2 Kings 13:10-13 Sins of the father!

 “In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them. Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Joash rested with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.” II Kings‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria: He was the grandson of King Jehu, founder of this dynasty. He continued in the same sins as his father and grandfather.

b. His might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah: The reign of Jehoash saw a civil war among the people of God, with the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel at war.

i. “This war with Amaziah may be seen in ample detail in 2 Chronicles 25; it ended in the total defeat of Amaziah who was taken prisoner by Joash, and afterwards slain in a conspiracy at Lachish.” (Clarke)

(Guzik)

Sins of the father!

I am reminded of this verse, “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”” Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But there is hope for the children of a sinful father! ““Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭18‬:‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭18‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

What would the world be like if everyone had a new heart and spirit?

Blessings 

2 Kings 13:5-9 Lack of Fellowship!

 “Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the wooden image also remained in Samaria. For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash his son reigned in his place.” II Kings‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Then the LORD gave Israel a deliverer: This reminds us of the pattern often seen in the Book of Judges. Israel slipped into apostasy, God allowed them to be humbled under the enemies, they cried out to the LORD, and then He sent a deliverer, so that Israel escaped from under the hand of the Syrians.

i. We don’t know the name of this deliverer, but he is well known in heaven. One does not need a great name to do a great work for the LORD.

b. Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam: Though God answered their prayer and sent a deliverer, Israel continued in their falseworship of the true God. Men often consider this to be a small and inconsequential sin, and excuse the idolatry under the claim of good intentions.

i. “Israel’s repentance was only half-hearted; they repented because they suffered. They repented because of the suffering rather than because of the sin. They went back to the sin after they escaped from the sorrow.” (Spurgeon)

c. He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen: Israel was delivered; they were apostate; and they were weak. Their lack of fellowship with the true God made them weak; or actually, God made them weak because of their lack of true relationship. (Guzik)

Lack of Fellowship!

“Their lack of fellowship with the true God made them weak” (Guzik)

Some people come to church to learn about Jesus, the bible, to worship and pray but some have a lack of fellowship because they come for the free coffee, come to meet a friend or come because they are forced to. 

While some come to see what’s happening in the church.

I go to church to have fellowship with Jesus and to learn more about Him.

Do you have fellowship with His Son?

Blessings 

2 Kings 13:1-4 ‘Pleaded with the Lord’!

 “In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. So Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu became king over Israel: This was the beginning of the fulfillment of a promise made to Jehu, recorded in 2 Kings 10:30. God promised him that his descendants would sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. This dynasty – though founded on a violent overthrow of the previous royal house – continued because Jehu came to the throne doing the will of God.

b. He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed in the sins of Jeroboam: His father Jehu also continued in the idolatry of Jeroboam (2 Kings 10:31). Jehoahaz followed in the footsteps of both Jeroboam and his father Jehu.

c. He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria: The Northern Kingdom of Israel still had its own name and king, but they were a tributary and subservient nation to Syria.

i. In the general history of this time, the Assyrian Empire kept the Syrians weak and unable to expand their domain into Israel. But there was a period when internal problems made the Assyrians bring back their troops from the frontiers of their empire, and the Syrians took advantage of this time of Assyrian distraction.

d. So Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD listened to him: Jehoahaz was an ungodly man, and this prayer did not mark a lasting or real revival in his life. Yet God listened to his prayer because of His great mercy and because of His care for Israel.

i. “The term ‘pleaded with the Lord’ comes from a word meaning ‘to be sick,’ implying weakness and dependency. Jehoahaz was at the end of his rope.” (Dilday)

ii. “This restoration to prosperity began under Joash son of Jehoahaz, and culminated during the reign of his grandson Jeroboam II. So prayer is frequently answered after the petitioner has passed away.” (Knapp)

(Guzik)

‘Pleaded with the Lord’!

There are several occasions in the Bible where Moses, David and Paul pleaded with the Lord but He didn’t change His mind! 

““Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying:” Moses in regard to entering the Promised Land. Deuteronomy‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.” II Samuel‬ ‭12‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you ever been at the end of your rope and pleaded with the Lord?

I have!

Blessings 

2 Kings 12:19-21 Inglorious and terrible end!

“Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of the Millo, which goes down to Silla. For Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭12‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Now the rest of the acts of Joash: There is no record of repentance on Joash’s part. He never came back to or fulfilled his bright early promise.

i. “O how few of the few who begin to live to God continue unto the end!” (Clarke)

b. His servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash: This is startling, and shows that the blessing of God long before vanished from the compromised king who began so well, but failed to finish well.

i. “The murder of Joash by his officials or servants implies that it may have been the result of disaffection following the defeat by Hazael.” (Wiseman)

ii. “So disobedience brings its own bitter reward, and what God’s people sow they always, in some way or another, reap. Joash abundantly deserved his inglorious and terrible end.” (Knapp)

iii. “Thus ended a reign full of promise and hope in the beginning, but profligate, cruel, and ruinous in the end. Never was the hand of God’s justice more signally stretched out against an apostate king and faithless people, than at this time.” (Clarke)

(Guzik)

Inglorious and terrible end!

I don’t want to have an inglorious end terrible end! I pray that I can finish the race and keep the faith!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Paul said: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” ‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Dear Heavenly Father, help me fight the good fight for Jesus, finish the race like Paul and keep the faith. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Blessings 

2 Kings 12:17-18 Disobedient!

 “Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.”

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭12‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem: At this time, the kingdom of Syria attacked Judah with an inferior army, but God used them as an instrument of judgment against the disobedient Joash. King Joash was wounded in a battle outside of Jerusalem.

i. 2 Chronicles 24:23-24 tells the story: So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the LORD delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.

b. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things… and sent them to Hazael king of Syria: Instead of trusting God, Jehoash traded prior blessing – the sacred treasures of the temple – to protect his capital and kingdom against the attacking Syrians.

i. He was in a difficult place: wounded, with an attacking and successful army bearing down on Jerusalem. He found it hard to trust God in this difficult place because he had stopped trusting God in easier circumstances long before. (Guzik)

Disobedient!

Time and time again we study in the Old Testament where kings became disobedient to God and the curse that followed!

“so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober. “The Lord would not spare him; for then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the Lord would blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord would separate him from all the tribes of Israel for adversity, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this Book of the Law,”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭29‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Because of our sin nature and our inability to follow the law we needed a Savior! 

“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Did you open the door for Jesus?

Blessings 

Kings 12:14-16 Sin Offering!

 

“But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.”

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money: Through good administration of the project, they were able to find men who could be trusted to use the money wisely and honestly. The project was previously stalled, not because of a lack of money, but because of poor money management.

b. It belonged to the priests: The point is made that the project succeeded without taking anything away from the priests. The temple was not repaired and refurbished at their expense; they still received money from the trespass offerings and from the sin offerings. (Guzik)

Sin Offering!

Jesus was our sin offering and with His death and resurrection it negated the sin offering of the old covenant because He finished it once and for all and created a new covenant!

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” ‭‭I Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Years ago before my father passed he confided in me that he was afraid to go to hell for three days like Jesus did. I explained to him that Jesus didn’t go to hell to suffer, he went to proclaim that it was finished! And He gathered the saints on the other side of the divide (Luke 16:19-31) to take them to heaven because He was the final sacrifice that cleansed their sin allowing them to go into the presence of God.

Is Jesus your sin offering or have you let your pride or intellect convince you that there is a better way to get to heaven?

Blessings

Biopsy Day

 Today is biopsy day for my beloved wife. Last night during life group we studied Genesis and the family of Joseph and how messed up it was with jealousy, sibling rivalry and the circumstances that led him to be sold as a slave. Nothing has changed!

So last night we all laid hands on her and prayed for her. I then had a friend who is a godly woman read these two pieces of scripture.

I was wearing my chaplain hat and dusted off my oil anointing container and with the oil on my finger I anointed her forehead with the sign of the cross in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Please pray for us today as we travel and walk down this difficult road ahead.

Blessings,