Thursday, September 16: 2Kings 22-Memory or text.

My memory isn’t perfect, I forget things. I confuse certain aspects of a story. Not long ago I was chatting about an incident in our lives some 25 years ago, talking about a phone call we received from a young girl we knew. I got most of it right but after I was finished my wife reminded me that the girl was 5 not 10 when the story happened.

We forget details, sometimes minor, sometimes major. And I am assuming good intentions here. Sometimes people distort the past on purpose which is why journalists are supposed to have corroborating sources for their stories.

My point is that for every one of us memory is imperfect which is why for important things having a written record is so important…

Flash back to the text we read today. 18 years into Josiah’s reign they find the Book of the Law.  When was the last time anyone in Israel has evaluated the way they were living based on the book? Apparently it had been a loooong time, a very long time. 18 years plus Manasseh’s and Amon’s reign of 57 years suggests at least 75 since the Book of the Law has had any authority in Israel.  This assumes that Hezekiah had the Book of the Law when he was king. A lot of corporate memory loss will happen in 75 years.

How much and how specific would our corporate memory be of WWII if we had no written records? WWII was about 65-70 years ago.

I mused on this when I realized that it had been a minimum of 75 years since Israel’s kings and priests had read God’s word, God’s laws and God’s decrees! Imagine what the practices of the church would be if it had been 75 years since anyone had seen or read the Bible! YIKES!!!

What an interesting way to consider how important God’s word is for us. God’s people across the ages have been called ‘the people of the Book.’ Are we? Do we read it and follow it? Hmmm, let’s pray:

O. God. thank You for inscribing Your word, Your story of salvation and Your laws and decrees in words on paper. Help me to honor, treasure and follow Your word. Lord, without your word, I am operating solely on memory, which in my case isn’t necessarily reliable. Thank You for writing down Your word and giving it to us.

What a gift Your written word is… Amen.

 

PS: Tomorrow we discover what Josiah did when he finally read God’s word… but that is for tomorrow.

 

Wednesday, September 15: 2Kings 21- Bad leaders, personal responsibility.

Manasseh was a vile king, probably the worst in Judah’s history. He did unspeakable things. For example, the comment in verse 6 reads, He sacrificed his own son in the fire… that is a polite way of saying that he sacrificed his sons (yes, human sacrifice) to certain ancient gods for favor or blessing. That’s how low it got for Manasseh personally. And as king he led Judah into sin.

Reading on verses 7-9 tell more of the story. He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. … if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them." But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.

As despicable as Manasseh was, the people followed him. I was struck by the underlined words. God charged the people with sin not simply Manasseh. Why? Because they followed Manasseh and they too forsook the Lord and worships false gods.

Leaders are important, very important, but everyone will stand or fall on for their own faith and faith-driven actions. People had a choice and they chose to follow the king into sin.

Contemplating this suggests two lines of questions:

1)              Who are you and I following… religiously? Who is teaching and leading and exampling the way to God? Are they biblically faithful or are they going another way?

2)              How are you living? Are you living faithfully and honorably before God Almighty?

Leaders are very important.  Following God honoring, God teaching leaders puts us on the right path and feeds us truth for living. But we stand or fall before the Lord by our own faith and the life that results from our faith. Good leader or vile leader… what we believe and how we live as a result matters.

How are you doing?  Are you following Jesus?

Lord Jesus, I believe in You and I pledge to follow You. In You and You alone will I stand on judgment day… Amen.

 

Tuesday, September 14: 2Kings 20- Dealing with our death.

At some point most of us will be forced to deal with the inevitability and reality of death –our death. Unless an accident sweeps us away unexpectedly, the certainty of death will come knocking.

Death is not something I think much about but as the calendars have turned and my years have grown, I have found that thinking about death sneaks into my consciousness at times. A few years ago when a college buddy’s wife died of cancer, wonderings of death invaded my thoughts. When another friend’s wife was killed in a freak auto accident, more thoughts of dying snuck in. Without being morbid, death is a reality.

Hezekiah, one of the most faithful kings in the history of Judah gets ‘a word’ that death looms. In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly (1-3). And Hezekiah clings to life this side of eternity with tenacious fear.

Honestly I am surprised by Hezekiah’s reaction. There is a part of me that reacted, “That’s not very faithful Hezekiah?!?” Another part of me thought, “Who am I to judge his reaction?” I have never come so close to death.  How can I know how I will react, how anyone –with faith or without- will react?

Side bar musing: I have read this passage at least once every year for 35 years. I don’t ever recall contemplating Hezekiah’s reaction of impending death.  Yet another example of how thoughts of death sneak into my mind as the years roll on.

Back to my main musings… death is a reality. And I believe that through faith in Jesus I will be invited into heaven when death comes. I believe that my future eternity in heaven will far surpass anything life offers this side of eternity. And I believe that until death comes, God has things for me to do to bring Him honor and glory.

So what are your thoughts on death? And do you have certainty of heaven when you die? If you aren’t sure, let me remind you the one sure and certain way to be at peace with your eternal future is to put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Think about it and check out Romans 10:9-13, John 1:12, 20:30 and many others).

Lord, as I sit here before You this morning I do not fear death… (I can’t say the same thing about the process of dying). All I ask Lord is that when that time comes for me that You give me grace to die in a manner that exalts You and my God and Father, Lord and Savior, Comforter and Counselor… in Jesus name I pray, Amen.

 

 

Monday, September 13: 2Kings 19- In times of crisis, pray.

 

Two times in this chapter a simple phrase caught my eye. Verse 1: When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. Again in verse14: Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

It was Hezekiah going to the temple that lit up as I read the text. The temple was the place where God dwelled, the place of sacrifice and communion with God. When trouble struck, when a crisis came, Hezekiah went to be with his Lord, Hezekiah prayed!

What a great reminder for me. When stuff happens…Pray! Fortunately as a Christ-follower, I do not have to go to a particular location to be with God. I can pause wherever I am and speak with the Lord… what a gift, what a blessing, what an invitation.

God invites us to turn to Him at any time when we need counsel, when we need to pour our hearts out, when we need help. Hezekiah turned to the Lord and God came through…

I pray the same for you and me…

So what’s your natural reaction to crisis, trouble and need? Hezekiah prayed…

Enough said, let’s pray…

Lord, You are my rock and fortress. I know You are there anytime and every time I need You. I thank You for the relationship we have, thanks to You. And I bless You and praise You for always being available and there for me and everyone who calls on Your name. Thank You, Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit. Thank You. Amen.

 

Saturday, September 11: 2Kings 18- On what are you basing your confidence?

In the middle of this chapter a question jumped out at me. It was a defining moment in the story and it is a question that cut to my heart regarding my life and how I live it. In verse 19 the Assyrian general shouts out to Hezekiah King of Judah, On what are you basing this confidence of yours?

Was Hezekiah going to trust in his wisdom and military strategy or would he trust in the Lord or in something or someone else, like allies? The chapter ends without us finding out how Hezekiah answers that question…

The chapter break provides a dramatic pause for us to wrestle with similar questions:

• On what are you basing your confidence?
• On what are you building your life?
• What saves you in times of trouble?

These questions are worth pondering, they burrow into and expose our life foundation… is it yourself, your wit, your training, your ingenuity, your smarts or street saavy? Is your life foundation your family, friends or loved ones? Is it your wealth? Is it your relationship with the Lord or is it something else still???

I cannot answer this for you nor you for me.

Before you trek off to the rest of your day, spend some time searching deeply into your life. On what is it built?

Lord, it is easy to skirt around tough questions, to answer them shallowly and without real reflection. Today Your word has posed one of those questions. Give me the chutzpa to run to and embrace Your probing…because my answer is crucial. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Friday, September 10: 2Kings 17- Judged and found wanting.

Years of disobedience caught up with the northern kingdom.God had had enough… and judgment came through the Assyrians. For years God kept calling to the northern kingdom, through the prophets, to repent and return to the Lord but Israel kept rejecting God. God’s Grace rejected … judgment descended.

Israel’s example is a reminder.  Judgment will come if we continue rejecting God’s call to repent, God’s call to come home, God’s grace and God’s love.

Lord God, I don’t want to be like the northern kingdom and presume on Your love, even as I reject Your ways. Show me areas in my life in which I need to grow and change. I bow to You, O, Lord, my God, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

Thursday, September 9: 2Kings 16- Whom do you serve?

One of the players in today’s chapter is Uriah the priest. For many years and the reign of two kings, Judah has been faithful to the Lord. I mention this because it means that faithfulness was the norm prior to this chapter.

Then along comes Ahab, who sees a beautiful altar in Damascus (a kingdom recently defeated by Assyria, I might add) and Ahab instructs Uriah to build a replica in the temple. Then King Ahaz … saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. … The bronze altar that stood before the LORD he brought from the front of the temple--from between the new altar and the temple of the LORD--and put it on the north side of the new altar. King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance." And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered (10-16).

Altars were not simply architectural features, which could be changed out when new designs spring on the market. Altars represented the god to which their sacrifices were offered. Building this new altar was more a statement about worshipping a different god than changing the style of chairs in a sanctuary because the old ones were worn out.

Ahab instructed Uriah to commit idolatry and Uriah complied! The priest caved because it was expedient to do so. Uriah, anointed and called by God, turned his back on the Lord…

1Peter 2:10 reminds us that we are a “royal priesthood.” The Lord’s words flash immediately in my mind, “Do I (we) choose the expedient road rather than the way of the Lord? Will I (we) turn from the Lord when instructed by someone in authority or it is financially beneficial?”

Uriah did… think about it.

Lord, give me the faith to stand with You in every situation, no matter the pressure –overt or subtle- placed upon me. I ask this in the name of the One who endured the cross on my behalf… In Jesus’ name, Amen.