A godly upbringing does not guarantee a godly life...

This week we have been looking at the life of a former king of the Jewish people named Joash. Wednesday we looked on at the influence that a man named Jehoida had on the life of King Joash and the Jewish people. Jehoiada influenced the Jewish people to overthrow the evil Queen Athaliah. Jehoiada influenced the Jewish people to repent from the worship of false gods to return to the worship of the one true God.

And Jehoiada had incredible influence and impact on the life of King Joash. Jehoiada protected and provided for King Joash at a time when he was most vulnerable. Jehoiada guided King Joash in the ways of God and prepared King Joash for the role and responsibility he would have as king. Jehoiada was a Godly man who provided a godly and fatherly influence to King Joash.

And because of the godly life of influence and impact of Jehoiada, Jehoiada was given a rare honor upon his death. Ezra tells us that upon his death Jehoiada was buried in the city of David among the kings. Jehoiada was buried among the tombs of the Kings of the Jewish people as a sign of the amazing godly influence that he had on the nation and its king, King Joash.

By all accounts, Jehoiada was a godly, husband, father, pastor, and leader of the Jewish people who had prepared King Joash to be a great king. And if King Joash’s story had ended there, King Joash’s story would have been a great story. However, King Joash’s story did not end there. Instead, something happened in the life of King Joash that would result in his story taking a turn for the worse. Something that Ezra records for us in 2 Chronicles 24:17. Let’s look at that together:

 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD; though they testified against them, they would not listen.

After the death of Jehoiada the High Priest, King Joash was visited by the political leadership of the Southern Kingdom. The political leadership, whose influence had decreased after the evil Queen Athaliah was overthrown, saw an opportunity to regain influence after the death of Jehoiada. Upon bowing down as an expression of their service to King Joash, Ezra explains that the king listened to these political leaders and their advice. Under the influence of these political leaders, King Joash led the Jewish people to abandon the worship of the one true God to instead turn back to the worship of false gods.

Even though God exercised His right and just response to the selfishness and rebellion of King Joash and the Southern Kingdom; even though God sent a series of His spokesman, called prophets, to call King Joash and the Southern Kingdom to turn from their rebellion and back to the relationship with God that they had been created for; King Joash continued to turn his heart, and the heart of the Southern Kingdom, away from trusting and following God to instead follow the false gods of the previous kings. God, however, continued to pursue King Joash by sending a person who had perhaps the closest family relationship to the King. Let’s meet this man together in verse 20:

Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus God has said, 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has also forsaken you.'"

The Lord responded to the rebellion of King Joash by sending Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest. You see, the Lord did not send some stranger as a messenger. Instead, the Lord sent the man who basically was King Joash’s adopted brother. This was a man that Joash had spent his life growing up with. This was a man who was the son of the man who had incredible influence and impact on the life of King Joash. This was the son of the man who had protected and provided for King Joash at a time when he was most vulnerable. This was the son of the man who guided King Joash in the ways of God and prepared King Joash for the role and responsibility he would have as king. 

The message that Zechariah delivered to his adopted brother, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this “Why are you rebelling against God’s commands to worship something other than Him as God? Do you wonder why you are not prospering anymore? Since you have left and abandoned the Lord, He has left and abandoned you”.

Now I want us to imagine ourselves in this event from history as King Joash. Place yourself in his shoes. The son of the man who was an amazing Godly influence in your life and on the nation comes to visit you to urge you to turn from your rebellion and turn back to the relationship with God that you seemed to have before. What would you be thinking? What would you be feeling? How would you respond? We see how King Joash responded in verse 21:

 So they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as he died he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!"

Joash responded to his adopted brother’s message from the Lord by ordering the people to stone his adopted brother to death in the courtyard of the Temple. Joash did not remember the faithful devotion that Jehoiada had demonstrated to him throughout his life. Instead Joash repaid the faithful devotion and godly example of his adopted father by murdering his son. And as Zechariah was being murdered he cried out to God to see the injustice of King Joash and avenge his death. We see how God responded to the murder of Zechariah as this event from history concludes in verse 23:

 Now it happened at the turn of the year that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet the LORD delivered a very great army into their hands, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash. When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

Within a year of King Joash murdering Zechariah, Ezra tells us that the Aramean army, which was located in what is now modern day Syria, invaded the Southern Kingdom. And even though the Aramena army seemed outmatched, God delivered the Southern Kingdom into their hands because they had forsaken the Lord. Just as Zechariah had said, the Lord had left and abandoned King Joash as a result of Joash leaving and abandoning the Lord. Along with plundering the city of Jerusalem, the Aramean army destroyed all the political leaders that had influenced King Joash and left King Joash badly wounded.

And as King Joash attempted to recover from his wounds, his own servants murdered the king. You see the servants of King Joash recognized the evil that the king had committed against the son of Jehoiada, who was a godly man who raised King Joash in the ways of God. Ezra tells us that, unlike Jehoiada, who was buried among the tombs of the Kings of the Jewish people as a sign of the amazing Godly influence that he had on the nation and its king, King Joash was buried apart from the tomb of the kings. Unlike Jehoiada, who was buried in honor upon his death, King Joash was buried in dishonor.

Now a natural question that arises here is this: “What happened? How could King Joash, who had a godly father, pastor, and leader of the Jewish people to prepare him to be a great king, turn out to be such a bad king? How could King Joash, who was raised in such a godly environment, turn out to leave god out of his life? You see, it is in the life of King Joash that we see God reveal for us a timeless truth that has the potential to powerfully impact how we live our lives today. And that timeless truth is that a godly upbringing does not guarantee a godly life. Just as it was for King Joash; just as it has been for humanity throughout history; a godly upbringing does not guarantee a godly life.

And while we may not like this timeless truth, intuitively we know this to be true, don’t we? We can all probably think of examples where this timeless truth has played out, can’t we? Just as it was for King Joash, being raised in a home with godly parents who follow Jesus and provide a godly influence does not guarantee a godly life. Just because parents follow Jesus and attend church, that does not guarantee a godly life for the children.

Parents, while we are to follow Jesus with integrity and raise our children according to the message and teachings of Jesus, there is no guarantee that our children will embrace and follow Jesus.  At some point, children need to make the decision to own their own faith in a way that believes trusts, and follows Jesus as Lord and leader.

So here is a question to consider: Children, students, how would you describe your relationship with Jesus? Is your relationship with Jesus based on your parent’s faith? Or is your relationship with Jesus based on the fact that you own your own faith by believing, trusting and following Jesus as Lord and Leader? Parents, are you following Jesus with integrity and providing a godly influence for your children? 

The Impact of a Fatherly And Godly Influence...

This week we are looking at the life of a king who led the Jewish people who was named Joash. Yesterday, we discovered that when King Joash first became king, he was not in a place of maturity where he could be an effective king. And because of the reality, a man named Jehoiada, the High priest, became the fatherly influence that was lacking in King Joash’s life. Jehoiada raised Joash in the ways of the Lord while providing leadership for the Jewish nation until Joash would be mature enough to rule as king.

Jehoiada basically adopted King Joash and provided, protected, and guided King Joash. And as a result of the selfless action of Jehoiada the High Priest, Ezra tells us that King Joash did right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada’s life. King Joash trusted and followed the Lord while under the godly guidance and influence of Jehoiada. Today, we see King Joash’s actions once he was old enough to take full control of the leadership of the southern kingdom in 2 Chronicles 24:4:

 Now it came about after this that Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD. He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of your God annually, and you shall do the matter quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly. So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the levy fixed by Moses the servant of the LORD on the congregation of Israel for the tent of the testimony?" For the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even used the holy things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.

As King Joash reached the age to take full control of the leadership of the Southern Kingdom, the king commanded the religious leaders of the Jewish people to restore the Temple in Jerusalem. You see, during Queen Athaliah’s reign, the Temple had been damaged and the instruments that were to be used for the worship of God were taken from the temple to be used to worship false gods.

How the religious leaders were to pay for the restoration of the Temple was by reallocating some of the money in the Temple budget from salaries to the building project. This money was normally collected from the Temple tax, along with the vows and freewill offerings of worship that the Jewish people made to God according to His commands to the Jewish people that were recorded in the Law, which comprise the first five books in our Bibles today.  

Now, as you might imagine, the religious leaders of the Temple were not too happy about this idea. And, as a result, the religious leaders procrastinated when it came to collecting and implementing the king’s command. While we do not know exactly when King Joash made the initial command to restore the Temple, we do know from 2 Kings 12:6 that in 812 B.C., during the twenty third year of King Joash’s reign, the King called the religious leaders on the carpet for failing to follow his command to restore the Temple. We see how King Joash responded to the religious leader’s procrastination in verse 8:

So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the LORD. They made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought in their levies and dropped them into the chest until they had finished. It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king's officer by the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, then the king's scribe and the chief priest's officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money. The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD. So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they restored the house of God according to its specifications and strengthened it. When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the LORD, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

King Joash responded to the procrastination of the religious leaders by commanding that a special offering box be made to take collections for the Temple restoration. As a result, the religious leaders would no longer have the responsibility to collect the money necessary to restore the Temple. Instead, the Jewish people were able to bypass the religious leaders and give directly to the restoration of the Temple.

Ezra then explains that the Jewish people responded to the idea of restoring the Temple by enthusiastically supporting the project financially. Under the leadership of King Joash, Jehoiada and the religious leaders of the day were able to repair the damage to the Temple that had been done by Queen Athaliah. In addition, new instruments of worship were created to replace the one’s that had been taken for the worship of false gods.

After restoring and preparing the Temple for worship, Jehoiada resumed regular worship of the Lord. The Jewish people once again fulfilled the responsibilities under the Jewish sacrificial system to offer up acts of worship to the Lord two times a day. Ezra then reveals how Jehoiada the High Priest finished his life in 2 Chronicles 24:15:

 Now when Jehoiada reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in Israel and to God and His house.

Ezra explains that Jehoiada the High Priest died after living an amazing life of influence and impact at 130 years of age. Jehoiada influenced the Jewish people to overthrow the evil Queen Athaliah. Jehoiada influenced the Jewish people to repent from the worship of false gods to return to the worship of the one true God.

And Jehoiada had incredible influence and impact on the life of King Joash. Jehoiada protected and provided for King Joash at a time when he was most vulnerable. Jehoiada guided King Joash in the ways of God and prepared King Joash for the role and responsibility he would have as king. Jehoiada was a Godly man who provided a godly and fatherly influence to King Joash.

And because of the godly life of influence and impact of Jehoiada, Jehoiada was given a rare honor upon his death. Ezra tells us that upon his death Jehoiada was buried in the city of David among the kings. Jehoiada was buried among the tombs of the Kings of the Jewish people as a sign of the amazing godly influence that he had on the nation and its king, King Joash. By all accounts, Jehoiada was a godly, husband, father, pastor, and leader of the Jewish people who had prepared King Joash to be a great king.

And if King Joash’s story had ended there, King Joash’s story would have been a great story. However, King Joash’s story did not end there. Instead, something happened in the life of King Joash that would result in his story taking a turn for the worse.

Friday, we will discover what happened...

Filling a godly and fatherly influence that was lacking...

At the church where I serve we are spending our time looking at the lives of kings who were placed in a position of leadership over the Jewish people. And as we look at the lives of these kings, we are going to discover several timeless truths that have the potential to powerfully impact how we live our lives today.  Last week, we looked a man named Jehoshaphat.  And it was in the life of King Jehoshaphat that we discovered the timeless truth that the commitments we make with those who hate Jesus will influence us to make decisions that Jesus hates.

Just as it was for King Jehoshaphat, when we make commitments with those who hate Jesus, those commitments place us in a position where we must honor our commitments.  Because we are influenced by what influences us, just as it was for King Jehoshaphat, when we make commitments with those who hate Jesus, those commitments will influence the decisions that we make as a result of those commitments. And just like King Jehoshaphat, when we make commitments with those who hate Jesus, we will often be influenced to make decisions that go against the message and teachings of Jesus. We will be influenced to make decisions that oppose Jesus, decisions that Jesus hates. 

Now this week I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. After King Jehoshaphat’s death in 848 B.C., his son Jehoram became King over the Southern Kingdom of the Jewish people, where he ruled for eight years. However, during his eight year, King Jehoram led the Southern Kingdom of Judea to trust and follow the false gods of the Northern Kingdom of Israel instead of the one true god.

As a result of his corrupt leadership, the prophet Elijah proclaimed to King Jehoram that he and the Jewish people would be punished for their idolatry and that the king would be was struck with a sever disease that caused his bowels to come out of his body. Now who says the Bible is boring. Two years later, Elijah’s prediction came to pass and King Jehoram was dead.

As a result of King Jehoram’s death, in 841 B.C., the Jewish people made his youngest son Ahaziah King. However, King Ahaziah also followed in the footsteps of his father and led the Jewish people to not only worship the false gods of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but to go to war with the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

King Ahaziah was wounded in battle and was killed with the King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by a man named Jehu, who was executing the Lord’s right and just response against the selfishness and rebellion of the Northern Kingdom. And it is in this context that we jump back into a historical account of the Jewish people that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of 2 Chronicles, beginning in 2 Chronicles 22:10:

Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath the king's daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death. He was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Ezra brings us into this account of the history of the Jewish people by describing how Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, seized control of the Southern Kingdom of Judea. Athaliah responded to her son’s death by destroying every possible heir to the throne so that she could rule as queen. However, unknown to Athaliah, one of the sons of Ahaziah was rescued from certain death by a woman named Jehoshabeath, who was the wife of the High Priest of the Jewish people named Johoiada.

And for six years, Jehoiada hid the young child Joash from the evil queen in the Temple. For six years, Jehoiada watched and waited as Queen Athaliah continued to lead the Southern Kingdom to trust and follow false gods instead of the One True God. For six years, Jehoiada watched and waited as Queen Athaliah and her rule lost the support of the religious and military leaders of the Southern Kingdom. For six years Jehoiada watched and waited for the right time to act as young Joash grew up in the safety of the Temple.

Then, in 835 B.C., at the right time, Jehoiada the High Priest led the Temple guard to overthrow Queen Athaliah, who did not have either the military or religious leadership’s backing to remain in power.  And as the evil Queen Athaliah was overthrown, the Jewish people responded with joy and a desire to recommit their lives to following the Lord. The Jewish people destroyed the house of Baal and the false priests who had led the worship of false gods. Jehoiada the High Priest also restored the regular worship in the Temple that had been halted by the evil queen. And it is in this context that we are introduced to the new king in 2 Chronicles 24:1:

Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zibiah from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

Here we see Ezra provide a summary statement of King Joash’s rule. Now a natural question that arises here is “how could any nation make anyone a king when they were only seven years old?” That’s a great question. You see, while King Joash was the rightful heir to be king, he was not in a place of maturity where he could be an effective king.

And because of the reality, Jehoiada, the High priest became the fatherly influence that was lacking in King Joash’s life. Jehoiada raised Joash in the ways of the Lord while providing leadership for the Jewish nation until Joash would be mature enough to rule as king. Jehoiada provided guidance and direction for Joash as he grew and matured. Jehoiada also provided for the security of the Jewish people by helping Joash find women who loved the Lord and who would rebuild the family tree of King David that had been decimated by the actions of Queen Athaliah.

Jehoiada basically adopted King Joash and provided, protected, and guided King Joash. And as a result of the selfless action of Jehoiada the High Priest, Ezra tells us that King Joash did right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada’s life. King Joash trusted and followed the Lord while under the godly guidance and influence of Jehoiada.

After providing us a summary statement of the early days of King Joash’s rule, we see King Joash’s actions once he was old enough to take full control of the leadership of the southern kingdom.

Tomorrow, we will examine King Joash’s actions as an adult king…

The commitments we make with those who hate Jesus will influence us to make decisions that Jesus hates...

This week we are looking at the life of a king of the Jewish people named Jehoshaphat. Wednesday, we saw that as a result of the commitment that he had made to King Ahab, King Jehoshaphat ignored the warning of the prophet Micaiah. As a result of the commitment that he had made to King Ahab, King Jehoshaphat allowed himself to be used by King Ahab in a way that placed him in a vulnerable situation. As a result of the commitment that he had made to King Ahab, King Jehoshaphat almost lost his life. Only the Lord’s gracious intervention spared King Jehoshaphat’s life.

The prophet Jehu, confronted King Jehoshaphat by exposing the king's problem was the decisions that he was making because of the commitments he had made.  Then, shortly after this confrontation with the prophet, we see King Jehoshaphat’s devotion and trust in the Lord put to the test. Faced with a foreign army that threatened to remove the Jewish people from that land that the Lord had promised them, King Jehoshaphat turned his face to seek the Lord.

King Jehoshaphat led the Jewish people to gather together in the capital city of Jerusalem to fast and seek the Lord’s protection and intervention in the lives of the nation. Today, we pick up where we left off Wednesday by looking at how the Lord responded to King Jehoshaphat’s request in verse 13:

 All Judah was standing before the LORD, with their infants, their wives and their children. Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; and he said, "Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's. 'Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. 'You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you."

Now imagine yourself as King Jehoshaphat. Place yourself in his shoes. How would you respond to Lord’s answer of your prayer through one of the priests? How would you respond to this battle plan: “Go out and face this foreign army; here is where they are going to attack you from. Just go out there without any weapons and watch what I am going to do to them.”  How would you respond to that battle plan? We see King Jehoshaphat’s response in verse 18:

 Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice. They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed." When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, "Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

King Jehoshaphat responded to the Lord’s answer to prayer in two specific ways. First, King Jehoshaphat led the Jewish people in worship of the Lord. Second, the following morning, King Jehoshaphat led the Jewish nation out to meet the foreign army.

And as the Jewish nation went out to meet this foreign army, King Jehoshaphat encouraged he Jewish people to place their trust in the Lord and His promise through the word of the Lord. And as this foreign army approached to attack, King Jehoshaphat led the Jewish people to sing a worship song to the Lord. Ezra then records for us how the Lord responded to the Jewish nation’s demonstration of devotion and trust in verse 22:

When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

Can you imagine what that must have looked like? Can you imagine what it must have looked like to see this foreign invading army suddenly turn their weapons on one another so as to destroy one another? King Jehoshaphat’s devotion and trust in the Lord led the Jewish people to place their devotion and trust in the Lord. And once again, the Lord demonstrated to the Jewish people that He was a promise maker and a promise keeper.

Now if King Jehoshaphat’s story had ended there, King Jehoshaphat’s story would have been a great story. However, King Jehoshaphat’s story did not end there. Instead, King Jehoshaphat’s decided to make a decision that would result in his story taking a turn for the worse. A decision that Ezra records for us in 2 Chronicles 20:35. Let’s look at that decision together:

After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly in so doing. So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works." So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.

Once again King Jehoshaphat made a decision to enter into an alliance with a king from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This time, King Jehoshaphat allied himself with King Ahaziah, who was his son in law, on a joint business venture that was designed to strengthen both of their economies. However, Ezra explains that King Jehoshaphat acted wickedly in doing so.

You see, King Jehoshaphat acted wickedly because King Jehoshaphat entered into a commitment to help those who hated the Lord, as King Ahaziah also led the Northern Kingdom of Israel to worship false gods instead of the One True God.   And once again, King Jehoshaphat was met by a messenger from the Lord with a message from the Lord. "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works." The Lord responded to King Jehoshaphat’s decision by destroying the ships before they could ever sail on their joint venture.

And it is in the life of King Jehoshaphat that we see God reveal for us a timeless truth that has the potential to powerfully impact how we live our lives today. And that timeless truth is this: The commitments we make with those who hate Jesus will influence us to make decisions that Jesus hates. Just as it was for King Jehoshaphat; just as it has been for humanity throughout history; the commitments we make with those who hate Jesus will influence us to make decisions that Jesus hates.

Just as it was for King Jehoshaphat, when we make commitments with those who hate Jesus, those commitments place us in a position where we must honor our commitments.  Because we are influenced by what influences us, just as it was for King Jehoshaphat, when we make commitments with those who hate Jesus, those commitments will influence the decisions that we make as a result of those commitments.

And just like King Jehoshaphat, when we make commitments with those who hate Jesus, we will often be influenced to make decisions that go against the message and teachings of Jesus. We will be influenced to make decisions that oppose Jesus, decisions that Jesus hates. 

So here is a question to consider: Are you making commitments with those who hate Jesus? Are you making relational commitments with those who hate Jesus? Are you making business commitments with those who hate Jesus? 

The consequences of a commitment...

This week, we are looking at the life of a king of the Jewish people named Jehoshaphat. Yesterday we saw that as a result of King Jehoshaphat’s willingness to trust and follow the Lord, Ezra explains that the Lord blessed the new king. The new king’s rule became firmly established and the Jewish people viewed the new king with high regard and respect. The Jewish people and surrounding nations presented King Jehoshaphat with gifts in order to honor him.

King Jehoshaphat responded to the gifts and honor that he received from others by deflecting all of the glory to the Lord. Instead of becoming proud, King Jehoshaphat took pride in trusting and following the Lord. However, King Jehoshaphat would soon make a decision that would impact his life in a powerful way. A decision that Ezra records for us in 2 Chronicles 18:1:

Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?" And he said to him, "I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle." Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the LORD."

In an attempt to protect against attacks from the northern kingdom of Israel, King Jehoshaphat entered into an alliance with the Northern Kingdom of Israel, who was led by a man named King Ahab. As part of that alliance, King Jehoshaphat allowed his son to marry the daughter of King Ahab.

Now to fully understand the significance of this alliance, we first need to understand who King Ahab was. You see, as a part of his rule, King Ahab and his wife Jezebel led the northern kingdom of Israel to worship false gods and destroyed the prophets of the Lord in an attempt to purge the Lord from northern kingdom of Israel. So, in an attempt to provide peace for his people from potential attacks from the northern kingdom of Israel, King Jehoshaphat made a commitment with a king and his wife who hated the Lord.

Ezra then explains that several years after entering into this commitment with King Ahab, King Jehoshaphat made a visit to King Ahab. After flattering King Jehoshaphat with a large and lavish party in his honor, King Ahab convinced the king to join him in a military campaign against the nation of Aram in order to regain a portion of the northern kingdom that had been taken by the King of Aram.

And as a result of his commitment that he had made with King Ahab, King Jehoshaphat agreed to join forces in a military attack of the nation of Aram. However, before launching their attack, King Jehoshaphat asks King Ahab to ask for the Lord’s guidance and direction regarding their attack. After seeking the counsel of the prophets of the false gods; after resisting the idea of consulting the prophet of the one true God, King Ahab finally sends for a man named Micaiah, who was the only prophet of the Lord that was left in the northern kingdom. We see Ezra record the counsel that this prophet gave in 2 Chronicles 18:18:

Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. "The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. "Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, 'How?' "He said, 'I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.'  "Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you."

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as King Jehoshaphat. Place yourself in his shoes. You just heard the prophet from the Lord explain that this military campaign will result in defeat and death. What would you do? How would you respond? We see how King Jehoshaphat responded in verse 28:

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone." So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "It is the king of Israel," and they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him. When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the fight, for I am severely wounded." The battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.

As a result of the commitment that he had made to King Ahab, King Jehoshaphat ignored the warning of the prophet Micaiah. As a result of the commitment that he had made to King Ahab, King Jehoshaphat allowed himself to be used by King Ahab in a way that placed him in a vulnerable situation. As a result of the commitment that he had made to King Ahab, King Jehoshaphat almost lost his life.

Only the Lord’s gracious intervention spared King Jehoshaphat’s life. And as King Jehoshaphat safely returned to Jerusalem, the King was met by a messenger from the Lord with a message from the Lord. A message the Ezra records for us in 2 Chronicles 19:1:

Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD and so bring wrath on yourself from the LORD? "But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God."

The prophet Jehu, who was the son of the prophet Hanani who had confronted King Asa with his lack of trust in the Lord, is sent by the Lord to confront King Jehoshaphat. The prophet basically says to King Jehoshaphat “Should you really be making commitments to help those who hate the Lord and who love others who hate the Lord? Should you really be making commitments with those who hate the Lord that result in you making decisions that the Lord hates and that result in you experiencing the consequences of the Lord’s right and just response to those decisions? King Jehoshaphat, your problem is not that you are not devoted to the Lord. Your problem is the decisions that you make because of who you choose to make commitments with”.  Then, shortly after this confrontation with the prophet, we see King Jehoshaphat’s devotion and trust in the Lord put to the test in 2 Chronicles 20:1:

Now it came about after this that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, out of Aram and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi)." Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to seek help from the LORD; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD.

Faced with a foreign army that threatened to remove the Jewish people from that land that the Lord had promised them, King Jehoshaphat turned his face to seek the Lord. King Jehoshaphat led the Jewish people to gather together in the capital city of Jerusalem to fast and seek the Lord’s protection and intervention in the lives of the nation.

By fasting, the Jewish people were taking the time that they would normally spend eating to pray for the Lord’s presence and protection. And it is in this context that King Jehoshaphat leads the nation in a powerful prayer that Ezra records for us in verse 5:

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD before the new court, and he said, "O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. "Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? "They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying, 'Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.' "Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), see how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. "O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You."

Notice how King Jehoshaphat approached the Lord in prayer. King Jehoshaphat approached the Lord by proclaiming the Lord’s character as the One who is large and in charge over the universe and who rules over the universe. King Jehoshaphat approached the Lord by proclaiming the history of the Lord’s activity in the lives of the Jewish people. King Jehoshaphat approached the Lord by proclaiming how the Lord had led the Jewish people to the Promised Land.

King Jehoshaphat approached the Lord by proclaiming how the Jewish people had built the Temple according to the Lord’s command as the place where the Lord was to be worshipped. And King Jehoshaphat approached the Lord by proclaiming the Lord’s promise to deliver the Jewish people if they Jewish people sought the Lord in times of trouble.

After proclaiming the Lord’s character, history, and promises, King Jehoshaphat approached the Lord in prayer with his request that the Lord judge the foreign army that was repaying the good that the Jewish nation had done for them over their history with evil.

You see, King Jehoshaphat’s devotion to the Lord led him to lead the Jewish people to seek the Lord and His help in time of trouble. Friday, we will see how the Lord responded to King Jehoshaphat’s request...

Taking pride in the right things...

At the church where I serve we are spending our time together looking at the lives of kings who were placed in a position of leadership over the Jewish people. And as we look at the lives of these kings, we are going to discover several timeless truths that have the potential to powerfully impact how we live our lives today.

Last week, we looked at the man who succeeded King Rehoboan, a man named Asa. And it is in the life of King Asa that we discovered the timeless truth that our response to difficult circumstances reveals the true object of our trust. We talked about the reality that it is easy to say that we trust and follow Jesus when life is easy. However, it is when life becomes difficult that we really discover what the object of our trust is. And just as it was with King Asa, we discover the true object of our trust by how we respond to difficult circumstances. We discover the true object of our trust by who or what we run to and lean on in times of difficulty.

This week, I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. As a result of King Asa trusting in the King of Aram instead of the Lord: as a result of King Asa placing the prophet who came to correct him in prison, King Asa suffered a disease in his feet that was so severe that King Asa was incapacitated.

Yet, when faced with another desperate and difficult situation, King Asa chose to lean on the physicians instead of the Lord for help. Actually these "physicians" were magicians who were involved in cultic practices that worshipped other gods than the one true God. And after forty-one years ruling the Southern Kingdom of the Jewish people, King Asa died in 870 B.C. as a crippled man who was unable to lead his people.

And it is upon the death of King Asa that we jump back into a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible, called the book of 2 Chronicles. As we talked about last week, the books of 1^st and 2^nd Chronicles are a record of the history of the Jewish people from Adam to the Babylonian captivity and the Persian Emperor Cyrus’ decree to allow the Jewish people to return to the Jewish nation in 538 B.C.

The books of Chronicles were written around 450 B.C. by a man named Ezra, who was a scribe and priest who led a group of Jewish people back to Israel in 458 B.C. With all that in mind let’s jump back into this historical account of the Jewish people, beginning in 2 Chronicles 17:1:

Jehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and made his position over Israel firm. He placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had captured. The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David's earlier days and did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. So the LORD established the kingdom in his control, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. He took great pride in the ways of the LORD and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah.

Ezra brings us into this account of the history of the Jewish people by introducing us to the man who would take the place of King Asa after his death. King Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over the Southern Kingdom of the Jewish people in 870 B.C. However, most scholars believe that he actually began to lead the Jewish people in 873 B.C. while his father was incapacitated by the severe foot disease that led to his death. King Jehoshaphat would go on to rule the Southern Kingdom of the Jewish people for twenty five years.

After introducing us to the new king, Ezra provides us summary statement of the early days of King Jehoshaphat’s rule. During the early days of his rule, King Jehoshaphat strengthened the military defenses of the southern kingdom against potential attacks from the northern kingdom of Israel that had occurred repeatedly during his father’s reign. In addition, Ezra tells us that King Jehoshaphat followed the example of the other kings of the Southern Kingdom who placed their confident trust in and followed the Lord.

King Jehoshaphat did not follow the footsteps of the Jewish people who lived in the Northern kingdom of Israel who followed and worshipped false gods instead of the One True God. Instead King Jehoshaphat led the Jewish people to remove the worship of these false gods. And as a result of King Jehoshaphat’s willingness to trust and follow the Lord, Ezra explains that the Lord blessed the new king. The new king’s rule became firmly established and the Jewish people viewed the new king with high regard and respect.

As a matter of fact, the new king was viewed with such high regard and respect that the Jewish people, along with other nations, brought tribute to the new king. In other words, the Jewish people and surrounding nations presented King Jehoshaphat with gifts in order to honor him. King Jehoshaphat responded to the gifts and honor that he received from others by deflecting all of the glory to the Lord. Instead of becoming proud, King Jehoshaphat took pride in trusting and following the Lord.

However, King Jehoshaphat would soon make a decision that would impact his life in a powerful way. A decision that we will look at tomorrow….

Our response to difficult circumstances reveals the true object of our trust....

This week we have been looking at the life of a king who led the Jewish people named Asa. Wednesday, we looked on as the Jewish people of the Southern Kingdom responded to King Asa's leadership and his confident trust in the Lord by reaffirming their covenant commitment to follow the Lord. From the core of their beings, the Jewish people sought to follow the Lord. And, just as the prophet Azariah had promised, the Lord's presence was evident in the lives of the Jewish people, which led the Jewish people to rejoice over their willingness to trust and follow the Lord. And, just as the prophet Azariah had promised, the Lord responded to the Jewish people's desire to seek and trust Him by giving them peace and prosperity.

Now if King Asa’s story had ended there, King Asa’s story would have been the perfect story. However, King Asa’s story did not end there. Instead, King Asa’s story took a turn for the worse that Ezra records for us in 2 Chronicles 16:1. Let’s look at it together:

In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the king's house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, "Let there be a treaty between you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me." So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. When Baasha heard of it, he ceased fortifying Ramah and stopped his work. Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he fortified Geba and Mizpah.

In 895 B.C., only four years after witnessing the Lord's supernatural intervention against the Egyptian Kingdom, and reaffirming their covenant commitment to follow the Lord, the Southern Kingdom of Judah found themselves under attack again, this time by the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Northern Kingdom invaded the Southern Kingdom and ordered a military blockade in the city of Ramah, which was located only 6 miles north of Jerusalem on a major north-south trade route to Jerusalem.

However, instead of trusting and relying on the Lord in the midst of this military blockade; Instead crying and turning to the Lord in desperation in the midst of his difficult circumstances for help, King Asa turned to Ben-hadad the king of Aram, which was located in modern day Syria. King Asa took the silver and gold that was to be used for the upkeep of the Temple and the worship of the Lord to pay the King of Aram to break his peace treaty with the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Upon receiving the money from King Asa, the King of Aram attacked the Northern Kingdom, which resulted in a lifting of the blockade. King Asa then ordered that the materials that were used in the blockade be recycled in order to strengthen the northern defenses of the Southern Kingdom, which were the cities of Geba and Mizpah. And once again, King Asa was met by a messenger from the Lord with a message from the Lord. A message the Ezra records for us in 2 Chronicles 16:7:

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. "Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

What is so interesting is that when the prophet Hanani uses the word relied on, this phrase is a word picture of one leaning on something in a way that trusts that it will hold one's weight. In addition, the word completely conveys the sense of being undivided in one's loyalty and trust. So Hanani is basically saying to King Asa "Since you chose to lean on the King of Aram instead of the Lord in your difficult circumstances, you lost the opportunity to have a victory over those who had attacked you. How could you so quickly forget what happened when you leaned on the Lord in the face of an invading army that outnumbered you 2-1. How could you forget that when you cried to the Lord in desperation, He supernaturally intervened and delivered you. So do you not think that He could defeat the much smaller army of the Northern Kingdom? You see, King Asa, the Lord searches the earth so that He can strongly support those who are undivided in their loyalty and trust to Him. But now your foolishness that led you to lean on the King of Aram instead of the Lord will result in you having war in the future, not only with the Northern Kingdom, but also with the King of Aram". Ezra records how King Asa responded to the rebuke of the prophet in verse 10:

 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time. Now, the acts of Asa from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians. So Asa slept with his fathers, having died in the forty-first year of his reign.

King Asa responded to the rebuke of the prophet by arresting the prophet and placing him in prison. In addition, King Asa took out his frustrations on the people whom he was responsible to lead by punishing those who agreed with the prophet. King Asa’s pride refused to allow him to admit that he was wrong and resulted in him oppressing anyone who questioned him.

Then, in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, in 872 B.C., Ezra tells us that King Asa became diseased in his feet.  Now while Ezra does not explain what the disease was, Ezra does tell us that the disease was severe. In fact, the disease was so severe that King Asa was incapacitated.

Yet, when faced with another desperate and difficult situation, King Asa did not cry out to the Lord for help. Instead of seeking and leaning on the Lord for help, King Asa chose to lean on the physicians. Actually these "physicians" were magicians who were involved in cultic practices that worshipped other gods than the one true God. After forty-one years ruling the Southern Kingdom of the Jewish people, King Asa died in 870 B.C. as a crippled man who was unable to lead his people.

And it is in the life of King Asa that we see God reveal for us a timeless truth that has the potential to powerfully impact how we live our lives today. And that timeless truth is this: Our response to difficult circumstances reveals the true object of our trust. Just as it was for King Asa; just as it has been for humanity throughout history; it is our response to difficult circumstances reveals the true object of our trust.

You see, it is easy to say that we trust and follow in Jesus when life is easy. It is easy to say that we trust and follow Jesus when circumstances are going our way. However, it is when life becomes difficult that we really discover what the object of our trust is. It is when we find ourselves in a desperate situation that we really discover what the object of our trust is. It is when we have done all that we can do and yet find ourselves faced with a need for help that we discover what the object of our trust is. And just as it was with King Asa, we discover the true object of our trust by how we respond to difficult circumstances. We discover the true object of our trust by who or what we run to and lean on in times of difficulty.

So here is a question to consider: How do you respond to difficult circumstances in your life? Where do you run to and lean on in difficult circumstances? Who do you cry out to in desperation when you have done all that you can do and are still in need of help? Oprah? Facebook? Alcohol and drugs? The person staring at you in the mirror?