Category Archives: Wickedness / Evil

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Obeying God, Parables, Selfishness, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil

How Shall We Treat God and His Messengers?

Yahweh has created a wonderful world for us to enjoy. He has created each of us as unique and wonderfully made. He gives us each gifts and abilities to use for His glory. He blesses us with life and many more things to help us prosper.  How shall we treat Him and His messengers in return?

Mark 12:1-12

Parable of the Vine-growers

      1And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT, AND DUG A VAT UNDER THE WINE PRESS AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 2“At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers. 3“They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4“Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5“And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. 6“He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7“But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8“They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9“What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.

10“Have you not even read this Scripture:
‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;

      11THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD,
AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?”

      12And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the people, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him and went away.

Take a moment to reflect on how selfish and wicked the vine-growers are… they represent the vast majority of people that God has created. They reject God, His messengers, even His son. They live for themselves. The justify and rationalize their actions as if to avoid recognizing any wrongdoing.

Now reflect on the vineyard owner. How shall he react? God has given much patience and grace already. Many prophets and even His son have come in His name. For those who have welcomed them, they will be received into the kingdom of God. For the many, however, who have rejected and killed and mocked the messengers and son of God, they will face a righteous judgment. They will suffer because of their own choices.

Each of us gets to choose how we treat God and His messengers when He reaches out to us. It is more than just words. We show we accept God through consistent actions and attitudes… through how we choose to live our lives. Will we live selfishly after our own desires and claim with our lips to honor God or will we honor God with our very lives, choosing His ways above our own.

Choose wisely.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to treat You and Your messengers with respect and thankfulness. Let me not live selfishly according to my own desires, but live in submission to You as LORD. Help me to do so joyfully and thankfully! Thank You for my family, my job, my home, and so much more. Thank You for fellow believers, followers of Christ. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Heaven and Hell, Lying / Deceiving, Money / Finances / Wealth, Wickedness / Evil, Wise, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Give to Caesar Things That Are Caesar’s; and to God Things That Are God’s

The Pharisees were not pleased with the preceding parables about the vineyard owner and the wedding feast in which Jesus revealed clearly that they face God’s righteous judgment for rejecting God’s commands and mistreating His messengers, the prophets and Jesus, Himself. Rather than consider if they were wrong, which they were not open to accepting, they went and plotted with another group against Jesus… a group which they did not even agree with… the Herodians. With malice and forethought they plotted to trap Jesus in Matthew 22:15-22.

      15Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. 16And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. 17“Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” 18But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19“Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. 20And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” 22And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.

They were hoping for one of two outcomes:

  • Jesus says to pay the tax to Caesar and the people turn against Jesus because they saw Caesar as an occupying force rather than a civil government.
  • or Jesus says not to pay the tax and they notify the governor that Jesus is speaking against Rome in hopes He will be dealt with harshly by the Romans.

They attempted flattery and deception, but to no success. God will not be fooled by men. Jesus sees right through their attempted trap and calls them out on it. Then he answers the question in a way they can not even use to trap Him.

The answer still applies today. Much of what Rome was doing was evil in the sight of the Lord, but Jesus pointed out that the money in question comes from Rome and thus can be used to pay lawful taxes to Rome as the civil governing authority. This is not to say that we have to like it… and certainly does not discourage us from getting involved in our local and national governments where we have a voice and trying to reduce taxes that way. Governments are generally wasteful and spend money inefficiently and without honoring God. Spending “other people’s money” is not a natural driver to be good with spending. Spending your own money… that is a strong driver to be good with money.

Beyond the taxes, Jesus made another point… give to God, what is God’s. We know from other scripture that Jesus instructs us to put Him first, to put not even father or mother ahead of Him.

[Matthew 10:37-39] 37“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Thus we can clearly understand that we can submit to civil government so long as we are not required to compromise our service to God… our honoring of His commands.  God must come first. We should actively engage in our local, state, and national government where we have the opportunity to help protect our individual rights as Christians, which are often under attack by powerful central governments that desire to be the ultimate authority instead of God.

Most of us pay our taxes lawfully for fear of the government. Many do not give to God what is God’s. They do not fear Him as they should. Thinking of God only as love, many expect that they can live in active disobedience to Him and His commands without consequence. They are wrong.

[Proverbs 9:10]   10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

[Matthew 10:28]  28“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

When we accept Jesus as Lord, we are called to repent from our sins, obey His commands and submit to His will. To do so, our lives should reflect significant change. Our attitude, passion, time, talents, and money should be used to serve and honor God.

Give to God what is God’s.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, You and You alone are God. There are none like You. Though we may fool others or fool ourselves in the way we should go, we will never fool or trick You. You are wise and not to be tripped up by the plans and deceit of men. Help us to have wisdom to know the way we should walk. Lead us to give to government what is theirs and give to You what is Yours. Let us have wisdom and courage, however, not to compromise Your instructions to comply with government. You come first. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Parables, Prophecy, Salvation, Sloth / Laziness, Wickedness / Evil

Jesus Prophecies About The Temple Destruction and His Return (Part 4)

Jesus continues His prophetic response to Peter, James, John and Andrew regarding three important questions in Matthew 25:14-46. They are having a private discussion on the mount of olives. The questions were: “When will the temple be destroyed?”, ” What will be the sign of Your coming?”, and “What will be the sign of the end of the age?” (If you missed it, we encourage you to read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 before you read further here in Part 4.)

Jesus provides additional strong warnings regarding judgment that will accompany His return. He warns us all to be ready now and expect that there will be consequences when He returns based on how we lived “while the master was away”. We will be held accountable. Those who lived faithfully submitted to Jesus will rejoice and be rewarded. There is no middle ground. We are either submitted to Jesus as Lord or we are not. Our behaviors and attitudes are an indication of our true relationship with Jesus as fruit is an indication of the type of tree that grows it. Those who accepted Jesus in name only, never changing their behaviors to reflect a true submission to Him as Lord will be held accountable just as those who outright rebelled against or rejected God.

Parable of the Talents

      14“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15“To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17“In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18“But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

      19“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20“The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      22“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      24“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

      26“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

      29“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30“Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Be encouraged… the master did not get angry with the man who made only two talents because another made five. The master praised both for their efforts and stewardship. Even the servant who dug the hole may have satisfied the master to a degree if he even had just put it in the bank. God gives each of us talents and abilities and a certain amount of time on this Earth. He expects us to serve Him by using what He gives wisely and not being wicked or slothful.

The Judgment

      31“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32“All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

      34“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

      41“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44“Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Clearly there is judgment when Jesus returns. Just an a parent wants a child to obey when they are not together or an employer wants an employee to obey instructions when the employer is away… so too Jesus wants us to live in obedience to Him even before He returns. The test of how you love your master, parent, or employer is best reflected in how you behave when you think he or she is not around.

Jesus gives us some specific examples of things we can do to show Him we love Him… by loving other people. We can meet physical needs and spiritual needs of others. The physical needs are straightforward to understand. All of them also represent spiritual needs… we must bring the truth of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as we can! Jesus compared himself to the bread of life and compared what He offers us to life giving waters that quench us such that we will never be thirsty again. So too loneliness, sickness and captivity can by physical or spiritual. Only Jesus can set people free and meet these needs… but we are commanded to  represent Him! How wonderful a task.

To begin, each of us must accept Jesus as Lord of our lives and turn away from our wrong behaviors and do things God’s way… according to the Biblical standard provided by God. This takes study and prayer to do it properly. We must study the Bible and learn to pray effectively. A godly, Biblical church can be part of that but can not replace additional personal time and  effort by invested by each individual.

It takes commitment to draw near to God and serve Him well. He calls for us to make Him our top priority… not a hobby. Begin now to dedicate your life to God if you, like me, want to hear Jesus tell you the following words when you meet Him:

‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Get started by learning some key teachings:

Then we invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, or on our website Latest Devotions page.

Please pray with me:

Father, please give me courage and faithfulness to use wisely what You have entrusted to me. Let me not simply meet my own needs and wants, but also see the needs of others as clearly as You do. Help me reach out to help others confidently and in Your name. Let me not simply be afraid that someone may be taking advantage of me, but really find tangible ways to help people in Your name. Help me to live a life to which You would consider me a good and faithful servant that I should hear those wonderful words from You, “well done”.  Amen. 

If you have questions or want to know more, please Contact Us.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Repenting from Sin, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Pray for God’s People to Repent and Return to Him

It is worth continuing to reflect on the dire situation in which Judah found itself in 2 Kings 25. For context, consider reading 2 Kings 24 as well. The LORD sent enemies against Judah to destroy it because of wickedness and rebellion against Him. He was slow to anger, but His wrath burned against His people. As a result, Judah and Jerusalem were besieged and conquered repeatedly for years. The people were taken into exile. Wicked men continued to rule and not only continued in rebellion against God but also took up rebellion against the earthly kings that the LORD had put over them.

We should heed this as a warning to pray fervently for our nation today, for our people to turn back to the LORD in repentance and humility.

2 Kings 25

Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem

      1Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and built a siege wall all around it. 2So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls beside the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho and all his army was scattered from him. 6Then they captured the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and he passed sentence on him. 7They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.

Jerusalem Burned and Plundered

      8Now on the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9He burned the house of the LORD, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. 10So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11Then the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the people, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile. 12But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

      13Now the bronze pillars which were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea which were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. 14They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 15The captain of the guard also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 16The two pillars, the one sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD—the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 17The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was three cubits, with a network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these with network.

      18Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three officers of the temple. 19From the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and five of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was led away into exile from its land.

Gedaliah Made Governor

      22Now as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them. 23When all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 24Gedaliah swore to them and their men and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans; live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”

      25But it came about in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

      27Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison; 28and he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes and had his meals in the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life; 30and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

Pause and reflect. Imagine this is describing what happens to your nation in the near future. Let that sink in.  We have nations and people around the world actively rebelling against or outright ignoring God. This is not a good situation, especially for those who call upon His name and claim to be His people. Dedicate yourself to prayer personally, for family, for communities, for your nation and the world.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, raise up righteous leaders. Cast down the wicked and defeat their plans. Open the eyes of Your people to the truth of what is good and evil in Your eyes. Lead us in repentance and humility. Let the nations repent and turn to You that Your name would be lifted up around the world. Let there be revival and restoration of Your word and Your people. Let not the wicked have victory over us and defame Your name. Help us to remember that though You are love, You are also just. You are forgiving, but You are holy and there is a penalty to be paid for sin and rebellion. Help us to have a respect and awe for You that would help focus our attention on pleasing You instead of only ourselves.  Help us not to fall prey to Satan’s lie that You are pleased with us no matter how we live.  Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Curse, Discipline / Correction, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

When the LORD Is Against You, You Will Not Prosper

Israel and Judah provide clear examples for us in regards to how our relationship with Yahweh and our obedience to His instructions impact His blessing or punishment upon our nation or us as individuals. 2 Kings 24 records some difficult times the people of Judah faced because they turned away from Yahweh and did much evil in His sight.

In some ways we may face similar situations as individuals or a nation. If we personally reject and rebel against God, we will have consequences. It is just a matter of when and how. Similarly, if we walk in His ways and embrace Him, we will have rewards and blessing. There is not always a promise that the reward or blessing will come in the way we expect, but we can certainly enjoy a good relationship with our Creator and put our faith and hope in His promise for salvation when we die and for our eternity with Him.

2 Kings 24

Babylon Controls Jehoiakim

      1In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. 2The LORD sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3Surely at the command of the LORD it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not forgive. 5Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Jehoiachin Reigns

      6So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son became king in his place. 7The king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

     8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

Deportation to Babylon

      10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. 12Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his captains and his officials. So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. 13He carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, just as the LORD had said. 14Then he led away into exile all Jerusalem and all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.

      15So he led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother and the king’s wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16All the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all strong and fit for war, and these the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.

Zedekiah Made King

      17Then the king of Babylon made his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

      18Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20For through the anger of the LORD this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

In all this chapter, we do not see the king or the people turning toward Yahweh with repentance and humility. This would be the best course of action. Instead, we see them trying to deal with the problems on their own and failing.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me focus on You and Your instructions. Give me a passion for building relationship with You. Make me hungry to worship You, read Your word, change my life to obey Your instructions. Lead me to see others as You see them and to have compassion on them. When I find myself in sin or apart from You, please lead me in repentance and seeking forgiveness. Please have mercy on me, a sinner, who is far from flawless. Thank You for Your gift of Yeshua, our Messiah. Thank You for grace and mercy and forgiveness. Please put Your hand of blessing upon me and my family and my nation. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Evidence in Scripture, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Seeking God, Study the Word, Wickedness / Evil

Nuggets of Wisdom from Seemingly Unimportant Verses in Scripture

Scripture, even seemingly simple or unimportant verses, has a variety of nuggets of wisdom packed inside if we are to take time to search for them. We will explore a few in 2 Kings 23. We should all go through scripture as carefully and eagerly as we would if searching for gold.

There are certain sections of scripture that do not make sense unless we recognize and accept that this is an historical document. It is not a work of fiction. 2 Kings 23 has some verses that fit this description. As you read, ask yourself, “What would be the purpose of including these verses if not just documenting historical events?”

2 Kings 23:28:37

Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah

      28Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at Megiddo. 30His servants drove his body in a chariot from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

      31Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a fine of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

Jehoiakim Made King by Pharaoh

      34Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away and brought him to Egypt, and he died there. 35So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land in order to give the money at the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, each according to his valuation, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.

      36Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

Aside from reflecting on the Bible as an historical document, there is more to explore in these verse. Josiah was righteous. He was faithful. He still fell prey to evil people in the world who came against him. It would appear that this was some sort of deception and murder rather than a battle. We should remind ourselves that we must be wise and seek discernment for our decisions. We should not consider ourselves invulnerable because somehow Yahweh will keep us from any harm. We can ask that protection, but it is not promises to us. Quite the opposite, Yeshua promises that we will have hardships and difficulties and we are better off if we build our house on the foundation of solid rock that is His teaching.

Matthew 724-27

The Two Foundations

      24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.

We can also see, once again, that among the kings of Judah and Israel, just because you have a righteous father does not mean his children will be righteous. Not one, but two of Josiah’s sons did evil in the LORD’s sight. This is very humbling to me as a father. I must truly recognize that raising my children in the truth of God’s word must be a priority for me, no matter what other important things I feel like I need to get done. I also realize I do well to call upon the LORD for His help in this manner to lead and guide my children to fully embrace Him and His ways.  There will be cultural influences and the basic human instinct to sin, not to mention Satan, that will come against them. I want God’s help and my best effort as a father to lead them in the right ways so they would not soon depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

  6Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

I suppose we can also ask why Pharaoh favored one son over another to be king. My guess from what little is specified is that Pharaoh did not want one that was chosen by the people. He preferred one that he chose and established that there may be some more loyalty toward him. However, scripture does not say here “why” Pharaoh did this, so it is speculation.

There is a lot to unpack in scripture if we take the time to do so, even in short verses about kings that did not last long or seem to have lasting impact beyond their short reigns.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me as a parent to have wisdom and courage and dedication in leading my children in Your ways. Help parents that seek and follow You to do likewise, putting this as a priority over having both spouses working when it is not needed. Help Your people to truly value the role of parent in its full time nature. Our children have souls that will be eternal. The rest of what we manage will last only for a time, no matter how important we think it may be.

Father, please help me to truly embrace the truth of Your word as an accurate historical document. Help me to pause and reflect on all the verses that I read therein. Open my eyes to understand all that Your word has for me to learn. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

The LORD Did Not Turn From His Wrath

To fully appreciate the impact of 2 Kings 23:26-27, we must consider the context. I would encourage you to click the link below and read the beginning of 2 Kings 23. Basically, Josiah was a model of excellence in repentance and really changing things after he came to know the law and how his people were so far from it due to the preceding kings. He tore down the bad and relaunched the good.

2 Kings 23:26-27

      26However, the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27The LORD said, “I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’”

It is even more interesting to note that Josiah performed these reformations even knowing that it would not remove Yahweh’s wrath. As an individual, Josiah did receive some good news of blessing from the LORD, but the nation would still suffer.

2 Kings 22:14-20

Huldah Predicts

     14So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. 15She said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16thus says the LORD, “Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17“Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’ 18“But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD thus shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard, 19because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the LORD. 20“Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

It is good that Josiah led the nation to do what was right and turn from what was wrong. He based it correctly on Yahweh’s law rather than the opinion of people or the traditions of his family before him. He was right to do so even though it would not save the people in this case. He was honoring and obeying Yahweh as best he could.

Perhaps the message for us is that there are consequences for us as individuals and also for our nation based on our rejection of Yahweh and rebellion against His ways. We can not simply rebel for generations and assume there may not be any lasting consequences. He may even forgive us, but consequences sometimes remain and they can be difficult.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to know what is pleasing to You and what is not. Help me to turn away from what is bad in Your eyes and turn toward what is good in Your eyes. Please help me embrace You and honor You even if our nation is suffering the consequences of sin and rebellion. Let me not condition my obedience on Your removing consequences associated with sin, but seek only to obey and please You regardless. Raise up righteous leaders for our nation such as Josiah and Hezekiah before Your anger burns against us for the wickedness brought about through bad leaders and a nation that is far from You and Your ways.  Amen. 

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Traditions / Holidays, Wickedness / Evil

True Repentance Is Not Subtle, It Is Transformational

True repentance is not subtle, it is transformational. At times it may seem blunt and brutal, especially if there is much wickedness to be removed from our culture or our personal lives. We must destroy some things, we must separate ourselves from some relationships, we must turn away from traditions and habits that we and our parents before us have embraced. True repentance is not an effort in tolerance. The primary goal is not to manage people’s feelings, though that is nice if you can. It is a removal of all that is unholy and displeasing to the LORD. It is a return to the LORD’s ways. It is a return to righteousness.

2 Kings 23:1-25

Josiah’s Covenant

      1Then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. 2The king went up to the house of the LORD and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD. 3The 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 carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.

Reforms under Josiah

      4Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5He did away with the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, also those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations and to all the host of heaven. 6He brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD outside Jerusalem to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and ground it to dust, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people. 7He also broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the LORD, where the women were weaving hangings for the Asherah. 8Then he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; and he broke down the high places of the gates which were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one’s left at the city gate. 9Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10He also defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for Molech. 11He did away with the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the official, which was in the precincts; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12The altars which were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, the king broke down; and he smashed them there and threw their dust into the brook Kidron. 13The high places which were before Jerusalem, which were on the right of the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled. 14He broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with human bones.

      15Furthermore, the altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down. Then he demolished its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the Asherah. 16Now when Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent and took the bones from the graves and burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things. 17Then he said, “What is this monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.” 18He said, “Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. 19Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made provoking the LORD; and he did to them just as he had done in Bethel. 20All the priests of the high places who were there he slaughtered on the altars and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem.

Passover Reinstituted

      21Then the king commanded all the people saying, “Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this book of the covenant.” 22Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah. 23But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to the LORD in Jerusalem.

      24Moreover, Josiah removed the mediums and the spiritists and the teraphim and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25Before him there was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

I invite you to pray:

Father, please help me to put You and Your ways above all else in my life. Help me to know my sins and turn from them. Give me wisdom and courage to turn from the things that are bad. Help me totally separate from them and not mix and mingle. Help me turn to Your ways joyfully, even when others do not agree. Do not let emotional ties with traditions or people hold me back from fully embracing Your ways and purging everything that is offensive or even potentially offensive to You from my life. In these efforts, I do ask for Your help to provide unity with other believers and within my family while making these changes. Amen.  

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Justice / Judgment, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Study the Word, Submitted / Servant, Teachable, Through Prophets, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Repent and Turn Your Ways to the LORD

Yahweh is timeless. As such, He views world events from a different perspective than we do. In 2 Kings 22, we see how a loving Father at the same time holds out punishment for His people for their sin and rebellion, and yet may delay it because of the tender heart of the king. What seems difficult to get my mind around at first, from my limited perspective, is why let those who were rebelling escape punishment for decades and then punish the people in the next generation?

2 Kings 22:14-20

Huldah Predicts

      14So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. 15She said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16thus says the LORD, “Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17“Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’ 18“But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD thus shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard, 19because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the LORD. 20“Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

To the extent we focus on the fact that Father views things differently than we do, let us not take to the folly of dwelling on why we think He is wrong. Rather, with humility and appreciation for the greatness of our Father, let us consider how we should adapt our way of thinking to line up with His.

Besides, it is not hard to glean from this scripture that we should all seek to genuinely walk in the Father’s ways and remain set apart and holy, not mixing and mingling with other pagan beliefs. Stick to the ways of God and not of man. Repent and admit with sorrow when we as a nation are lost and far from the LORD.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to focus on Your ways. Let me walk in Your ways. Let me hunger to know Your ways. Let me not be content for the ways of man because they are commonly accepted or have been in place for generations within family and culture. Help us see and know Your word clearly as individuals and as a people. Please have mercy on us and hold back Your wrath. Restore righteousness to our nation through the people and through the leaders. Defeat and displace the wicked who deny You with their actions, regardless of what they claim with their lips. Amen.

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, Parenting, Righteousness / Serving God, Wickedness / Evil

Fathers, Lead Your Children in the Ways of the LORD

2 Kings 21 records the transition of kingship from Hezekiah to Manasseh. It is a stark contrast from righteous to evil.  You can read the full details of the preceding verses by clicking the link below. Verses 19-26 focus on the son of Manasseh. He became king and like his father, did evil in the LORD’s sight. He walked in the ways of his father. Things did not go well for him.

2 Kings 21:19-26

Amon Succeeds Manasseh

      19Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20He did evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done. 21For he walked in all the way that his father had walked, and served the idols that his father had served and worshiped them. 22So he forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD. 23The servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his own house. 24Then the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. 25Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 26He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son became king in his place.1:

As I reflect on this passage, I am struck by the impact that a father can have in shaping the character of his son. There appears to be a clear failure in this area in regards to Hezekiah preparing his son Manasseh to be king and to follow the LORD. Here we see Amon following in the ways of his father to do evil. We see this trend with other kings as well, such as David. They do not appear to have been good fathers, even if they were walking with the LORD.

Do not think that just because you focus on walking with Yahweh, your children are guaranteed to turn out the same way. You must invest time with them. You must be intentional in mentoring and raising them… in loving them. You must teach them to walk in our Father’s ways. You must teach them to be set apart from culture around them.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please open my eyes to the needs of my children or other children around me for the influence of a godly father or man in their life. Grant me the courage to step up and take on that challenge for my children and for any others you may put in my path that may not have that godly father. Help me to instruct them in the way they should go so that they would not soon stray from it. Help children who are fatherless or have fathers that are not engaged in leading them to find those godly role models to lead them to You. Amen.

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.