Tag: judah

167. Because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.

1 Kings 20:26  In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country. And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” And they encamped opposite one another seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the people of Israel struck down of the Syrians 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. And the rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell upon 27,000 men who were left.

2 Samuel 10:18     And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there.

2 Chronicles 13:17    Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men.

2 Chronicles 28:6   For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.

Isaiah 37:36     And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

In a few passages, we see close to one million people die because they chose not to honor God and had forsaken Him.  They chose to walk paths, live their lives, and give no thought to serving God.  The consequences of their collective decisions were devastating.  Like lemmings running off of a cliff one after another, so is the mind of man easily swayed to take the path of the many.  Matthew 7:13; “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Romans 9:27; “And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” Romans 12: 2; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

It did not matter if those who were put to slaughter were of Israel or of pagans.  The judgment for them was carried out and purposed by God.  We do well not to become complacent in our walk with God and learn to stand firm in His word each day.  Keep it close to your heart and soul.

154. Provoking me to anger with their sins

1 Kings 16:8  In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years. But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah, Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.

1 Kings 16:1-4     And the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,  “Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins,  behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house

Do we take sin serious?  Do we see God as this generous, benevolent, free giving, ever wanting to do whatever it is we want, blessing us no matter what we endeavor to do, absent from judgment, and our personal good luck charm?  When we have a limited view and understanding of sin our knowledge and understanding of who God is will also be limited.  Scripture is full of history and works of God, promises of God, and the wisdom of God.  They speak of His unfailing love and jealous anger, His unlimited power, might, strength, His plan and purpose for mankind, His plan of redemption/salvation through Jesus Christ, His call to us for confession, repentance, and belief in His redemption plan through Christ alone, Heaven, hell  and eternity, Coming judgement.

We will do well to spend time in His word with intentional purpose to know Him, to serve Him, to honor Him, to follow Him, to obey Him, to trust Him.  When His anger is unleashed against those who choose to lead others astray and those who do not heed warnings blindly following with deaf ears and blind eyes. We see this time and time again in scripture.  We should learn from it and be different because of it.   What is the difference in your life compared to someone who gives little to no thought about God?  You see there ought to be a difference if God is first and Jesus is real in your life.

150. Within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways.

1 Kings 14:21   Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

Ezekiel 16:47-48     Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways.

Romans 1:24-27    Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!

Deuteronomy 32:18-21  You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.  “The LORD saw it and spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.  And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness.  They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Do you ever wonder how people get so far away from God that they replace serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him with something else?  It is not as though God changed who He was or His steadfast love and holiness changed.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  What changes in the lives of people that they no longer have a heart, mind, and soul for the one and only true God.  I have an idea it was a slow decline over time.  They allowed the very evil and wayward thinking of the people God drove out before them to find it’s wake back.   It is not as though they woke one day and said: “I am going to do this really stupid thing I know is wrong against God”.  No, it was more like a slow steady decline and turning of their heart and mind away from God and His word.  They spent less and less time thinking about Him and more and more about themselves. They spent more time listening to those who have no heart for God than time in God’s word.   

Acceptance of false teaching and sinful living is the beginning of the fall.  Some may think since it is just the beginning of the fall it is not that bad.  If you jump off of a cliff there is really no difference in the ending from the beginning.  The outcome is the same, it is just the little bit of time between.  It is not as though you can grab onto anything while you are in midair on a free fall.  Such are the lives of many who spend little to no time in God’s word and their heart and mind are listening to that which does not serve, honor, or glorify God.  It is a slow heating of the water and nothing aware of how hot it is getting before you are dead.

There is no one holding you back from serving, honoring, glorifying, following, and obeying God but you.  You choose each day.

147. He sought to silence the messenger rather than respond to the message.

1 Kings 13:1  And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings. And the man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.’” And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. And the king said to the man of God, “Entreat now the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” And the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him and became as it was before. And the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” And the man of God said to the king, “If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place, for so was it commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.’” So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.

David Guzik; “This is a sad commentary on the spiritual state of Jeroboam’s kingdom. This anonymous man of God was used in an important way. He demonstrates that one does not need to be famous to be significantly used by God.  Jeroboam’s reaction was immediate – he sought to silence the messenger rather than respond to the message. The prophecy from the man of God was like most every message of coming judgment – an implicit invitation to repentance. Jeroboam obviously did not accept this invitation.  Under the evident judgment of God, Jeroboam had no use for golden calves or their altars. He knew that his only hope was in the LORD and in His representative.  As the subsequent chapters will show, Jeroboam didn’t really repent here; or if he did, it was only for a moment. Wanting to receive something from God is not the same as repentance. Jeroboam quickly – and naturally, given the circumstances – embraced the man of God as a friend. He wanted to refresh and reward him, without any repentance from the sin the man of God had denounced.” 

How many times do we go down paths without a single thought of being on a path that is God led, God, purposed, and God planned?  If there is no intentional choice (desire) to seek out God’s leading for each day then we leave an opening for influences other than God to slip in and guide us.  Therein is the problem.  We seem to condone walking through life with an occasional glance in God’s direction rather than intentionally choosing to keep our eyes fixed on Him, our heart committed to Him, and our mind ever thinking about Him.

When we are in His word each day there is a refreshing that comes to our soul.  This refreshing comes in different forms.  Conviction and subsequent refreshing repentance and forgiveness.  Courage, peace, and rest in the face of trials.  Hope in the midst of troubles. The clarity in times of confusion.  Light in darkness.  Strength in weakness.

If God is not first and foremost in our every day lives then what is first and foremost will not be honoring, serving, following, and serving Him.

145. How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world

1 Kings 12:16  And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.

When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 25:8     But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.”

Hosea 8:4    They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.

Matthew 25:12    But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Luke 13:25     When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

Luke 13:27     But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’

John 10:14     I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

Galatians 4:9     But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Do we think that we are any different than those of history where the Lord says; “They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not”?  We see that Rehoboam listened when he heard “for this thing is from Me”.  How many then and now do not even come close to listening, they do not seek God in their decision, nor do they seek to honor Him with what they are doing.  When God’s word is present in our lives it is used by the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us.  Herein lies the problem.  We think we can neglect God’s word in our life and make a decision based on experience, circumstance, and what is acceptable by the norm, culture, society.

Luke what Jesus said to those who played the part of being wholly for God but whose heart and mind was not close to Him or have a desire to honor, serve, follow and obey Him; ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’, “‘I do not know where you come from.’, “I do not know where you come from. Depart from me”, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,”.  There is a way that seems right to man but ends in death and separation from God.  It is a path that is easy to follow because many are on it and if we just look and compare ourselves to them we assume we are good enough for heaven.

Let’s get this straight – NO ONE IS GOOD ENOUGH – EVER!!!!  All fall short, all need to be redeemed, all need a savior, all need their sins forgiven.  When our eyes are comparing ourselves with others we will always find a way to be good enough in the eyes of Jesus.  Our eyes deceive us and we easily believe that lie.  Soon we are no longer being led by the word of God but the ways of the world, culture, and society.

Commit to being in His word every day for the purposes of honoring, serving, following, glorifying, obeying, and trusting Him.  Allow it to reach the depths of your heart, mind, and soul and guide you.

Is it not as nothing in your eyes?

Exodus 17:14  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.

Exodus 34:27     And the LORD said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

Deuteronomy 31:9    Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.

Joshua 4:7    then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

Haggai 2:2-3     “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say,  ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?

Write it as a memorial.  recite it the ears of Joshua.  Write it down so that it will not be forgotten.  Speak it so that it will be passed on.  When it comes to God’s word being active in our life, we should have memorials/testimonies that are recited in the ears of our family and friends.  We should write them down so they are not forgotten.  They should be spoken to give God honor and the hearer encouragement in what God is doing.

Note, in Haggai where the house of God was nothing in the eyes of the people.  They forgot it’s former glory of God.  They forgot God.  They went their own way, down their own path away from God.

When God’s word is neglected or we take to being complacent toward it, His word is becomes no longer active in our heart, soul, and mind and then it is not active in our everyday life.

Be very careful in your walk with God.  Keep His word close to your heart.  Write down and recite what He is doing in your life frequently to your family and friends.  Honor God with your life – keep His word active in what you think, say, and do.