2 CHRONICLES 14:1 - 16:14
ASA, KING OF JUDAH: Reigned 41 years. GOD helped him defeat Zerah the Ethiopian. In the time of RESTORATION and REFORMATION and REVIVAL, he did not even spare the Queen-Mother! "And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul." Asa used the treasures of the house of the Lord to buy Syrian help against Israel. The truth was that Asa could have OWNED the Syrian army if he had relied on the LORD. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect (at peace, or loyal) toward Him." God is actually looking for those whose confidence in God enables Him to demonstrate His power!
KING ASA'S FEET: He was diseased in his feet (His walk with God) and instead of seeking the Lord, he went to PHYSICIANS. His feet must have stunk, because his deathbed was filled with spices and perfumes.
RESPONSE: Asa did not endure to the end. (Mark 13:13) "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Did Asa get scared by the opposition? Somehow he lost his confidence in God and didn't listen to God's voice in the prophet (imprisoned him). He had a good beginning, but didn't finish well. That is a warning to the rest of us - finish your race! Endure to the end. Keep your confidence in God.
ROMANS 9:1-21
MAIN POINT: God is calling people to Himself, made up of whosever believes on Jesus. Salvation is not by nationality, but by election - God's choosing in grace. Even with all the "proofs", (eg. sonship, the Ark of glory, covenants, Word, Temple services, promises of God, examples of church fathers, and Jesus being a Jew Himself), Israel rejected salvation. When the Jews refused to be persuaded of the Truth, God hardened their hearts in order to make known the riches of His glory on "vessels of mercy." NOTE: We were all "vessels of wrath" and some were "chosen" to show God's power and glory, the elect being BOTH Jew and Gentile. The glory and power of God is not that He chose some and rejected others. It is that He chose ANY. Although Israel will be numbered as the "sand of the sea" only a REMNANT will be saved. Paul's thrust is not WHETHER Jews are to be saved, but HOW. Chapters 9-11 are about SALVATION, NOT ESCHATOLOGY. The only Seed (Rom 9:8) that counts is faith, being born of the Spirit of Promise. It has ALWAYS been God's intension to extend salvation to the Gentiles (Gen 26:4; Gal 3:7-9), but He has not completely rejected the Jews from His plan. WE GENTILES ARE NOT SPIRITUAL STEP-CHILDREN, BUT CHOSEN ONES (Phil 3:3).
WHY DID GOD”HATE" ESAU? Actually, the word for "hate" isn't used like we use it. When we say "hate", we mean something like malice or murder. The way it is used here is like Luke 14:26 where Jesus said we had to "hate mother and father" in order to follow Him! "Hated" is a Hebraism for "not chosen, spurned, unloved." It is used to mean that we PREFER something else and treat with DISREGARD the thing hated. That we have set a priority on the preferred thing. This becomes necessary to keep us from vacillating in our decision to obey God. Here, Esau represented the flesh, Jacob represented the spirit. God wants our flesh to SERVE the spirit, and never the other way around.
RESPONSE: I am not "second-best", because God would rather have saved someone else. However, I know that I am saved because He came after me, and He chose me! Sometimes when I really goof up, I remind God that He chose me - now He can help me work out my salvation. Like v. 16 says, I couldn't chose God, it took God's mercy to come for me. And He lives in me, "that He might show His power in me." Wow!
PSALM 19:1-14
The heavens declare God's work, but not God's will, which is demonstrated in His Word. God's revelation demands, effects, and maintains the fear of God. The spiritual man relies on the Word of God as a mirror for self-knowledge, so he can submit and repent.
THREE GRADES OF SIN: (v.12-13)
"secret sins": Unknown even to me, ignorantly or inadvertently sinning.
"presumptuous": Daring, prideful, intentional (Deu 17:12) and has the power to enslave us and leads to #3.
"unpardonable": To knowingly refuse to obey, to break away in revolt. (2Pet 2:10).
MEDITATION: Our speech ("words of my mouth") gives away what we have been "meditating in our hearts". What we think about all the time, comes out our mouths. If you want to change how you talk, then meditate on the goodness and greatness of God. That's what Psalm 19 is about. Verses 1-6 are His works, and Verses 7-14 are His Word.
PROVERBS 20:1
Alcohol (including wine and beer) causes nothing but trouble. It destroys careers, marriages, families, reputations, finances, health, mental capacity, spirituality. They also make a fool out of the person who is drinking it and causes them to mock the God Who made them. In addition, it is addictive and enslaving, and destroys personality.
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