus provided for us!  “I’m dancing on the grave that I once lived in!” is not just a catchy phrase to a new song we sing—Jesus IS the Song!

Joash was only seven years old when he ascended the throne of Judah (2 Kings 11:21), and he had a long reign of forty years. A child of seven can’t rule a nation, so the high priest Jehoiada was his tutor and mentor. God provided a mentor who believed, trusted and chose to obey Him.  Joash, the impressionable young willing student, “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord”.  During all the years that Jehoiada instructed him, the king obeyed the Lord.  But later…

God provides all we need when we trust and obey Him.  Our true need is God! 

2 Kings 12

Joash Repairs the Temple

In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

⁴ Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the Lord—the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. ⁵ Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”

⁶ But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. ⁷ Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.” ⁸ The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

⁹ Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the Lord. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the Lord and put it into bags. ¹¹ When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the Lord—the carpenters and builders, ¹² the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and blocks of dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the Lord, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.

¹³ The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the Lord; ¹⁴ it was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple. ¹⁵ They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. ¹⁶ The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.

¹⁷ About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. ¹⁸ But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his predecessors—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ As for the other events of the reign of Joash, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. ²¹ The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Between the restoration of the temple and this account of war with Aram, Jehoiada the priest passed away. Without his godly mentor to keep him in line, King Joash showed the true colors of his human nature and abandoned the faith (2 Chronicles 24:15–17). Under pressure from the king of Aram, Joash robbed the temple and bribed King Hazael not to attack Jerusalem.

Friends, we learn that we need each other to stay in harmony with God’s will and purpose in our lives! The enemy is great but Jesus who lives in us is greater still and we need daily reminders of this power and victory!  Church is a command to Peter to build to help us. Church, built on faith and following Jesus, is a group of people who gather to build each other up, sing songs of encouragement, confess sins to each other knowing we will be unconditionally loved. Church, with Jesus as the Head of this Body of believers and the Source of Life eternal, is a gathering where we are taught how to “obey all the commands” of Jesus upon choosing to follow Him and professing our allegiance to Him in a public baptism in His Name!  (Matthew 28:20)

However, living as a disciple of Jesus does not exclude us from the troubles, struggles and trials of temptations that come and go as we live in on God’s created earth.  The world we live in as been tainted by sin. The first sin against God was committed by His first created humans called Adam and Eve. Maybe we need to go over that story again.  I love to tell the story…

Before Adam and Eve decided to sin against God, they were prompted by the Enemy of God. This couple would “meet with God in the cool of the evening” as companions and friends of God.  “And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.” Was that the song on their hearts before sin corrupted their relationship? Imagine walking and talking with God in beauty beyond our imaginations in a perfect garden!  Imagine no biting mosquitoes!  Okay, that’s just me.

Adam and Eve had full access to God in the perfect garden that he had created for them. There was no reason to repent and sacrifice to cover sin for sin had not been chosen yet as a way to make themselves feel better or soothe their need to want more.  They had it all and were perfectly satisfied to avoid the tree God said not to eat.  But herein lies a chose to be made. The Enemy of God slithers in to present a different choice for he cannot bear for God to be worshiped. Satan wants to be the object of worship!  Satan cannot bear this pure and holy relationship between God and humans created in his own image.  He is cunning and sly for he has dealt with God before and it got him kicked out of heaven.  The Enemy also knew that God also gave these newly created humans with a mind to make choices on their own.  So, he went to work on their minds. 

Our enemy knows God well as he used to be in the heavens with God until God threw him out for his attempts to be God. In fact, our enemy also knows the Son of God, Jesus who is a part of God.  His demons tremble before the Son of God!  Satan also knows God as the Spirit of Truth.  You see, Satan wanted to be God so he rose up against God in an attempt to overthrow God! God threw him out of the heavens along with his demon foot soldiers.  This act created choice for all humans. God or Satan.

Adam and Eve have a choice. Follow, trust and obey God or follow Satan’s deceiving words of that lead to death of a relationship with God.  Satan, the fallen angel, presents himself cunningly as the best choice to make.  Please know that Satan’s power is limited but still tempting as he knows just the right words to distract and deceive God’s created by tickling our ears with thoughts that entice our need for immediate gratification and self-satisfaction. Satan’s goal is to distract humans from God, deceive them with his words that distort God’s Word, so that he can destroy their relationship with God.  He succeeded with Adam and Eve. Satan performs regularly for us using the same old, tired tricks of deceit on you and me.

“Do you now believe?” Asks Jesus daily.  Be an overcomer of darkness, temporary troubles, and temptations and choose to trust and obey God.  He will use everything in our lives to build our faith and give us hope as victors with Jesus!  Choose Jesus!

It is written in the Chronicles of kings that the people buried Joash in Jerusalem but not in the royal cemetery of the kings where Jehoiada the high priest had been buried (2 Chronicles 24:16, 25). The boy king, who had such a good beginning because he chose to listen to Jehoiada who obeyed God, had a bad ending because he chose later to go his own way instead of the way of the Lord.

Lord,

I choose you because of your unconditional love for me. I choose to learn from Your Word and be filled more and more with knowledge of You so I can become more like you. I chose to trust in you alone and worship You with all that is in me—even when troubles come and go. When the enemy presents foolishness, I choose to lean on You and your wisdom, truth, and strength who lives in me. I choose your power to overcome the darkness. I chose freedom long ago and have no desire to be enslaved by the sins of my past.  I trust you with my life because you are Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen