Daily Bible Devotionals

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 1 Kings 4. Click the links below to watch or listen!

“When Hiram (King of Tyre) heard Solomon’s words, he greatly rejoiced and said, ‘May the Lord be praised today! He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!’ Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying, ‘I have heard your message; I will do everything you want regarding the cedar and cypress timber.’” 1 Kings 5:7-8 (HCSB)

I admit that 1 Kings 5 is hardly electric. It only records the preliminaries and the shopping list for Solomon’s “Home Depot” run. And yet, in the Bible, even the preliminaries bear witness to His firm promise, His Kingdom, and His necessary wisdom.

Try to fight the tendency to look upon this chapter as Southern Californians view highway construction or road repair: enduring however many miles it lasts, simply to get beyond it. Remember the words of Paul:

“For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.” Romans 15:4 (HCSB)

Sometimes, inspiration from the Holy Spirit demands more perspiration from us! So, what are we to glean from Solomon’s shopping list? Here are three things.

The Temple preparation confirms the Lord’s Promise. (2 Samuel 7:12-13a) The Lord told David his son would sit on the throne and build the Temple. The Lord’s promise drives the construction project, not man’s planning. For the Christian today, isn’t it Kingdom promises which encourage our Kingdom work?

The Temple preparation anticipates the Lord’s Kingdom. (Re-read 1 Kings 4:34-5:1) Such praise from Hiram in today’s passage (from the mouth of a pagan king) is important to note. The writer is not saying that Hiram has “converted” to following the Lord, but he is surely among those national/kingdom leaders who were impressed with Solomon and took notice of his testimony about God. Hiram’s remarks can be taken as a subtle foreshadowing of the coming “universal” kingdom, whereby people of all nations will enter into a saving relationship with David’s “Son,” Messiah Jesus.

The Temple preparation represents the Lord’s Wisdom. “Wisdom” is the skill to get things done. It is important to remember that wisdom is a divine gift, not merely a human aptitude. Wisdom is seldom flashy, and so it is easily belittled. Haven’t we all fallen into that misunderstanding about God: If He is not showing Himself as “miraculous,” He isn’t working on our behalf? God chooses to display Himself in any number of ways. Yet, for us, He often reveals Himself as He did to the prophet Elijah. It is God’s still, small voice that proves most convincing in our times of difficulty.

Take your time in Chapter 5. Perhaps, wisdom requires our “hush” to be heard.

“The Word of the Lord came to Solomon: ‘As for this temple you are building – if you walk in My statutes, observe My ordinances, and keep all My commands by walking in them, I will fulfill My promise to you, which I made to your father David. I will live among the Israelites and not abandon My people Israel.’” 1 Kings 6:11-13 (HCSB)

Have you ever watched one of those home improvement shows where a couple decides to makeover a room by utilizing the “do it yourself” approach? I’ll just say they typically learn that some jobs DEMAND a professional! Admittedly, I’m not a construction guy. I don’t like doing handy work around the house because it always looks like a kindergartener did it when I’m finished! I’m not into construction. Maybe you are, and I hope you’re just itchin’ to help me with some renovations.

So, can you imagine my lack of excitement as I approach a chapter like today? It’s pretty much a detailed play-by-play about “how to build a Temple .”If you’re into construction or architecture, this may be the chapter that changes your life. Totally not my kind of thing.

But two distinctions struck me as quite profound. One is how this chapter (along with chapter 7) represents more than just a holy building project. It is the beginning of a whole new era in Israel’s redemptive history.

Israel was 430 years in Egyptian bondage (before God redeemed them with the gift of freedom), so Israel was 480 years of wandering (so to speak) before God gave them the gift of rest. God had decided Israel’s wandering was over; hence, He allowed Solomon to build Him a house. It is as if God would not rest until He had given Israel rest.

The second item that sort of “jumped out” of today’s chapter, for me, was the timing in which the Lord appeared to Solomon. God spoke to Solomon in the middle of the Temple’s construction, precisely between the Exterior and Interior construction phases. Why is this important? Consider the apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians.

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)

It is not enough for us, as followers of Jesus, to have a clean, well-built “exterior.” We must also have a sanctified (set apart for God) interior. You can have the former without the latter, but if you have the latter, you get the former by default. Perhaps, today is the day that the “Architect and Finisher” of our faith has interrupted construction on us to underscore how much our personal obedience matters to Him. You see, the entire Kingdom of Israel’s blessing rested on Solomon’s obedience. Whose blessing is dependent upon YOURS?

“He (Solomon) set up the pillars at the portico of the sanctuary: He set up the right pillar and named it Jachin; then he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz. The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. Then the work of the pillars was completed.” 1 Kings 7:21-22 (HCSB)

Today’s chapter, like chapter 6, is another construction progress report. Today, we learn of Solomon’s palace, the palace of his Egyptian-born queen, certain government buildings, and of course, the Temple. I am impressed with the detailed description and also the lack of detail. The writer gives us enough details to be impressed with the workmanship but not enough to reconstruct the Temple. There are simply too many engineering details left out to recreate the structure exactly.

I believe these specific details may be left out for the same reason that the melodies of the Psalms were lost: So we would not worship them! Can’t you imagine some Hollywood movie star trying to rebuild the Temple on Malibu beachfront property, the “holy of holies” with a Viking kitchen? No, we were meant to appreciate the detail, but we could never recreate it.

Furthermore, the writer spends most of his time on the Temple and less on the “government” buildings. It seems the Lord is telling us that worship should govern us more than a government, which worships our votes.

Today’s passage focuses on two bronze pillars. These pillars are not described as supporting any structure or roof. They were a free-standing testimony to all who entered the Temple. Solomon gave each pillar a name. Jachin means “He will establish.” It may also be construed as a prayer, “May He establish.” Boaz means, “In Him is strength,” or “By the Lord, the King is mighty.”

Here then, are “He will establish” and “In Him is strength,” serving as majestic statements in front of the Temple proper. The first highlights the promise of the Lord, and the second the power of the Lord. The first recall what the Lord said; the second suggests what He can do. Jachin points to the original anchor of God’s Word; Boaz points to His ongoing adequacy to bring that Word to pass.

“He (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what he promised He was also able to perform.” Romans 4:20-21 (HCSB)

One could say that Jachin emphasizes the foundation on which the king and the people are to rely, while Boaz signifies the resource upon which they must draw. Jachin highlights God’s Grace, while Boaz points to our responsibility:

“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!” Psalm 105:4 (NKJV)

“May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors. May He not abandon us or leave us so that He causes us to be devoted to Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, which He commanded our ancestors.” 1 Kings 8:57-58 (HCSB)

British politician John Bright once wrote that when “sallying-forth” in the morning, he did not have to choose between wearing trousers or a shirt. “Decency,” he continued, “has joined trousers and shirts.”

Speaking of the sanctity of the marriage union, Jesus said, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:6) But this principle of “joining together” also applies to the study and expression of theology, especially the teaching about God’s character and His ways. Christians tend to stress one aspect of God’s character at the expense of another. Doing so, they risk “sallying-forth” half-clothed. In refusing to accept the whole counsel of God, we create our own doctrinal graven images.

Solomon’s prayer is theologically instructive because it shows us how we must hold the truths about God in a holy tension. As “trousers and pants” cannot be separated and remain decent attire for a gentleman rider, so we must keep together what God has revealed about Himself, Biblically. Here are some of God’s (seemingly contradicting) complimenting attributes revealed in Solomon’s prayer.

Clarity and Mystery: God shrouds Himself in a “thick cloud” yet reveals Himself through His Word. He satisfies our need for both clarity/certainty, yet His infinite ways cannot be fully comprehended by His creatures, so He remains mysterious to us. (v.v. 1-13)

Fidelity and Expectancy: Because God has faithfully held us in the past, we do not fear for the future, even though it is mostly unrevealed to us. (v.v. 14-26)

Immensity and Intimacy: Solomon acknowledges God is in Heaven (which cannot contain Him) and yet exhorts Israel to pray towards the Temple. God is both uncontainable AND accessible. (v.v. 27-30)

Severity and Mercy: God’s people are always getting into sin situations wherein we feel God’s rebuke, yet there is a way to restoration and forgiveness. (v.v. 31-53)

Particularity and Universality: God set Israel apart from the nations yet does not discriminate against anyone (Jew or Gentile) who seeks to worship Him. (v.v. 41-43)

Eschatology and Practicality: (Eschatology is a big word, meaning the study of “end times.”) The Lord is Lord over the last day and every day. (v.v. 56-60)

Of course, for us, the greatest Divine “complementary combination” is when God joined His Son, Jesus, with His “Bride,” the Church.

“Now, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’” 1 Kings 9:4-6a (NKJV)

Years ago, while I was having lunch with a pastor friend, he casually mentioned the time “when I got shot.” This shocked me because I did not recall having ever met someone who had been shot, much less who lived to tell about it. Actually, the story was tragically comical. My friend was in grade school when he and a buddy found a .22 rifle cartridge in his father’s desk drawer. They decided to go to the garage and hit the cartridge with a hammer. BLAM! Gunshot. After all the instructions about staying away from guns, those boys had no idea the potential of getting shot lay less in the rifle and solely in the bullet!!

Nobody could say Solomon wasn’t warned – because the Lord told him precisely what the price tag of infidelity would be. God is so kind, isn’t He? He spells it all out; He warns clearly so that we will understand the urgent need for faithfulness.

And God hasn’t changed. The New Testament book of Hebrews (beginning in 2:1-3 and continuing throughout the epistle) scares the stew out of us! That is all to praise God’s grace and the safety of His people.

In today’s chapter, the Lord (through Solomon’s dedication prayer) authorizes the temple as a means of grace where Israel can access His sovereign (and caring) presence. Then, He assures Solomon that he will enjoy Davidic-style blessing so long as he lives a Davidic-like life.

But God’s sobering message is implicit: There is a high cost for apostasy. Infidelity will bring the loss of Territory, Temple, and Throne. The first involves the loss of land and further defines the Abrahamic covenant; the second involves the loss of sanctuary and the visible means of grace established under Solomon’s regime; and the third will entail the loss of kingship and affects the Davidic covenant.

Only a fool would flirt with faithlessness—fools like us. Let today’s chapter encourage us to stay humble, always seeking God’s Word with fearful respect, that all we are and have is because of God’s faithfulness. And that should empower us.

“When the queen of Sheba observed all of Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, his servants’ residence, his attendants’ service and their attire, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he offered at the Lord’s temple, it took her breath away. She said to the king, ‘The report I heard in my own country about your words and about your wisdom is true. But I didn’t believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, I was not even told half. Your wisdom and prosperity far exceed the report I heard.’” 1 Kings 10:4-8 (HCSB)

There is a tendency for us to be appalled by all the gold and splendor in today’s chapter. How could God approve of Solomon’s abundance? At the risk of sounding like I subscribe to the “health & wealth” prosperity gospel (which I don’t), I want to put forth that the prosperity of God’s people is always the gift of the Lord’s goodness. It is the definition of “prosperity,” which is debatable. God’s goodness toward His people demands that we are both thankful (lest we idolize gifts in place of the Giver) and joyful (lest we despise prosperity as though it were sinful) rather than scornful.

Why must we default to being indignant over “materialism” rather than acknowledging that the Lord’s blessing makes some folks wealthy (Proverbs 10:22)? We should allow them to be content to enjoy such provision, should God choose to allow it. Actually, today’s chapter is a prophetic foretaste of the splendor of God’s Kingdom on earth. The Queen of Sheba is a sample of the future tribute the nations will bring to Messiah Jesus.

“May he rule from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth. May desert tribes kneel before Him and His enemies lick the dust. May the kings of Tarshish and the coasts and islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. Let all kings bow down to Him, all nations serve Him.” Psalm 72:8-11 (HCSB)

“May he rule from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth. May desert tribes kneel before Him and His enemies lick the dust. May the kings of Tarshish and the coasts and islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. Let all kings bow down to Him, all nations serve Him.” Psalm 72:8-11 (HCSB)

“May He live long! May gold from Sheba be given to Him. May prayer be offered for Him continually, and may He be blessed all day long.” Psalm 72:15 (HCSB)

“…because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of all the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels will cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.” Isaiah 60:5b-6 (NKJV)

Furthermore, today’s chapter sets up a word of criticism for unbelievers.

“The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here!” Matthew 12:42 (NKJV)

Jesus told the religious leaders of His day (those demanding a miracle) that the Queen of Sheba only needed a few Polaroids of Solomon’s riches and religious extravagance to be wooed. We have something GREATER than Solomon! We have Jesus and His Spirit!

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 1 Kings 11. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Jeroboam said to himself, ‘The way things are going now, the kingdom might return to the house of David. If these people regularly go to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, the heart of these people will return to their Lord, Rehoboam, king of Judah. They will murder me and go back to the king of Judah. So the king sought advice. Then he made two gold calves, and he said to the people, ‘Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here is your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 1 Kings 12:26-28 (HCSB)

Whether apostasy offends the masses depends on how it is pitched. In the 1930s, a horse liniment named Absorbine was plummeting in sales. An advertising man named Obie Winters had the liniment lab tested, and they found that it would work on ringworm of the foot. Nobody wanted to admit they had ringworm on their feet, so, with a stroke of genius, Winters made up a whole new name for such ringworm – “athlete’s foot.”

There is such a difference in the way a condition is marketed! Who would want to admit they had ringworm, even if there were a cure? But “athlete’s” foot? One would almost be disappointed if one did suffer from it periodically. It proves we’re athletic!

That was, tragically, Jeroboam’s genius. He was a great advertising man! Linking his new cult with the bull worship at Sinai seems to have cast a mantle of legitimacy over his innovation. Can’t you just hear him now? “The problem with Israel’s past bull worship was not its apostasy; the problem was in its lack of diversity: Now, we have TWO bulls! Plus, bull worship has roots in our nation’s history. It harkens back to our ancient independent, pioneering spirit!” As any politician will tell you, people seldom care about the truth, and political success depends on how you spin the story.

The more successful false religions major in the subtle spin instead of declaring blatant heresy. Cults use terms like redemptive, reconciling, atoning, relevant, etc., to promote positive emotive values without their proper Biblical context. Mormons won’t approach you directly, alleging that Jesus was born from sexual relations between God and Mary, that he is Lucifer’s spirit brother, or that Jesus Himself celebrated His own marriage to both Mary and Martha. No, they will run cute commercials on your local radio station, urging fathers to spend more quality time with their families. False religion always wants to appear both congenial and justifiable.

That is why our daily pursuit of God’s Word (the Bible) is so important. It is hard to dupe the Biblically literate! Mormons and Jehovah’s Witness are pretty easy to spot. But there are even more subtle heresies within the church, all promising to make your worship easier, more culturally relevant, or personally engaging. Remember: the 1st step away from God’s Word is the 1st step toward apostasy. (Psalm 1:1-2)

“After he (the old prophet) had buried him (the young prophet), he said to his sons, ‘When I die, you must bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones, for the word that he cried out by a revelation from the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines of the high places in the cities of Samaria is certain to happen.’ After all this Jeroboam did not repent of his evil way but again set up priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained whoever so desired it, and they became priests of the high places. This was the sin that caused the house of Jeroboam to be wiped out and annihilated from the face of the earth.” 1 Kings 13:31-34 (HCSB)

Many questions arise in this chapter. All three main characters are richly intriguing, yet there is not much detail as to the motives behind their actions. One thing we can be certain of is that today’s chapter is about the Word of God.

Let’s consider each main character asking ourselves whether we view God’s Word as they did.

Jeroboam: The Word of God was his MERCY – and he despised it. (v.v. 1-10, 33-34) The Lord does not change; therefore, He has not changed since the days of Jeroboam. God does not hesitate to come barging right at you, straight into the middle of your idolatries. He will throw roadblocks in your path. Sometimes He will send reasonably obnoxious servants to you as well. Guys like me, perhaps! But it is good news that He will do almost anything to pry us loose from our “golden calves.” His mercy makes waves before His judgment arrives. What about Jeroboam? He simply repaired the altar and went on worshipping there.

The Man of God from Judah (Young Prophet): The Word of God was his SAFETY – and he abandoned it. (v.v 11-24) Today’s chapter warns us that the ministry of proclaiming the Word does not exempt us from the duty of obeying that Word. That lifeless form alongside the road to Bethel (like Uzzah’s in 2 Samuel 6:6-8) bears silent witness that it is never safe to venture outside the shelter of the Lord’s explicit Word.

The Old Prophet: The Word of God was his PROFESSION – and he abused it. (v.v. 18-32) The Old Prophet sports an alarming combination: he speaks the truth of God and destroys the servant of God. He has orthodoxy without sanctification. Jesus told us there would be folks like the Old Prophet. (Matthew 7:21-23) In fact, He said that “many” will surrender to Him their ministries of pulpit and power on the last day, ones whom He will address as “those working lawlessness.” We should be terrified if we have the truth, yet the truth does not grip, control, and transform us. For the Old Prophet, the truth seemed to be more of a gig (a job) than a love. “I, too, am a prophet.” The Word of God was his profession – and he abused it.

“In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem. He seized the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took all the gold shields that Solomon had made. King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the royal escorts who guarded the entrance to the king’s palace. Whenever the king entered the Lord’s Temple, the royal escorts would carry the shields, then they would take them back to the royal escorts’ armory.” 1 Kings 14:25-28 (HCSB)

In 1973, a church in North Hollywood, California, became highly concerned about end-times scenarios. The church had 2000 members and a property estimated at around $1.5 million. This church held the “pre-tribulation” opinion of Jesus’ second coming. That is, they believed the first “installment” of the Messiah’s return consists of Jesus taking His people out of this world (aka the rapture) before the prophesied period of “great tribulation” begins. Nothing wrong with that, but then it got weird.

The leadership of the church (pastors, officers) assumed that most/all of their group would be raptured but apparently did not entertain such high hopes for others. They worried about how the remaining members would keep the property going should the rapture occur. Solution: They changed the church bylaws to allow those “left behind” to elect a temporary chairman, who would then call a church council to elect new corporate officers. I know it is bizarre, but it’s also absurd. Keep a church going without any believers? Maintain an empty image while there remains no substantial reality?

That sounds something like a kingdom where soldiers strut around with bronze shields but have abandoned faithful worship. Rehoboam’s reign, then, foreshadows the judgment that will come upon Judah.

The “divided kingdom” is a depressing story from the very start. Verses 22-24 tell it all:

“Judah did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes. They provoked Him to jealous anger more than all that their ancestors had done with the sins they committed. They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree; there were even male cult prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the detestable practices of the nations of the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.”

1 Kings 14:22-24

Immediately after these three depressing verses, Shishak, king of Egypt, marched against Jerusalem. It may be that Shishak did not actually assault Jerusalem but that Rehoboam bought him off with all their valuables. In any case, it hurts seeing all the glittery glory of the previous era being carted off to Egypt.

Lesson: You can shun the Lord if you like, but you must remember that no matter how important and powerful you may feel today, God has “Egyptian Pharaohs” – and a whole slew of other subordinates – at His beck and call. The Giver can also take away. (Job 1:21)

“In the eighteenth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah and reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. Abijam walked in all the sins his father before him had committed, and he was not completely devoted to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.” 1 Kings 15:1-3 (HCSB)

Nothing good is said about Abijam. In fact, hardly anything is said about him. People hardly consider Abijam in Israel’s history, but when they do, they generally view him through one of two lenses: Rehoboam or David. That is, they either consider him no worse than Rehoboam or much worse than David. How you consider Abijam may reveal how you view and weigh the severity of your own sin.

Today, we will focus on Abijam’s “heart condition.” Abijam’s heart was aligned with the sins of his father. Now, to avoid confusion, it is important to point out that Abijam had TWO fathers, for both Rehoboam and David are technically his “father.” One is his immediate father, and the other is his forefather. These respective “fathers” constitute two models; sadly, Abijam chose Rehoboam as his pattern rather than David.

Big Question: If Abijam holds to the half-heartedness of Solomon and maintains the perversions of Rehoboam, why is there still a kingdom in Judah? Why doesn’t God say, “Enough!” to the line of David?

“But because of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem. For David did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, and he did not turn aside from anything He had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” 1 Kings 15:4-5 (HCSB)

So, why is there still a kingdom in Judah? Because of David. Because of his faithfulness, but more than that – because of the LORD’s faithfulness to David. The Lord made a promise, and in that very promise, He seemed to recognize that David’s descendants might well be scoundrels. (2 Samuel 7:14b) But the kingdom remains – not because man obeys, but because God has decided.

Why don’t the kingdom and people of God vanish into the mists of history? Because God will not permit it. He has decided that His kingdom WILL come. Grace is not only greater but also more stubborn than our sins!

Followers of Jesus have a choice as to the extent of their obedience. If you choose to follow in the steps of your human forefathers, then, predictably, you will not fully enjoy the blessings of your salvation. If you choose to follow the pattern set forth by your Heavenly Father, the blessings remain and resound.

“And also the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed them.” 1 Kings 16:7 (NKJV)

“Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.” 1 Kings 16:12-13 (NKJV)

“And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house down upon himself with fire, and died, because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.” 1 Kings 16:18-19 (NKJV)

“Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him. For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.” 1 Kings 16:25-26 (NKJV)

“Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.” 1 Kings 16:30

Instability. It is the sign of a nation without a moral compass. If we focus too much on the narrative of each king’s reign, we will conclude that their instability is caused by 1) Choosing the wrong Cabinet Members, 2) Drunken Diversions, 3) Short-Sightedness, 4) the Folly of Trivial Pursuits, 5) the Downside of Diplomatic Alliances.

But the message that God is blaring through His prophetic megaphone is that instability is caused by IDOLATRY. And Idolatry, by the way, is simply stepping away from God’s Word and trusting in another source to provide guidance and establish stability.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Any nation who trusts in the Word of the Lord will find stability, but even nations founded on the Word of the Lord will lose their stability if they depart. So, let’s break it down to the pedestrian level because a nation is the sum of its individual citizens. If we want to see our nation return to stability, we must personally return to the Lord, praying and seeking His Word. And we must plead with others to join us! Revival will not be leveraged from a stage or platform. Revival begins with you and me pursuing the written Word and sharing the Living Word, Jesus. (John 1:1-14)

“Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.’” 1 Kings 17:8-9 (HCSB)

The judge who presided over landlord-tenant cases in Fairfax County, Virginia, had a rather boring, business-as-usual job. But one Friday, something made him pause. A middle-aged deaf couple before him faced eviction for falling $250 behind in their rent. The landlord was insisting on a judgment against the couple. At that demand for justice, the judge abruptly left the courtroom, returning momentarily with two crisp $100 bills and a $50 bill in his hands. “Consider it paid,” he said as he leaned over the bench and handed his own money to the landlord’s shocked attorney. Who could have guessed that help would have come from, of all people, the judge?

Careful Bible readers should not be so surprised. We have seen that what is exceptional for a human judge can be typical for the Lord. He is not above using widows, ravens, and other unlikely agents to sustain His people, according to His Word.

In today’s passage, we see Elijah being sent by God to a widow. What is fascinating is her mailing address: “Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon…” (v.9). Zarephath sat about 8 miles south of Sidon and thirteen miles north of Tyre. It was in the home of Jezebel’s father, Ethbaal.

Do you see the big picture? Elijah is headed for “Baalsville,” capital of “Gentileland”! Here, one of Baal’s subjects will learn to trust in the Lord’s Word, and she will find that the Lord will sustain her, even though Baal has left her hopeless and on the verge of death. The Lord will press her into service for the benefit of His prophet, yet in the process, He will give her far more than He demands of her.

Here is a Gentile woman basking in God’s mercy; here is grace that moves beyond the boundaries of the Jewish people and embraces one of Baal’s most hopeless pawns. This came at a time when Israel was rejecting God’s Word (along with the benefits of following it).

Jesus provoked the crowd of His hometown synagogue to want to kill Him by bringing today’s passage of Scripture up one Shabbat morning in Nazareth:

“But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land.” Luke 4:25-26 (HCSB)

The people wanted to stone Jesus, but we rejoice in His message. Why? He told the world that salvation is for ALL who, by faith, leave their pagan ways and follow Him. The exclusivity of the Messiah’s salvation is offered liberally to all who will take hold of it.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 1 Kings 18. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Elijah left there and found Elisha son of Shaphat as he was plowing.  Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with the twelfth team.  Elijah walked by him and threw his mantle over him.  Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, ‘Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then, I will follow you.’  ‘Go on back,’ he replied, ‘for what have I done to you?’  So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered them.  With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plow, he cooked the meal and gave it to the people, and they ate.  Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him.”  1 Kings 19:19-21 (HCSB)

Howard Hamer had just taken off in his homemade plane from the airfield in Chiloquin, a high desert town in Oregon.  Almost immediately, the plane lost power, and Hamer decided to attempt a landing on the local 97 highway.  Filiberto Corona Ambriz was minding his own business this particular Thursday.  He was driving a flatbed truck north on 97.  Unknowingly, he drove his flatbed truck under Hamer’s plane at the very moment the latter was trying to land on the highway.  The two never saw each other, had never met until there was a bump, and a loud bang!  The Propeller caught on the truck’s sleeper, and the plane’s nose remained there while the tail dropped down on the flatbed trailer.  The “landing” was successful, and neither man was injured.

I bet that usually doesn’t happen to most truck drivers!  Mr. Ambriz did not say, “You know, I bet while I’m driving north on 97 today, some plane will use my flatbed as an aircraft carrier.  He was simply doing what truckers normally do, and, literally, out of the blue, a plane landed on his truck.

This is precisely how Elisha must have remembered this day.  He was simply doing what farm boys must regularly do, in his case, plowing his father’s field.  How could he have guessed that Elijah the Tishbite would come walking across the field and throw his mantle on him?  Elisha knew what that meant, but he hardly anticipated it when he awoke that morning.  

Others have been so surprised: Moses while tending to his father-in-law’s flocks.  (Exodus 3:1-2) Matthew was in the middle of collecting taxes (Matthew 9:9).  I know that was MY story.  The day I bowed my heart to Jesus, I didn’t wake up and say, “You know, after breakfast and a vigorous workout, I think I might just surrender my life to Jesus and follow Him all of my days!”  I didn’t have any idea what awaited me later that day.  But God did.

The kingdom of God is not a seat-of-your-pants operation.  The Lord disclosed His decision concerning Elisha at Horeb (v. 16).  So, what appeared sudden to Elisha (and to us) was already settled with God.  Yes, Elisha had a decision to make concerning God’s call.  Scripture does not indicate that God directly influenced Elisha’s decision (even when sending Elijah), but the point is God KNEW!  Suddenness is the wrapping paper in which opportunity often arrives, giving us a chance to choose what God already knows because He knows us, and He knows the future as if it were the past.

“Then the man of God approached and said the king of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: Because the Arameans have said: Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, I will hand over this great army to you.  Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”  1 Kings 20:28 (HCSB)

It is easy to smirk at the pagan Arameans, who think God’s power doesn’t extend to plains and valleys.  But most of us have entertained similar thoughts.  Paganism is not only alive and well in the World; it also lives within the Church!  Our paganism may be more refined (hence, less obvious), yet no different in principle.  Sometimes Syrian theology appears in a “deist” approach to God.

Benjamin Franklin once wrote to George Whitefield: “I rather suspect, from certain circumstances, that though the general government of the universe is well administered, our particular little affairs are perhaps below notice, and left to take the chance of human prudence or imprudence, as either may happen to be uppermost.”

For all intents and purposes, Franklin was an “Aramean.”  What Franklin was saying is that God governs the big show but doesn’t get Himself dirty in the minor details of our lives.  It’s the god-of-the-hills-but-not-of-the-valleys argument all over again.  It says that God operates in the broad strokes of the universe but don’t expect Him to micro-manage.  Have you ever heard “believers” put forth this idea?  It is pagan in that it limits both God’s desire and His jurisdiction.

Sometimes we operate on the reverse heresy: The god-of-the-valleys-and-not-the-mountains.  We have a god of personal need, but not on a global scale.  We become so transfixed on God’s help for our little dilemmas and Aunt Sue’s gall bladder surgery that we lose the God of Psalm 24.

“The Earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord; for He laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers.”  Psalm 24:1-2 (HCSB)

Syrian theology simply says there are some areas beyond the reach of the Lord’s arm.  And we can easily slip into this mentality, contrary to our expressed beliefs.  We may catch ourselves assuming that God is at work in religious things but not in routine things.  Or some have a worldly past that has left multiple scars; they are such victims of their experiences that they believe they cannot change or be delivered.  God is the God of the Hills, Valleys - and everywhere else!!  In today’s chapter, He sends messages to (and works His plan through) Ahab, Ben-hadad, Aram, and Israel.  All are undeserving recipients.  All this so that people will recognize that He, alone, is Lord!

No person is so bad that they cannot have God’s grace.  And nobody is so good that they don’t need it.  He is the God of both mountains AND valleys.  The Lord can (and does) work His will through all sorts of people and circumstances.  All that so that we will recognize and worship Him as Lord!

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“Then his (Ahab’s) wife Jezebel said to him, ‘Now exercise your royal power over Israel.  Get up, eat some food, and be happy.  For I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’ So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal.  She sent the letters to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.  In the letters, she wrote: Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people.  Then seat two wicked men opposite him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” 1 Kings 21:7-10 (HCSB)

God’s people must expect to suffer injustice in this world.  I am not advocating that we be “doormats” and let people run all over us, but we will be wise to anticipate injustice and defend ourselves against its onset.

Today’s passage is a true picture of what the people of God can expect.  It is as if the writer is saying, “Now, THIS is the sort of treatment believers can expect from the rulers of this World.”

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you.” 1 Peter 4:12 (HCSB)

‍It is difficult for believers in Jesus (living in Western culture) to grasp suffering because we are constantly pummeled by other propaganda.  For instance, one televangelist has written: “He promises to heal ALL – everyone, any, and whatsoever, everything – all our diseases!  That means not even a headache, sinus problem, not even a toothache – nothing!  No sickness should come your way.”

If God yearns to pamper us with perfect health, why does a loaded court condemn His servant and stone him to death outside Jezreel?  I am not advocating pessimism, but let’s look at life realistically.  The Bible’s portrayal of believers’ lot in this world is so refreshing precisely because of its sober realism.  It is realism that is missing from much “Christian” telecasting and “pulpiteering” because the suffering of the cross (and the exhortation to take it up and carry it as He commands us to follow Him) has been deleted from their so-called gospel messages.

Yes, there will be injustice on earth, but we serve the Judge of all judges.  So, while we may suffer earthly injustice, God’s justice will prevail!

“The messenger who went to call Micaiah instructed him, ‘Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king.  So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.’  But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, I will say whatever the Lord says to me.’” 1 Kings 22:13-14 (HCSB)

Micaiah has just nailed something that neither Ahab nor his messenger understands.  Look back at Ahab’s words in verse 8 and the messengers in verse 13.  What do both assume about God’s Word?  They assume the prophet controls (or can control) the Word of the Lord.  Ahab implies that Micaiah could speak a kinder, gentler Word.  The messenger assumes Micaiah could agree with the company of (false) prophets if he only would.  They do not understand Micaiah’s conviction or his position.  (And they are obviously ignorant of the story of Balaam.) He is bound by the Word of God.  Hence, God’s Word is a constant; it cannot be manipulated by kings, messengers, or slick false prophets.  Sure, people can speak lies and claim the Lord’s inspiration, but they’ll ultimately be weighed by the TRUTH of His Word, and their preaching discovered to be flawed by His true standard.

The true prophet of God is incorruptible.  Whatever Word the Lord gives a prophet is what the prophet must speak.  The prophet is not at liberty to massage, shape, or bend (let alone pervert) that Word.  The Word of the Lord must be passed-on as given.  The true prophet of God is in bondage to the un-coercible Word of God.  The Word of the Lord is free; the servant of the Lord is bound to it - not the other way around.  The “Ahabs” of this World simply cannot comprehend the sovereign nature of God’s Word.

You may say, “So what?  What do the requirements and limitations of a prophet have to do with me?”  Consider the words of Paul:

“Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 (HCSB)

There is a somewhat famous and controversial “celebrity” pastor whose ministry slogan is “Love wins!”  I believe God’s Love wins.  But man’s love must be subservient to prophecy.  Love can only be truly defined through the lens of God’s Word, as revealed by God’s Spirit.  That’s what prophecy is!  And we are ALL to seek prophecy, which means it can be obtained by all of us.  No, I am not talking about predicting the future or writing new books of the Bible.  I am talking about petitioning the Lord to reveal His Scripture to us so that we may know what He requires of us, so we can live in a way that honors Him.  It also carries the intent that He is revealing His truth to us so that we can share it with others, no matter how unpopular His revelation may be.

The pressure to compromise God’s Word in our culture is immense.  That is why we are seeking God’s Word as a community, so we will not be alone in the knowledge of His revelation.  Rather, we should be a people determined to be separate and holy unto Him!

"But the Angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, ‘Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?"'"2 Kings 1:3 (NKJV)

Years ago, I was watching television when an announcer broke into regular programming to announce that Osama Bin Laden had been killed.  I was glad to know that man’s days of terror were over.  In the hours that followed, worldwide news outlets broadcast jubilant celebrations spanning several continents.  An evil man was no longer terrorizing the World.  But after the celebrations quieted, the sobering reality set in: terror itself was not dead.  We were merely one less terrorist out of hundreds of thousands.  Bin Laden’s evil organization was multi-layered and sophisticated.

Second Kings begins on a positive note: Ahab is dead!  “Ahabs” always die – that is good news.  The bad news is that “Ahab Jr.” follows him.  Ahaziah is a chip off the old, dead block.  Welcome to Gangland, 852 BC.  

Who knows exactly how it happened?  Ahaziah fell from the second floor when some screenwork gave way.  Apparently, a serious injury was incurred since his inquiry implies he was uncertain of recovery.  Israel’s king in Samaria believes his hope for years to come resides in a temple forty-five miles away in Philistia.

“But the Angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite….”  God does not nap when apostasy is afoot.  Messiah, Himself (the Angel of the Lord) intervenes.  Elijah’s question to Ahaziah’s messengers is both question and judgment.  Just like that, Ahaziah is confronted with the “intolerant” God of Israel!

Some people get upset at the idea of a God Who, in His wild, untamed holiness, would sentence a man to death simply for exercising his sincere religious preferences in a critical hour of his life.  God is not the tolerant sort of God people crave, Who can co-exist with false religion.  Our post-modern culture would prefer the mythology of the ancient Near East, where gods and goddesses were permissive and casual and never insisted on exclusive loyalty.  None of those deities thought it was a mortal sin, should one of their devotees be ecumenical in his devotion.

But in the Bible, we meet YHWH and keep being reminded of His first commandment.  (Exodus 20:3)  That notion does not change in the New Testament.  Jesus goes around insisting folks must smash idols if they would follow as disciples (Mark 10:21-22).  He is as obnoxious as YHWH!  Who does He think He is…?

People are like tea bags.  You never really know what’s inside until they are in hot water!  Thus, Ahaziah‘s idolatry is revealed.  But what of yourself?  When the water gets hot, do you run to the arms of the World or stand firm on God’s Word?

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“From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking up the path, some small boys came out of the city and harassed him, chanting, ‘Go up, baldy!  Go up, baldy!’  He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the children. From there Elisha went to Mount Carmel, and then he returned to Samaria.” 2 Kings 2:23-25 (HCSB)

The presence of miracles in the Bible inevitably leads people to one of two extremes.  On the one hand, some deny that the advantages of the Bible ever took place.  As far as they are concerned, God has left the World to operate completely based on natural laws.  Of course, this view attacks the very heart and soul of what it means to follow Jesus.  It denies the testimony of Scripture and the Bible’s message of redemption.  If there is no possibility of miracles, Jesus was not God in the flesh, and He did not arise from the grave.  If these miracles are not true, there is no eternal salvation.

The other extreme is to suggest that miracles should be common for believers, an ongoing experience.  (Just how the miraculous can be commonplace and still be miraculous is a bit of a puzzle!)  Those who hold this position fail to recognize that the miracles of the Bible are not spread evenly throughout Scripture.  

Biblical miracles are separated into clusters: 1) Under Moses when the Lord was delivering Israel from Egypt and establishing her as a nation; 2) During the ministries of Elijah and Elisha; 3) During the Babylonian captivity of the Jews; 4) During the ministry of Messiah Jesus and shortly after His ascension; 5) During the age of the Apostles; 6) The last days.

Each of these clusters occurred at a time of great crisis or transition, always for the good of God’s people as a whole, with the intent of furthering God’s plan of redemption.  Many so-called “miracles” today seem more in the nature of personal luxury from the perspective of making life more comfortable for certain individuals.  God sent Elijah and Elisha to stop the spiritual decline of Israel and draw her back to Him. God publicly confirmed their ministries by allowing them to perform miracles.

Immediately after the Lord took Elijah, He established Elijah’s prophetic office with two miracles: HEALING the waters at Jericho and CURSING a group of rebellious boys.  The first miracle illustrated the nature of true salvation.  Accursed Jericho repented, sought the Lord’s mercy, and obtained it.

The second miracle shows how (formerly blessed) Bethel incurred judgment upon itself by turning away from the Lord to worship idols.  It could be that Elijah had begun his ministry by taking a vow to the Lord, hence shaving his head.  The boys, therefore, were mocking Elijah’s piety, perhaps provoking him so they could see him perform some kind of “sign.”  (Matthew 12:39)  Note: There is no indication that any of the boys were killed, only mauled.  A hard lesson, indeed.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Kings 3. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“One of the wives of sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant, my husband, has died.  You know that your servant feared the Lord.  Now the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.’” 2 Kings 4:1 (HCSB)

The widow in this passage is only identified as “One of the wives of the sons of the prophets.”  (4:1)  However, her value to us resides not in how much space she occupies in Scripture…or in the amount of information we have about her…but rather in the single great lesson, she has to teach us.

Here is a woman who demonstrates, for all generations, the way to face surpassing demands when we find ourselves with only meager resources.  She shows us that the abounding resources of the Word of God become ours to the degree that we place our faith in them.  I am not advocating what is known as “prosperity” theology…where God acts as a benevolent “genie” every time one of his children rubs the Bible.  I am simply saying the Bible clearly promises that God’s Grace is sufficient for us, and we have peace in our hearts to the extent that we are willing to trust the Lord as He has revealed Himself in His Word, the Bible.

Today’s passage wastes no time introducing us to the surpassing demands this woman is facing.  Her husband died, leaving her with two sons and substantial debt.  Her creditor, a human iceberg, had decided that her sons would make a highly suitable payment for her debt, and he was soon to come and take them as his slaves.

While some of the terms of today’s story seem foreign, many in our midst are facing similar situations today.  Nobody is probably coming to arrest your family member or friend to put them into slavery, but we all know someone who has incurred financial trauma.  I have known many people on collision courses with bankruptcy and/or a home foreclosure.  These are good, God-fearing people who do all they know to honor the Lord, yet they find themselves in dire straights.  Their main questions are “Why?” and “What now?”

The woman in today’s passage was disillusioned by it all.  The perplexity she felt is evident in her plaintive cry to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, has died.  You know that your servant feared the Lord.” (4:1)  We would like to believe that serving God makes us exempt from the troubles of life, that God spares us such things because of our service; but it is not so.  We want this passage to encourage us that this woman and her husband served the Lord and lived happily ever after, but it does not.

Some would lead us to believe that there is a serious flaw in the faith and service of this woman and/or her husband.  They insist there is no need for the children of God ever to be ill or experience financial reversals.  But today’s passage finds no fault with the faithful service of this family.  Perhaps, her condition is like that of a man Jesus healed.  When the disciples asked whose sin brought about his condition, Jesus replied that the man was as he was “so the Works of God might be displayed.” (John 9:1-7)

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“So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.  Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, ‘Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean.’  But Naaman got angry and left, saying, ‘I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and will wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease.  Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?  Could I not wash in them and be clean?’  So he turned and left in a rage.” 2 Kings 5:9-12 (HCSB)

When we first meet Naaman, he seems likable enough.  He was the “commander of the Army of Syria” and is also identified as “a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master.” (v. 1)

But we soon discover that Naaman was a very proud man.  Losing his temper outside Elisha’s house, along with his claim of the superior qualities of the rivers of Syria, put Naaman’s pride on display.  Naaman was filled with nationalistic pride.  Syria meant everything to him. He loved Syria’s military superiority, her religion, and her culture.  He loved his own station in life, and he attributed that to the greatness of Syria.

Before we leave Naaman thinking his story is just a historical account, it is important that we recognize the “Naamans” in our own culture.  We call them “men of the World.”  The man of the World is an interesting (and in many ways admirable) type of man.  He has a zest for life.  He fully enjoys the best of all the World can offer him in culture, amusement, wealth, variety, pomp, and sport. The religion of the Bible (to the Worldly man) is completely unreal compared with his (perceived) reality in the World.

He ponders Jesus and the cross and sees little to glory in compared with all he has in the World.  He feels that the Kingdom of God is distant and very unattractive compared with success in this World.  From his own point of view, the “man of the World” feels quite certain that his life is vastly superior to that of the man who confines most of his life to the sphere of faith-in-Jesus and Christian community.

No, if Naaman were going to measure life’s value and worth by the amount of excitement, amusement, and adventure it offers, then it was not really of any advantage to follow YHWH.  Oh yes, except for that whole “leprosy” thing.  You see, once “Naamans” recognize they are HELPLESS in the World and all of its idolatrous incarnations have proved worthless and cannot be trusted unto salvation, they are left to 1) DESPAIR in their “fate” or 2) HUMBLE themselves and seek God through His Word.

What I like is how Elisha humbly displayed that the Word of the Lord is more important than God’s messenger.  Through his closed front door, Elisha simply preached God’s Word for Naaman and didn’t even walk outside his house!  The power of God, working through Naaman’s obedience to His Word, is what brought about Naaman’s healing, not the prophet’s persona or eloquence or his perceived innate power.

“The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, ‘Please notice that the place where we live under your supervision is too small for us.  Please let us go to the Jordan where we can each get a log and can build ourselves a place to live there.’  ‘Go,’ he said.  Then one said, ‘Please come with your servants.’  ‘I’ll come,’ he answered.  So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.  As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, ‘Oh my master, it was borrowed!’” 2 Kings 6:1-5 (HCSB)

Idolatry was flourishing in the land of Israel.  We must keep that in mind as we consider today’s passage so that we can appreciate the request of the sons of the prophets.

There have been many times, throughout the generations, in which evil was so strong that it seemed the Lord’s cause would entirely fail.  Elisha’s predecessor, Elijah, had experienced such a time.  After Jezebel threatened his life, he fled (was led by God) to Mount Horeb, the mountain on which Moses received the Torah of God for Israel.  Mt. Horeb was where it all began, and Elijah went back to report that (from his viewpoint) it had all ended.  Elijah believed he was the last faithful Israelite, and his life was hanging on by a thread.  Elijah was in for a surprise: it was NOT over.  The Lord had reserved seven thousand faithful prophets in Israel who had refused to bow a knee to Baal.

The Israelite captives in Babylon (who were the recipients of the books of the Kings and the Prophets) may have very well thought that their nation had reached the end of the line, that Israel would become assimilated into the Babylonian culture and never exist again as a nation.  The fact that the school of the prophets had to build larger quarters in an evil era was a tiny reminder for them that God preserves and expands His cause, even during dark and evil times.

The presence of Elisha with these young prophets also indicates something of his personal interest in them and their endeavors.  The prophet through whom the Lord had worked mighty miracles did not allow himself to be puffed up with pride.  He did not consider himself to be of such importance that he could not associate with these men, these yeshiva students, in such a simple, mundane activity as constructing a new building.

As the Lord’s representative, Elisha’s willingness to be involved with this project is a picture for us of the Lord’s interest in the details of our lives, those details that others would consider small and insignificant.  Jesus, Himself, comforts us in the same manner.

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26 (NKJV)

Even down to such an insignificant thing as a lost ax handle, the Lord is willing to extend His miraculous hand.  He does this to encourage the Kingdom worker and to provide for

the ministry resources needed to complete His objectives through His servants, unto the glory of His Name.

“Elisha said, ‘Hear the Word of the Lord!  This is what the Lord says: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, six quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel and 12 quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel.”’  Then the Captain, the king’s right-hand man, responded to the man of God, ‘Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in Heaven, could this really happen?’  Elisha announced, ‘You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.’  2 Kings 7:1-2

Today’s chapter is one of Grace and Judgment.  The message of grace was delivered to the king personally by Elisha, the prophet.  Elisha, knowing Jehoram was on his way to oversee his execution, had the men with him bar the door against the king’s executioner. The king had become impatient and figured that waiting on God was pointless.  God always seems irrelevant to those who have no place for Him in their hearts.  

Elijah brought the king’s rage to an abrupt halt with his message of Hope and Grace: The Syrian-induced famine would abruptly end, and the very next day, Samaria would enjoy abundance.  In addition, to short-circuiting his own execution, Elisha’s message of Grace set the stage for additional characters to enter the stage.

First, we have the king’s Captain.  No sooner was the promise of abundance out of Elisha’s mouth than this man offered a negative prediction: “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in Heaven, could this really happen?”  A sour and shriveled spirit pits us against everyone & everything.  A great evil to be strongly avoided, the sour spirit is never more dangerous than when it manifests itself in rejecting the Gospel.  

In the Gospel of Jesus, we have a message of Grace that makes Elijah’s message pale in comparison.  It tells us that God has, as it were, made windows in Heaven.  But many scoff at God’s plan of salvation and refuse to accept it.  This Captain is a warning for all who harbor a bitter spirit against the Lord and His provision!  Elisha’s word was fulfilled in the most frightful manner - that Captain was trampled the very next day as the people were in a frenzy to collect their portion of God’s abundance.  God’s message of Grace to King Jehoram was a message of Judgment for the king’s Captain.

In a significant role reversal that must have challenged the social paradigms of ancient Israel, the positive response to Elisha’s “message of Grace” came from four lepers.  These men rejoiced in God’s Graceful provision and shared it with others.  The lepers wasted no time enjoying the bounty; then, it occurred to them that their city was starving.

Followers of Jesus cannot help but see themselves in these men who suffered from leprosy.  We, too, have been saved by Grace!  We were suffering in our sin conditions when the Grace of God, through Jesus, intervened.  Still, we identify with them on yet another level. They realized they were doing wrong by keeping God’s Grace to themselves!  Let’s adopt their words as our motto: “…come, let us go, and tell…” (2 Kings 7:9)

“Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, ‘Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done.’  Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son was restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land.  And Gehazi said, ‘My lord, oh king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.’”  2 Kings 8:4-5 (NKJV)

It was a conversation in the background that the writer of 2nd Kings places into the foreground, something that Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had restored to life.  Elisha gave her a tip that only a prophet could know, something about a coming 7-year famine, along with advice about what to do “Rise, go, you and your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn.”  She follows the prophet’s counsel, apparently to her advantage, and stays in Philistia seven years.

Why does it help us to know this?  Remember back in 2 Kings 4:9-10, when this woman proposed a little house remodeling project to her husband?  She sensed that Elisha was a “holy man of God,” i.e., the Lord’s prophet, and wanted to make this accommodation for him.  Why?  Simply because Elisha was the Lord’s servant.

“Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.  And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward.  And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple – I assure you: He will never lose his reward!” Matthew 10:41-42 (HCSB)

God doesn’t miss cold cups of water, and He remembered this woman’s kindness to His servant by showing kindness to her.  So, here was God’s kindness in His “famine warning system.”  Consider what that must have meant to her.  Today’s passage is not the main focus of the chapter, but what an encouragement Elisha’s tip must have been, assuring her that the “Keeper of Israel” had by no means forgotten her.  A small kindness carries a massive encouragement.

Now, after seven years, because Elisha’s short-term prophecy (concerning famine) was exactly fulfilled, this woman trusts the Word of the Lord (concerning repatriation) and returns home.  And what does she find?  Gehazi is preparing the king to give favor to her plea (concerning her property) before he even hears it!

Faith is not FACT until it is tested, and this woman received what all who faithfully trust the Lord’s Word receive: Intimate personal knowledge that the Lord can be trusted!  The prophecies concerning Jesus’ advent, crucifixion, and resurrection have been fulfilled. Now it is up to us to faithfully believe His (yet) unfulfilled promise of return and commit to following Him, knowing He’ll be talking to the King when we enter into eternity.  “Oh, just the person we were speaking of….”

“So Jehu got up and went into the house.  The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel.  You are to strike down the house of your master Ahab so that I may avenge the blood shed by the hand of Jezebel – the blood of My servants the prophets and of all the servants of the Lord.  The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will eliminate all of Ahab’s males, both slave and free, in Israel.  I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.  The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel – no one will bury her.”’  Then the young prophet opened the door and escaped.”  2 Kings 9:6-10 (HCSB)

I am writing this at a time when my own country is straddled with a “sluggish” economy.  TV News is broadcasting the endless rants of economists and politicians talking about stimulating the economy with various measures, which may make up another “stimulus package.”  I do not believe anything can alter the downward course of our nation, apart from Biblical revival.

Sometimes in Scripture, the Lord seems to “jump-start” or stimulate history’s course with His Word.  We see that in today’s passage.  No sooner does the prophet throw open the door and bolt off, and no sooner does Jehu report his words to his comrades that a revolt is underway.  What stirred that up?  What was the catalyst?  The Word of God.  No doubt, Jehu and his friends were quite happy to rebel; nevertheless, it was the Lord’s Word that emboldened them to do it.

We saw the same thing in 2 Kings 8:7-15.  Elisha itemized the disaster Hazael would inflict on Israel: Blazing fortresses, killing young draftees in war, bashing infants to death, and slicing-open pregnant women.  Elisha wept, and Hazael smiled.  But how could he do this? Elisha informs him that the Lord has shown him that Hazael is to be king of Syria.  It was Hazael’s decision to make, but Elisha’s Word from the Lord was the catalyst behind it.

The Word of God incited Peter to submission instead of rebellion.

“Then Jesus told him (Peter), ‘Put your sword back in its place because all who take up a sword will perish by a sword.  Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?  How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?’” Matthew 26:52-54 (HCSB)

What does Jesus mean – “this way”?  He means that the Scriptures have said that Messiah’s work will be accomplished through the weakness of the cross, not by the power of the sword.  Although both plans would have removed the disciples from immediate danger, only one would have provided eternal salvation.  What areas of your life are you weighing the options of faithfully following God’s Word and trusting Him to provide deliverance versus formulating your personal escape plan?

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Kings 10. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“When Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.  Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister, secretly rescued Joash, son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom.  So he was hidden from Athaliah and was not killed.  Joash was in hiding with Jehosheba in the Lord’s temple six years while Athaliah ruled over the land.” 2 Kings 11:1-3 (HCSB)

When I was a boy, I was so excited to watch TV at Christmastime!  The reason was that I loved those “claymation” Christmas programs on network TV.  The stories always had some plot, where Christmas was about to be canceled or foiled by some villain.  In the same tradition, you may have never cared about 2 Kings 11, a baby named Joash, or his aunt who saved him…but you may be interested to know that Jehosheba is literally the “Aunt who saved Christmas.”

Jezebel’s daughter, Athaliah, was on a murderous campaign to destroy the royal Davidic family line of the house of Judah!  Talk about your anti-Christs...she was one of the worst of them!  Athaliah was just one baby away from eliminating Christmas…and your and my salvation!  You see, by God’s Word, Messiah had to come from the Line of David.

Long before Luke 2, God’s hand was at work protecting and preserving Jesus’ advent.  If Athaliah had had her way, there wouldn’t have been any shepherds and Angels in glorious appearance, swaddling clothes, or good news of great joy.  Yes, today, as we are hauling crumpled-up wrapping paper to the curb, perhaps, we should pause and remember the aunt who saved Christmas.  

We should thank God for using an otherwise forgettable individual in Israel’s history to save the line of the Savior.  We should also reflect on how He chooses to call us…otherwise insignificant humans…to receive salvation and carry His gospel to an otherwise damned people.  As someone was “Jehoshaba” for us, we have the opportunity to be “Jehosheba” for others, sheltering them from the Enemy.

What I like about today’s chapter is how absent and yet completely present God is.  Of course, He is always present and working in our midst, but He doesn’t always announce Himself in “thus sayeth the Lord” terms.  In 2 Kings 11, God is indirect in accomplishing His plan of redemption.  He does not inject a word, and there is no evidence of any explicit activity on His part.

But we know better.  We know how He works in our lives.  He usually goes about His work without attracting our attention.  Sometimes we even feel He has abandoned us because we cannot see the expected trappings of His deity.  Today’s passage is another invitation to enjoy – in Scripture, history, and experience – the refreshing subtlety and mighty silence of our God.  It is the stuff that makes faith worth it…when the Lord’s “slow reveal” is fully realized, and our “Praise God!” is matched with His “Well done.”

“In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king and reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, who was from Beer-sheba. Throughout the time Jehoiada the priest instructed him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight. Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.” 2 Kings 12:1-3 (HCSB)

There is a story of a British colonel whose battalion was defending a bridge in World War II.  Ammunition was nearly gone, casualties were high, and the colonel’s men had been fighting for fifty hours without let-up.  During this time, one of the battalion chaplains met the colonel, who was coming out of a toilet.

A smile lit up the colonel’s grimy, stubble-covered face.  “Father,” he said, “the window is shattered, there’s a hole in the wall, and the roof’s gone.  But it has a chain, and it works.” Amid the blasts and ruin, devastation and death, there was a welcome bit of consistency: The toilet still works!

That is the testimony of verses 1-3 of today’s chapter.  Out of the evil of Athaliah’s regime in chapter 11, with royal blood dripping from her hands and tyranny reigning on her throne, there is, nevertheless, a seven-year-old heir of David who begins to reign.

So, what is our practical application of this observation?  What seems only statistical, the rote observations of kingly rule: installation, slight reform, compromise, is, in fact, glorious.  What appears dull is thrilling.  It’s as if the writer says, “The kingdom is divided, and in shambles, people don’t have any money, the Temple is in disrepair, but the covenant still works!

It is of utmost importance that believers grasp all this; otherwise, they become ungrateful for the mundane provision of the Lord.  So often, we become ministry “adrenaline junkies,” miracle-hounds looking for the next big move of God.  Israel and Judah should have been relieved when the boiling-point drama of royal apostasy simmered down to a step-by-step kingdom.

Surely, we recognize that many of God’s gifts come wrapped in plain brown paper packages.  Still, they are gifts of the Lord.  Mundane mercies are mercies nonetheless, and simple provisions are still provisions.  

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (HCSB)

If the Lord has granted us civil order, is that no less a miracle simply because it feels ordinary?  Remember: there is nothing petty about God’s simple provision.  If you’ve ever gone without it for a season, you will praise the day it returns!

“In the twenty-third year of Judah’s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned 17 years.  He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.  So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He surrendered them to the power of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad during their reigns.  Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord heard him, for He saw the oppression the king of Aram inflicted on Israel.  Therefore, the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped the power of the Arameans.  Then the people of Israel dwelt in their tents as before, but they didn’t turn away from their sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.  Jehoahaz walked in them, and the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria.  Jehoahaz did not have any army left, except for 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them, making them like dust at threshing.”  2 Kings 13:1-7 (HCSB)

There is a surprise in today’s passage.  Jehoahaz was a devotee of the cult of Jeroboam.  This is no surprise.  We’re used to hearing it by now!  He was so committed to it that despite all the conditions the Lord allowed him to suffer, Jehoahaz “did not turn from it.”

Notice the theological segment placed amidst the usual narrative.  We should not be surprised that the wrath of the Lord ignites against Israel or that He continually gives them over to the power of Hazael and Ben-hadad.  However, we ARE surprised that Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord.

“Those who reject the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law battle against them.”  Proverbs 28:4 (HCSB)

Naturally, we are ready to shoot our Proverbs 28 arrow at Jehoahaz.  Before we launch it, however, we meet a more surprising surprise: The Lord listened to him, to a calf worshipper!  Why on earth would the Lord do that?  Because He saw how the King of Syria oppressed Israel.  God is still the same “Book-of-Exodus” God, the One who notices the afflictions of His people and desires to deliver them in hopes of winning their repentance.  In a few chapters, we will see how He is the same God of judgment and chastisement, even to his children.

How did the Lord answer Jehoahaz?  He gave Israel a “savior.”  But everyone wonders who that “savior” was.  It was certainly not Jehoahaz and was most likely subsequent kings, Jehoash and Jeroboam II.  Actually, it doesn’t matter much.  What matters is that the Lord gave Israel a savior when they needed one.  The tragedy is how Israel was so ungrateful for their deliverance.  They just kept on sinning.  The warmth of God’s pity did not soften the hardness of their infidelity.  There was no memory carryover that claimed and won their gratitude.  

This reminds me of today’s church culture.  Israel wants relief from trouble, not a relationship with God, and she craves therapy, not transformation.  Guard yourself against this mindset!

“In the fifteenth year of Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam II son of Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria and reigned 41 years.  He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.  He did not turn away from all the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.  He restored Israel’s border from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word the Lord, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath-hepher.  For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter.  There was no one to help Israel, neither bond nor free.  However, the Lord had not said He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so He delivered them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.”  2 Kings 14:23-27 (HCSB)

Asthma nearly killed Theodore Roosevelt as a small boy.  One night he had a horrible asthma attack and his father made him smoke a cigar.  Apparently, cigars were on the list of proposed “antidotes” back in those days.  Today, we would never consider cigars could cure asthma.  In the same way, we are puzzled over today’s passage.  Jeroboam II did evil in the Lord’s eyes, yet this king restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath all the way to the Sea of the Arabah.

Evil and success are as strange a combination as asthma and cigars.  Why is the Lord allowing this to go on?  Why doesn’t He bring Jeroboam’s reign down in an "iron-rod" style disaster?  Why is it that Israel still worships calves, and times were never better?  There is wickedness in the high places, and at the same time, there is military expansion and a booming economy.  You’re free to your own political opinions, but the whole thing reminds me of the United States under the Bill Clinton presidency: openly godless scandals at the executive level and high approval ratings with a balanced budget.

Why are things this way?  Because of the Word of the Lord.  God had spoken through the prophet Jonah’s prediction of this massive military recovery of Israel.  However, behind this mysterious “Word from the Lord” stands His warm compassion, and this compassion drove His Word.  The Lord is the same Exodus-Era God, Who sees the affliction of His people.  Israel might be on the verge of being wiped out, but (for now) the Lord is still reluctant to take them there.

So we know Jeroboam’s success was not an indicator of the Lord’s favor but only His pity.  This idea is a little unnerving because the text says to us (whether nations or individuals): Do not mistake the Lord’s patience for His pleasure.  

In fact, the Bible values all human achievement and grandeur that does not bow the knee to the Lord as wasted.  Paul called his good works (apart from Jesus) “filthy rags.”  This point, of course, strikes not only at deviant kings but also at those who claim to minister and serve in Jesus’ name but who too easily become engrossed with their performance or career success.

“In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, became king. He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem.  His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done, except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. Then the Lord struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in an isolated house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the royal house, judging the people of the land.” 2 Kings 15:1-5 (NKJV)

Today’s chapter lists various kings in the divided Hebrew kingdom.  (The Divided Kingdom consisted of two sub-kingdoms: Israel and Judah.)  The leaders of both Israel and Judah varied in their devotion to the Lord.  

It is hard not to focus on the kings of Israel.  The man who was mainly responsible for the divided kingdom, Jeroboam, led 10 of the 12 tribes straightway into idolatry, forbidding them to worship the Lord in Jerusalem.  So, idolatry was the norm for Israel.  Because of their idolatry, the rulers of Israel only reigned for a few years each.  (One of them only reigned for a month!)  They seem to be absent of vision and a moral code.  Doesn’t it remind us of the world today, with its driven “dog-eat-dog/every-man-for-himself” attitude?  There is nothing attractive about Israel that makes the onlooker want to emulate them.  We would rather avoid them!

In contrast, Judah’s kings typically reign longer, and their kingdoms are more stable.  Notice that there are five kings of Israel for the two kings of Judah.  Why?  Because Judah sought after the Lord.  At least, their kings did.  Notice how the kings of Judah are listed as having done “right in the eyes of the Lord.”  Lest we beatify Judah’s kings in contrast to Israel’s kings, we have the Lord’s charge against them: “Nevertheless, the high places were not removed.” Hence, while Judah’s kings were more stable, they both suffered difficulty: one from Leprosy and the other from terrorism.

“In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.  His mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. However, the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.  He built the Upper Gate of the house of the Lord. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? In those days the Lord began to send Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.” 2 Kings 15:32-37 (NKJV)

Let today’s passage remind us that we are not measured by how we fare against other men.  We are measured by God’s standard, the Bible.

“Then King Ahaz cut off the frames of the water carts and removed the bronze basin from each of them.  He took the reservoir from the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pavement.  To satisfy the king of Assyria, he removed from the Lord’s temple the Sabbath canopy they had built in the palace, and he closed the outer entrance for the king.”  2 Kings 16:17-18 (HCSB)

What lessons should we learn from this account of Ahaz’s new measures?  First, the king’s innovations imply that he felt there was a deficiency in orthodox worship.  Ahaz apparently thought temple worship could be improved and that an upgrade was in order.  Ahaz wanted to be more than a king.  He wanted to be a priest as well.  Perhaps, he felt some worldly artistic influence should kick off his priestly inauguration.

But whenever we supplement or “enrich” worship, we imply that worship, as God directs, is somehow deficient.  One wonders if our post-modern church culture now runs the same danger.  In principle, our worship is the same as Biblical Judah’s: Prayer and Praise based on Atonement (Jesus’ sacrifice).  That doesn’t mean our worship can’t have a creative variety or that it must be necessarily tedious.  But why do we keep toying with worship, thinking that we have to soup it up with a boundless pursuit of production?  It is evident that many leaders within the Church hold to the idea that Jesus and the Bible are simply no longer enough to captivate people’s attention.

Evil is helped by weakness as much as by wickedness.  Whatever Ahaz commands, Uriah does.  Obviously, Uriah had much to lose should he refuse to go along with Ahaz’s liturgical renovations.  Some of us know what that is like.  Some know what it is to leave a congregation because they could not continue with a pastor (or a denomination) who refuses to be grounded in the foundation of Scripture.

It can feel like your security has been kicked in the solar plexus (for you professional wrestling fans), but the way of peace, “Uriah-style,” never leads to righteousness.  It merely cooperates with wickedness.  Often, God calls leaders to conflict rather than cooperation.  OFTEN TIMES.  Beware of the congregation that advertises “unconditional acceptance” over adherence to God’s Word.  Beware of those who pride themselves in making the congregation a comfortable place at the risk of diluting the confrontational nature of Gospel truth.

Resist the urge to pray for compromised peace when God calls for an uncompromising spiritual battle!  There is no victory without one side completely surrendering to the other.  And we serve the King of Kings, Lord of Lords!  Compromise does not bring peace, only a temporary ceasefire.  In the Middle East, “peace” means “reload.”  We are called to live victoriously.  (1 John 5:4-5)  That should be our attitude – not because we crave conflict, but because we fear spinelessness that concedes to other men’s faithlessness and sin.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Kings 17. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Then the Rabshakeh said to them, ‘Say now to Hezekiah, “Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: ‘What confidence is this in which you trust? You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words.  And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Now look!  You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it.  So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”’?  2 Kings 18:19-22 (NKJV)

I sincerely miss those days in my early 20s when I was young in my faith.  I took the Bible at face value and boldly and unashamedly set to live out God’s Word.  I took risks based on faith, and the Lord proved Himself faithful.  As He was faithful to reveal His Word to me, I was faithful to trust His Word by obeying it, and in turn, He would bring to pass the things He led me to accomplish.  So, my faith grew.  I remember one time when car expenses had drained my bank account.  I went to the mailbox to find a letter from a friend in another city who felt the Lord had led them to write me a random bank check that turned out to be exactly what my expenses were for the rest of the month!  

I remember the first time, though, when I really felt I needed provision from the Lord, but it did not come in the time frame in which I expected it.  I got so despondent.  I was depressed, actually.  It was as if I had forgotten all the faithful things the Lord had done.  I began to doubt if any of those earlier situations were truly from the Lord or whether I had just imagined it all along.  That was the beginning of a process where I came to realize that God was building my faith to trust Him in bigger things for longer periods of time.  

Hezekiah must have felt that way, as the army of Assyria was at his gates.  Where had the God of the reforms retreated, the God who allowed Hezekiah to tear down the former high places?  It is hard for us when God seems silent.  And we must learn to trust in the One who says He will never leave of forsake us.  (Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Hebrews 13:5)   So, what was the testimony of Hezekiah when the Assyrian army came knocking?  He feared Assyria more than the Lord!  And his fear rose to the point of stripping gold and silver from the house of the Lord to pay the Assyrian king to leave.  (2 Kings 18:14-16)

But what was the testimony that the Lord wanted to hear from Hezekiah?  Notice the question the Assyrian Rabshakeh asked: “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” (2 Kings 18:22)   Why would he assume that the God of Israel would be angry with Hezekiah for tearing down idols?  Because of the false testimony of the Israelite priests from Samaria.  (2 Kings 17:24-29)   God allowed the Assyrian army to stand at the gate of Jerusalem so the king of Judah could testify on behalf of the true God of Israel!  How do you respond when He brings opportunities for you to testify?

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When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the Lord’s temple. Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, who were wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They said to him, ‘This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them. Perhaps YHWH your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke him for the words that YHWH your God has heard.  Therefore, offer a prayer for the surviving remnant.’”  2 Kings 19:1-4 (HCSB)

Hezekiah was a man who was focused on reforming the spiritual integrity of God’s people.  We must remember that the events we are reading about today happened in the era of Jewish history when the kingdom was divided.  Ten Northern tribes of the Jewish Kingdom split off, refusing to worship in Jerusalem.  In Scripture, they are referred to as “Israel  .”The remaining two tribes, Judah & Benjamin (plus various individuals who left the other tribes to worship the Lord in Jerusalem), formed what is known as the Southern Kingdom, or “Judah  .”Because the Northern Kingdom went straightway into idolatry, its decline was relatively swift.  Assyria eventually conquered Israel and drove them from the Promised Land.  Only Judah remained in the land, but there was a problem.  Judah had also begun adopting paganism to their daily routine and worship.  Notice Hezekiah’s efforts to ensure Judah did not follow the same judgment as Israel.

“He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.  He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made, for the Israelites burned incense to it up to that time.  He called it Nehushtan. Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel; not one of the kings of Judah was like him, either before him or after him. He remained faithful to Yahweh and did not turn from following Him but kept the commands the Lord had commanded Moses.  The Lord was with him, and wherever he went he prospered.  He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.  He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders, from watchtower to fortified city.” 2 Kings 18:3-8 (HCSB)

Even after all of Hezekiah’s efforts of reform, Assyria’s army was now poised to attack Jerusalem.  How discouraging, after all that Hezekiah did to drive paganism from Judah, the pagan Assyrians might yet destroy them.  Hezekiah’s response: seek the Lord through Isaiah the prophet.  When our “faith tank” is empty, and we seem entirely out of zeal and strength, it is comforting to know that the zeal of the Lord never fails!  It is His strength we must rely upon to deliver us and to fulfill His Word.

“For a remnant will go out from Jerusalem and survivors, from Mount Zion.  The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.” 2 Kings 19:31. (HCSB)

“Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: The time will certainly come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.  Some of your descendants who come from you will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.  Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,’ for he thought: Why not, if there will be peace and security during my lifetime?” 2 Kings 20:16-19 (HCSB)

2 Kings, chapter 20 begins with somber news and heartfelt prayer.  The unhappy information involves Isaiah’s message from God to Hezekiah: Get your affairs in order because you are going to die.  It is the conversation nobody wants to have with their pastor, that as he was praying, God told him to tell you that your life will expire very soon.  Scripture does not mention any sin in Hezekiah’s life.  All we know of him from Scripture so far is that Hezekiah was a great reformer.  So, we feel sad for the king, empathize with him, and root for him, even against God’s Word.

When we hear Hezekiah’s heartfelt prayer, we hope God will grant his plea.  There is something in our expectation that really wants to know that God is kind and that He would reconsider His plans for our lives to be more favorable to us if we would only ask Him.  Indeed, we claim God’s Word with respect to such prayers:

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.  The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.” James 5:16 (HCSB)

Could there (at times) be a difference between our sincere, heartfelt urgent requests and God’s will?  As is often the case with God’s leading of His children, God only gives the command (get your affairs in order), and He does not say why He is commanding us.  Our response to God’s lordship should involve our obedience, not questioning His wisdom.

“But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God?  Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Romans 9:20 (HCSB)

When we doubt (or even refuse) God’s choices for our lives, we open ourselves to uncertain (and often tragic) outcomes.  We will never know how the kingdom of Judah would have fared if Hezekiah had not questioned God’s choice to take him from the land of the living.  But Scripture is very clear about two major events that occurred during those 15 extra years (given to Hezekiah) that ultimately led to the destruction of Jerusalem.  1) Manasseh, Israel’s most wickedly idolatrous king, was born during those 15 extra years.  2) Babylonian emissaries went home and told of the great riches stored in Jerusalem.  All that happened because the king would not surrender to the Lord’s plan.  Have you surrendered to God’s Lordship?  Who else might be affected by your refusal to submit to the Lord?

“Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king and reigned 55 years in Jerusalem.  His mother’s name was Hephzibah.  He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed and reestablished the altars for Baal.  He made an Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done; he also worshiped the whole heavenly host and served them.”  2 Kings 21:1-3 (HCSB)

As we learned in 2 Kings, chapter 20, Manasseh was never God’s plan.  God planned to end Hezekiah’s life three years before Manasseh was born.  But when Isaiah informed Hezekiah of God’s plan, Hezekiah prayed that his life would be prolonged.  

“Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Please Lord, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and wholeheartedly and have done what pleases You.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.  Isaiah had not yet gone out of the inner courtyard when the word of the Lord came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of My people, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears.  Look, I will heal you.  On the third day from now you will go up to the Lord’s temple. I will add 15 years to your life.  I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria.  I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”  2 Kings 20:2-6 (HCSB)

Notice how Hezekiah’s plea hinted at the idea that God owed Hezekiah something more than a life cut short, based on Hezekiah’s performance as a religious reformer and his wholehearted personal faithfulness.  We must never forget that we owe EVERYTHING to God, yet He owes us nothing.  It is not as if He has acquired some indebtedness to us per our personal spiritual merit.  We are nothing without Him!    

At the height of his reforms, Hezekiah led a campaign throughout his kingdom to tear down the “high places,” those places of pagan worship that the people of Israel had erected.  It seemed unfathomable to him that God would stop the progress.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 14:12 (HCSB)

In the words of country singer Garth Brooks, sometimes God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.  In His wisdom, God had chosen to take Hezekiah from the land of the living.  And in His wisdom, God chose to answer Hezekiah’s prayer and leave him on the earth for fifteen more years.  It is not as though Hezekiah’s prayer rendered God powerless to say no.  And only God knows why He decided to respond to Hezekiah’s request, knowing full well what those fifteen years would mean to Judah’s long-term well-being.  But at the very least, we can draw this application as a stern reminder: Always entreat the Lord, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done…” (Matthew 6:10)

“Hilkiah the high priest told Shaphan the court secretary, ‘I have found the book of the law in the Lord’s temple,’ and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.  Then Shaphan the court secretary went to the king and reported, ‘Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the temple and have put it into the hand of those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple.’ Then Shaphan the court secretary told the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,’ and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.  When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Then he commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and the king’s servant Asaiah: ‘Go and inquire of the Lord for me, the people, and all Judah about the instruction in this book that has been found.  For great is the Lord’s wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.’”  2 Kings 22:8-13 (HCSB)

If ever there was a message that pinpointed our generation, this is it!  It is a clarion call for us to return to a comprehensive knowledge of God’s Word and for national reform to begin with the people of God in the house of the Lord, Bibles in hand!  

It is also a perfect example of how God accomplishes His will while mankind retains his freedom to choose.  Remember, just two chapters ago, Hezekiah was pleading for his life, and the Lord gave him fifteen extra years.  But in those fifteen years, his son, Manasseh, was born.  Manasseh is listed as the most evil king in the history of Judah.  Not only did Manasseh practice idolatry, but he also brought it into the Lord’s temple.

“Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king and reigned 55 years in Jerusalem.  His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed and reestablished the altars for Baal.  He made an Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done; he also worshiped the whole heavenly host and served them. He built altars in the Lord’s temple, where the Lord had said, ‘Jerusalem is where I will put My name.’ He built altars to the whole heavenly host in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple. He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists.  He did a great amount of evil in the Lord’s sight, provoking Him.” 2 Kings 21:1-6 (HCSB)

After Manasseh died, his son Amon ruled for only two years.  As evil as his father, Amon was murdered by his subjects.  By God’s grace, Amon’s son Josiah was only eight years old (too young to be affected by his father’s idolatrous worldview) when he began to reign.  Guided by righteous priests, Josiah received God’s Word as a child, believing it by faith.  As he was clearing out his grandfather’s idols from the temple, his workmen found the Bible again!  Oh, that churches in America would have the same experience and that we would purge worldliness from among us and rediscover God’s Word so that revival would, once again, sweep across our nation!

“Josiah also removed all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord. Josiah did the same things to them that he had done at Bethel. He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of the high places who were there, and he burned human bones on the altars.  Then he returned to Jerusalem.  The king commanded all the people, ‘Keep the Passover of the Lord your God as written in the book of the covenant.’  No such Passover had ever been kept from the time of the judges who judged Israel through the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to the Lord in Jerusalem. In addition, Josiah removed the mediums, the spiritists, household idols, images, and all the detestable things that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem.  He did this in order to carry out the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the Lord’s temple. Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his mind and with all his heart and with all his strength according to all the law of Moses, and no one like him arose after him.”  2 Kings 23:19-25 (HCSB)

Let’s recap Josiah’s reign.  He was installed as Judah’s king at age eight, too young to have been negatively affected by his father’s idolatry.  Righteous priests taught Josiah to value worship and believe in God “as a child,” something Jesus exhorts us to do.  (Mark 10:15; Matthew 18:3; Luke 18:17)  At age 26, Josiah begins repairing the temple, worn down by years of idolatrous worship and neglect.  As the workers are repairing the temple, Hilkiah, the priest, finds the Book of the Law.  When God’s Word is read to Josiah, he realizes the seriousness of Israel’s spiritual condition.  The temple didn’t just need a new coat of paint; it needed a coat of armor!  In response, Josiah begins a campaign of tearing down the “high places,” temples, and shrines of idolatry.  More than just demolishing buildings, Josiah puts to death pagan priests in an effort to rid Judah of idolatry completely.  For Josiah’s efforts, the Lord commends him.  No other king has exemplified Deuteronomy 6:1-7 like Josiah.

One problem: You can tear down the pagan “high places” from atop the hills, but you cannot destroy the high places in the heart.  Even though Josiah swept the nation clean and idolatry became a capital offense, the people still chose to be idolatrous in private, in their hearts.  So, despite all the smoke rising from the burning pagan shrines and altars, a fire is being stoked in heaven.  God’s judgment upon Judah is imminent, and their bend towards idolatry snaps back into place when the next king takes the throne.  It is not enough to turn away from our sin; we must turn toward God and pursue Him!  Revival must permeate the hearts of the people, not just their laws.  A nation can’t sustain greatness unless its people choose the Lord’s greatness.

“In spite of all that, the Lord did not turn from the fury of His great burning anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had provoked Him with. For the Lord had said, ‘I will also remove Judah from My sight just as I have removed Israel.  I will reject this city Jerusalem, that I have chosen, and the temple about which I said ‘My name will be there.’”  2 Kings 23:26-27 (HCSB)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Kings 24. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. He spoke kindly to him and set his throne over the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life.  As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, for the rest of his life.” 2 Kings 25:27-30 (HCSB)

Anne Moody was a college student who was active in the American civil rights movement in Mississippi in the 1960s.  At one time, part of the civil rights strategy involved sending black students to “white” churches during Sunday morning service.  Sometimes police officers were waiting along with ushers.  It was common for black students to be turned away.  But there was one Episcopal church they entered, where two ushers asked them to sign the guest list and ushered them to their seat.  Moody describes her reaction:

“I stood there for a good five minutes before I was able to compose myself.  I had never prayed with white people in a white church.  The church service was completed without one incident.  It was as normal as any church service.  However, it was by no means normal to me.  When the services were over, the minister invited us to visit again.  He said it as if he meant it, and I began to have a little hope.”

It was only the fact that a church did not turn her away, only the freedom to sit in a worship service with whites, only the convicting earnestness of a minister inviting her back, not much at all.  But it was enough to give her a glimpse of hope.  That is the impact that Jehoiachin’s fortunes should have on us.  We should begin to have a little hope.  In the midst of His punishment, God did not completely abandon Judah or the dignity of its king.

Matthew 1:12-16 lists the noble Messianic genealogy from Babylonian exile to Jesus’ birth.  It picks up where 2 Kings 25 leaves off.  Who would think that any sure hope from God could be hidden under this failed, dilapidated, and captive people?  At this time, Israel had lost the land (the Abraham promise) and the kingship (Davidic promise).  Read Haggai, Nehemiah, and Malachi.  Life was hard for the dispersed Jewish people.

But precisely in this time, this darkest, bleakest segment of Israel’s history, that the Messiah was given!  It was when the people were trampled, beaten down, and teetering between faith and compromise, that the “Sun of Righteousness” began to blaze.  This all sends a powerful message to America today.  It is not solely our repentance but also the Lord’s stubbornness that brings redemption.  The God of power and fury turns from His fury in Jehoiachin’s “Descendant,” Jesus.  God dispensed grace and mercy for the sake of His gracious promise while at the same time weighing judgment according to His Word.  And this should give us more than a little hope.

“Two sons were born to Eber.  One of them was named Peleg because the earth was divided during his lifetime, and the name of his brother was Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All of these were Joktan’s sons.  Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Abram (that is, Abraham).  Abraham’s sons: Isaac and Ishmael.” 1 Chronicles 1:19-28 (HCSB)

Arms folded, feet up and crossed on the table.  That is how he sat, the scoffer pastor who laughed at my idea of leading people through the entire Bible, a chapter a day.  “They may follow you through the New Testament, but when you get to Numbers and Leviticus, you will lose half of them!  And you will lose the rest when you get mired in those genealogies in 1st Chronicles!” So, will you quit today and prove the scoffer right?  Or will you muddle through these next few days to discover why the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, included this holy roll call in His eternal Word?

Today, we focus on the sons of Eber: Peleg and Joktan.  The Bible tells us Peleg’s name means “divided.”  And with a little research, we discover his brother’s name means “small.”  A fairly bleak outlook, huh?  Divided and Small.  Those words describe Israel in the days when a terrified Gideon was visited by the Messiah (Angel of the Lord), Who sat beside Gideon and pronounced his calling.

“Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12 (HCSB)

Divided and Small was how Jacob felt as he nervously awaited the reunion between himself and his brother Esau, whom Jacob deceived and Esau swore to kill years earlier.  

“I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant.  Indeed, I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps.” Genesis 32:10 (HCSB)

Later that night, Messiah (Angel of the Lord) would wrestle with Jacob and elicit Jacob’s immense single-minded profession: “I will not let you go!”

Divided and Small is what Messiah (Jesus) prayed against in the upper room.

“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message.  May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me.” John 17:20-21 (HCSB)

Are you feeling Divided and Small?  Put your trust in Messiah Jesus!  He will make you whole (John 5:6-KJV), and He will never cast you out.  (John 6:37)  Remember, God shines brightest when the days are at their darkest.  (See also: Abraham)

“The sons of Judah were Er, Onan and Shelah.  These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess.  Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; so He killed him.  And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah.  All the sons of Judah are five.” 1 Chronicles 2:3-4 (NKJV)

Do you remember your great-great-grandfather on your father’s side?  Perhaps you have researched an ancestry website and discovered his name.  You may have even uncovered some military and civic records, but you probably do not know his worldview, how he treated his neighbors, or whether he loved his kids enough to spend time with them after work.  But, chances are, your values for those exact aspects of life were shaped by your relatives, two or three generations removed.  Values are passed down throughout the generations by those people with whom we live in close proximity.  Values aren’t taught; they are caught.

With that in mind, it is important for us to understand that genealogies in the Bible are more than just a list of ancestors.  They are telling the history of a person’s values instead of communicating a direct narrative.  So, a phrase like “son of…son of…son of…” conveys a familial pattern of either sin or righteousness.  Basically, “He is no different from his father, who was no different from his…”.  And the Lord, speaking through the Bible writers, assumes that every Israelite was seeking His Word every day.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)  Therefore, He does not feel the need to keep telling their stories.  He just mentions the characters, and we should already know the story by heart.  The fact that most Christians get bored in the genealogies is more a testimony to their Biblical illiteracy than a commentary on how boring the genealogies are!

Now, to today’s passage, notice how the tribe of Judah - the family through whom Messiah would come - was rife with Jews who acted like pagan Gentiles and Gentiles who acted like righteous Jews.  By verse 17 in today’s chapter, King David’s own sister has a child by an Ishmaelite!  (see also: 2 Samuel 17:25)  The New Testament begins with a similar genealogy, albeit a more gracious retelling.

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.”  Mathew 1:1-6 (NKJV)

Notice how Matthew 1:1 calls Jesus “Son of David, Son of Abraham.”   David, the shepherd of Israel; Abraham, the Gentile from Ur who heeded the call of the Lord.  Not only was Jesus’ genealogy (the tribe of Judah) mixed between Jew and Gentile, but He came to save Jew and Gentile: In short, He came to save the World.  (John 3:16-17)

“These were David’s sons who were born to him in Hebron: Amnon was the firstborn, by Ahinoam of Jezreel; Daniel was born second, by Abigail of Carmel; Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur, was third; Adonijah son of Haggith was fourth; Shephatiah, by Abital, was fifth; and Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah, was sixth.  Six sons were born to David in Hebron, where he ruled seven years and six months, and he ruled in Jerusalem 33 years.  These sons were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon.  These four were born to him by Bath-shua daughter of Ammiel.  David’s other sons: Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet—nine sons.  These were all David’s sons, with their sister Tamar, in addition to the sons by his concubines.”  1 Chronicles 3:1-9 (HCSB)

Who knew David had so many children?  We typically only think of Absalom (the rebel) and Solomon (the wise-king-turned-idolater).  And how about those wives?  Most people only know of Michal (Saul’s daughter) and Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife).  So, what are we to learn from these other women and children?  They seem to have been trouble for David.  Was there a time when God actually encouraged multiple wives?  Simple answer: No.  

Sure, God allowed multiple wives (and ancient Middle-Eastern secular culture had no problem with it), but we never see Him command it, nor do we see anything positive come from it.  Just because God allows a scenario to occur in Scripture does not necessarily mean He endorses it.  Multiple spouses always lead to conflict.  And the battle between spouses led to conflict between siblings.  Eventually, the question arises, “Who inherits the birthright and blessing?”  Consider how the apostle Paul in the New Testament describes the difference between children of the multiple-wife marriages of the patriarchs and how only one spouse carried the “child of the promise.”

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed.  For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants.  On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac. That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring. For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son. And not only that, but also Rebekah received a promise when she became pregnant by one man, our ancestor Isaac. For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election [to His design] might stand— not from works but from the One who calls—she was told: The older will serve the younger. As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.”  Romans 9:6-13 (HCSB)

It is good to know that Messiah Jesus has only ONE bride, the Church!  (Ephesians 5:25-27; Isaiah 54:5; Revelation 19:7-9; Revelation 21:9; 2 Corinthians 11:2)

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“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.  His mother named him Jabez and said, ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’ Jabez called out to the God of Israel: ‘If only You would bless me, extend my border, let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not cause any pain.’ And God granted his request.” 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (HCSB)

In the winter of 2000, I walked into a management meeting with my band, Big Tent Revival.  A few weeks earlier, we had the #1 song on Christian Radio, Choose Life.  The band and management expected to discuss an upcoming tour and the next radio single.  But that meeting took a different turn when I announced that I felt the Lord was leading me away from the band to focus more time on raising my family.  Unexpected news is often unwelcome news.  While not everyone agreed that the band should break up, we eventually coped with the reality that the company was actually dissolving.  We then set out like gentlemen to honor the Lord.  In the months following that decision (to shut down the band), Big Tent Revival performed all of our contracted concert obligations.  We paid all of our T-Shirt and merchandise vendors, sold our tour bus, semi and trailer, sound and lights, and set a target date for our last concert: New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2000.  Riverside CA.

In the fall of 2000, about a month before Big Tent Revival played our last concert, someone handed me a book that had just been released by Multnomah Books, authored by a gentleman named Bruce Wilkinson.  The book was called “The Prayer of Jabez,” and it centered around today’s passage, 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.  I was interested in the book because I had never heard of this guy, Jabez.  Growing up, I never heard anyone preach about Jabez, and none of my hip-music business friends talked about him.  The book quickly became a best-seller, and then things got weird.  Soon, churches all over the globe were praying the “prayer of Jabez” as if it were some sort of incantation to stir up the Lord to do whatever they wanted Him to do.  As you can imagine (or perhaps you experienced firsthand), a tremendous amount of controversy was stirred up.  Skeptics began refuting Bruce Wilkinson’s hermeneutic and “prosperity” theological leanings.

So, there I was.  A guy who had followed the Lord and whose recent decisions had caused quite a few people a considerable amount of inconvenience.  I had no plan for how I was going to earn a living after the band played its last concert.  So, I read the book and was encouraged.  I also asked God why He included the passage in His Word.  Jabez’s story seemed tailor-fit for my situation yet did not include directions concerning how I should apply its message.   In the end, here is what we know about how Mr. Jabez relates to us.  If we call upon the Lord, He is available and concerned.

“When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NKJV)

“Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s…“  1 Chronicles 5:1-3 (NKJV)

Today’s chapter focuses our attention to the Biblical ideas of “Birthright” and “Blessing.”  Biblical birthright is the right bestowed to the firstborn male to lead the family spiritually.  (That spiritual leadership is primarily after the father has passed on.)  Furthermore, the paternal “father” was not the sole determiner of birthright; it was also determined by the mother.  In the Bible, we first see the concept of that father/mother conveyance of birthright in Genesis 21.

“But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.’” Genesis 21:9-10 (ESV)

(For New Testament clarification of this instance, see also Romans 9:6-8)

While the birthright is conveyed through very specific terms, it is also transferable to another child if the firstborn son refuses to follow God and be a spiritual leader.

“Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted.  He said to Jacob, ‘Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.’ That is why he was also named Edom.  Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’  ‘Look,’ said Esau, ‘I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?’  Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him. Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away.  So Esau despised his birthright.”  Genesis 25:29-34 (HCSB)

Blessing is different from Birthright.  Blessing is the byproduct of leading spiritually.  The Blessing naturally follows when a person answers the call to spiritually lead.

“But he replied, ‘Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.’  So he said, ‘Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?  For he has cheated me twice now.  He took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing.’ Then he asked, ‘Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?’” Genesis 27:35-36 (HCSB)

While Jacob used deceptive measures to secure the Blessing, he suffered because of how he acquired it.  Peaceful Blessing did not come until Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord (Messiah) and was blessed by Him. Jacob’s decision to become singularly focused on living up to the character of the Birthright led to his being blessed.  That is 1 Chronicles 5 in a nutshell: When Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh led according to God’s Word, they were blessed.  But, their rejection of the Lord (in favor of idolatry) diminished blessing, leading to exile.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 1 Chronicles 6. Click the links below to watch or listen.

“The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead.  The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle. Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.  And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Beriah, because tragedy had come upon his house. Now his daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah; and Rephah was his son, as well as Resheph, and Telah his son, Tahan his son, Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, Nun his son, and Joshua his son.  1 Chronicles 7:20-27 (NKJV)

When I was a boy, my father used to drive slowly through neighborhoods, peering intently into backyards and garages.  No, my dad wasn’t a criminal; he was looking for cars to buy.  He was crazy about sports cars.  How crazy?  He has owned over 100 Corvettes!  He has also owned over 100 MG’s, alongside a myriad of British and American muscle and racing cars…and even today, he shows no signs of stopping.  Crazy?  Indeed.  So, you can imagine how boring it was for a grade school boy riding shotgun while his father knocked on the doors of strangers and chatted with them about their automobiles.  It was about as boring as reading genealogies in the Bible!  But, quite often, my dad would skip back to the car with a huge smile on his face and say, “Let’s go!” and the next thing I’d know, we would be riding home in an exotic new ride.  Score!

When we read the story of Ephraim’s genealogy, and the name of a city called Gath is mentioned, we are intended to stop, like my father when he spied some chrome peeking out from under a tarp in a stranger’s garage.  We put our Bibles in park and ponder, “Where have I seen that name?  It sounds familiar….”  That process is called meditating on Scripture.

“And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.” 1 Samuel 17:4 (NKJV)

So, what is a man from Gath, the city of giants, doing in Egypt at a time when Joseph’s (aka Prince of Egypt) son was still alive, yet hundreds of years before Moses led the people out during the Exodus?  We must only assume the same famine that drove Jacob and Co. to Egypt (Genesis 41:54) also forced other peoples from the land of Canaan to seek provision.  It is interesting how the memory of murderers from Gath (during the days of Ephraim) was passed down throughout the generations.  Perhaps, even more intriguing is how Ephraim’s descendant, Joshua (son of Nun), is also mentioned in today’s genealogy.  Furthermore, it was Joshua’s (along with Caleb’s) courage despite the report of “giants in the land” in Numbers 13 and 18 that earned him the right to eventually lead Israel into the promised land by God’s grace when he placed his faith in God’s promise instead of clinging to the fears of past defeat.  (Numbers 14:6-9; Joshua 24:15)

“Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. 1 Chronicles 8:33 (NKJV)

Today’s chapter is devoted entirely to the family tree of “King Saul of Benjamin.”  It’s interesting how the author of 1 Chronicles (Ezra, who taught the exiles returning from Babylonian captivity how to fear the Lord rightly and who most likely compiled the Old Testament) wanted to stress how the values of the tribe of Benjamin led to Saul’s wicked reign and continued beyond him to his son, Esh-Baal.

Esh-Baal is known as “Ishbosheth” in 2 Samuel 2:8.  After the death of Saul and his sons Jonathan, Malchishua, and Abinadab (1 Samuel 31), Abner, commander of Saul’s army, attempted to establish Esh-Baal (Ishbosheth) as king, in place of David.

“David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, The Lord bless you, because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord when buried him. Now, may the Lord show kindness and faithfulness to you, and I will also show the same goodness to you because you have done this deed. Therefore, be strong and courageous, for though Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.’  Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth and moved him to Mahanaim.  He made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin – over all Israel.” 2 Samuel 2:5-9 (HCSB)

There are times in the Bible when the Lord commands the army of Israel to “completely destroy” an enemy.  And there are times when He directs a more merciful approach.  Skeptics may suggest that God is merciless when He declares total war, but we must never put the character of God on trial.  We must simply trust that He knows who will repent and follow Him and who will not.  Today, God has allowed us to peer into His wisdom so that we may trust Him, regardless of whether He chooses to extend mercy or levy judgment.  Just the mention of Esh-Baal should strike loathing in the reader.  Frankly, the mention of the tribe of Benjamin itself (harkening to its historically dubious value system) should make us bristle.

“So all the men of Israel gathered united against the city. Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What is this outrage that has occurred among you? Hand over the perverted men in Gibeah so we can put them to death and eradicate evil from Israel.’  But the Benjaminites would not obey their fellow Israelites.  Instead, the Benjaminites gathered together from their cities to Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.” Judges 20:11-14 (HCSB)

Lest we be prejudiced toward all Benjaminites, today’s chapter also mentions Merib-Baal (aka Mephibosheth,  2 Samuel 21:7), reminding us of God’s grace to the meek.

“These are the singers, heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night.  These heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites were heads throughout their generations.  They dwelt in Jerusalem.” 1 Chronicles 9:33-34 (NKJV)

No doubt, today’s passage is a nugget of Scripture that every worship leader would like mentioned at their annual job review.  The words “free from other duties” are convenient whenever the pastor calls for staff members to “up their game” and volunteer during their off hours!  But before any music staffers claim 1 Chronicles 9:33 as their life verse, perhaps they should take notice that music was required day and night, every day and night.

In 1796, a cabinet-maker named C.F. Martin founded the Martin Guitar Company in New York City.  Guitar making was a craft he had learned from his violin-making father, Johann Georg Martin, in Germany.  These days, Martin Guitar Company is run by Chris Martin IV, the great-great-great-grandson of the company’s founder.  It is safe to say that before a “Martin” child is born, their career in guitar manufacturing has already been determined!

In today’s chapter, notice the term “throughout their generations.” The Lord reminds the Levites that their duties/careers had been pre-assigned before they were even born!  Specific tasks were assigned to each specific family among the Levites.  And they were to teach their children how to do the family ministry task perpetually.  There was no discussion, “But I want to be a dentist!” If your family carried the poles to the tabernacle, that would be your job.  In our post-modern culture, the idea of a pre-determined occupation is like a pie-in-the-face of individual liberty.  But take a step back and consider that the God of all creation has given you a role to play in His kingdom.  And that role is so vital that He personally chose for you to be born into your specific family with its specific task so that you can be trained to both execute and revere your calling to His glory.

Before you laugh off this notion that the Lord pre-assigned work for specific people in ancient days, remember that He has also selected specific work for YOU!

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)

The Levites had no real estate inheritance in the Promised Land.  Their inheritance was to serve the Lord; hence, their dwelling places had to be allocated from among the other tribes’ land.  But when Israel was eventually driven from the land because of their rampant idolatry, the Levites were the only tribe to retain their inheritance.  Likewise, there is no “Christian homeland.”  Our inheritance is to serve the Lord!

“Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord’s word. He even consulted a medium for guidance, but he did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 (HCSB)

In my years of ministry, I have served at many funerals. And funerals can bring out the worst of people. I recall one hot summer afternoon at a national cemetery in Riverside, California, when family members got into a fistfight over who owned dad’s Lincoln Continental.  On another occasion, I watched a falcon shoot out of a tree and attack one of the doves released at the memorial of an Air Force fighter pilot.  Somewhat fitting, I suppose. The dove owner screamed, “NO!” but the old pilot’s kids laughed and said, “That’s so like our dad!  He would have hated doves.”  

One afternoon, I was summoned to the office of a pastor who wanted to discuss the music for an upcoming funeral of a lady who had passed away in her mid-50s. “That is really young,” I noted. He replied, “Yeah. Lung cancer. Cigarettes killed her.” The same could be said of Saul. Saul’s own sword did him in, and Philistine arrows brought him to the point of suicide. But it was the idolatry that killed him.  

How did Saul, the Lord’s anointed king for Israel, fall out of the Lord’s protection and provision? He simply began disregarding God’s Word. Ignoring God’s Word led to Saul’s seeking wicked counsel, literally a witch! Then, he became the ultimate mocker of God’s Word when he began pursuing David, who was so steeped in God’s Word (at that season of his life) to the point that he would not even fight back against Saul. Perhaps that is why David wrote song #1 in Israel’s hymnal because it mentions the same downward pattern for anyone who departs from the Bible.

“How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers!  Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (HCSB)

With that in mind, consider Messiah Jesus’ description of how His followers should equate Bible pursuit (and its faithful application to their lives) with loving Him.

“Jesus answered, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.  My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”  John 14:23 (HCSB)

Jesus isn’t saying that we are saved by obeying His Word. We are saved by Grace through Faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). In essence, He is saying, “If you are truly saved, you should pursue My Word with the intent to know it, live according to it, and share it with others.” If rejecting the Word led to Saul’s death, consider Ezra’s life.

“Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Ezra 7:10 (HCSB)

“All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, ‘Here we are, your own flesh and blood. Even when Saul was king, you led us out to battle and brought us back.  The Lord your God also said to you, “You will shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over My people Israel.”’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron.  David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the Lord’s presence, and they anointed David king over Israel, in keeping with the Lord’s word through Samuel.”  1 Chronicles 11:1-3 (HCSB)

In contrast to chapter 10, where Saul perished because He abandoned God’s Word, David’s kingdom is miraculously established.  God’s favor is on David, and He is going before him in battle.  Not just militarily, God is also turning the hearts of the people toward David.  After a season where the best fighting men from throughout Israel were drafted into the army to hunt down David and his men, we have this statement of allegiance, “We are your own flesh and blood. ”Only God can do that!  David, the “man after God’s own heart,” lives within the blessing set apart for those who pursue God rightly.  

But we know David’s story, don’t we?  We know David will not remain faithful in certain situations.  And we see God’s favor lift off of him.  Nathan, the prophet, had the difficult job of pronouncing the Lord’s rebuke to his friend (and king), David.

“Nathan replied to David, ‘You are the man!  This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more.  Why, then have you despised the command of the Lord by doing what I consider evil?  You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife—you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword. Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife.” This is what the Lord says, “I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them publicly. You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.”’” 2 Samuel 12:7-12 (HCSB)

So, at this point, we ask ourselves, “If David, God’s anointed, cannot maintain a righteous relationship with God, how can ANY man stand before Him?”  Perhaps it helps to keep reading.  Because salvation (throughout the Bible) has always been by God’s Grace, through faith in Him.  Instead of asking how we can maintain righteousness before God, we should ask what He requires for us to return to Him whenever we fall.  We confess our sin and turn from it.  And He forgives us.  (1 John 1:9)

“David responded to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Then Nathan replied to David, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die.’” 2 Samuel 12:13 (HCSB)

“Other Benjamites and men from Judah also went to David at the stronghold.  David went out to meet them and said to them, ‘If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge.’  Then the Spirit took control of Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: ‘We are yours, David, we are with you, son of Jesse!  Peace, peace to you, and peace to him who helps you, for your God helps you.  So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.” 1 Chronicles 12:16-18 (HCSB)

David was in a sticky situation.  He was running for his life, hiding in a cave (aka the stronghold), and he had no idea whom he could trust.  Then, people started showing up, ringing the doorbell, and asking if they could see David, the fugitive!  Think about it for a moment.  How secure was David’s stronghold if 400 strangers could find it?  For that matter, how stupid was Saul that he and his army could not find it?  Only the Lord can supply the friends you need while keeping your enemies at bay.   But I digress… The narrative (of the same instance in today’s passage) in 1 Samuel 22 helps us understand what a complicated situation David was dealing with.

“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.  So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him.  So he became captain over them.  And there were about four hundred men with him.  Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, ‘Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.’ So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.” 1 Samuel 22:1-4 (NKJV)

When we combine the two instances (1 Chronicles 6 and 1 Samuel 22), we see that 400 men showed up, and David chose 30 to be captains over them.  Of what did David’s interview process consist?  One question with a caveat: “Do you come in peace, to help me?  If so, I will be united with you; if not, the Lord will be against you.” (Isaiah 48:22; Ezekiel 13:9-11)

I like how the Bible notes the response of Amasai came when, “the Spirit took control” of him.  The original language translates as “the Spirit clothed Himself with Amasai  .”Once Amasai had determined in his heart to follow David and fully immerse himself in that subordinate role, the Spirit-filled him as he uttered the words of allegiance.  Likewise, when we faithfully choose in our hearts to repent and follow the “Son of David,” Jesus (Matt 1:1), we receive the Holy Spirit, Who dwells inside us.

“Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 (HCSB)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 1 Chronicles 13. Click the links below to watch or listen now

“Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house.  So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, for his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel.  Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. And these are the names of his children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.”  1 Chronicles 14:1-7 (NKJV)

On a fly-over, today’s chapter looks very positive.  Tyre’s king, Hiram, is building David a moth-proof (cedar) castle while the Lord guides David to victory over his most bitter enemies, the Philistines.  But check out the titles of chapters 13 & 15: The Ark Brought From Kirjath Jearim; The Ark Brought To Jerusalem.  All of the action from today’s chapter occurs when God’s ark is not in close proximity.  King Hiram promises to build David a house during a season when David is not regularly seeking the Lord.  Sure, when he needs to fight a battle, David seeks God, but allowing a foreign king (along with multiple marriages and children born to foreign women) to establish his “house” (dynasty)?  Not the type of thing we like to hear from the man “after God’s own heart.”  Eventually, in chapter 15, the ark returns.  Perhaps some guilt wells up in David as he gazes upon God’s tent.

“Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.’ Then Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.’ But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ‘Go and tell My servant David, “Thus says the Lord: Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?”’” 2 Samuel 7:1-5 (NKJV)

Today, we have a stern reminder that our hope, security, and, dare we say, “dynasty” will never be firmly established through worldly channels.  And by no means will we establish God’s kingdom through worldly methods or strategic relationships with non-believers!  God does not need us to build His house; we need Him to build ours, through the One whose title is “Son of David,” Messiah Jesus.  (Matthew 1:1)

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son.  If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.  Your throne shall be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-16 (NKJV)

“And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. He said to them, ‘You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.  For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.’ So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.”  1 Chronicles 15:11-15 (NKJV)

Today’s passage contains some information that is usually passed over whenever pastors teach the story of the Ark’s return.  Typically, the emphasis & application revolve around whether the ark was to be carried or carted.  Then, we become somewhat distracted by David’s scandalous, near-naked worship dancing.  (As would I if my pastor were to attempt a reenactment!)  But in chapter 15, we notice David rebuked the Levites, who either 1) rebelled against moving the ark away from the Tabernacle or 2) were ignorant of God’s requirements.  First, let’s consider God’s command for the Levites to bear the ark, literally to “shoulder” the burden.   No Levite should have been unaware of this most simple responsibility.

“At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day.”  Deuteronomy 10:8 (NKJV)

While we cannot be certain that the Levites were on board with the idea of David’s kingship or whether the ark should be moved, 1 Chronicles 13 gives us a clue as to the Levites’ potential ignorance concerning how to interface with the ark.

“And David said to all the assembly of Israel, ‘If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.’” 1 Chronicles 13:2-3 (NKJV)

At some point during Saul’s reign, the Levites stopped inquiring of the Lord at the ark.  Most likely, they quit when God withdrew His counsel from Saul.  

“But Samuel said to Saul, ‘I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.’” 1 Samuel 15:26 (NKJV)

We, too, have a responsibility to “shoulder  .”And it seems that many believers in our generation have lost what it means to “take up your cross, daily.” (Luke 9:23)

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.  Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.  For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.  Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place.  Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength.  Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him.  Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!  Tremble before Him, all the earth.  The world also is firmly established, it shall not be moved.” 1 Chronicles 16:23-30 (NKJV)

Many years ago, my family moved to suburban Chicago.  Having never lived outside “Dixie,” we were so excited to learn that Chicago had “Little Italy” and “Chinatown” sections of the city, not to mention thriving Eastern European & Latino cultures.  Growing up in Arkansas, Taco Bell was the most exotic thing we ever experienced!  So, we would take these day trips to the various ethnic centers of Chicago, and the whole experience was amazing.  Still, even though we had a good time living among the hospitable Italians, Chinese, Polish, etc., for a day, there was the lingering reality that we were foreigners on their turf.  I never walked away from those areas of town with a compelling desire to learn their language, explore their literature & philosophers, or adopt their traditional dress, apart from the random T-shirt.  At the end of the day, we were sheep of a different fleece.

Whenever we read the TANAKH (Old Testament), it is easy to simply view the narrative as pure history with little to no application for today’s world.  And while there is a growing multitude of Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus), for the vast majority of Christians, the Old Testament recounts the history of a foreign people.  For so many folks, they might as well be reading about the history of the Ming Dynasty.  Perhaps that is why so few Christians read the Old Testament.  It may also explain why most Christians don’t read their New Testaments, either, for that matter.  After all, the entire Bible (Genesis-Revelation) is a Jewish book written by Jewish guys who primarily explain to other Jewish guys that Jesus is the Messiah.  All the while, they are trying to figure out how to cope with all those Gentiles who were coming to faith in the Jewish Messiah!

In today’s passage, the Lord reminds us that He is not just the God of Israel (the Jewish people).  Rather, He is the God of the whole earth!  After all, He created the whole earth with all its people.  All religion, apart from that written in the Bible, is man-made and, hence, false.  God’s hatred of false gods is inflexible; He says the world He created is firmly established and shall not be moved.  And He underscores Israel’s reason for existing as His “Chosen”: To glorify His Name and tell of His wondrous works, in the hope that people who are weak in their faith will be encouraged and that people who do not know Him will turn from their sin, embrace Him and His Word, and receive salvation. (Gen 22:15-18; Acts 17:22-31) This has ALWAYS been His desire for ALL people throughout history.  Biblical history is also OUR story.

“Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.’  But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ‘Go and tell My servant David, “Thus says the Lord: You shall not build Me a house to dwell in. For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent and from one Tabernacle to another. Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’”1 Chronicles 17:1-6 (NKJV)

It was a beautiful night up there on the roof of David’s cedar palace.  Beef BB-Q, roasted vegetables, choice Golan wine, Levitical band, and singers echoing through the alleyways…all complete with a perfect view of the Tabernacle, the tent where the ark of the covenant resided.  But something is eating at King David as he stares down at the Tabernacle.  Is it right for the king to live in a house of cedar while the ark of the Lord is in a tent?  David thought not, so he declared to his best friend, the prophet Nathan, that he would build the Lord a house of cedar like the king’s palace.  It seems like a benevolent gesture, but nobody asks God if He wants a house.  Nobody considers that the sheer presence of the Tabernacle is a hint that Israel will someday be in exile again.  Perhaps that is why the Levites (whose job was to minister at the Tabernacle) had no inheritance in the land.  Their inheritance was to serve the Lord.  Because so, the Levites could keep their inheritance, no matter where the Lord caused (or drove) them to dwell.

“At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before Yahweh to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as it is today. For this reason, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance like his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God told him.” Deuteronomy 10:8-9 (HCSB)

The problem with a temple is that temples themselves, with all of their opulence, can be worshipped more than the God they are built to honor.  Temples can also house idols.  Pagan practices incorporated into temple worship can defile a temple and infuriate God, as the bed of an adulterer can be defiled and disgust the spurned spouse.  Then, God must seize the worshipful attention of His people by dramatic means.  Only when Israel is ready to worship the Lord again will He allow the temple to be rebuilt.  But, we are getting ahead of the story.  No, David will not build a temple for God.  His son, Solomon, will.  But it will be destroyed, as will the temple that is rebuilt.  (Ezra 1:1-3)  

Ultimately, we await the New Jerusalem, the everlasting temple-city (Revelation 21:2), where Messiah Jesus builds a house for us! (John 14:1-3)

“David took the gold shields carried by Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem. From Tibhath and Cun, Hadadezer’s cities, David also took huge quantities of bronze, from which Solomon made the bronze reservoir, the pillars, and the bronze articles.  When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer of Zobah, he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Tou and Hadadezer had fought many wars. Hadoram brought all kinds of gold, silver, and bronze items. King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had carried off from all the nations—from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and the Amalekites. 1 Chronicles 18:7-ll (HCSB)

Whether or not you like the New York Yankees baseball team, you must admit their winning tradition is impressive. Sure, you can argue that they spend too much money on players or that they are overhyped, but the fact is they almost always have a winning season, even if they don’t go to the World Series. People expect the Yankees to win, and, quite frankly, we are surprised when they lose. Winning can be that way; winning can become so routine that it becomes boring. That is kind of how we felt about Israel during the early part of David’s reign. They just win so much that we lose interest in the narrative.  

We must resist the urge to skip past the next two chapters because God is trying to communicate something to us who seek His Word: 1) Battles will still come to the faithful. His “shalom” (peace) is not the absence of conflict. His peace passes understanding precisely because we have hope in the midst of conflict. 2) Trials that we face will ultimately be won by His power. Notice how David is fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham.

“Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses sue you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3 (NKJV)

The nations who curse David and war against Israel are defeated and David takes their spoils. Those who fear David and seek to make peace with Israel willingly offer up their wealth as gifts. As a result, they fall under David’s protection. And what did David do with those spoils? He set them aside to honor the Lord.

“Now David said, ‘Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.’ So David made abundant preparations before his death.” 1 Chronicles 22:5 (NKJV)

“It happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. Then David said, ‘I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.’ So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father.  And David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort him.  And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun, ‘Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you?  Did his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?’ Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. Then some went and told David about the men; and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed.  And the king said, ‘Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.’ When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Syrian Maacah, and from Zobah.” 1 Chronicles 19:1-6 (NKJV)

In the midst of a rapid-fire retelling of David’s various conquests, the author of 1 Chronicles slows down to focus on an incident of disrespect and public humiliation.  David’s ambassadors have been stripped naked, their beards & heads shaved.  This disrespect is in stark contrast to chapter 8, where Tou, king of Hamath, chooses to stand alongside David when he learns how David had conquered Hamath’s mortal enemy.  It reminds us of how we must choose to embrace Jesus or fight against Him after we learn He has conquered our enemies, death & Satan.  Yesterday, a king blessed Israel, and he was blessed; today, a king curses Israel, and he is destroyed.

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3 (NKJV)

Perhaps we should consider what God considers to be an act of war.

“Adulterers and adulteresses!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4 (NKJV)

It is true that God did not send Messiah Jesus into the world to condemn people on the occasion of His first coming.  (John 3:16-18)  And God wants none to perish, but for all to come unto repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9)  But that does not mean there is not a reckoning forthcoming.  Jesus’ second coming will not be a heartfelt counseling session.  He will enact vengeance as David rode out to avenge his ambassadors.

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31 (NKJV)  (Matthew 7:21-23)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 1 Chronicles 20. Click the links below to watch or listen now.

“So Gad came to David and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Choose for yourself, either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord—the plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.” Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.’ And David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress.  Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.’” 1 Chronicles 21:11-13 (NKJV)

When I was a boy living in Shreveport, Louisiana, I recall opening the door of our home and chatting with a man who was holding a clipboard.  He asked me about various aspects of our lives, and I was happy to oblige.  When I think about that moment today, I would be terrified to know my own children would open the door to a stranger, much less carry on a 30-minute conversation!  But those were different days, and people had more trust back then.  It turns out the man was with the United States Census Bureau, and he was gathering information for our government.  

Given my pleasant experience with census takers for many years, I was perplexed why King David’s census was considered evil by the Lord.  Furthermore, why was Joab, the head of David’s army, so against it?  David’s census was sinful because David was not taking God at His Word, that He would establish David’s kingdom.  David was not interested in counting heads; he counted who was “for” or “against” him.  He had stopped walking by faith and trusted his own eyesight, what he could see and account for.  Obviously, the census must have revealed that the majority of “Israel” was against David’s anointed kingship.  (**At that time, the kingdom was divided by those who were still influenced by Saul’s hatred of David {aka Israel} and those who supported David {David’s family tribe Judah, plus some of the Levites}).  Hence, God’s fury broke out against “Israel.”

Once David saw the gravity of his sin, (that his lack of faith had led to the destruction of the very people he was anointed to shepherd), his heart for his “enemies” turned toward empathy.  David, the fearful king, turned back into David, the shepherd.  He pleaded with the Lord that His discipline would be turned from the people and directly onto himself; it was his own sin that led to their plague.  (Hebrews 12:5-11)

“And David said to God, ‘Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered?  I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done?  Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.’”  1 Chronicles 21:17 (NKJV)

We are reminded of the sinless One, the “Son of David,” who gave His life for us.

“I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” John 10:11 (NKJV)

“And David said to Solomon: ‘My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around.  His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.”’” 1 Chronicles 22:7-10 (NKJV)

Reading today’s passage, I am reminded of the old man who was bragging to a friend about  his new hearing aid.  His friend asked, “What kind is it?” The man glanced at his watch and said, “About 4:30.”  Sometimes, your response testifies that you aren’t hearing the conversation clearly!

David believed he heard the Lord say his son Solomon would build the temple.  Because the name Solomon is derived from the word “shalom,” meaning “peace,” David assumed the Lord was talking about his immediate son, Solomon.  So, David began setting aside provisions and architects & builders so Solomon could begin construction without hindrance upon David’s death.  

Indeed, Solomon oversaw the temple’s construction in Jerusalem, and the Lord blessed it with the signs of His presence.  But when the Lord was speaking to David, there was ANOTHER “Solomon” that He was ultimately referring to; Not just the boy named “Peace” (Solomon), but the man whose title is “Prince of Peace.”

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16 (NKJV)

“The book of the genealogy of Messiah Jesus, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” Matthew 1:1 (NKJV)

Just as David had subdued all of Israel’s enemies, clearing a pathway to a peaceful reign for Solomon, God is doing so, even now, for Messiah Jesus.  That is why Jesus quoted David’s prophetic Psalm 110:1, where David testifies to God’s statement of the certainty of security for the Messiah’s Kingdom.  

“The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.’”  Matthew 22:44 (HCSB)

The temple in Jerusalem was beautiful, but the kingdom of Solomon became corrupted.  Only the Kingdom of Jesus is established FOREVER.  (1 Chronicles 22:10)

“The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.  The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was set apart, he and his sons forever, that he should sanctify the most holy things, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister to Him, and to give the blessing in His name forever. Now the sons of Moses the man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi. The sons of Moses were Gershon and Eliezer.” 1 Chronicles 23:12-15 (HCSB)

Several years ago, a friend showed me a magazine advertisement for a high-end tequila maker.  No, we were not planning a church staff party.  He brought the ad because the tequila company was owned by the son of a relatively well-known pastor friend.  My friend could not understand how the son of a successful pastor could be engaged in such a worldly business venture.  I assured my friend that ministry callings cannot be assumed or thrust upon the next generation.  Apples may not fall far from the tree, as they say, but even preachers’ kids must choose whether they will personally remain connected to the tree’s root!  (John 15:5)

Aaron’s sons Nadab & Abihu chose to offer unauthorized fire to the Lord, and they got toasted for it!  Despite the efforts of Hebrew scholars to protect Moses’ image (changing the spelling of Moses’ name in Scripture), God has allowed it to be exposed that Moses’ grandson initiated pagan worship.  (Judges 18:30)

“Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.”  Judges 18:30 (NKJV)

Moody University’s Dr. Michael Rydelnik, in the New American Commentary Studies The Messianic Hope, exposes the Hebrew Masoretic Bible compilers’ wrongful edit.

“This verse records the establishment of the first pagan priesthood in Israel.  The consonantal text’s original reading indicated that “msh” (Mosheh or Moses) was the grandfather of Jonathan, the founder of this pagan priesthood.  The Masoretes inserted the raised letter “n” (or “nun”), making the word read “mnsh” (Menasseh or Manasseh).  According to the Hebrew scholar Tov, the suspended “nun” was a correction of ‘an earlier reading which ascribed the erecting of the idol in Dan to one of the descendants of Moses…the addition can therefore be understood as a deliberate change of content.’”  Rydelnick goes on to say, “The motive for the change is critical.  Keil and Delitzsch cite R. Tanchum, who said that the written ‘Moses’ reading ought to be corrected with a suspended “nun” so that it would read ‘Manasseh.’  Keil and Delitzsch also quote Rabba bar bar Channa who argued for the ‘Manasseh’ reading ‘because it would have been ignominious to Moses to have an ungodly son.’  Therefore, the nun was suspended to protect the honor of Moses.”

Important to note is how God is no respecter of men (or their children).  We stand before the Lord as individuals, each of us called into a holy priesthood.  (1 Peter 2:9)

“Then David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to the schedule of their service.  There were more leaders found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus they were divided.  Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen heads of their fathers’ houses, and eight heads of their fathers’ houses among the sons of Ithamar.  Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.”  1 Chronicles 24:3-5 (NKJV)

Some people believe God has not been fair to them.  They look at others with better lifestyles, more interesting jobs, or a beautiful spouse, and they feel cheated.  They know God is omniscient (knowing all things), omnipresent (always present in their lives), and omnipotent (having the power to affect change), but they have serious questions about His character.  How could He possess all those attributes yet withhold their idea of “blessings” for them?  If you have felt this way about God at times, you are not alone.  I have felt that way.  Surely, the Levites entertained that idea, as their duties were being decided by a roll of the dice (lot).  And so did the apostle Peter, as he compared his ministry calling to that of the apostle John.  

“Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”  Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”  Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?  You follow Me.”  John 21:20-22 (NKJV)

After recounting the great victories of the Bible’s faithful men, the writer of Hebrews then lists a group of equally faithful martyrs who suffered greatly.

“Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still, others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword.  They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy.  They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”  Hebrews 11:35b-40 (NKJV)

It’s easy to see how someone could read those verses and wonder how God could be so unfair.  But there is one problem with that notion.  God is NOT fair.  He is JUST.  Fairness assumes everyone gets the same thing.  Justice demands that God (in His infinite wisdom) always chooses rightly and knows how to dispense His blessing of grace through hardship as well as abundance.  Believers who acknowledge that, have truly found peace, which passes understanding!  (Philippians 4:7)

“Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals.”  1 Chronicles 25:1a (NKJV)

The two greatest days of a touring musician’s career are 1) the day they buy their first tour bus and 2) the day they sell it!  Everything that goes wrong on a tour bus costs at least $1,000.  Being successful is hard work.  As they say in Nashville, “If it were that easy to grab, there wouldn’t be any left…and there’s a lot left.”  You have to fight to get to the top, and you have to fight to stay there.  Success in the music business isn’t for sissies.  Perhaps that is why David chose his musicians from the army.  This is especially so for worship music.  Worship is spiritual warfare.  

And what are our weapons?  Harps, stringed instruments & cymbals?  Perhaps, but the true weapon is prophecy.  When I say “prophecy,” I am not talking about predicting the future.  The kind of prophecy the Lord describes in today’s chapter is to musically speak forth the Word of God.  It is akin to the type of prophecy the Apostle Paul speaks.

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NKJV)

Paul is not exhorting the believers in Corinth to predict the future or write new books to the Bible.  He is telling them that the most important thing to seek, in addition to love, is God’s Word and that His Spirit would enable them to understand it.  “Prophesy” conveys more than an intellectual acquisition of information; it conveys that we receive knowledge with the expressed intent that we would share it with others.  That is the kind of prophesy these soldiers-turned-musicians were called to: Seek God’s Word and sing about what the Spirit revealed to them from God’s Word.

As we read the rest of today’s chapter, take notice of this phrase, “Direction of their father…” (verses. 2, 3, 6)  True to Deuteronomy 6:6-7, the father’s duty was not only to teach his children how to excellently play the various instruments in the temple orchestra.  His most important role was to teach his children to value God’s Word!

Psychologists say, “hurt people hurt people.” What they mean is that people who display abusive behavior were probably, themselves, abused.  Conversely, if a person is well-disciplined, they will disciple others well.  Notice how the musicians were also drafted into teaching roles, perpetuating the values (set forth by King David) of the Levitical musicians throughout their generations.

“Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service was: Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied according to the order of the king.  Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord.  Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to exalt his horn. For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.  All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the authority of the king. So the number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight. And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, the teacher with the student.”  1 Chronicles 25:1-8 (NKJV)

“Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.”  1 Chronicles 26:1 (NKJV)

“Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the dedicated things.” 1 Chronicles 26:20 (NKJV)

A quick review of the past few chapters reveals a pattern of progression for spiritual growth.  It is a pattern for Israel as a nation, as well as for us.  In chapter 22, David prepares to build the temple.   You may recall that David was prohibited (by the Lord) from building the temple himself because his hands were “stained with bloodshed  .”But that did not exclude him from preparing the next generation, namely his son, Solomon.  What provisions are you making to give the next generation of believers a greater chance of living successful lives of faith?

“So when David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.  And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.  Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above; and the number of individual males was thirty-eight thousand.”  1 Chronicles 23:1-3 (NKJV)

In chapter 23, David gathers the Levites.  As we learned in previous chapters, the Levites had not sought the Lord’s counsel at the Ark of the Covenant for many years while Saul reigned.  Perhaps they had become unsure of their priestly calling.

Once the Levites had been separated from the general population, the process began to sort them into their respective divisions and duty stations.  David made sure that the Levites all knew their duties by publically seeking the Lord (casting lots) so the Levites could be confident that their duty selection was not simply an arbitrary whim of David.

We begin to notice that worship for the Israelites is getting more and more intimate as it moves closer to the presence of God.  Chapter 25 focuses on the Musicians, whose job it is to stand at the gates of Jerusalem and play music that facilitates the various ways the worshipper enters into and exits corporate worship.

Today’s chapter focuses on the gatekeepers themselves.  The gatekeepers are those who allow the “sheep” to enter and protect the flock from “wolves” who may attempt to creep into the congregation, causing division in the community.  There is freedom in our relationship with God through Messiah Jesus, but never forget that accountability is also necessary, even in a congregation of grace.

Lastly, we see the Levites who oversee the treasury.  Where your heart is, there will be your investment.  If you do not give tithes and offerings to the Lord, there is no doubt that you are consumed with worldly things.  The closer we get to Him, the more we offer ourselves (and our belongings) to the ongoing work of the gospel.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 1 Chronicles 27. Click the links below to watch or listen now.

“Then King David rose to his feet and said, ‘Listen to me, my brothers and my people.  It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the Lord’s covenant and as a footstool for our God.  I had made preparations to build, but God said to me, “You are not to build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.”’” 1 Chronicles 28:2-3 (HCSB)

“Why can’t you build the Temple, David?”  Surely, that question was raised by citizens of his kingdom.  King David had to be forthright.  The Lord had told him directly that he would not build the temple in Jerusalem.  For all of the bewildered onlookers, David was forced to come clean, “I have shed blood in war.”  But was the military conquest of numerous Philistines and various Canaanites really the disqualifier?  The Lord did not have a problem receiving the spoils of Israel’s military victories as supplies for the building of the temple.  (1 Chronicles 26:27; 2 Samuel 8:11; 2 Chronicles 15:11)  Furthermore, every man of military age (20 years old and above) was ordered to pay a “ransom” for himself as atonement for lives he may take during war.

“Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: ‘Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel.  You and Aaron shall number them by their armies.’” Numbers 1:1-3 (NKJV)

“This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs).  The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the Lord. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when you give an offering to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves. And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”  Exodus 30:13-16 (NKJV)

We are safe to assume the “too much blood” shed during war was related to the blood of only ONE man: Uriah the Hittite.  Uriah’s was the only unjust killing of David’s reign: “Why then have you despised the command of the Lord by doing what I consider evil?  You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife—you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword.” (2 Samuel 12:9)  Forever in Scripture, the Lord reminds us that Bathsheba was never legitimately David’s wife.  “Then David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife….” (Matthew 1:6b)  What sin must you deny today before it disqualifies you from ministry tomorrow?

“‘Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen.  Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?’ Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly.” 1 Chronicles 29:3-6 (NKJV)

I recently received a message through social media from a person in Nashville, Tennessee.  The message was simple: Thank you.  There is nothing particularly landmark about a “thank you” note, but this one stood out because the “thank you” came 15 years after the fact.  So much time had passed that I had forgotten the episode for which I was being thanked!  Seemingly, a distant music business colleague of mine was at dinner with his wife during a season of financial difficulty, and I paid their bill.  When he mentioned it, a vague recollection came across my mental radar.  I remember seeing them sitting there, looking stressed at the menu, so I asked their waitress to inform them that someone was taking care of their tab and that they should order whatever they wanted, especially dessert.  

I don’t mention that episode as an attempt to paint an image of myself as some kind of philanthropist.  (I am actually very cheap!  The Lord has to pry benevolence from me.)  I share that story because of what happened AFTER.  The gentleman was so encouraged that, instead of quitting the Christian music business, he continued to follow the Lord’s leading and slug it out.  Today, he is one of the few of us still making a living in commercial music (I’m not), and he counts that moment of generous encouragement as pivotal in his faith journey.  That is exactly what today’s chapter is about.  David’s generosity is contagious; it trickles down and begins a chain reaction of faithful selflessness.  We notice the same pattern of contagious faithfulness in the victory song that Deborah (one of Israel’s Judges) sang after the victory of Israel’s army under Barak’s command.

“Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying: ‘When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the Lord!’” Judges 5:1-2 (NKJV)

It’s not that David’s peers felt the pressure of his generosity; the common people gave freely, too!  Oh, that we could see such leadership in the Church today!

“Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.  Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.’” 1 Chronicles 29:9-10 (NKJV)

“Now Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and exalted him exceedingly. And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ houses.  Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. Now the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the Lord; Solomon and the assembly sought Him there. And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’”  2 Chronicles 1:1-7 (NKJV)

It is easy for us to read the narrative of 2 Chronicles 1 and for our attention to be drawn to Solomon’s humility and God’s gracious response to it. But, in a rush to apply, many preachers skip over an important factor in the chapter: By the time Solomon became king, the act of worshipping God had become separated from the presence of God. The writer even tells us that the Tabernacle was in Gibeon, while the Ark of the Covenant was in a tent in Jerusalem. What does that mean? It means the people of Israel were more involved with the practice of worshipping God than they were concerned with the power of His presence and personally seeking His counsel.

Generations later, in the days of Jeremiah, Israel was again going through the motions of religion instead of seeking the Lord and His Word. In essence, God made a statement (through Jeremiah, His spokesman) about the ark of the covenant. God said that if the people sought a personal relationship (marriage) with Him, He would withdraw His ark altogether. There is no need to seek a person you are continually walking alongside. Sadly, Israel chose religion over relationship. So, the ark of the covenant’s absence today is a punitive sign, as opposed to a sign of life.

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.” Jeremiah 3:14-16 (NKJV)

The great grace of God in today’s chapter is that He appeared to Solomon in Gibeon. God is not handcuffed to the ark. God can go wherever He pleases, but His discussion with Solomon led Solomon back to Jerusalem and the rejoining of His presence & man’s practice of worship. His grace leads to repentance.

“Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal house for himself. Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them. Then Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, saying: ‘As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel. And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?” 2 Chronicles 2:1-6 (NKJV)

One spring, my wife had the idea to spruce up our patio.  It began with a simple conversation about a table and chairs.  Then, it grew to wicker love seats, side chairs, a charcoal grill, side tables, and a fire pit. It was too much to remember, so I had to write it all down. Today’s chapter is basically a hardware store shopping list.  But don’t get bored, because if you skip through it, you will probably miss something significant: Solomon’s conviction about His Lord.

Solomon told Hiram (a pagan king) that 1) the God of Israel is greater than all gods, and 2) I need you to give me lumber and carpenters to build Him a house.  Can you imagine parachuting into Mecca and telling the Moslems worshipping there that you want to build the God of Israel a house, and you want them to give you supplies?  But that is exactly what Solomon does!  And, by God’s grace, he received what He asked for!  How faithful are you at acting upon the bold steps the Lord is leading you to take?  The apostle Paul had a similar boldness at Mars Hill, where he spoke forth the truth that there is only ONE God and that He will judge mankind, whether they believe in Him or not.

“‘Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.’ And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’ So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” Acts 17:30-34 (NKJV)

Christians who act on Biblical convictions get mocked and intellectually scrutinized, threatened, and beaten, yet some respond by surrendering their lives to follow Jesus. Since the results of our faithful witness are varied, our goal for boldly sharing the gospel must be to obey God, regardless of the results. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

“Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  And he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.” 1 Chronicles 3:1-2 (NKJV)

God is not arbitrary. That is comforting news, because it says we can trust the character of God. He is ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful. So, when God decides to do something, we don’t have to ask if He has seen it from all angles, understands the ramifications of His decision, has the power to finish what He is starting, or if He has the right motives.

Solomon is building God’s temple in Jerusalem, on the exact spot where the Lord told David that He wanted the temple to stand, Mount Moriah. But, when we hear that location, doesn’t it echo and harken us back to an earlier time?

“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” Genesis 22:1-3 (NKJV)

Because of what we already know of God, that He is not arbitrary, we understand how He planned for the exact spot where the Lord led Abraham to offer up his son Isaac (and where He provided the ram as a substitute) to be the precise spot where Solomon would build His temple. Furthermore, it was on the same mountain where Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be offered as our sin substitute! (Not at the temple, per se, but on the same mountain, outside the walls of the city. About the length of an arrow shot.) Coincidence? Hardly.  

At the end of today’s chapter, we learn of two pillars that Solomon erected. Because the pillars are named, we know they acted as stand-alone statements.

“Then he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz.” 2 Chronicles 3:17 (NKJV)

Jachin means “Ya is One” or “Ya Establishes  .” Boaz means “Strength  .” The intended statement these pillars represent is simple: As long as the King (and Israel) seek the Lord and Him alone, He will establish them by His strength. Have you committed to following the Lord through a personal relationship with Messiah Jesus, forsaking all else to heed His calling on your life? Then He will establish you in the strength of His Spirit! Let’s keep reading to see how Solomon & Israel heed His Word.

“He also made ten lavers, and put five on the right side and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as they offered for the burnt offering they would wash in them, but the Sea was for the priests to wash in.” 2 Chronicles 4:6 (NKJV)

As a teenager, I worked as an electrician’s helper.  The man who owned the electrical company was known for having the highest standards.  My job was to gather supplies, get tools out of the truck, and clean up when the electricians had finished their tasks.  On occasion, I would be asked to tack up wire in an attic.  Although I was not an electrician, none of the licensed electricians wanted to climb into a hot attic in July!  So, I tried my best, but my workmanship showed I was an amateur.  After finishing, one of the electricians would cover my work with insulation and say, “It’s good enough for government work!”  He meant I did a poor job, but the boss would never climb into a hot attic to inspect it.  Then, one day, the boss climbed into the attic, and boy, those guys got an earful!  Was my workmanship dangerous?  No.  It was just ugly, and the company owner demanded perfection.  In the end, my boss was gracious to me, but he never let me forget the standard I should be working toward.

The idea of being “ceremonially clean” for a priest is very similar to a perfectionist boss cutting you slack because he knows you are trying your hardest.  No priest (apart from Jesus – Hebrews 7) was ever perfectly clean concerning living a sinless life.  No Levite could stand before the Lord because of his own righteousness, as if they and God were peers.  But the fact that they were imperfect did not mean there was no standard at all!  Priests were required to strive toward living according to God’s Word, and the Lord even called for a basin of water to be present so they could wash before they entered the temple.  So, what does this mean to us?  Quite a lot, seeing as we are also called into a holy priesthood.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)

Jesus washed His disciples’ feet before the “last supper” (last Passover seder meal with His disciples - John 13:1-6).  He was preparing them for their upcoming apostolic “priestly” ministries.  While they were not clean themselves, Jesus was signifying that they should not be afraid to approach the Lord because He would make them clean by the blood He was about to shed for them (and us) on the cross.

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  Hebrews 10:19-22 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Chronicles 5. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple; then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.” 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 (NKJV)

There is an idea popular among Christians today that puts forth that because of Jesus’ resurrection, Gentiles (non-Jews) can now have a personal relationship with God, whereas it was impossible before.  That idea is simply wrong, and today’s passage is yet another Old Testament example of how God has always allowed Gentiles to enter into a personal relationship with Him.  So, for a fun review of Gentiles who turned to the Lord, let’s begin with a little Moabite girl named Ruth.  

“But Ruth said: Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” Ruth 1:16 (NKJV)

Isaiah spoke about God’s acceptance of anyone (regardless of ethnicity) who would turn from foreign idols and choose to follow Him.  He even promised that God would not exclude the repentant foreigner from being counted among His people, even stressing that the redemption of ALL MANKIND was the mission of the Messiah.

“Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants - everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant - even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:6-7 (NKJV - see also: Matthew 21:13)

“Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:6 (NKJV)

The apostle Paul, preaching at Athens’ Mars Hill, underscored how God is Lord-of-all and that all of earth’s inhabitants are both 1) subject to Him and 2) can be saved through receiving Messiah Jesus, by grace through faith.

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31 (NKJV)

“When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying: ‘For He is good, for His mercy endures forever.’”  2 Chronicles 7:3 (NKJV)

There is a lot of talk in our Christian culture these days about God’s GRACE.  His grace is a good thing, indeed.  By His grace, we are saved when we faithful place our trust in Jesus’ atoning work instead of our own.  (Eph 2:8-9)  Often, we hear the words “grace & mercy” put together.  They go well together, but they are not the same thing, as if they were twins.  Grace and mercy are more like cousins.  GRACE is when we get something we do not deserve.  If I gave you a fancy watch, that would be gracious.  Mercy is when we don’t get what we do deserve.  For instance, if you stole a fancy watch, the owner would show you mercy by not calling the cops.  So, our salvation is a combination of both God’s grace and His mercy towards us.  When we enter into salvation, we 1) do not get what we deserve (eternal separation from God) for falling short of God’s perfect standard, while, at the same time, we 2) receive the gracious gift of atonement purchased by Jesus’ righteousness.

When the Temple was dedicated, the people did not sing of God’s grace.  They sang of His goodness and mercy.  Why?  They knew their guilt; each fell short of God’s perfect standard.  And when they saw that fire fall and consume the animal sacrifice (representing their sin, which leads to death), they knew that only His mercy could have redirected that fire from them to the sacrifice.  You know, sometimes people get roasted when God’s fire falls!  (Leviticus 10:1-3; 2 Kings 1:10)

God, in His grace, allowed the Temple to be built.  In His mercy, He allowed people to make right their relationships with Him.  The Lord knew on the day the Temple was dedicated that Israel would eventually forsake His grace and need His merciful reparation.  Immediately after confirming His satisfaction with the Temple and affirming His willingness to be met there, God gave the people very clear terms of how they must return to Him after rejecting His Word.  It is like receiving a new car as a gift for finishing rehab and immediately being told how to get it back after it is impounded when you drive drunk again.

“Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven, and there is no rain, command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways.  I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.’”  2 Chronicles 7:12-15 (NKJV)

Take heed, America!  We have despised God’s grace.  I hope people will seek His mercy; it may endure forever, but it is only offered for a limited time.  (Isaiah 55:6-9)

“Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.” 2 Chronicles 8:16 (NKJV)

Oh, the glory days of Jerusalem! It must have been fantastic to walk through the temple complex and smell fresh paint still lingering alongside the fragrance of incense & lamb roasting on the altar. Israel’s enemies were subdued, and the children of those enemies (left unconquered by Israel’s forefathers) were pressed into the service of the kingdom. You can almost hear wise Solomon sighing to his friends, “Breathe in the goodness, exhale and relax!”  All was well, or was it? In the midst of all the progress reporting of chapter 8, one sentence seems out of place.

“Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, ‘My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.’” 2 Chronicles 8:11 (NKJV)

Like I tell my children, “Never date someone you would be embarrassed to take to church.”  Solomon had entered into compromise. It didn’t seem like a big deal; a political marriage (or several) may ensure peace. After all, don’t we need separation of church and state?

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9 (NKJV)

A little leaven and a lot of time are enough to bring down an entire kingdom. While I do not want our current government teaching my children their opinions of what the Bible says, it is safe to say that God does not want to separate from ANY aspect of human involvement! Eventually, disengagement leads to disenfranchisement.

“For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.”  1 Kings 11:4-10 (KJV)

A kingdom may be God-originated, but once it becomes man-centered, it ends up God-forsaken. I am awaiting the place the Son of David is preparing. (John 14:2b-3)

“The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels[c] of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.  All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.” 2 Chronicles 9:13-20 (NKJV)

I don’t have ESP, but I know what you are thinking. You can’t get over that number, “six hundred and sixty-six,” and you’re wondering if it has any relevance to the infamous “666” in the book of Revelation. I believe the answer is “yes”; God is making a statement about Solomon’s kingdom. “Six,” the number of creations, is prominent in today’s chapter.

“This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.” Revelation 13:18 (NKJV)

“666” is not arbitrarily disclosed here, any more than the story of Melchizedek in Genesis 14 is arbitrary, although Melchizedek seems an arbitrary character until Hebrews 7. We are supposed to scratch our heads when we see that “666” pop-up again in The Revelation. We are intended to ask, “Where did I see that number before…?” as we do when we hear mention of Melchizedek in the New Testament.

So, what is the significance of “666,” and how does its mention in Solomon’s kingdom relate to the end times? While the Lord promised to establish Solomon’s kingdom, its success depended on Solomon’s seeking His Word and obeying it. The acquisition of wives and wealth directly opposed God’s requirements for kings. God is not listing His blessings as much as He is listing the setup for downfall.

“And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.” Deuteronomy 17:17 (ESV)

What we learn about in 2 Chronicles 8 & 9 are Solomon’s so-called “accomplishments,” apart from following God’s Word. “666” is an unholy trinity, where man becomes his own judge and savior and determines his own truth. God is saying Solomon’s kingdom looks impressive, but it will not stand, as in the end times. Do you see it?

“Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders, and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the Lord might fulfill His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.” 2 Chronicles 10:13-15 (NKJV)

Jeroboam was an evil king. He was the one who instituted the worship of two golden calves in Bethel and Dan to keep Israel from worshipping in Jerusalem. His rational? Jeroboam believed that the people’s hearts would turn back to the Lord if they worshipped God as He prescribed, in the place where He caused His Name to dwell. (1 Kings 12:35-33)  When you worship together in the temple Solomon built, it is difficult to hate Solomon’s son (along with your own Judean and Benjamite Jewish cousins). Question: If Jeroboam was so evil, why would the Lord give Jeroboam His word that he would rule Israel? First, let’s look at a portion of the Lord’s declaration to Jeroboam.

“‘But I will take the kingdom out of his [Solomon] son’s [Rehoboam] hand and give it to you—ten tribes. And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there. So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.  And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.’ Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.” 1 Kings 11:35-40 (NKJV)

Because of his righteousness, Jeroboam did not rule the ten tribes of Israel (aka the Northern Kingdom). He ruled because God punished the House of David for its idolatry and the people of Israel for their rebellious hearts. Both sides of the conflict underwent God’s punishment, so neither lived victoriously. Jeroboam could have followed God’s Word; God promised him success if he would. But in the end, Jeroboam chose idolatry, which led Israel into a burden far greater than Rehoboam threatened: Assyrian captivity! Rehoboam’s harsh response to Israel’s request for a lightened burden is in direct opposition to Jesus’ promise.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

“Now when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.  but the Word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ‘Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, “Thus says the Lord: You shall not go up or fight against your brethren!  Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.”’ Therefore they obeyed the words of the Lord, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.” 2 Chronicles 11:1-4 (NKJV)

God is not a pacifist.  God is a perfectionist.  But He is not a perfectionist in the obsessive “can’t see the big picture” sort of dysfunctional meaning that our culture has attached to perfectionism.  He is perfect in that while His process of drawing glory out of every circumstance seems chaotic and random, all things eventually work together for good, according to His purpose.  (Romans 8:28)  He is both Author and Perfector.  (Hebrews 12:2)

That being said, there are times when followers of Jesus may assume they know God’s will, so they will set forth to accomplish something for His glory that He never wanted to be done.  They literally, for seemingly well-meaning reasons, begin moving in the opposite direction of His will!  That’s why it’s so important to seek the Lord in prayer and faithfully obey His leading, which may make no human sense!

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (HCSB)

Modern Christianity carries this notion that God is always against war or physical violence of any kind.  But that notion is ignorant of God’s Word.  God is SOMETIMES against war and SOMETIMES for it.  We must trust His wisdom, that He knows the appropriate times for both peace and warfare.  There is a time forthcoming when His judgment will eclipse His Grace, and it will happen in His perfect timing.

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up…A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1-3; 8 (HCSB)

“Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?’ And the Lord said, ‘Go up against him.’” Judges 20:23  (NKJV)

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”  Acts 17:30-31 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Chronicles 12. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are not gods? But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties. And they burn to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the showbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you.  O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”  2 Chronicles 13:9-12 (NKJV)

Jeroboam was in big trouble, although I am confident nobody in his army thought so at the beginning of today’s chapter.  Jeroboam had sought worldly counsel, adopted the values of the pagan nations he aspired to be like, and now was scornful toward pious Judah to the point where he wanted to annihilate them!  In following after idols (and enticing others to follow him), Jeroboam literally followed the pattern of cursing that King David had described in Psalm 1.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Judah’s king Abijah, on the other hand, had kept the Lord’s Word with its priesthood intact.  Unlike Jeroboam, who walked by sight and not by faith, Abijah walked by faith, believing God’s promises to all who seek Him as He prescribes.  Notice how Abijah’s warning to Jeroboam has nothing to do with how large his army was.  (He was outnumbered.) Instead, his warning to Jeroboam consisted of knowing he had the most important plot of land on any battlefield: The Moral High Ground.  He did not have a made-up priesthood.  He had the legit one!

“The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations.  When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.” Numbers 10:8-9 (NKJV)

Did you know that all followers of Jesus have legitimately entered His priesthood?

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)

“So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David.  Then Asa his son reigned in his place.  In his days the land was quiet for ten years. Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him.” 2 Chronicles 14:1-5 (NKJV)

I must confess that I do not know much about the stock market.  When I was a child, I recall sitting at my grandparent’s kitchen table and my grandfather being very interested in the stock pages, but he never turned to me and explained what all those numbers and plusses & minuses meant.  Sure, I get the basic concept of the stock market, but my greatest understanding comes from the idea of “trends.” You cannot look at a snapshot of a particular stock and simply focus on its value today.  It may spike upward today, only to fall sharply tomorrow.  If you buy high today, but it goes low tomorrow, you lose money!  You must focus on the stock’s trend, the broader view, to understand whether a company is gaining (or losing) value as it moves into the future.

That attitude of “trending” is how we must view the southern kingdom of Judah to adequately understand whether we want to buy into their brand of YHWH worship.  We already know that the northern kingdom of Israel is a losing stock!  (A laughing stock, were it not so tragic.)  They have forsaken YHWH altogether and went with the diversified portfolio of two golden calves.  Consequently, they are trending sharply DOWNWARD.  It will not be long before Assyria defeats the destabilized kingdom of Israel in a hostile takeover, toting the Israelites into exiled captivity.

Now, let’s look at the southern kingdom of Judah.  If we take a snapshot of Judah’s stock performance today, they are up and to the right, exactly where you want to be.  Kings are seeking the Lord, reforms are being made, and mandated anti-idolatry measures are employed by the king.  But before we declare a “bull market,” is there still a market for golden bulls in Judah?  Perhaps, and one sentence bothers us.

“He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.” 2 Chronicles 14:4 (NKJV – Compare with Jeremiah 31:34; Heb. 8:11)

Morality cannot be legislated.  Sure, you can make sin illegal, but has that ever transferred into a value system that people adopt?  Tear down the “high places” on the hills, but does that remove the high places in people’s hearts?  While we are glad to see a snapshot of a moment of revival, we can predict the morality trend of Judah is moving downward.  Idolatry still lives in people’s hearts; you just can’t see it because morality is being thrust upon them.  But what if the next king advocates idols?  Will they oust or embrace him?  Time will tell the trend.

“Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle.  ‘Listen to me, Asa!’ he shouted.  ‘Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin!  The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with Him!  Whenever you seek Him, you will find Him. But if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him out, they found Him.  During those dark times, it was not safe to travel.  Problems troubled the people of every land. Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.’” 2 Chronicles 15:1-7 (NLT)

If you wanted a secure job in the Bible, “prophet” was probably not high on your list.  Prophets are like Navy SEALs.  Nobody calls a Navy SEAL to clean toilets or work in the lunchroom.  When a Navy SEAL gets called, the SEAL team member knows his job will involve a life-or-death scenario.  Prophets carry life-or-death messages.  When God calls a prophet, it always involves taking His Word into a hostile environment.  And so often in the Bible, the recipient of a prophet’s message responds by seeking to kill the prophet.  Jesus reminded Jerusalem of its historical past and unwillingness to receive the prophets’ messages.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!  She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” Luke 13:33 (HCSB)

Yet, we are called to act as prophets in our generation.  New Testament “prophecy” does not involve “special” or “new” revelation, as if we are writing new books of the Bible in our day.  Prophecy in our day involves seeking God’s Word and sharing what the Spirit reveals to us with the people with whom He wants us to share it.  The Apostle Paul exhorts us to seek that type of prophecy above all things:

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 (HCSB)

In today’s chapter, not only did the prophet boldly proclaim God’s Word at an inconvenient time, but the king received God’s Word!  In our culture of “political correctness,” remember that we follow the God of the great “perhaps.” Perhaps men will seek to kill us, and maybe they will thank us for being forthright.  Still, we should not live in fear of offending men.  We should fear offending God!  

“When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim.  And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.”  2 Chronicles 15:8 (NLT)

“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: ‘Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.’ Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.”  2 Chronicles 16:7-10 (NKJV)

We live in an era where the growing sentiment among the general population is to rely on the government to provide for us. More & more, people believe it is the government’s responsibility to ensure our healthcare, college education, wages, and overall well-being. This idea of entitlement is very attractive because it takes the responsibility off us to be individually accountable. We would rather be corporate consumers than individual contributors. But a problem arises whenever we place our trust in politicians to be our providers. And that problem is that we need politicians who seek the Lord. Shouldn’t we skip the middleman and seek the Lord as our provider? Should we not labor with integrity as we search God’s Word? Judah had that exact problem. Their king just decided to quit seeking God. Perhaps it was because the people stopped seeking God. (2 Chronicles 15:17)  

Today’s chapter shows the exact scenario as yesterday (2 Chronicles 15). Judah was in distress and on the verge of being wiped out by war.   In chapter 15, the prophet exhorts the king with God’s Word, reminding Asa of God’s promise and strengthening him by remembering God’s abiding presence and love for His people. It is the same idea conveyed by David, running for his life from King Saul.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)

It was the same message that King David exhorted the people of Israel with whenever they were threatened by foreign armies.

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 (NKJV)

King Asa chose wisely in chapter 15, but by chapter 16, he figured he did not need to consult God, choosing to trust in a foreign army. He should have listened to David.

“And David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.’” 2 Samuel 24:14 (NKJV)

“Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.” 2 Chronicles 17:3-6 (NKJV)

I have been in the music business all of my adult life—specifically, the Christian music business.  “Christian” music is the only style of music that is defined exclusively by its lyric content.  In Christian music, what is being said is more important than how it is delivered musically.  That is why Christian music comes in the forms of Praise, Worship, Rock, Choir & Orchestra, Country, Rap, etc.  What makes it “Christian” is not the style of music; it is the subject matter of its lyrics, namely, God’s Word.

Because Christian music albums are marketed products just like any other genre of music, Christian music sales follow the same basic principles of marketing and promotion as secular music: supply & demand.  Christian music marketing departments focus their efforts on raising demand among the population for Christian music and supplying products (specifically, the music of artists on their label roster) that tailor-fit the demand they have raised (or identified through market research).  Seems simple?  Well, it is, in principle.  

But what happens when God’s Word commands us to proclaim His Word boldly, but potential consumers may be offended by the message of God’s Word?  Then tension arises between two competing value systems: the principles of sales and the great commission!  Sadly, sales often win that battle, so much of what could (and most certainly should) be boldly proclaimed through Christian music becomes watered-down to meet the limited spiritual demands of a broader-market Christian consumer.  

Why do I mention all of that?  Jehoshaphat faced a similar dilemma.  As the king of a people (Judah) who were mingling idolatry with their worship of YHWH, Jehoshaphat had to choose whether to give the people what they wanted or what they needed, as commanded by God.  He could have sought popularity, which would have surely meant taking a more liberal stance on idols.  Or, Jehoshaphat could have risked popularity by choosing to trust God and rule according to His Word.  Jehoshaphat chose wisely.  He tore down places of idolatry and sent righteous men throughout the land to teach God’s Word.  And he got both revival AND prosperity.  Oh, that such boldness would overtake Christians today!  

“So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people. And the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.”  2 Chronicles 17:9-10 (NKJV)

“Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead. So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ‘Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?’ And he answered him, ‘I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.’ Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ‘Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.’” 2 Chronicles 18:1-4 (NKJV)

There is a tendency in our culture to compartmentalize our faith. Our actions and ideas say to God that He is welcome to speak into religious aspects of our lives, but there are other areas where we feel that we know better and where the Bible seems out-of-step with the “real world.” The Bible warns us against such a notion.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)

Jehoshaphat obviously felt that God had His place, but when it came to politics, he chose to strengthen Judah by marrying into the pagan Israelite royal family. His statement of allegiance to his pagan relatives was exactly the opposite of Ruth’s words when she left her Moabite culture and gods to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem, saying, “Your people are my people; your God is my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

Jehoshaphat’s decision is akin to the type of compromise we should avoid; in seeking to develop friendships with the world, we pit ourselves against God. Jehoshaphat’s “family planning” led him to the verge of war. Interestingly, he did not seek the Lord concerning marrying into a pagan family, but when the stakes rose to warfare, he felt that decision should fall into the compartment where he had stuffed the Lord. When you are hanging out with carnal Christians, your definition of “prophet” falls tragically short of the Bible’s standard.

“Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, ‘Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?’ So they said, ‘Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.’ But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?’ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.’ And Jehoshaphat said, ‘Let not the king say such things!’”  2 Chronicles 18:5-7 (NKJV)

In all things, we must seek God’s Word and live according to it.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Chronicles 19. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, indeed they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel. After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly. And he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber. But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.’ Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.” 2 Chronicles 20:31-37 (NKJV)

This is how this chapter ends. Weren’t you expecting a “Well done, good and faithful servant?”  When I first read this years ago, I felt like Jehoshaphat got the raw deal, especially after he sought the Lord and rallied the people. But God’s standard is not fickle. He does not change his mind or show favorites, and this chapter is a good example of how we should be thankful that our salvation comes from God’s grace (through our faithful belief) and is not the byproduct of our works.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)

Governments can legislate morality and tear down idolatrous “high places” in their communities, but they cannot tear down the high places in people’s hearts. After all the beseeching and tearful sacrificing, once the Lord’s deliverance was experienced, the people went right back to the party. As the old hymn pleas, have you “decided to follow Jesus? No turning back, no turning back”?

“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live? But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.”  Ezekiel 18:20-24 (NKJV)

“Moreover the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians who were near the Ethiopians.  And they came up into Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.  After all this the Lord struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease.  Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain.  And his people made no burning for him, like the burning for his fathers.  He was thirty-two years old when he became king.  He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one’s sorrow, departed.  However they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.” 2 Chronicles 21:16-20 (NKJV)

The book of Lamentations, found directly after the book of Jeremiah in Christian Bibles, is named “Echah” in the Hebrew Bible.  While the book is genuinely a lamentation over the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people, the word “echah” does not translate as “lament  .”Echah means “how” in Hebrew; more specifically, it is a question: “How?”  Therefore, the Hebrew mindset (in approaching the book of Lamentations) is not focused on mourning the loss but rather on how the loss happened, how it can be reversed, and how it can be avoided in the future.

We approach today’s chapter with the same question.  How could other nations ransack the king of Judah’s house and take away all his possessions?  Jesus addressed that exact issue.

“Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.” Matthew 12:29 (NKJV)

How was the king of Judah bound?  He was bound by his promotion of idolatry.

“Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry, and led Judah astray.” 2 Chronicles 21:11(NKJV)

How could a king of Judah promote idolatry?  Because his father allowed it to fester.

“And he (Jehoshaphat) walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.” 2 Chronicles 20:32-33 (NKJV)

How will our nation return to the Lord’s favor, where we could sing, “God shed His grace on thee” with conviction?  We must first tear down the “high places” in our hearts, by repenting & receiving the grace of Messiah Jesus.  Then, we must seek God’s Word, obey it, and share it with others, so they, too, will repent.  That’s how!

“Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.  But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom.  So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.  And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.” 2 Chronicles 22:10-12 (NKJV)

Let’s turn our focus to the future for a moment.  The Bible tells of a time forthcoming when a world ruler will arise and persecute God’s people.  The Bible calls him the “antichrist.” This will be an era immediately following the rapture of the Church yet before the second coming of Messiah Jesus.  During that time, there would be a revival among the remnants of those left behind.  That group of believers would be annihilated by the antichrist and his army were it not for the intervention of the second coming of Messiah.  It is easy to think of the “antichrist” as someone who will arrive in the distant future.  But did you know that the “spirit of the antichrist” is present in the world today?  

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.  And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3 (NKJV)

Yes, the spirit of the antichrist has been present throughout history.  It destroyed ¼ of the world’s population when Cain killed Abel; it attempted to irreparably pollute the human gene pool in the days of Noah; it sought to kill all the Hebrew males around the time that baby Moses floated into the arms of the pharaoh’s daughter; it almost eliminated the Hebrews (and the Messianic hope for the world) during the Egyptian exodus, until the Red Sea closed-in; it tried to destroy the Jewish people in the days of king Ahasuerus before Esther & Mordecai intervened; it almost killed all, the babies in Bethlehem in the days of Herod’s rule, yet baby Jesus was allowed to escape...and so forth.  Must we mention Hitler, Stalin, Arafat, and a host of others who sought to destroy the Jewish people, along with Christians?

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18 (NKJV)

Today’s chapter deals with the spirit of the antichrist, operating through Athaliah to eliminate the Messianic line, yet the Lord prevails!  We praise God, Who preserves His people despite the spirit of the antichrist, which seems to prevail in our culture!

“Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king, that they should be the Lord’s people. And all the people went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. Also Jehoiada appointed the oversight of the house of the Lord to the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had assigned in the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was established by David. And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord, so that no one who was in any way unclean should enter. Then he took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord; and they went through the Upper Gate to the king’s house, and set the king on the throne of the kingdom. So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword.”  2 Chronicles 23:16-21 (NKJV)

Yesterday, it looked as if the spirit of the antichrist would prevail in its attempt to utterly destroy the kingly line of Judah. And why is that a terrifying notion? Because the royal line of David was to be the birth line through which Messiah (the “Son of David” – Matthew 1:1) would come.  

“Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him. And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.”  2 Chronicles 22:10-12 (NKJV)

While we may be terrorized by people and world systems that operate (often unaware) under the influence of the spirit of the antichrist, it is important to remember that for every “Athaliah,” the world throws at you, God has reserved a “Jehoshabeath” to harbor you. There is no panic in heaven, only planning.

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NKJV)

Today’s narrative reminds us of a similar plot to kill God’s “anointed” when God proved that His deliverance could reach even beyond the grave to rescue His people.

“Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!”  Luke 24:5-6a (NKJV)

“Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem.  His mother’s name also was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” 2 Chronicles 24:1-2 (NKJV)

When I was 17 years old, I packed up my ’72 Chevelle convertible, drove out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and headed for college.  Those post-high school years are so refreshing because you finally get the chance to put all of your theories of life to the test.  That season reminds me of the bumper sticker that reads, “Hire a college student while they still know everything!” Yes, happiness was Ft Smith in my rearview mirror, and I was ready for a fresh start.  I wish I had been more pious as a kid, but I pretty much stopped going to church during my first year of college.  Seriously, up to that point, I had really just gone to church because my parents made me.

If you can relate to that story, you can understand what was going on in Joash’s head once Jehoiada, the priest, died.  

“But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died. And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.  Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king.  And the king listened to them. Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.  Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, ‘Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper?  Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, ‘The Lord look on it, and repay!’” 2 Chronicles 24:15-22 (NKJV)

In today’s chapter, we find an important lesson for the Church today.  You can mandate that people act like fully devoted disciples of Jesus, but how will they act when nobody is looking?  (Of course, God is always watching.)  

What happens when the charismatic authority figure is removed from the scene?   More importantly, what is the difference between acting like a disciple and being a real one?  It is the same difference between your reputation and your character.  Your reputation is the side of you that everyone sees, but your character is the side of you that only God may see.  Keep seeking Him in His Word, determined to live as He requires, and share His Word with others so they can live for Jesus, too!

“Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. Therefore the anger of the Lord was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, ‘Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?’ So it was, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, ‘Have we made you the king’s counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?’ Then the prophet ceased, and said, ‘I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.’” 2 Chronicles 25:14-16 (NKJV)

Smoking is a terrible habit. Not only is it expensive, but it always leads to lung damage, hastening the demise of its victims. Sure, smoking looks cool, everything from how a person holds a cigarette, clips off the tip of a cigar, or lights a pipe, slowly dragging and releasing the smoke. But imagine feeling like you are drowning, 24/7, unable to get a full breath of air. No, not for me.  

Am I the only one who finds it difficult to watch those TV commercials where people who’ve had their voice boxes removed (because of lung cancer surgery) are talking through those vibrating devices pressed against their throats? And what is their message? “THIS is where smoking leads!”  I feel sad to see kids smoking, and I wonder if they have ever considered that “cool” can have tragic consequences.  

Want to know what really confuses me? Every time I visit a hospital, I see nurses and doctors standing outside, smoking!   I can understand kids or foreigners (whose culture may be void of lung cancer awareness), but healthcare professionals?? Unbelievable, and yet, there it is. It is precisely how we feel when we read about a king of Judah who heeds a prophet’s warning to rid his army of idolatrous Israelites, sets out on a quasi-righteous battle against idolatrous Gentiles, yet secretly practices idolatry himself! And it sickens us to the point where we ask, HOW CAN THIS BE? God is showing us what happens to a king (or anyone for that matter) who “kind-of” follows Him, whose devotion is half-hearted.

“Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.” 2 Chronicles 25:1-2 (NKJV)

Just as the man who unwraps a new pack of cigarettes glances at the “Smoking Causes Lung Cancer…” warning, then jokes to his friend, “These things will kill you,” before he sparks up, so many people read the Bible with the same attitude toward sin. There are two things that confound a fool: How slow God is to judge and how quickly He shows up! Learn Amaziah’s lesson, but not how Amaziah learned it. Learn it in the manner God intends for you to learn so that you will seek His Word and obey it wholeheartedly.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Chronicles 26. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the Lord). But still the people acted corruptly.” 2 Chronicles 27:1-2 (NKJV)

The story of King Jotham is short and relatively straightforward. He honored the Lord, and the Lord responded to Jotham’s faithfulness by securing his kingdom. Perhaps you were wondering (as was I) how a king could be pleasing to God yet not enter the Lord’s temple for the entire duration of his reign. The answer to that question is found in the story of Jotham’s father, King Uzziah, at the end of yesterday’s chapter.  

King Uzziah who also did well in the sight of the Lord, but toward the end of his reign, Uzziah grew proud and began to take his worship of the Lord less seriously (and himself too seriously). Uzziah’s pride culminated in entering the temple and trying to participate in activities that the Lord had set apart exclusively for the priests He had chosen.

“But when he (Uzziah) was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord—valiant men. And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, ‘It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.’ Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him.” 2 Chronicles 26:16-20  (See also: Leviticus 10:1-3) (NKJV)

So, with the memory of how his father’s spotless reputation became spotted with leprosy still fresh on his mind, Jotham decided not to tempt his own fate by standing before the Lord. It was an overreaction. And that’s a shame because God’s Word is clear that children are not to be punished for the sins of their fathers. (Ezekiel 18:20)  Furthermore, God’s testimony of blessing in response to Jotham’s faithfulness was clearly displayed, to the point where Jotham should not have been afraid of Him.  (2 Chronicles 27:6)  Perhaps Jotham’s lack of faithful public worship aided the people’s apostasy and his own son’s idolatry.

Aren’t you thankful that, through Jesus, we may boldly approach the Throne of Grace? (Hebrews 4:16)