Thursday, July 4

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2013

2 Kings 23:31–25:30

Acts 22:17–23:10

Psalm 2:1–12

Proverbs 18:13

 

 

“During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years.  But then he changed his mind and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.  The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against him.  He sent them to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets.  Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood.  For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.” (2 Kings 23:1–4)

 

In today’s passage, we read of Judah’s inevitable fall to the Babylonians, as the prophets had foretold.  This process did not occur randomly, but rather according to God’s design.  I took away two key themes from this account:  the reinforced principle of sowing and reaping and the burden of leadership.

 

Paul explains the connection between sowing and reaping in Galatians 6:7–10:  “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please his sinful nature, from the sinful nature will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  In another passage, Paul notes that, “if we disown him,/ he will also disown us.”

 

In the case of Israel and Judah, the people had turned their hearts away from the Lord’s commands and had instead flirted with other nations’ gods and religious practices.  They had taken their original inclination to the convenience of the Golden Calf to the logical extreme, searching for anything and everything that would crave their spiritual urges.  In doing so, they clearly cast aside God’s call to “have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

 

As their rightful recompense for having turned away from their true King, God brought judgment upon the people.  Yet, we may trust that God’s teleological purposes would not become interrupted by this exile and failure of the active nation.  As Augustine noted, “nothing, therefore, happens unless the Omnipotent wills it to happen:  he either permits it to happen, or he brings it about himself.”  And, due to His eternal character, we know His plans for the exile were fully within His control:  “The Lord foils the plans of the nations;/ he thwarts the purposes of the peoples./ But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,/ the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:10)

 

Instead, God would use the exile period to prepare His people for the coming restoration, ultimately to culminate upon the Second Coming of Christ.  Furthermore, as with the slavery in Egypt and the subsequent Exodus, the symbols of exile and restoration would fulfill His redemptive purposes.

 

Through the description of the monarchy, we recognize that the kings themselves bore responsibility for the nation’s falling away from God.  They had failed to demonstrate spiritual leadership and to seek godly counsel in their governance.  They had not trusted in God’s provision and faithfulness and therefore provided a poor example for the common people.  Undoubtedly, there were common people, including many of the prophets, who rejected the sinful courses of the kings, but it seemed that the majority had followed the “popular crowd” vs. God’s heart.

 

For us in 2013, we must daily choose to live intentionally for the one true King and constantly evaluate our commitments in light of God’s Word.  True freedom emerges from following and honoring God in all things.

 

We may also pray for our leaders, following the pattern in 1 Timothy 2:1–6:  “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people —for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.”

 

 

Last evening, Danielle and I watched the 2012 film version of Les Misérables.  The story reinforced the responsibility and blessing we have of extending grace and lovingkindness, amid challenging life circumstances.  We witness how several characters, most notably Jean Valjean, receive forgiveness from above, ultimately starting with God Himself, and then seek to rescue others caught in the trappings of sin and circumstance.  The movie encouraged me to live more intentionally as an ambassador for Christ, seeking to extend His love and grace wherever possible.  Please consider watching this movie and try to uncover the character’s parallels to Biblical figures.

 

 

Lord Jesus, we thank You for the freedom that You extended to us through Your sacrifice on the cross.  We live in freedom today because of Your grace.  Grant Your grace and wisdom to us as Your followers and to our country’s leaders.  Protect us from destroying ourselves, as our sinful hearts pull us away from the wisdom of Your Word.  Help us to rejoice in our freedom to worship and serve You today.  In Your Name, Amen.

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