A Devotional Thought From 2 Chronicles

Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:     2 Chronicles 28 :1

Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and 20 years old, and he reigned nine and 20 years in Jerusalem, And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.     2 Chronicles 29:1,2

These verses are a study of two Kings, both in the line of King David who is called their father according to custom although, as founder of the line, he would’ve been far back in the history of the Kings, and the great, great, great, great, grandfather or something. Both men reigned from the same throne as David in the capital city Jerusalem in Judah, but their reigns, their administrations, had very different outcomes and consequences, and any observer of Judah’s history could have predicted that just by comparing the verses above. One king, Hezekiah, was like David, the other, Ahaz, was not. One did evil in God’s sight, the other did that which was right. One was not buried  among the Kings, and the other when he slept with his fathers was buried in the chiefest of the sepulchers of the sons of David with great honor of his subjects.

He that honors God, God honors. He that does evil is not revered by the people. These simple principles are true today. Rulers who wish to leave a legacy in their nation, and for history to record and revere should do that which is right in the eyes of the living God, the God of the Bible. This has always been true of any king, queen, ruler, president, patriarch, or Prime Minister. It is so obvious and yet because of the sinful nature of their hearts some men and women or kings and queens, even when they know what they are planning to do is morally, spiritually, biblically wrong, will nonetheless simply go ahead and do wrong much to the harm of the people they are supposed to be serving. Given the sinful nature of man and the addiction of power can we expect any less among modern-day rulers? Only if they are willing to turn to God’s word and do what is right in His eyes!

A Devotional Thought From 2 Chronicles

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the King say so.     2 Chronicles 18:7

One of the sinful missteps of Jehoshaphat’s administration in Judah was to become good friends with the evil king of Israel, Ahab. Ahab talked Jehoshaphat into joining with him to make war against his enemy Syria at the battle of Ramothgilead. Jehoshaphat true to his faith despite having put his foot into this cow pie, asked Ahab if they couldn’t enquire of the LORD to see if this endeavor would be blessed. Ahab was only too glad to indulge his ally and called forth four hundred prophets, apparently those who were followers of false gods or, at least, not in touch with the true God of the Jewish people. They said, paraphrased, God says do it you will win.

Jehoshaphat was uneasy, apparently recognizing the sketchy connection of these prophets  with real Jewish faith, and he said to Ahab, Isn’t there a prophet of the LORD we can ask? Ahab’s response is  striking. There is yet one man, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil.

Ahab, the king and government of Israel, liked to be told that whatever he wanted to do was good, would work, and everything would be honky dory. That’s why when he got religious he called the false prophets. They told him what he wanted to hear. That’s why Micaiah was usually persona non grata, and was only called on when necessary. Micaiah told it like it is. His prophesies or sermons were based upon what God said, and often what God said, and therefore what Micaiah said, contradicted the administration’s policies. If you read on in this chapter you will find Micaiah paid a price for his faith candor, imposed on him by the king (Ahab) who rejected God’s truth.

In western  societies we have a similar thing today. The Bible preaching church stands in the place of Micaiah, and is rarely listened to regarding the cultural changes sought by a reckless unfaithful society. When the leader of our country, the administration, the special interest groups, or the courts decide to redefine what is appropriate and moral, and then accuse traditional morality of being wrong and bad and hurtful, they do not call the Bible preachers to ask them for the revelation of God’s truth from the Bible. They don’t want to hear that. It will not tell them what they want to hear. They can always find a “clergy person” who will support the liberal redefinition of what is right and wrong, and rather that openly and honestly state that they don’t believe the God of the Bible, they will say that the Micaiahlike Bible teachers just don’t understand it.

Then the poor parishoners (church attenders and members) who have been taught the Bible and have believed it, whether they be bakers, college students, bathroom attendants, or whoever gets caught up in the redefinition du jour, ends up getting clobbered by an unsympathetic legal system that has decided free speech is for those who tow the new cultural line. Let not the king say so.

Our nation and the nations of the world need Jehoshaphats not Ahabs!

A Devotional Thought From 2 Chronicles

And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.     2 Chronicles 17:3, 4

The King was the government in ancient days. To speak of Jehoshaphat was to speak of the kingdom of Judah (the southern kingdom).  As the chronicler of Israel’s history tells us about this particular King, we learn that he was a man of faith, and that this faith was expressed by his behaviors both in his personal life and in the way that he lead his nation. Jehoshaphat was a believer in the living God of Israel and he was the great example for all of his people of what it meant to walk in the ways of God.

One of the key things was that he should worship the LORD alone, and never seek after false gods, they were called Baalim, as too many kings and government officials had done before him. The chronicler makes a comparison between Jehoshaphat and his doings, and the doings of the northern kingdom of Israel. From its very inception under Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the northern kingdom had a history of setting aside the worship of the true God of Israel and following the false gods. The contrast between Jehoshaphat and the long line of kings following Jeroboam was that he, like many of the kings of Judah, followed the Lord faithfully, while they (the northern kings) more often than not followed the false gods. Because of Jehoshaphat’s faithful service to God and the things that he did for his nation while seeking to follow God, the scriptures tell us, And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were roundabout Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 17:10). 

Because of the faith and righteousness of the leader, and the righteousness and faith that he brought to his political administration, the nation was blessed with one of the greatest blessings any nation can have; the nations of their world did not make war against Judah. How blessed with peace our modern nations would be if all of today's governments were to follow Jehoshaphat’s example.