2 KINGS 10:32 - 12:21
"God cut off Israel": (destroy, cut away) In fact, the 2-1/2 tribes living EAST of the Jordan River were destroyed or captured and taken away. The people who are content to live on the perimeter of the Kingdom of God, are the first ones to be captured by the enemy.
ATHALIAH: Daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, married Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram, king of Judah. Ahaziah, king of Judah, was her son. When Ahaziah died, Athaliah, the queen-mother, determined to rule, and so she wiped out the "royal house of Judah", all except for one child - JOASH - hidden by his auntie (for 6 years).
JOASH: When Joash was 7-years-old, JEHOIDA, the priest, conspired against Athaliah the queen and slew her and her followers. He crowned Joash king in the Temple with guards surrounding him. As long as Jehoida lived, Joash mounted restorations to the House of the Lord, but left the high places intact. Jehoida died at 130-years-old and was buried with the Kings! With his faithful counselor dead, Joash backslid. Jehoida's sons warned Joash with prophesies, but Joash had them killed! When Hazael of Syria prepared to invade Jerusalem, Joash bought him off with the gold and the "hallowed things" from the Temple and Palace. His own officials killed Joash in his bed after a 40-year reign. He was NOT buried with the kings, but in the family plot.
RESPONSE: When we come to God, we must come ALL the way in! Hanging out in the doorway will get you excluded, then captured by the enemy. 2 John 2:12-14 tell us that in the faith, there are "little children, young men, and fathers". It also lists the characteristics of each category. I won't go into it here, however, until you lay down your life (your rights, your reputation, and your dignity - Phil 2), you are not a Biblical "father" (you won't reproduce - John 12:24-25). When the 2-1/2 tribes made the decision to live EAST of the Jordan River, they were a type of the Christian who doesn't grow beyond "young men". The Jordan River is a type of "death to the SELF or flesh". Even though the "young men" knew the Word and cast out devils, they were not considered mature because they still were aggressive, easily offended, independent, mixing works with faith, and "claiming" things by faith instead of possessing them by the Cross. AS A RESULT: they were picked off by the enemy. Hazael is a type of the FLESH, or the "world-spirit" of antichrist at work IN THE CHURCH. By tolerating even a LITTLE BIT of idolatry, Joash also left himself wide open and vulnerable to the enemy.
ACTS 18:1-22
Paul is learning how the Kingdom of God gets extended:
PHILIPPI: Acts 16:12-40: The importance and POWER of prayer and worship.
THESSALONICA & BEREA: Acts 17:1-14: The importance and POWER of the Word.
ATHENS: Acts 17:15-45: Man's problem is MORAL, not intellectual; so intellectual arguments fail to convince.
CORINTH: Acts 18:1-17: The importance of the of strength and authority of the Gospel. Paul learned his lesson in Athens. "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (1 Cor 2:4-5) He was now deep behind enemy lines - deep into pagan territory in the power of the Gospel, and it works! It says that Paul "continued" there 1-1/2 years. That word in the original language actually means he "sat in a place of authority". And no wonder! When he was kicked out of the synagogue in Corinth, he started a church right next door!
RESPONSE: Always remember, the Gospel is the POWER of God (Rom 1:16). It has inherent power IN it, and puts inherent power IN us! What resides inside of us is much stronger and much more enduring than ANYTHING in the world! Or anything owned or practiced by the world-spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:4)! With the Gospel, we are actually armed to the teeth to be God's representatives in the earth! We are sent into the world like sheep among wolves - HOWEVER the spirit of wisdom rests on us and we are not a victim, but we are a sacrifice. Paul was NO ONE's victim. But he was willing to be sacrificed for the sake of the Gospel.
PSALM 145:1-21
If you are pursuing God with your whole heart, and if your motive is to please God, then Psalm 138-145 describe you and your mission. Psalm 145 is the last one that actually lists David as its author. It is the last of the acrostic Psalms; and should contain twenty-two verses, as answering to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet; but the verse between the thirteenth and fourteenth, beginning with the Hebrew letter nun (n), is lost out of the present Hebrew copies. This Psalm tells of the goodness and greatness of our God and His kingdom. "I will extol, I will bless, I will praise...." For God's greatness, for His works (goodness), His abundance of love and mercy, His glorious kingdom (v.11ff), for His liberality and and bounty, for His nearness, for His justice and righteousness.
PROVERBS 18:1
"An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends" - which is probably why single people die younger than married people! Being close to another human being is what smoothes off our rough edges. We learn to be flexible, to adapt, to be humble, how to rejoice with someone else, how to fight being self-serving, how to lay down our lives for another, to name just a few. The Bible reveals that our destiny, our purpose, God's will CANNOT BE COMPLETED outside the Body of Christ. Everything the Bible teaches is in the context of the Body.
RESPONSE: I like to use Psalm 145 when I worship Jesus out loud. In fact, that is where I got the idea to worship the Lord with the alphabet. When I review the goodness and greatness of God during the day, I use the alphabet a lot. It is a good reminder, it helps me to be creative with "titles" for God, and makes me grateful. For example: "O Lord, You are Awesome, You are the Almighty. You are a Blessing to me, You are Bountiful and Beautiful. You are a good Counselor, a Comfort to my soul, and You Care about me. You are the Delightsome One, a mighty Deliverer, my Defender. You are Everything I need and want, El Shaddai, the Everlasting and Eternal One. My Friend, my Fortress, my Fountain of Life!" You get it!
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