June 7, 2024

Word came from the Lord through Zechariah and Haggai to the people living in Jerusalem and Judah. This chapter of Ezra was incomplete without reading the prophetic word associated with it: Zechariah 1:1-21 and Haggai 1:1-15. The prophets spoke a word from God to the people, telling them that while they were comfortable in their homes, the temple remained unfinished. Previously, they were told to cease and desist, but now it’s been over nine years and time to get moving on rebuilding God’s house. 

The governor, Tatnai, sent a letter to Darius, the king, asking him to pull out the records to find out who told them to rebuild the temple. Tatnai explained to the king that the people of Judah had told him it was Cyrus, king of Babylon. Tatnai wanted to verify if what they said was true. 

When God instructs us to do something, we must act decisively and obey Him. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. Why are you leaving it in disrepair? Are you waiting for Jesus to come in with a whip and turn over the tables? Shore up the walls and patch the roof with spiritual fruit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance; there is no law against these things. He will help you make the repairs if you stay connected to Him through prayer and hearing His directions by reading your Bible.

But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter. Ezra 5:5

June 6, 2024

It doesn't matter how good you are at doing the work of God; you will always face opposition. The people of Judah, who were sent back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and the temple, dealt with the enemy who pretended to be like them, wanting to help with the temple. They were sinister in their plan, much like we see today; they were usurpers of the Jewish belief, sullying the reputation of the genuine Jewish people, the ones who love God. Many of the Jewish people we see today are not genuinely Jewish and have continued worshipping false gods and idols, much of which is hidden from the view of the general public. It's best not to take sides in holy wars because we don't understand the truth. The enemy has a way of distorting what we see and hear through fake media. Solomon was right when he said there's nothing new under the sun. Don't get me wrong, Christians are the same; some are true believers, but others are in it for a profit. 

These fake believers sent a letter to the king of Persia, Artaxerxes, who was from Esther's timeline, telling him that the people of Judah would stop paying taxes to the king. The king replied with a cease-and-desist order until he decided whether to allow them to continue. It doesn't say this, but it makes you wonder if Haman, the villain from Esther, had something to do with these orders.  

The lesson is to be careful of what you believe to be accurate; things are not as they seem. The devil can confuse the truth and spin it to his benefit. The people inhabiting Judah and Jerusalem didn't want the actual Jewish people there. However, the captive found favor with God and the previous king, who released them from captivity. 

Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. Ezra 4:23

June 5, 2024

Shortly after becoming settled in their homes, the people gathered in Jerusalem, built an altar to the Lord, and began making sacrifices. They were fearful of the people of the land around them and sought to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. They followed the law of Moses and kept the feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month, the new moons, and all the set feasts as was written. They began preparing for laying the temple foundation, hired masons, and ordered timber with the grant given by Cyrus. Months had passed, and they were now in their second year. All the priests and Levites twenty and up who came out of captivity gathered for the work of the temple. When the foundation was completed, the people celebrated; the priest was in their garb, the musicians played, and they sang songs to the Lord. The older men who had seen the original temple cried so loud that their cries and shouts of joy could be heard far away. 

I couldn’t help but see the comparison when coming to Christ. When we realize that Jesus is our firm foundation, we cannot help but become overjoyed at his overwhelming love and are so grateful that we sob at the notion that he loved us so much that he died to become our firm foundation and the cornerstone we continue to build upon. We were captives, but now we are free and are grateful for Jesus’s sacrifice for our lives. Worship him like he just snatched you from the fire because that’s what he did!

So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. Ezra 3:13

June 4, 2024

Thousands of exiles in Babylon from Judah went back to dwell in their cities, even though after seventy years of being vacant, the homes were probably in shambles. Nevertheless, they were compelled to return to their own land. While exiled, they increased their wealth and number, so more went back home than were initially taken seventy years earlier. I have so many questions about their return. How did they know which cities belonged to their families or which homes to inhabit? Maybe it didn’t matter. I expect that most of their parents who were brought into captivity had passed away or were too feeble to make the trip home. They took a lot of stuff with them, including animals. It couldn’t have been an easy trip. Even though they faced many trials along the way, they were willing to contribute freely to rebuilding the temple. They needed to use their newfound freedom to worship God. They went to great lengths to honor Him. 

Though no one realizes it, we, the United States, are not a free people. We have always been told we are free as a way to control us; all the while, our elected officials bring down heavy regulation and the immense burden of taxation. We pay taxes on what we earn and then again on what we spend. It’s become a vicious circle. Can you build what you want on your land? Absolutely not! Can you drive your car without a license? Absolutely not! Despite our lack of absolute freedom, we can still worship God, but that could end at any time. Remember, genuine freedom comes from God and is spiritual, a renewing of our minds. If we don’t endeavor to undo the damage the enemy has caused by confusing our minds, we will never indeed be free. It’s more of a state of mind than a physical existence. Pray for God to open your mind to the truth. Nothing feels better than having your mind set free.

And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place: Ezra 2:68

June 3, 2024

I've decided to skip Chronicles except for the last few verses, as the books of First and Second Kings cover most of what is included in those books. My inclination was to jump right in and start reading Daniel to give some insight into what happened to Judah while they were in Babylon, but I decided to finish the history portion of the Bible so I could refer back to it when I began to cover the prophets. 

Now that the people of Judah were captive in Babylon, it had been empty for seventy years, as Jeremiah prophesied.

To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years. 2 Chronicles 36:21

Here's a powerful reminder for us all: rest is essential. God will make us rest if we don't rest on our own. I don't want to know what that looks like!

Forgive me if this is too long; I'm trying to fit the pieces together in my mind. The king of Persia defeated the king of Babylon and took over the kingdom, including Judah's captives. Cyrus was a part of God's plan to release His people from captivity. One interesting note is that Nebuchadnezzar hadn't melted down all the temple vessels taken from Judah; they were left in the same condition they were found and were still useful for the temple services. Esther was a part of this captivity and was a stepping stone for such a time as this and the useful vessel to help procure the eventual release of Judah back to Jerusalem. Esther's story fits into the timeline of the book of Ezra. Cyrus called together the people of Judah to go and rebuild the temple of God; even though he didn't know God, he was compelled by the Holy Spirit to help. 

Even though the enemy may hold us captive in our minds, God will eventually procure our release through our belief in Jesus, and we will be as good as new when he begins using us as temple vessels for kingdom purposes. 

All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. Ezra 1:11

June 2, 2024

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, surrounded Jerusalem to seize it. King Zedekiah was caught fleeing with his men, and they killed his sons, then put out his eyes, leaving him blind, bound him with fetters, and took him to Babylon. After that, they burned down the king's house, the temple, and all the people's houses; then they tore down the wall around Jerusalem. They gathered all the brass objects left in the temple for worship and carried them back to Babylon; most of the gold and silver had already been stolen. The priest and other prominent people still left in Jerusalem were captured and carried before Nebuchadnezzar, and he killed them; so all that was left were a few poor people to maintain the vineyards and farm. Gedaliah was set over the people who were left and told them not to fear the king of Babylon. However, Gedaliah was killed by Ishmael, who was of David's royal lineage; he may have been jealous of his good nature toward the people. After that, the rest of the people left Jerusalem for Egypt and probably hid amongst them so they weren't discovered. 

Evilmerodach, Nebuchadnezzar's son, replaced him as king and was kind to Jehoichin. Remember, he and his family gave themselves up to Nebuchadnezzar, and he was held in prison this whole time. It is thought that Nebuchadnezzar had put his son in prison with Jehoichin, and they became friends. Evilmerodach let Jehoichin out of prison, and he was given a pension for the rest of his life. 

God will not allow a country or even his own temple to stand if his people deny him. Therefore, we must continue to warn people because it will not end well for those who reject Jesus. 

This last chapter of 2 Kings ends the rule of the biblical kings until Jesus, the King of kings, returns to rule and reign. 

And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire. 2 Kings 25:9

June 1, 2024

Jehoiakim, king of Judah, was captured by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, and he served him for three years until he rebelled against him. Nebuchadnezzar then sent his servants from several other countries against Judah. Jehoiakim died and received a burial like a donkey, and his son, Jehoiachin, became king. Jehoiachin reigned three months in Jerusalem before he, his family, and all the noblemen gave themselves up to Nebuchadnezzar, who had come against the city, captured it, and carried off the precious metals from the temple and the king's house. Nebuchadnezzar sent all the people to Babylon except a few poor people. God had enough of their shenanigans and threw them out of Judah. This timeline is during Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and some minor prophets. The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoichin's uncle, king of Jerusalem but changed his name to Zedekiah. 

A country cannot continue to provoke God to anger and expect his mercy. God's wrath comes upon the wicked. When God wants to punish a nation, he gives them an evil king, and the United States is dealing with such a king/president. Stay faithful to God; He is merciful to his children, those who've accepted his Son. Get out your popcorn; things are about to become interesting!

For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 2 Kings 24:20

May 31, 2024

Josiah might be my favorite king, aside from David and our ultimate King, Jesus. He called all the noble people and the common people of Judah and Jerusalem to come to and hear the Covenant found in the temple; they stood up to hear it read. He then restored the Passover, which hadn’t been done since the judges. Josiah made a covenant to walk after the Lord and keep his commands. 

He honored God by demolishing every high place, altar, idol, and grove. He thoroughly cleansed the temple of everything that honored other gods, slew all the priests that were involved, and burned them on their high places and altars along with other human bones to make their worship of other gods putrid to the people who worshipped there. He devoured anything and everything in Judah and Jerusalem that might have even hinted at disgust to God. Unfortunately, he died in a battle that he shouldn’t have been involved in. However, when he died, he was at peace with God, as was prophesied by Huldah, the prophetess in 2 Kings 22. His son became king in his place but was carried off to Egypt, where the Egyptian king replaced him with his brother. According to the scriptures, both of them were evil. 

Remember, our temple is our body, and anything in it that dishonors God must be removed. When we accepted Jesus, he came in and wiped it clean, so we are clean, but if we keep living our lives like we have no God and keep dishonoring Him, are we really saved? You must do an about-face and turn away from the evil you were involved in before you trusted Jesus as your Savior. Be like Josiah and remove anything that might stand in the way of your salvation. 

And like unto him was there no king before him, that 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; neither after him arose there any like him. 2 Kings 23:25

May 30, 2024

Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah. He was a good king. In the eighteenth year of his reign, he had his men go to Hilkiah, the priest, and gather the silver collected at the temple door to give to workers to make repairs. The workers were honest men who could be trusted with the money. When the work was started, Hilkiah found the book of the law that must have been hidden in a remote place in the temple. He gave the book to Shaphan, the scribe, and he took it to King Josiah and read it to him. Josiah was overcome with fear and despair and tore his clothes. He sent his men to inquire of the Lord through Huldah, the prophetess, because great was the wrath of God that was written in the book of the law, and they had neglected to follow what was written. She told them that God's wrath would be brought upon them, but because Josiah the king was sincere and overcome with grief over his people's neglect of God and His word, he would be spared of living through the torment of his wrath and would die in peace. 

How will you know that you are following God's Word if your Bible is sitting on the shelf collecting dust like the Law of Moses hidden away in the temple? You may not understand every word, but learning is a process, and wisdom comes from being diligent in your efforts to understand. Not only will it help your relationship with God, but it will also guide you in your daily life to do what is right and help you understand His ways. 

I cannot overlook that the king's men received a word from God through a woman, Huldah, the prophetess, much like their ancestors did when Deborah was their judge. 

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD. 2 Kings 22:19

May 29, 2024

Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, was twelve when he began to reign in Judah. He did everything opposite of Hezekiah and rebuilt all the high places, built altars to Baal, made a grove, and worshipped the host of heaven, who were likely demons. He also desecrated the temple by building altars to other gods where God’s altar should be. He allowed his sons to be burned on the altar of Baal. As a reminder, if you are not worshipping the one true God, then you are worshipping the devil and his minions. If you can’t say that Jesus is the son of God and that he is God, you are worshipping some other being. God will punish those who reject him. According to 2 Chronicles, Manasseh was bound and carried off to Babylon by the king of Assyria, where he was afflicted. There, he repented, and God sent him back to Jerusalem, where he tried to bring Judah back into worshipping God. He died and was buried in his backyard, and his son Amon began to reign. Amon was evil and put everything back in place that his dad, Manasseh, had torn down, but he only reigned for two years because his servants killed him. He was buried with his dad in his backyard. These two kings were so evil that they weren’t good enough to be buried with David. 

Use caution when emphasizing physical things more than God; worship Him in spirit and truth, and never let your pursuit of happiness outweigh your love for Him.

And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 21:18

May 28, 2024

God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him he would die from the boil he had and to get his house in order. Hezekiah prayed for God to heal him and give him more time, and before Isaiah was too far away, God sent him back to Hezekiah to tell him he would heal him. Hezekiah wanted a sign to know when God had healed him, and he gave him a choice to either have the shadow on Ahaz's sundial go forward or backward. Hezekiah chose backward since it would be harder to do. Hezekiah lived for fifteen more years. An interesting note is that Isaiah told him to use figs to draw the poison out of his boil, a natural remedy. I'll bet figs could be helpful for boils today.

Hearing about Hezekiah's sickness, the king of Babylon sent an envoy bearing gifts and goodwill. Hezekiah, unfortunately, allowed himself to be swayed by their flattery and decided to show them all the treasures of his kingdom. This act of pride and lack of humility, not giving God credit for his wealth, and not valuing Isaiah as the messenger of God had severe consequences. Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would carry away all the treasures of the kingdom and his sons would become eunuchs and work for the king, a harsh reminder of the importance of humility and gratitude.  

Hezekiah was a good guy and loved God, but that didn't keep him from getting sick to death. Our devotion to God doesn't ensure we won't get sick or face hard times. It also doesn't protect our children from suffering. We each have our own burdens to bear. We should look at them as Hezekiah did and understand that if God brings it, it is good, even if it causes us or our children discomfort and stress. 

Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days? 2 Kings 20:19

May 27, 2024

Hezekiah was overcome with grief and tore his clothes because he heard that the king of Assyria was coming after his people to take Judah into captivity. He put on sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. The priest sent word to Isaiah, the prophet, about what was happening. 

And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. 2 Kings 19:6-7

Then, the king of Assyria sent a letter telling Hezekiah not to believe what the Lord said and not to trust him; that was a bad idea! Hezekiah took the letter and spread it out before the Lord in the temple. He prayed for God to see the letter, hear what he said in private about Him, and save them from his hands. Isaiah told Hezekiah that God had heard his prayer and would defend this city, to save it, for His own sake and His servant David's sake. Then, an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and sent the king of Assyria running back home where two of his sons killed him with a sword. 

We must never underestimate what God can do or how much he loves us and righteousness. Hezekiah had brought the people back into the good graces of God, and he defended them vehemently, to the destruction of the Assyrian king and his soldiers. You would be wrong to think he will not defeat the enemy of the people in this day and age. Those who love Him will receive His mercy, and those who deny Him will receive His wrath. We can trust God and count on Him to defend those he loves. 

May 26, 2024

Hezekiah became king of Judah, and he trusted in the Lord. He was a good king. He destroyed all the high places, temples, idols, groves, and altars to prevent the people from worshipping other gods and bring them back to the temple in Jerusalem for the worship of God. The people were even burning incense to the brass serpent on a pole Moses had made in the desert; Hezekiah destroyed it because it was not a god to be worshipped. 

For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. 2 Kings 18:6

He also rebelled against the king of Assyria and didn’t serve him. Six years after Hezekiah became king, Israel was taken into captivity by Assyria. Nine years later, they came after Judah and overthrew several of Judah’s cities. Hezekiah wanted the king of Assyria to stop his invasion, so he asked him what it would take for him to leave them alone; he wanted 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold. He emptied the coffers of the temple and his house, but Assyria’s king reneged and sent some of his representatives to offer them nice land in Assyria as they have in Judah.

Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. 2 Kings 18:32

Simply put, you will own nothing and be happy! Hezekiah had told his men not to answer him back; they did what they were told. The story continues into 2 Kings 19. Hezekiah didn’t give into the promises of evil but relied on the promises of God. When you trust in God, it ruffles the feathers of the devil, and he comes after you hard! Stand your ground in the strength of the Lord, and he will help you. 

May 25, 2024

When Hoshea, son of Elah, began to reign in Israel, devastation and unrelenting judgment from God also began. Even though he was less evil than some previous kings and allowed the people to go to Jerusalem to worship, he didn’t forbid the worship of other gods. Hoshea, who was subject to the king of Assyria, sent him gifts. However, he must have been tired of his subjection to him because he had contacted So, the king of Egypt. Assyria’s king found out and locked up Hoshea and carried Israel into captivity, pouring them into the cities of Assyria. Not realizing that it was God who allowed their capture because they rejected his authority, their worship of other gods only became worse. Hoshea was the last king of Israel. The king of Assyria replaced the people of Israel in Samaria with his people. However, they didn’t realize that God was in charge of that land, and lions came in and ate the people. Thinking that God might help defeat the lions, Assyria’s king sent back a priest to teach his people God’s laws, except instead of leaving their idols behind and worshiping only God, they began to fear God but love their idols. 

We must have a healthy balance between our fear of God and our love of him; we must do both. If we do what’s right in His eyes, we do not need to fear Him and can passionately love him with all our hearts, souls, and minds. When we venture outside of His will, it causes us devastation; our disobedience brings His retribution. Therefore, we can only blame ourselves if we receive consequences. A good rule of thumb is to love God and love people; everything else falls subject to that command. 

And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. 2 Kings 17:25

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40

May 24, 2024

Ahaz became king of Judah and followed after the ways of the kings of Israel and worshipped the golden calves and fake gods. I am most disturbed by his actions because he passed his sons through the fire as a sacrifice to Molech. Even Hezekiah, who would follow him as king, was passed through the fire, but he survived. Israel and Syria came against Ahaz in war but failed in overtaking Jerusalem, but were able to recover Elath, the port city. However, because they caused trouble, Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help against Israel and Syria and sent him the treasures from the temple and the king’s house as payment. When he visited the king of Assyria to thank him for his help, he saw an altar he liked and sent the design ahead of him to Urijah, the priest, to have it built. Urijah followed his orders. Ahaz then rearranged the artifacts in the temple to his liking, going against God and His design that he had given Moses, and ordered the priests to begin using the new altar to make sacrifices. Ahaz only lived to age thirty-six, and Hezekiah, a better man, would reign in his place.

When God tells us in His word that we should honor His Son and his sacrifice for our salvation, we must follow his instructions. As we see in this story, Ahaz was cut off early because of his blatant destruction of the temple, his worshipping of the false gods, and the burning of human sacrifices. This type of worship is not a thing of the past; it’s just carefully covered up; abor**on only scratches the surface of satanic worship. 

And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones. 2 Kings 16:17

May 23, 2024

The last couple of chapters of 2 Kings have been daunting to try and summarize, but there are a couple of keys to help our understanding.

Azariah, also known as Uzziah, was a good king who reigned in place of his father, Amaziah, king of Judah. God gave him leprosy, presumably because he invaded the priest's office. He had to live in a house separated from the palace. Uzziah's son, Jotham, reigned over Judah after him. 

A string of kings of Israel came after the end of Jehu's family's reign. They were usurpers of the throne, but God allowed it to happen. Some significant-sounding names were Zechariah and Hoshea; these kings had the same name as two well-known prophets, but they were evil, so we shouldn't confuse them. 

As we can see from king Azariah/Uzziah, even though we are considered to be good, when we sin there are consequences for our actions. It's important that we stay tuned into the Holy Spirit's voice. He will give us a way to help prevent our sin, but we must obey Him and stop before entering into it. 

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land. 1 Kings 15:5

May 22, 2024

Joash, king of Judah, died, and Amaziah, his son, reigned in his place. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. However, that didn't mean he was secure. He was only 25 when he took over the kingdom, killed the servants that had murdered his father, then got Judah in trouble because they oppressed and took over Edom, thought he was mighty, and decided to go against Israel. Ahaziah sent word to Joash, king of Israel, challenging him to a face-to-face battle, and Joash acquiesced, knowing it was like a cedar against a thistle. Joash beat Judah, broke down the wall in Jerusalem, and took all of Judah's treasures from the house of the Lord and the king's house and brought it back to Samaria. Ahaziah lived fifteen years longer than Joash but was run out of Jerusalem and lived in Lachish until he died. Azariah, Ahaziah's son, was made king in his place. Azariah was notable for building Elath, a port town, and restoring Jerusalem. 

Jeroboam II, the son of Joash king of Israel began his reign, but was an evil king. Jonah lived during this time period, but so did Amos and Hosea. Even though it seemed like darkness during that time, God never left himself without a witness. Hosea was the first to write down his prophecy, and then the others came thereafter. 

The lesson in this 14th chapter of 2 Kings is never to think you are mightier than you are. Even a good king had his limits, faced an uphill battle, and was ultimately taken out. Things might be rough, even for good people, but because of Jesus, our eternity is secure with him. Bide your time, and learn your lessons. God never promised that life would be easy; easy comes in our eternity.

And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. 2 Kings 14:27

May 21, 2024

While Joash, king of Judah, was still alive, Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, began to reign over Israel in Samaria. Jehoahaz was a lousy king, just like his father, Jehu, and worshipped the golden calves. This situation angered God and sent the Syrian king and his son to oppress Israel. Jehoahaz died, and his son, Jehoash, took over the kingship of Israel. Another Joash/Jehoash to add to our confusion of the kings. He died, and now we have another Jeroboam as king of Israel. 

One notable thing Joash, king of Israel, did before he died was to honor Elisha. He was sick, and Joash visited him. Elisha told him he would defeat the Syrians. With Elisha's hand upon his, he had him shoot an arrow towards Syria to act out the prophecy. Then Elisha told him to smack the ground like he was smashing Syria to smithereens, but he only beat it three times. Joash's lack of enthusiasm angered Elisha because he should have shown more anger and expressed his belief that God was with him. Elisha died, and they buried him.

A side story that you've probably heard is that the Moabites had invaded during the new year and were near where a dead man was to be buried. The people carrying him got scared and placed his body into the tomb of Elisha. When his body touched Elisha's bones, he stood up. In the end, Joash beat Syria three times and recovered the cities in Israel. 

The Bible can be confusing if you don't know the other chapters. That's why it's so vital that we learn to read it in context and under the direction of the Holy Spirit. You should not pick and use Bible verses without knowing the whole story. If you do that, you will get it wrong every time. Ask God for wisdom, and for goodness' sake, stop eating foods processed with chemicals that could dull your brain! 

And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings 13:20-21

May 20, 2024

Joash was a good king, while Jehoiada, the priest, advised him. Joash commanded the priests to collect money from the people to repair the temple. However, they failed to raise enough money, and the temple deteriorated. The people must not have trusted the priests to use the money wisely. So, Joash ordered them to put a collection box in the temple, which was a great idea because people like to be seen giving; we see it all the time on social media, where people record themselves giving money to the poor for their self-gratification and the praises of others. They collected enough to make the repairs, and Joash oversaw the construction. Jehoiada, the priest, was 130 years old when he died. Things got bad after that. Hazael, king of Syria, planned on overtaking Jerusalem, but instead of fighting and relying on God to save them, Joash gave the king all the gold and silver in the treasury, thus preventing war. The country's princes came to Joash and asked permission to serve groves and idols, and they left the boring worship at the temple for a more exciting religious type of worship. In a moment of passion brought on by the Holy Spirit, one of the sons of Jehoiada, Zechariah, condemned what Joash had allowed. It infuriated Joash, and he had him stoned. Joash's servants, who must have been loyal to Jehoiada, killed Joash for killing Jehoiada's son. 

We can see from this story how important it is to have godly counsel and friends who love the Lord. It only seemed that it took a moment for things to go awry when evil princes began counseling the king. Joash was a good king until Jehoiada died, and then he became susceptible to the wiles of evil. Never let your guard down; stay loyal to the Lord to stave off the forces of evil. Another point is that if your worship bores you, who are you worshiping? The religious practice? Or your itchy ears? Put God first and foremost, and it will never become boring. 

And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 24:20-21

And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla. 2 Kings 12:20

May 19, 2024

In 2 Kings 9, we find that Ahaziah, king of Judah, was shot by Jeho's men and died in Megiddo. Now that the king of Judah was dead, in 2 Kings 11, Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother and sister to Jezebel, wanted to rule the kingdom, so she killed everyone related to the king so there would be no heirs to the throne. However, Ahaziah's sister, who was also the wife of the priest, Jehoiada, stole Joash, the one-year-old son of Ahaziah, and hid him in the temple to save his life. When Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada, who helped raise Joash, began arranging the military to help secure the temple and the king's home so it wouldn't be destroyed in anger by Athaliah and her sympathizers when she found out she could no longer rule. Then, in a ceremony at the temple, Jehoiada anointed the young man's head with oil and crowned him king of Judah. Athaliah heard the commotion, ran into the temple, and saw Joash was crowned, then she tore her clothes and cried treason. Isn't it funny that the usurper and treasonous queen called the rightful king a usurper? The guilty always try to make the innocent look like they are the ones who are guilty, but the truth always comes to light. Jehoiada didn't want her blood spilled in the temple, so they chased her back to the king's house and killed her with the sword at the horse gate. Jehoiada made a covenant with the Lord, and all the idols of Baal and their priests were destroyed. Joash began to rule, being advised by Jehoiada, the priest, who was also his father figure. 

God only allows the wicked to rule for so long before he sets a good king on the throne because of the cries of his people and one who will follow his ways and bring the government and His house together as one. Wait for it; it will surely come. 

And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king's house. Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign. 2 Kings 11:20-21