Category: 2 Kings

Half-Hearted Obedience

2 Kings 9-10


Sometimes, it’s easy to confuse serving God with serving our own desires. You can go out and do amazing things, things God would love to see you doing, but that doesn’t mean you’re truly doing it for God. Our intentions behind the works are what matter. Only obeying God when it happens to align with your own agenda is not truly serving Him. We are called to take up our crosses daily, to surrender our lives to God wholly and completely. Half-hearted obedience isn’t going to cut it. It can make the world a better place, momentarily, and it can even be used by God to carry out His plan. But God isn’t asking us to be lukewarm, available-only-when-it’s-convenient-for-us Christians. A true follower of Christ is willing to do whatever God asks, and go wherever He leads, everyday.


When Jehu was anointed and declared the next king of Israel after Joram (aka Jehoram), he was tasked with a very morbid vocation. He was called to bring judgement on the house of Ahab; a very harsh judgement consisting of a lot of killing. Fortunately, the intense Jehu was up to the task, and in a way, was one of the most successful kings Israel had during this time. After a long run of very bad kings, Jehu was a refreshingly obedient type of ruler, who did exactly what God called him to do… until he didn’t.


In 2 Kings 10:12-14, we watch as Jehu viciously takes the additional life of King Ahaziah. This was a whole separate ordeal from the righteous fulfillment of God’s command to end the house of Ahab, and later he kills more relatives of Ahaziah. This was not apart of the instructions God provided, but he went on ruthlessly anyways. His ego and yearning for glory gave rise to unsolicited murder, of which he was thoroughly proud. In 2 Kings 10:16-17, Jehu requests that the honorable Jehonadab come with him and see his zeal for the LORD, and then kills more people. Jehu’s continued obedience is noteworthy, and even impressive, but in the end, he was proud of his own zeal, and only followed God’s command when it went along with his own ambitions.


2 Kings 10:31 says: “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.” He was quick to end the worship of Baal in Israel, but continued with the worship of false idols of Jeroboam. Jehu fought hard against idolatry, but not with all his heart. He fulfilled God’s work, and served Him well, but he never really had a true relationship with God. He destroyed everything in his path, partially for God, but ultimately for his own gain.

As followers of Christ and servants of the Most High, we are called to live everyday for something greater than ourselves, whether or not that lines up with our personal plans, desires, or ambitions. I pray that we may always serve our loving God wholeheartedly, for His cause, and not ours.

-Isabella Osborn

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 2 Kings 9-10 and Proverbs 9

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Restored!

2 Kings 7-8


Our God is a God of restoration. There will ultimately be a full restoration, but full restoration can only happen when the world is once again the beautiful, perfect place God created it to be, when His Kingdom is established on earth. Partial restoration, however, has been happening ever since the beginning of time. We read about restoration countless times in the Bible, and if you look, you can see it in our lives today, too. God constantly restores what has been lost to His people, whether it be a physical ability, such as sight, or movement, or a spiritual restoration, such as that of faith, or even the restoration of life.


Today, we read in 2 Kings chapter 8 about a Shunammite woman who lost everything she had during a 7 year famine, but because of her faith in God and willingness to obey, it was restored to her. Now this woman was not new to witnessing God’s ability to restore what was lost. In chapter 4 of 2 Kings, we read about how Elisha rewarded the Shunammite woman’s kindness with fertility, and she bore a son. Sadly, the son later died, but she had faith in God’s power, so she sought out Elisha. Elisha came, and the son was brought back to life; he was restored.


It is clear that this woman had remarkable faith. Perhaps this is why Elisha warned her about the famine that would come on the land for 7 long years, and advised her to leave. So without question, she and her household left their home and stayed in the land of the Philistines for 7 years, until the famine was over. When they returned, she had to appeal to the king to get back her home and all her land. The crazy thing is, right as she was coming to appeal to the king,
Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, (who in chapter 5 was cursed with leprosy, and left Elisha… so it can be assumed that these chapters are not necessarily in chronological order) was telling him the unbelievable story of the miracle Elisha performed in the resurrection of the son of the Shunammite woman. The woman, who just happened to show up during this particular story
time, also gave an account of what happened, and the King was so impressed that he instantly granted her the land and all that she left 7 years ago.


This story speaks volumes of God’s perfect timing, and adds to the common theme we see throughout the Bible of God’s willingness to restore what has been lost to those who are faithful. Look closely at the different ways in which God restores things in your life, and let it remind you to live everyday for the ultimate restoration that’s coming.


-Isabella Osborn

Today’s Bible reading devotions can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 2 Kings 7-8 and Proverbs 8

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Not What You Expected

2 Kings 5-6


As ignorant, stuck-up, entitled humans, we often think we know what we need. We have this nice little idea of what will make our lives better, and we go to God expecting Him to grant us our wishes. But the thing is, we don’t know what we need; we don’t know how God works or what He plans to accomplish through us, or how He even uses our situation for His glory.


In 2 Kings 5, we read about one particular ignorant human who went to Elisha hoping to be healed of his leprosy, despite being a gentile and enemy of Israel. Now this man, Naaman, wasn’t mistaken in thinking he would receive the help he needed, but what he thought he needed and what God knew he needed were two separate things. When Elisha told Naaman to wash 7 times in the river Jordan, he became angry and almost turned around to head home, because this wasn’t the grand solution he expected to hear. Fortunately, however, his servants reminded him what was at stake, and what he should be willing to try for the sake of healing his leprosy. So Naaman, I imagine quite reluctantly, went down to the river and followed Elisha’s instructions. And what do you know – he was healed!


After experiencing this miraculous restoration of health, Naaman knew who the one true God was (and is), and came back a changed man. Even in the few paragraphs we read about Naaman, we can see a drastic difference in his overall attitude and behavior. God changed his heart. If Naaman wasn’t lucky enough to have those servants around, he would’ve missed out on everything he gained in his short encounter with Elisha. Because of his own pride and desires, he
was prepared to walk away from the only chance he would ever get at healing his fatal disease, and finding a relationship with his Creator.


Naaman’s story can serve as a reminder to let go of our self-conceived ideas of what is best for us, and instead trust God to handle every situation His way. God’s way is always the best way, whether or not we are capable of understanding it. He has a plan for all His children, and this plan has already been set in motion. He answers our prayers in ways we could never imagine,
and sometimes in ways we can’t even see. We have to trust that our loving, heavenly Father knows what’s truly best for us, and that everything He does is part of the ultimate plan He has for us to live together with Him in His eternal Kingdom.


God knows what you need, all you have to do is trust Him.

–Isabella Osborn

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 2 Kings 5-6 and Proverbs 7

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God Gives Victory

2 Kings 3-4


You know the feeling you get when you meet up with a couple of fellow kings, who aren’t really your fellows, but you have a common enemy, so you march on together in friendship and harmony, despite the odds that are against you, when you come to the devastating realization that your combined armies and cattle are on the road to dehydration, so you suggest finding that one
prophet dude who can maybe help out in this situation, and the other kings agree, so you find the prophet dude and it miraculously turns out, yes! He, or more accurately God through him, helps you out with your water dilemma, (it’s “but a slight thing in the sight of the LORD) and not only that, but he also says that he’ll assist in the defeat your enemy!! Eeeeek, I’m practically bursting
just thinking of it. Unfortunately, I can’t say I’ve actually experienced the aforementioned occurrence, but I have felt the amazing emotion that fills your heart with complete, unmatchable joy when you are assured that the most powerful, capable, fierce, wisest Being in the universe, loves you and has your back.


In 2 Kings 3, this is exactly what we see happening. Jehoram, the king of Israel, comes together with Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, along with the king of Edom, and together they avoid dying of thirst, and totally crush the Moabites. Their epic victory wasn’t of their own works, though. It was God who provided water, and delivered Moab into the hands of the three kings. More often than we ever realize, God works in our lives too. Every single undeserved blessing, every single little victory we celebrate, is our Father’s loving presence. He is continually showing us how much He cares for us, and how deeply He loves us. He demonstrates this love not only in our lives now, but in the amazing promises He’s made to us. Promises of a perfect Kingdom in a beautiful land, where we will live eternally in absolute contentment and happiness
with our wholly perfect and wholly good Father.

Notice, however, that Elisha clarified in verse 14 of chapter 3 that he would not even be seeing them if it wasn’t for the presence of the godly and faithful king Jehoshaphat. This king trusted his God, and knew to go to Him in his time of need. Back then, they had to go to God through a prophet, like Elisha, or Elisha’s predecessor, Elijah, but Jesus has since then connected us to our
God, bridging the gap as a mediator between God and man. We have the ability to speak directly with God and form the relationship He so desperately wants with us, despite our utter imperfection and His divine perfection. Hold on tight to that gift, never forgetting how awesome it is that we can be so massively loved by such a great God; that He would care for us at all, even in our sin and weakness. Hold on tight to the unimaginable promises He’s made to us, and live
everyday aware and thankful for the countless blessings He provides for us.


What a feeling, to know that you have such an awesome God on your side.

-Isabella Osborn

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at Bible Gateway here – 2 Kings 3-4 and Proverbs 6

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Take Action

2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-45

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Josiah was only eight years old when he became king, yet he still did what was right. This was unlike many of the other kings that ruled in Jerusalem. We are told in these chapters that this young and inexperienced king did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

It is amazing how zealous King Josiah was. He was truly grieved when he discovered, from the reading of the Book of Law, how far his people had strayed. He tore his clothes and audibly wept. I feel like this should inspire modern day Christians. It seems as though evil has become an ordinary thing that we see happen every day. We have news stories of murders, burglaries, and other reports of violence and suffering flash across our phones on a daily basis. Does this evil pain us the way the evil of Jerusalem pained Josiah? Or have we grown numb to this constant occurrence?

Not only did this pain Josiah, it also sparked a change. King Josiah did something with this revelation. He tore down the high places and idols built to glorify and worship false gods. He sought to destroy the things in Jerusalem that went against the LORD. He completed this quest with passion. He wanted Jerusalem to again turn to the LORD.

This should also inspire us. It is one step to see what is happening, but it is another to take action. What are we doing to combat the darkness? There is so much pain in this world. How are we being proactive?  It is easy to become complacent, but we must aspire to do all that we can as Josiah did. Josiah is an example of someone that truly sought the LORD.

Because of Josiah’s heart and his commitment, the LORD promised him that he would not see the destruction of Jerusalem. Josiah, however, was eventually killed in battle. This came about, though, because he did not heed the warning which God had sent him. We need to constantly look to the LORD and seek him as Josiah tried to do during his reign.

Therefore, let us allow the things we see to inspire us to also seek change. Let us, as Christians, be a city on a hill and reach out to the hungry, wounded, and lost. Even opening the door for someone or buying someone’s coffee in the drive-thru behind us can make another person’s day. This life can seem difficult at times, so let us be a light that keeps the creeping darkness at bay in the lives of many people. Josiah did not only grieve for the state of Jerusalem, he took action to better it. In the same way we should not be satisfied with only grieving for our world. We too, like Josiah, should seek to be the difference that we wish to see in this world.

Hannah Deane

 

Today’s Bible reading can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+22-23%3B+2+Chronicles+34-35&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s reading will be Zephaniah 1-3 as we continue our 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan

 

 

A King and A Tyrant

2 Kings 20-21

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These two short chapters make me very glad for the American political system. Before I talk about what makes our system so good, I need to talk about the system in place in the passage that we read. Chapter 20 marks the end of the reign of a good king, Hezekiah, who accomplished many good deeds in the name of God. He was an iconoclast, one who destroys religious images (as an aside, archaeological evidence confirms the iconoclasm of Hezekiah’s age, very cool). He also increased the size of the Judahite kingdom and made it into a power on par with that of the Assyrians and Babylonians. Of course, all of this was made possible by the God who went before them in battle. Of all the kings of Judah, Hezekiah can be counted among the best, and under the guidance of a king such as he, a monarchy isn’t such a bad deal.

But when your good king is replaced by a 12-year-old tyrant, things aren’t so good. Manasseh reversed all the progress that Hezekiah made toward ridding Israel of idols and images of foreign gods. Manasseh turned away from God and brought Judah down with him. This is the power of a king. If he is good, then he can accomplish great things! But if he is evil, then he can accomplish even worse things. Somehow, Manasseh survived for fifty-five years as the king of Judah. Being a murderous beast of a man can certainly turn people away from the idea of overthrowing you. Luckily for the people of Judah, his son Amon was a bit more of a weakling, giving his advisors the opportunity to assassinate him.

This is the problem with monarchies. Everyone loves a prosperous generation under a king who does good, but if you are unfortunate enough to have a bad king (and there were a lot of them in Judah and Israel’s history), then the only way to get back on the right track is to murder the guy. Luckily for the Judahites, the next in line to the throne was an 8-year-old boy who ended up becoming arguably the greatest king of Judah. I wish I could talk more about how impressive Josiah is, but our passage cuts off just before his reign begins.

To summarize: a good king is great, but a bad king can only end in bloodshed, in the form of his people’s lives or his own. God knew this when he told Samuel that establishing a kingship was a bad idea. But God let the people have what they wanted. John Locke, a 17th century political philosopher whose thoughts helped lay the groundwork for the American system, knew this and argued against it in his treatises. The American system is designed to move slow, to never be controlled by one person long enough to do lasting damage. In America, you don’t have to wait a generation just to see political reform. Maybe if you are terribly concerned with nominal tax rates and zoning laws, then you can be frustrated with the snail’s pace at which the American political system moves, but the great advantage that we have in America is the lack of despotism and regicide. This alone gives you great reason to be happy to be alive in 2020 and not in the 8th century B.C. Let us thank God that the founders of this country were men of God who believed that each person is endowed with the spark of the Divine which is the source of our authority over our own lives, thus freeing us from the whims of tyrants like Manasseh.

Nathaniel Johnson

 

Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+20-21&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s Bible reading will be 32-33 as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan

His Strength and Battle Plans

2 Kings 18:9-19:37 and Psalm 46, 80 & 135

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David was a small man compared to Goliath. Based on some Egyptian recordings, men of the time would stand around 5.5 feet tall. Now Goliath was either 6’9” or 9’9” depending on if you look at the Septuagint or the Masoretic texts. Either way, David was significantly smaller than the champion of the Philistines, yet God gave him the power to triumph over the giant. We have a few similar stories in the conquest of the Levant (the region where the Israelites were led to settle by God). When Joshua led Israel to defeat Jericho, there was no reason to believe that a small army could conquer such a well-fortified city, so God conquered for the Israelites. The defeat of king Og is another story of the Israelites conquest against a giant, and again, God conquered for the Israelites.

This story of Judah versus Assyria is really a story of David versus Goliath. Assyria was the ancient near east’s most powerful nation. The Assyrians turned Ninevah into a wealthy city and a center for culture and art. They also coerced all the surrounding nations into vassalage in order to fund these massive feats of architecture. This essentially means that the king of Assyria demanded large sums of gold and silver from the nearby kings in exchange for the “protection” of the Assyrians, which is a euphemism for, “Give me money or I’ll kill you and enslave all your people.” It’s a pretty good setup they’ve got going on. At the beginning of the passage you’ll see that Hezekiah is one of those kings who is a vassal to Sennacherib. Judah manages to cough up 10 tons of silver and 1 ton of gold. That’s a lot of money. Even with that generous donation, Assyria couldn’t leave Judah alone. Assyria lays siege to Jerusalem, mocks their God and insists that they will be forced to eat their own excrement if they stay on the side of God.

Choosing to stay on God’s side usually isn’t that difficult for me, but when the cost is eating your own filth, it certainly adds some weight to the decision.  Many kings of Judah and certainly most, if not all, of the kings of Israel would have submitted to Sennacherib’s will, but not Hezekiah. Isaiah tells Hezekiah that God will take care of everything, like he always does. Once again, God conquers for the Israelites.

We often want God to act through us, to perform some mighty feat of strength or wisdom with ourselves as the focus. However, God often chooses to do things without us so that we can know that the glory is his and his alone. We want to be like David, to be a man after God’s own heart, but also to be like David, a man who performed valiant feats. Let us remember that it is God’s will that will be done and not ours. We can build up fortresses for ourselves but they won’t save us. Our God is a mighty fortress, an ever present help in trouble. Nothing we create will ever be as effective a shield as Him.

 

Nathaniel Johnson

 

Today’s Bible reading can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+18%3A9-19%3A37%3B+Psalm+46%2C+80%2C+135&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s reading will be Isaiah 49-53 as we continue on the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan

True Repentance

2 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 26

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Today’s reading might have seemed a bit repetitive. Going back to the history books, we are reviewing the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and several kings of Israel. Did you notice a pattern? Nearly every king is described as having done, “what was evil in the LORD’s sight.” While there could be many ways in which these kings sinned, I noticed every time the phrase “evil in the LORD’s sight” was used it was immediately followed by, “He [the king] refused to turn away…” It seems to me the author is trying to get across a point. The refusal to turn from sin is just as evil and displeasing to God as the sin itself. What God desires, and what none of these kings had is a true repentant heart.

God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He knows we are human. He knows we are going to make mistakes. That’s why he sent us Jesus, a way for us to be redeemed. God knows we are going to sin. He is not shocked by our mistakes, while we might be. We might find ourselves in a place we never thought we would be, walking down a road of darkness we never thought we would find. We may see ourselves as too dirty to present ourselves to God, and so continue down a path of sin. Perhaps we find ourselves unworthy of forgiveness and so decide God must feel the same. We keep ourselves from God, and by doing so, remain in sin.

When you sin, what God requires is full repentance. To completely turn away from sin and enter a life of freedom. True repentance means recognizing our sin, turning away from it, and no longer allowing it to define our lives. This last part is key. Do not act as your own judge and jury. God has already forgiven you. He forgave you before you were even born. According to the passages read today, not repenting, continuing to live in guilt, can have just as many negative consequences.

Emilee Ross

 

Today’s Bible reading can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+15%2C+2+Chronicles+26&version=NIV

Tomorrow we begin the book of Isaiah (chapters 1-4) as we continue hearing from God’s word on our 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan

A King with a Divided Heart

2 Kings 14 & 2 Chronicles 25

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Today’s reading looks at King Amaziah.  2 Kings 14:3 explains, “Amaziah did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, but not like his ancestor David” (NLT). In 2 Chronicle 25:2, we are again told of Amaziah’s faith as he “did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, but not wholeheartedly” (NLT).  The literal Hebrew translation for the phrase wholeheartedly means with a loyal heart. So, King Amaziah served the LORD, but not with a loyal heart. Sometimes he obeyed God, as explained in 2 Chronicles 25:5-10, by heeding the prophet’s warning to not use the troops from Israel. Other times, he forgot God and chose to worship idols. His heart was not loyal. He was a king divided.

The idea of serving with a divided heart reminds me of a sermon I preached last summer on Philippians 4:2-9. This passage begins with the ever popular “Do not be anxious about anything” verse. I conducted a closer word study over this passage and discovered what Paul is really saying is not “don’t worry” but not to be divided. The Greek translation for the word anxious is merimnate. The root word merimnaó actually means to be divided, not to be whole. Paul is asking believers not to let their hearts and minds become divided, but to invite God into all aspects of our lives doing this through “prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.”

While worry is one thing that can divide a heart, it is not the only thing. Right now, living in pandemic times, it is easy to be distracted by many feelings. Despair, anger, depression, grief, uncertainty, doubt, and loneliness are all feelings that can be developed during this time. All very reasonable feelings, considering all that is happening. The key is to not let these feelings divide our hearts or keep us from serving God. I believe the best thing we can do to ensure we serve God with a loyal heart, despite our circumstances, is to invite God into our feelings.

Share with Him the things troubling you. Do not keep your worry to yourself, tell God about it. Tell Him when you are lonely. Tell Him when you are angry and doubting His sovereignty. Tell Him when you are sad. Invite God into your struggles so your heart will not be divided. It may not change your circumstances but unlike King Amaziah it will help keep our hearts loyal.

Emilee Ross

 

Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+14%2C+2+Chronicles+25&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s reading will be the (short) book of Jonah as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan .  What can we learn about God or about ourselves from this prophet in the belly of the big fish?

Renovating the Temple

2 Kings 12-13 and 2 Chronicles 24

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A century after Solomon, both the people of Israel and the Temple had become a metaphor for one another. Both had grown to be a shadow of their former glory. The borders of Israel were shrinking along with the people inside.  Many had moved from serving the One True God to idol worship, and the holy relics inside the temple had been refashioned for use in Baal worship. No one seemingly cared, and it showed.  Enter Joash.  Made king at only the age of seven, yet he showed wisdom beyond his years.  Even if you’re a king, you haven’t truly found your ego at such a young age, which was much suffered by his predecessors.  In fact, psychologically speaking, your sense of right and wrong is never more attune and concrete than at this time in your life.  Just the king Israel needed at this moment. Joash is considered a “good” king because he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, including temporarily restoring the Temple and the precious things inside – not the holy relics -the people of Israel.

 

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis discusses a similar metaphor in our transition to become more like Christ. He compares our old-self to a shack, and the new man/woman to a castle.  I would dare say, with Lewis most likely agreeing, that God’s first move is not to take a bulldozer and knock our shanty to the ground.  When we hear Paul assert  “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me,” he is not implying such a thing either. Isn’t there some salvageable part that God made if he stitched me in my mother’s womb with a purpose? I believe the context of Paul’s words are more directed at building with a Christ-centered motivation, instead of using the law as we see fit (yesterday’s devotion – read Galatians 2 for context). Everything we do, from tying shoes to tithing, must go through a process of being purposed for God.

 

This means every wall must be inspected for integrity.  Every space designed with the intentions of the Father using it.  Yes, the sin, the junk, the addiction, the clutter, must go; however, when we do this, there are pieces – traits, relationships, gifts – that might be salvageable.  The “bones” might be good in a spot or too, but God simply isn’t looking to paint the walls and hang a few pictures.  He is using the most select pieces, making elaborate extensions, and has a detailed blueprint for more than we could possibly ever imagine. It is an extreme home makeover that begins with bringing Christ on the job-site. The home becomes more unrecognizable, yet with each phase, it is moving towards how it was intended to be.  There is a shadow, a glimpse, of what stood there before, but there is much that has been changed, added, removed, all having the mark of their Maker.

 

Construction – quality, enduring, sizable construction – takes time.  Joash did not restore Solomon’s temple overnight.  Your renovation from a shack to a castle will take God and you a lifetime to complete, and it will require a day-in-day-out dedication to get there. Most beautifully, alongside our metaphor is a literal Kingdom with Christ at the center.   This hard work is not without a promise.  We truly are looking ahead for a city whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10).  I desperately hope we see each other there.

 

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your week.

Aaron Winner

Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+12-13%2C+2+Chronicles+24&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s reading will be 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25 as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan