David – Page 3 – Praying Pint

10.g. “Shall you not know it?”

Amos 9:11 “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Issaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness [And] rivers in the desert

This is an abrupt change from the strong message of rebuke and judgment. Without this last passage and change of tone, the book of Amos would be incomplete. “It is now declared that the reason of the divine judgment is not revenge, but the only way in which it is possible to usher in the restored order on which the heart of God is set”. God promised to take what was ruined and to repair and rebuild it. Sometimes God works in a completely new way, letting the old die and doing a work of new creation. James, the brother of Jesus, quoted Amos 9:11-12 at the Council of Jerusalem. He used this passage to demonstrate that God promised to reach the Gentiles and to bring them into His kingdom under the Messiah, not under Israel.

Under God’s inspiration, the prophet Amos ends the book on a note of high hope, looking forward to a day of great prosperity and abundance in Israel. Under the reign of Jeroboam II, they had material abundance, but it was not in the LORD. God promised to restore them to prosperity from Him and in Him. When God releases blessing and restoration, fruit comes quickly. When God releases blessing and restoration, fruit comes from unexpected places. When God releases blessing and restoration, fruit comes with great quality.

When God releases blessing and restoration, the work is blessed – but it is still work. The plowman, the reaper, the treader of grapes, and him who sows seed still have their work to do. God doesn’t just do it all for them, but under God’s blessing and restoration the work is done with energy and joy. The plowman doesn’t just wait around; he gets busy even if he starts bumping into the reaper! “One sign of a true revival, and indeed an essential part of it is the increased activity of God’s laborers” (Spurgeon). However, even if it is not a time of remarkable blessing and restoration, the work of God still deserves our energy and effort.

9.y. “And tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.”

Amos 6:1 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes! Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory, O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence? “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

Isaiah 56:12    “Come,” they say, “let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.”

Ezekiel 12:22  “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing’?

1 Thessalonians 5:3   While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

2 Peter 3:4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

Before Covid 19 how many would have been saying “and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.” Do you ever stop to think about all of those who have rejected God’s call to repentance? I sometimes wonder what it is that keeps them from seeing and hearing what the Word of God calls out. “COME UNTO ME ALL WHO ARE HEAVEY WITH BURDENS AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST”, “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE”, “I WILL RETURN AGAIN”, “WHERE I AM YOU SHALL BE ALSO”…. these Words of God call out great promises of salvation, redemption, hope, peace, rest, and eternity. Likewise, there are plenty of scripture that have great promises of wrath, anger, and judgment. It is one or the other. There is no middle ground. Belief in Jesus Christ, repenting of sin, trusting in, clinging to, and relying on Jesus Christ, growing in understanding, knowledge, and wisdom through God’s Word, and seeking and desiring to humbly serve honor, and obey Him is the choice of those who will be in eternity with Him. Others will not. Because of their rejection of Jesus Christ, they will spend eternity in torment forever and ever. Know that we will be held accountable for how we live and just like in times of Amos, people would not believe judgment was at their doorstep.

8.y. “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

The grace of God proclaimed and the invitation given -“Come”. Isaiah 2:5 “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD”. Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” John 7:37 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

These invitations are the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ reaching out to the lost sinner. Over and over again the invitations are given with urgency, hope, and warnings. To those who respond to this invitation with a heart and soul-deep cry for forgiveness, help, and guidance, they will find peace that passes all understanding, healing for their soul, and an overwhelming assurance of salvation, eternal life, the return of Jesus Christ, and to be forevermore in His presence forever and ever. To those who reject these invitations, they will find no deep peace. They will believe lies, serve self, and will enter into hell and eternal torment knowing that they rejected the King of Kings, the Alpha and Omega, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.”

6.m. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;

Revelation 4:1  After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Isaiah 55:1-3    “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

John 6:37     All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 7:37     On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

Revelation 22:17    The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Matthew 7:13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.

“a door standing open in heaven!” Do you ever give thought to what it means to have the door open and an invitation to come? The invitation is to come through the door. The one giving the invitation is Jesus Christ. The Son of God opens the door to forgiveness of sin, faith, hope, joy, healing, peace, rest, love, heaven, and eternity. He may reach out and get your attention, tap you on your shoulder, whisper into your conscience, or with the sound of a trumpet, but He will not pull you through the door. He gives the invitation to come and He is holding the door open for you to come in. When He says come, it is with the same open invitation like follow Me, listen to Me, obey Me, trust in Me, love Me, have faith in Me. None of these will be forced upon anyone. These invitations are offers from Jesus Christ the Son of God and require a willing humble desire. Do you ever wonder if we take His invitations serious? Imagine getting an invitation from a celebrity and know they are waiting at the door, with it open and waiting for you. Would you go? Would you tell others? Would you be excited? Would you be happy to see this celebrity waiting at the door for you? What value does this celebrity offer should you willing to accept their offer to come?

The truth is they can offer worldly things but nothing that will last for eternity. They can offer no forgiveness of sin, faith, hope, joy, healing, peace, rest, love, heaven, and eternity. And yet, we seem to think this is a very big deal should we receive their invitation, when in fact, we should be willingly, excitedly, humbly, and with reverence accepting the invitations from the Son of God.

6.h.

Revelation 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

Matthew 16:19    I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Job 11:10    If he passes through and imprisons and summons the court, who can turn him back?

John 14:6    Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 John 5:20    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

We are occupied sometimes with the want to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We listen and want to believe someone is telling us the truth. Sometimes we just hear what we want to hear and that becomes truth for us. We are going through some political hail storm in our country right now. Investigations, interrogations, and judicial inquiries fill the news on social networks, media outlets, TV, and radio. We hear things only to find out what someone said 3 months or 2 years ago was not the truth. New evidence is found and the foundation for our beliefs in the situation is no longer supported. I don’t care what side of the current situation you are on, or what media outlets you choose to listen too, they all have given some truth, some half-truths, and some outright lies. It is hard to trust what we hear and who to believe. At some point, many just don’t listen anymore because they get fed up having to try to sort it out.

I think some are the same way when it comes to reading and believing what is recorded in the bible. People apply the skeptic’s eye they have been trained to use on the culture and society they live in. They read what is written and say that can not be true because “they did not personally see it”, “it has never happened before”, “that is not in agreement with science”, and “if a man wrote it, it must be tainted with what they believe to be the truth”.

Here we read the Holy One and the True one is speaking to this church in Philadelphia. He is one we can believe. He is one who speaks no lies. He is in control. He shuts, no one can open and what He opens no one can shut. There is so much to unpack in this it would take years and volumes of writing to scratch the surface of it. Three words describe God, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, and they are the beginning of our foundation of truth. All-powerful, all-knowing, and always present. If we do not start here it will be hard to believe or have faith or put action to our faith. The church in Philadelphia was such a church of faith and to whom this letter is written.

3.r. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

Ezra 8:15 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God. And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18; also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20; besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.

Proverbs 2:6     For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 20:5    The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

Daniel 2:21    He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

2 Timothy 2:7    Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

“Who were men of insight”. There are times I seem to have an understanding and other times it seems like there is nothing but air between my ears. Something changed in our world over the last 25 years. “Google it.” For most of this culture, the thought of going to the library and looking something up has never been a thought. This culture has what seems to be the worlds biggest library right in the palm of their hand. We can speak into our smartphone and in less than 2 seconds have a response to our inquiry. We weed through these results and scan them for information that seems to meet our expectation. The problem with the ease of this is that the search is so easy that we do not have the want to retain knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Everything seems to go into short term memory because anytime I need to know something I can do a search and have the information that seems right within the time it would take me to grab my keys to go to the library. I don’t need to do all of the research that once upon a time was required. I can just read up on all of that from others and for the most part, never have to form my own thoughts. Herein is the problem; When this approach is taken toward the Word of God.

We don’t have to “Know” God’s word as intended but rather can just look up keywords and have His promises pop up in front of our eyes. We latch onto these for the cure of our heart, mind, and soul. We can look up; afraid, lonely, greed, pride, grace, forgiveness, love, joy, peace, refuge, power, strength, security, hope, faith, to mention a few. We find a verse or a few verses that we can claim and it eases our mind. What gets lost in this type of “one and done” lookup is the presence of God in our lives. What gets lost is a continual growth and maturity that comes from seeking and desiring to know and understand God through intentionally spending time in His word, meditating on it, and allowing Holy Spirit to transform our thoughts through diligent study. Don’t get me wrong. There are times to use “lookup searches.” While we are spending time in study is a good time to gain understanding through seeing more examples of the verse that strikes a raw nerve in our heart.

We must guard our heart and mind from being tempted from the neglect of “the Wholeness” of God’s Word. We must spend time in it with a longing to know God deeper and how to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Him if we want to become “men of insight” who rightly divide the “Word of Truth”.

3. And all the people joined in the covenant.

2 Chronicles 29:1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.”

Ezra 10:3     Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.

Nehemiah 9:38    “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing

Jeremiah 34:15   You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name,

Jeremiah 50:5    They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’

2 Kings 23:3    And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.

2 Chronicles 6:8    But the LORD said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart.

Fathers do not determine the walk of their children when they are grown. Fathers can do everything right and their child, when an adult, can take paths in their life that totally contrary to God and how they were raised. Likewise, the fatter can do absolutely everything wrong and their child, when an adult, can take paths totally in line with God and now how they were raised. Of course, the child can follow in their father’s footsteps as well for good or evil.

We see this over and over again throughout scripture. We wonder why or how this happens. We don’t have to look far to see it all around us and in our family or the family of friends. Individually we make an intentional choice to honor, serve, follow, glorify, trust and obey Jesus Christ or we make an intentional choice not too. We choose to seek God and His word or not. We choose to deny self or not. We choose to grow and mature in the gospel of Jesus Christ or not. We choose how much activity we allow into our life that may interfere with our walk with Jesus Christ. We choose how generous we will be. We choose if we will allow ourself to be wronged and if we will forgive, and if we will be united with our body of believers. We choose how we will spend our time. We choose what we allow ourselves to think about. We choose what we will say and how we will say it. We choose every moment of every day whom we will follow.

We read scripture today on those who chose and committed to desire, seek and follow after God. Be one who intentionally chooses to place God first and subject everything else to that commitment.

2.t. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.

2 Chronicles 24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

2 Chronicles 24:15 But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house. Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.

Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’” But they conspired against him, and by 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 that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!” At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash. When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed.

We can never underestimate the influence of those we allow ourselves to associate with. You would have thought Joash would have been firm in his walk with the Lord. He was led and counseled by the high priest Jehoiada from the time he was 7 yrs old and had become king. Joash did right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada. It is not as though Joash did not know what it meant to lead the people in full commitment to the Lord. He knew what was right yet still chose to listen to the princes of Judah and abandon the house of the Lord. They chose to worship idols and Joash followed along willingly. Even when Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, being led by the Spirit of God, called them out on their falling away, Joash chose to not listen and had Zechariah stoned.

Do you ever wonder how it is possible to have tasted the love, guidance, joy, peace, and blessings of God and people turn away from Him? So it is when we are living in prosperity and have been blessed by God with joy and peace. We so easily don’t see the need anymore for God in our lives, and if we do it is at arm’s length. It is almost as though we keep Him on speed dial in case we need His help but other than that there is no humble service, honor, reliance, or listening for His leading in our lives. We might not admit it but we intentionally choose to do this.

Think about a time when chaos, confusion, uncertainty, and trials hit you hard. Were you not calling out to God with all your heart, mind, and soul? Weren’t you relying on and trusting in Him? Weren’t you constantly seeking Him? Now compare this time of your life and the earnestness in which you sought and flowed after God to how you are in times of peace, prosperity, and blessings. Is there a difference? Do you seek to be in His presence with the same level of intensity? Do you seek to hear Him speak into your life? Do you hunger and thirst for Him in the same way? If not, then confess it and repent and turn away from this lukewarm commitment. Remember the price that was paid. Remember the love of Jesus Christ willingly given for the redemption of your sin. Remember this world is not our home, we are only passing through. Remember are a child of the King and ought to live to honor Him.

No one is immune to the attacks on our heart, mind, and soul from either self or Satan. We need to take inventory of our heart, mind, and soul. We need to take inventory of the time we spend in His Word, the time we spend in prayer, the time we spend in honoring, the time we spend in listening, and time we spend in thought and action. His word should be on our heart, in our mind, and flooding our soul. Our ears should desire to hear Him speak into our life. Our eyes should be seeking to see His handiwork.

In all things, at all times, in all words, and in all action our lives should serve, honor, worship, glorify, follow, obey, trust in and rely on Jesus Christ. Keep Him first. Choose to walk each moment of every day with Him for these purposes because He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

2.q. Because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.

2 Chronicles 21:1 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.

Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father’s house, who were better than you, behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.’”

Another example and story of a father passing the reign to his son and the son not giving a thought at all to his father’s example. It does not tell us when Jehoram married Ahab’s daughter and if this was an arranged marriage by his father. Either way, Ahab was one very very bad person and led the people away from God and toward idol worship. His daughter more than likely had an influence on Jehoram but Jehoram made the choice to lead the people away from serving God. He chose a path that did not honor or glorify God. What kind of hardening of the heart must take place to abandon God and kill your brothers? What kind of false life did he live prior to his father passing away? A person just does not change overnight. He might have given head and mouth service to God but not his heart, mind, and soul.

Choices to depart from God begin innocent enough but soon cloud the mind with ideas that replace service to God with any and everything. The person who departs does not know the day and time but at some point in their life, they closed their ears and turned their back to God. The drifting away is blinded from their mind because they give no thought to or about Him. I wonder how many of us spend enough time in His word, meditate on His word, seek and desire His word, want to hear Him speak into our lives, and are able to discern what actions are honorable and pleasing in the sight of God.

If His word is not refreshing our heart, soul, and mind every day something else is. That something else will always set us on a drifting away course in life. We have been given examples of both Godly and ungodly men/leaders in the bible. We do well to follow the Godly examples given to us and take heed of those that are not. Practice the presence of God at all times.

Notice the people from Edom and Libnah. They revolted from under his rule because he had departed from following and serving God. These are people who took their walk with the Lord very serious and took action not to get swept up onto this path away from serving, honoring, following and obeying God. We do well to keep God first and place all thoughts and actions in line with His word to protect ourselves from being pulled along at the influence of the culture.

2.e. “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.”

2 Chronicles 18:1 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.”

1 Samuel 23:2     Therefore David inquired of the LORD,

Psalms 27:4    One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

1 Samuel 23:9-12  David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”  Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.  Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”  Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.”

Jeremiah 21:2    “Inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us.

Ezekiel 20:3    “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD, Is it to inquire of me that you come? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

How many days go by that we are not inquiring of Jesus Christ? How many issues, trials, troubles, and mixed up days do we seek to handle on our own, define our own plan, and take our own path? Why is it we choose to go through these days alone? Why is it we think we can handle the decision making on our own? Why do we pretend our decision is correct and the outcome will be good for us?

The main reason we go it alone is that we choose to be alone. We intentionally choose to face each moment of each day on our own. We choose NOT to have Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our presence. We choose NOT to seek Him, NOT to listen to Him, NOT to trust Him, NOT to follow Him, NOT to honor Him, NOT to obey Him, and NOT to rely on Him. We seek blessings but do not want to be constantly near and clinging to the One who blesses us. We seek to find satisfaction and purpose in our lives apart from Him.

Don’t receive this the wrong way. We definitely finally run to Him in times of trials but it is the daily moments, the minutes and hours we choose to keep Him away at arm’s length. We choose to be in His presence. We choose to do that which honors, glorifies, and obeys Him. Staying in His word is not a burden but adds a renewing to our heart soul and mind. We choose to stay in His word and hear it speak into our life. We choose to stay in His word to know Him more and more so that our life is not lived for self but for the purpose, He has given to us and how He is leading us. We choose to stay in His word and His presence for it brings life and purpose to our heart and soul that nothing on earth can match or fulfill. We choose Him because He first chose us, and He loved us so much that He gave is life up to redeem us. He died for our sin so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He died so that we might live victoriously. He died so that we would find forgiveness, and know mercy and grace. He died so that we might know true peace, joy, hope, strength, power, and love.

Why is it we go hours on end without even wanting Him in our presence and thoughts? Why is it we do not desire and seek His leading? We can go boldly to the throne of grace, into His presence at all times, and we seem to choose to hide safely behind the curtain until the flames of our issues have all but consumed us before we step into His presence. Choose to come into His presence with thanksgiving, rejoicing, and praise.