July 15 - 2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16-17: Judah is Defeated and Israel Taken into Captivity for Abandoning God

Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16-17

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Israel forgets God to the extent that they sacrifice children to other gods.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

King Ahaz worshiped Baal gods, sacrificing a child. Aram and Israel defeated Judah.
Oded scolded the Israelite army and the captives were returned.
Assyrian troops attacked and humiliated Ahaz. Panicked, Ahaz ransacked the Temple.
Ahaz worshiped Damascene gods. He died and Hezekiah reigned.
In Israel, Hoshea ruled only slightly better than his predecessors. Assyria took Israel into captivity.
These things happened because Israel acted as the Canaanites. They refused to listen to God's prophets. They followed Jeroboam's sin. God denied their place.
Assyria's king sent a priest to help the remnant honor and worship God. The exiles worshiped other gods.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Ahaz never learns from his defeats.

A few days ago, we read Isaiah's and Amos' harsh indictment of Judah and Israel for not understanding God's punishment. This is what Amos referred to. Ahaz first thought his allies were not strong enough. When he sought stronger allies he was roundly defeated again. So he began worshiping the gods of Damascus. The only thing that could have saved his reign, the one thing he needed to do was the furthest from his mind—ask God for salvation. Therefore, he was punished. Go to God when you feel alone and weak. He will help.

Ahaz ransacked and boarded up the Temple.

What a sad day for Israel. In less than 400 years the Temple David envisioned to honor God, the building that represented God's presence with Israel, which ushered in the pinnacle of Israel's existence has now been abandoned and boarded up by the people who have a perpetual throne in Jerusalem. Sin will ruin even the greatest and most important parts of our existence. Stay away from other gods!

The sin of Jeroboam (the Older) has reached its conclusion—Israel's exile.

Jeroboam erected two golden calves to prevent Israel from returning to Judah to worship God. It was meant to keep the division between Judah and Israel set and Jeroboam (the Older) in power. What it did instead was place the split nation of Israel (and later all the children of Abraham) on a path to being removed from God's Promise to Abraham. Beware your small faults today. They can turn into huge stumbling blocks for future generations.

Israel's obituary consists of one line—they would not listen.

Israel no longer has a country of its own. They are scattered within Assyria. The cause of death: abandoning their god. The symptoms: repeating the sins of the Canaanites who came before them, who God casted out because of sins such as child sacrifice. God tried to help them see the truth of their actions but they were too stubborn to listen. God's prophets were ignored or killed. God's attempts at shocking them into seeing their precarious condition only caused them to seek outsiders as allies. Israel would not listen and therefore must be punished.

"Don't honor other gods: Don't worship them, don't serve them, don't offer sacrifices to them. Worship God, the God who delivered you from Egypt in great and personal power. Reverence and fear him. Worship him. Sacrifice to him. And only him! All the things he had written down for you, directing you in what to believe and how to behave - well, do them for as long as you live. And whatever you do, don't worship other gods! And the covenant he made with you, don't forget your part in that. And don't worship other gods! Worship God, and God only - he's the one who will save you from enemy oppression." (2 Kings 17:35-39, The Message, emphasis original)

Learn from Israel's mistakes! Do not worship other gods!

In a moment of momentous irony, the king of Assyria has to send a priest back to Israel to teach the remnant how to worship God again.

To add insult to captivity, the king of Assyria had to send a priest back into Israel to teach them how to honor and worship God again. "The people … don't know what's expected of them from the god of the land, and now he's sent lions and they're killing people right and left because nobody knows what the god of the land expects of them" (17:26). Someone will honor and worship God. Either His Chosen People or strangers who occupy His People's place will worship Him.

Don't worship other gods!

July 4 - 2 Kings 9-11: Jehu Cleans Out Ahab's House

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 9-11

The Message

English Standard Version

Like yesterday, chapter 11 repeats Sunday's section on the kings of Judah. I will skip that part and refer you to the other post.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Even though Jehu does not completely obey God, He still blesses Jehu.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Elisha informed Jehu that God anointed him the next king of Israel and commissioned him to execute Ahab's entire family. This began the conspiracy against Joram.
Jehu laid a trap and killed both Joram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah.
Jezebel's servants threw her out a window. Dogs ate her body.
Jehu executed all 70 of Ahab's sons, his advisors, and his extended family.
He then laid a trap for the Baal worshipers in Israel. He turned the temple into a toilet.
Jehu did not tear down Jeroboam's shrines; however, God still blessed his family.
Israel lost land.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Ahab's punishment was brought in his sons' day.

God promised to Ahab that his entire family would be killed and wild animals would eat their flesh. Because Ahab repented, God delayed the punishment until after Ahab's death. Jehu became God's executioner, punishing Ahab's entire family because of his sins. God's promises, especially his punishments, will come true.
Why did Ahab's family and advisors suffer death because of his sins? The answer is similar to why God wanted the Canaanites removed from the land. If Ahab's family had been allowed to live, they would have become bad influences on Israel and could have derailed Jehu's work to bring Israel back into a good relationship with God. God does not want bad influences to stay among His Chosen People. They are to remain pure, wholly for Him.

Jehu did not remove Jeroboam's shrines but God blessed him anyway.

Jeroboam's name always comes with an epithet—he's the one who caused Israel to sin. By this time, Jeroboam has become a legend. What he created became accepted culturally. Jehu was not willing to anger the people by removing them. However, God delighted in Jehu's actions and allowed the next three generations to be on the throne. God does not demand perfection. He demands holiness. Unfortunately, Jehu's heart did not stay holy to God and he fell into the same sin as Jeroboam.

Are you trying to obey the god of perfection?

June 23 - 1 Kings 12-14: Jeroboam Sets a New Record for Sinning Against God

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 12-14

The Message

English Standard Version

Today we begin the divided kingdom section in the history of the Jews. We now have two kings to keep track of. This becomes confusing, especially since the reigns did not always begin and end at the same time. Since we are reading chronologically, some of the confusion will be taken out. However, the two books (1 Kings then 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles) will overlap. When they do, I will summarize and comment on the life of one king the first day (today will be Jeroboam) and the other king the next day (Rehoboam).

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Jeroboam was taken from nothing, given most of the kingdom of David, the man who received a promise from God, and then caused Israel to worship other gods.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

As promised, God took the kingdom away from Solomon's son. Jeroboam became king over 10 tribes.
Jeroboam worried Israel would reunify. He changed Israel's worship, built two golden calves, multiple shrines and appointed unworthy priests—blatantly sinning against God.
God sent a messenger to condemn the new altar at Bethel. A king would sacrifice its prophets there.
An old prophet of God came and tricked the messenger to his death.
Jeroboam did not change.
Jeroboam sent his wife to Ahijah on behalf of his son. Ahijah told her God would punish Jeroboam's entire household with death. His son died.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Jeroboam forsook God because of his unwillingness to trust God's promise.

God gave Jeroboam a kingdom—David's kingdom. Yet that promise was not sufficient for Jeroboam. He had to prevent Israel from going to Jerusalem to worship. So he instead erected altars to other gods and appointed unholy people as priests for these new gods. Saul's reign ended because he would not wait to worship God the correct way. Jeroboam not only lost the kingdom for his lineage, he forfeited the lives of all his servants! When we regard our position higher than our faithfulness to God we are on the road to death. We may not die as Jeroboam died, but we cannot be on the road to life.

The story of the holy man of God who went to Jeroboam is one of the saddest stories in the Bible.

He is one of the most pitiable people in the Bible. He was willing to stand before the king of Israel and condemn the king's actions. He was willing to obey God's instructions. His problem was believing in the wrong person. The person he believed in told a great lie. Unfortunately it turned out to be the mistake that took his life. Beware when someone, even a person who proclaims to be from God, tells you to go against God's direct commands. It may be a test to see if you trust God.

What is your highest record of sin? (Don't answer that)