2 Kings 22

WEEK   11                                         2 Kings 22

TUESDAY  Reflections

Josiah discovered the Law of God, the first five books of the Bible. When he heard what was written, he realized how far Israel and Judah had fallen. As we see in the next chapter, Israel hadn't even held a Passover as complete as the law commanded since the time of the judges (2 Kings 23:22). The reading of the law showed Josiah just how far they were from what God wanted them to be.

 

When Josiah inquired of the Lord, the Lord said that even with reform, judgment was going to fall. What did Josiah do when he heard this? He began a massive reform program. He cleaned up the idolatry and public immorality, and restored the proper worship of God. He did what was right even though he knew ultimately the nation would fall. He didn’t give up or give in. He did what was right knowing that it would only bring a temporary reprieve for the nation. 

 

I have to imagine that this kind of reform brought a great amount of backlash. Yet, he did what God had commanded. What strength and courage did it take? Josiah had to bring the reforms and also know they wouldn’t last. It could have been easy to give up. To say another way, it wouldn't change anything. However, God is very pleased when we do what is right, especially in hopeless situations.

 

As I write this, the West appears to have chosen to embrace darkness and disobedience. Like Isaiah, it seems as if after the times of my prophecies (preaching), destruction will fill the USA. This fear is not to be my focus; my focus has to be on God and what he would have me do, no matter the consequences. This is what God is calling you to do also. Because we don’t know what the future holds, perhaps God will relent as He did with Nineveh.

2Ki 22:1-20
(1)  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
(2)  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
(3)  And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,
(4)  Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:
(5)  And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,
(6)  Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
(7)  Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.
(8)  And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
(9)  And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD.
(10)  And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
(11)  And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
(12)  And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,
(13)  Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
(14)  So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.
(15)  And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
(16)  Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
(17)  Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
(18)  But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
(19)  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.
(20)  Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

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2 Kings 21

WEEK   11                                          2 Kings 21

MONDAY  Reflections

Now we are introduced to the child born in Hezekiah's extra 15 years, Manasseh. He was 12 when he began to rule. Manasseh was the absolute worst king Judah or Israel ever had. What made his reign even worse was its length, 55 years, most of which were bad. It was his reign that caused Judah to fall to such a state that when Josiah brought reform, it wasn’t enough to stop the coming judgment, as we will read in 2 Kings 23:26.

 

One can never underestimate the power of one person, be they good (David, Jesus) or evil. We should never underestimate the power of our lives, even if we aren't kings.

2Ki 21:1-26
(1)  Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.
(2)  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
(3)  For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
(4)  And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
(5)  And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
(6)  And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
(7)  And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
(8)  Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.
(9)  But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.
(10)  And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,
(11)  Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:
(12)  Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.
(13)  And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.
(14)  And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;
(15)  Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.
(16)  Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
(17)  Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
(18)  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.
(19)  Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
(20)  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did.
(21)  And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:
(22)  And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD.
(23)  And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house.
(24)  And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.
(25)  Now 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?
(26)  And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

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Ezekiel 16

WEEK   10                                           Ezekiel 16

SATURDAY  Reflections

Jerusalem and its people couldn’t claim any special honor that wasn't given by God. They weren't anything pure or desirable from their very beginning. Yet, God had mercy and made them something special. The special relationship God had with His people is illustrated in the marriage covenant. God called the people his bride.

 

In return for His mercy and the way God elevated them, the people of God were unfaithful to Him. God uses the image not just as an unfaithful wife but a woman who leaves her loving, wealthy husband to be a harlot. Instead of accepting what God would have given her, Israel is like a harlot living off of scraps. They have been so bad that God says they are worse than Sodom, whom He destroyed. The message is clear; God is right in His judgment.

Eze 16:1-63
(1)  Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(2)  Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
(3)  And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
(4)  And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
(5)  None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
(6)  And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
(7)  I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
(8)  Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
(9)  Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
(10)  I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
(11)  I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
(12)  And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
(13)  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
(14)  And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
(15)  But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
(16)  And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
(17)  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
(18)  And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
(19)  My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
(20)  Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
(21)  That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
(22)  And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
(23)  And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;)
(24)  That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
(25)  Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
(26)  Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
(27)  Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
(28)  Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
(29)  Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.
(30)  How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
(31)  In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
(32)  But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
(33)  They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
(34)  And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
(35)  Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:
(36)  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
(37)  Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
(38)  And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
(39)  And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
(40)  They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
(41)  And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
(42)  So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
(43)  Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.
(44)  Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
(45)  Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
(46)  And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
(47)  Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
(48)  As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.
(49)  Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
(50)  And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
(51)  Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
(52)  Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
(53)  When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
(54)  That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
(55)  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
(56)  For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
(57)  Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.
(58)  Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.
(59)  For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
(60)  Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
(61)  Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
(62)  And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:
(63)  That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

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Micah 7

WEEK   10                                        Micah 7

FRIDAY  Reflections

Yes, God is a God who requires justice and judgment, but He is also a God of mercy and forgiveness. The prophet ends with a promise. The promise God will forgive and restore. God is going to keep His promises; this is the final word. God is not a God who is looking for a fight. He is looking for a reason to forgive and restore. He is a God of mercy and love.

Mic 7:1-20
(1)  Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
(2)  The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
(3)  That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
(4)  The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
(5)  Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
(6)  For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
(7)  Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
(8)  Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
(9)  I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
(10)  Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
(11)  In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.
(12)  In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
(13)  Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
(14)  Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
(15)  According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.
(16)  The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
(17)  They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee.
(18)  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
(19)  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
(20)  Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

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2 Corinthians 6

WEEK   10                                      2 Corinthians 6

THURSDAY  Reflections

A yoke binds two things together. Paul advises the people of Corinth and us not to be yoked (bound) to unbelievers. This isn't saying we can't be friends with the unsaved, because without interaction, how can people come to Christ? Just being a friend to an unbeliever isn’t what Paul is talking about.

Two bound animals can't go separate ways; either they move together, the stronger pulls the weaker along (never a good thing), or they go nowhere. If we are bound to unbelievers, then Paul's concern isn't that we will bring them to God but the other way around.

This scripture is used most often in marriage, but I believe business deals, oath-bound organizations, and other binding arrangements would do well to take Paul's words to heart. We are here to reach the world. How can we do that if we are bound to something which denigrates the name or work of Jesus?

2Co 6:1-18
(1)  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
(2)  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
(3)  Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
(4)  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
(5)  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;
(6)  By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,
(7)  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
(8)  By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;
(9)  As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
(10)  As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
(11)  O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
(12)  Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.
(13)  Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.
(14)  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
(15)  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
(16)  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
(17)  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
(18)  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

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