I Timothy 1 -Paul's letter to Timothy is filled with so much to meditate on.. I hardly know where to begin.  

Verses 1-2 are the introduction and remind us that Paul considered himself to be an apostle "according to the commandment of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope." Jesus - our hope - our expectation and our confidence.  Our only Way. The only Truth. Our true Life.   Paul proclaims in verse 15 "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all."  It was because of the more than abundant grace of the Lord that he was shown mercy and received faith and love in Jesus.  It was the "perfect patience" of Jesus that was demonstrated in Paul's conversion. 

It is the same for every single one of us. 

Jesus is our hope. 

He came to save sinners - every one of us. 

He has perfect patience and abundant grace. 

It is His mercy that brings us to belief.. to true faith. 

Verses 3-4 explain that "strange doctrines... myths and endless genealogies"  will not lead to faith.  These lead only to "fruitless discussion" and turn people away from the truth. 

V5 "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 

Not even the Law could bring those results, Paul says, unless it is used "lawfully".  The Law was given to make people aware of how "lawless.. rebellious.. ungodly.. unholy.. and profane" we really are.  Immorality - heterosexual and homosexual; kidnapping; lying; murdering; and anything else that the Bible says is sin - is Sin.  These do not come from a pure heart.  They will not give anyone a good conscience. And they are not actions that come from a sincere faith. These actions will only bring God's wrath and judgement. 

Most of all.. we can only be delivered from Sin by the mercy of God who has given us "the glorious gospel" - All who believe in the One who came into the world to save sinners - who put their trust in Jesus only - and who keep "fighting the good fight" by walking in faith and keeping a "good conscience" will be the only ones who will have eternal life. 

Like Paul, before he met Jesus, we were all ignorant of the truth, not knowing or understanding God, and faithless in our disbelief.  But, by His grace, we were shown mercy, and given faith and love in Christ Jesus.  To all who truly believe, we are given a sincere faith - without hypocrisy, unfeigned, fully relying on Jesus - and a good conscience - understanding, awareness, a consciousness of the Truth. 

Not a myth.  Not a Law.  Not a human heritage. Nothing but Jesus Christ, Who died to pay the price of our sin debt.  Oh how we love Him! 

Father in heaven, You are the "King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God" and we give You honor and glory forever and ever! Thank You for the grace that You have shown to us and the mercy You have  poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Lord.  I pray, Father, that You would look on those who are ignorant and unbelieving - family members, friends, countrymen, and others - and that by Your Grace You would show mercy- that many more will also  find Jesus, who came in to this world to save sinners. It is in His Wonderful Name that we pray... Christ Jesus, our hope. Amen. 

 II Kings 24-25  The Lord sent Nebuchnezzar, king of Babylon, "bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites.  So He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord, which He had spoken through His servants the prophets... to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord would not forgive." ( v1-4)

Judah went into exile. Jerusalem's walls were torn down.  The temple that Solomon had built was destroyed. "... And he burned the house of the Lord, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire." 

The king, the princes, the leaders, the military men, the craftsmen... anyone who was anyone.. was taken to Babylon.  Only the very poor were left behind to take care of the vineyards and fields. 

This was what the prophets had foretold.  They had pleaded and warned and tried their best to bring about repentance.. but to no avail.  The Lord did what He said He would do. Israel was gone and now Judah was brought to nothing. 

Yet, God was not through with His people. A king of Persia, Cyrus, would be called to "build a house in Jerusalem..  for "the Lord, the God of heaven.. "  He would send back the people of God.. "may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!" ( 2 Chronicles 36:22-23)

Father in heaven, we honor You and exalt Your Holy name.  You are God alone and there is no other.  We see the evil in our own nation and weep at the innocent blood that is being shed here.  We know that You are provoked and will bring judgement.  It is not "if" but "when".  We, Your people, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, pray for the salvation of our nation and for the salvation of Jerusalem as well.  We pray that the warnings of Your prophets would be heard once again and this time - heeded.  That repentance would come and revival fill this world.  Thank You for being patient, not willing that any should perish.  We do not want to lose loved ones whose hearts are still hard and unrepentant. Yet, we know the days are few.. our lives like vapors.. and the time of our Lord's return drawing near.. and we are watching for You.  Keep us in Your Hands, Lord God.  Keep us filled with Your Spirit that we might even today bear fruit that will be lasting.. to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For it is in His name we pray. Amen. 

 II Kings 22-23 After Manasseh died, his son Amon became king for two years and was as evil as his father.  After Amon was killed by his own servants, Josiah, his 8 year old son became king.  Josiah "did right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left. 

Josiah did even more than Hezekiah had done.  Not only did he get rid of every idol in Judah, but he also purged them from the rest of Israel, even removing Asherahs that Solomon had erected. Josiah instructed the priests and Levites to restore the temple.  While doing this, the book of the Law of Moses was found. Amazing that this vital book had been so neglected that not even the priests knew that it was there! When they took it to Josiah and he heard what the Lord had to say to Israel, he tore his clothes in grief.  Josiah gathered all the men of Judah and had the book read before all the people and renewed the covenant "to walk after the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book." 

Josiah thoroughly reformed Judah, restituted the Passover, and lived out his life in obedience to the Lord.  But, he went up to war against Egypt and was killed in battle.  His son Jehoahaz became king for 3 months and did evil. He was taken captive by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, who then made his brother Eliahim king, changing his name to Jehoiakim.  He also did evil.  And then came Nebuchadnezzar. 

It is amazing to me that Josiah was a king who walked with the Lord so completely and then produced two sons who turned back to evil, bringing about the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem, and the Temple of the Lord. What happened there? 

In I Kings 13:1-2 a prophet told Jeroboam that a future king, named Josiah, would "sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense ( on Jeroboam's altar).. and human bones shall be burned.. " This is exactly what happened during Josiah's reign. ( II Kings 23:15-16)   Josiah was appointed generations before his birth to purge the land of Israel and of Judah.  Yet, God would not turn away from the "fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned... "  The idolatry and evil of Manasseh had so polluted the land that there was only a short reprieve during Josiah's reign.  Following Josiah, the evil once again swept through Judah. 

Is this what we see in our world today? Times of revival and restoration are followed by times of immorality and lawlessness.  Will the Lord raise up another like Josiah?  YES!   His Name is Jesus and He will come and rule with all righteousness and justice and truth.  O for that day to come!

Father in heaven, You are our hope and salvation!  Days of evil kings and godless leaders of every kind bring us to despair sometimes, but we know that the Day is coming when Jesus Christ will return to rule over all the earth!  O what a day that will be..  Help us to be ready, to live like Josiah, walking in Your ways and turning neither to the left or to the right.  Help us to read and study and take heed to Your Word, that we might not sin against You, but live for You and walk with You every day, to the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In His name we pray. Amen. 

 II Kings 20-21  Hezekiah became "mortally ill".  Isaiah came to tell him that he would die.  But, Hezekiah prayed and the Lord heard his prayer and sent Isaiah back to the king to tell him that he would be healed and live another 15 years.  Hezekiah asked for a sign.. and God granted it to him.  The shadow on the steps of Ahaz's tower moved back 10 steps.  Truly an act of God, turning back time. 

Unfortunately, Hezekiah acted foolishly after that, allowing the servants of the king of Babylon to tour the treasures of Jerusalem. The Lord spoke again to Hezekiah, telling him that Babylon would one day take everything that he had showed them.  Hezekiah was glad that it would happen after he was gone.. not thinking about those yet to come. 

After Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh became king.  He was only 12 when he became king and he ruled for 55 years.  Manasseh became the most evil of all of Judah's kings.  The list of his offenses again the Lord is astounding: "And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel." 

Manasseh rebuilt the high places, erected altars to Baal, made Asherah poles, and "worshipped all the host of heaven and served them."  He desecrated the temple with his idols, he sacrificed his own sons, he practiced witchcraft and used divinations. He consulted spiritists and mediums.  And he "shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides the sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the Lord." 

It is because of Manasseh's evil that judgement came against Judah. 24:3-4 "Surely at the command of the Lord it came to Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord would not forgive." 

But, II Chronicles 33:10-20 tells a bit more of Manasseh's story.  We are told there that Manasseh was captured by Assyria, taken with "hooks, bound.. with bronze chains.." and taken to Babylon.  There, Manasseh "entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his father's." 

God heard Manasseh's prayer and allowed him to return home, where he removed the idols, sacrificed to the Lord, and ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. Now that is Amazing Grace!

Father in heaven,  You are holy and just.. and amazingly patient and kind.  To bring repentance to one such as Manasseh.. gives us encouragement and hope for the salvation of every man, even those who, today, seem full of evil.  We pray for those in our world today, those who have turned to false religions, false ideals, and evil lifestyles.. and we pray that they would also humble themselves before You, like Manasseh did.  We again pray for perseverance during these days.. that every believer would stand firm in Your strength, resisting evil.  We put on Jesus.. His truth, His righteousness, His peace, and His salvation.  We choose to trust You with all our hearts, allowing our shields of faith to quench the fiery darts of Satan. And we take up the sword of Your Spirit.. Your mighty Word, in prayers and supplications before You, with thanksgiving... in the Name of Jesus our King. Amen. 

 II Kings 18  Hezekiah became the king of Judah when he was 25 years old. " And he did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done."  Hezekiah removed all of the high places, all of the Asherah and even the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for the Jews had made it into an idol too. 

"He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel... for he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments which the Lord commanded Moses."  ( v5-6)

How could a king so evil as Ahaz have a son like Hezekiah, who was more like David than his own father?  My guess is that it had to do with his mother, Abi... mentioned in verse 2.  Nothing more is said about her except that her father was Zechariah. Which Zechariah this was, we are not told. But, why else would they be mentioned?  Just conjecture.. but however God chose to work in Hezekiah's life, this was a remarkable turn around for Judah. 

Hezekiah saw the fall of Israel.  He was threatened by the king of Assyria.  Yet he listened to Isaiah, he restored the temple that his father had desecrated, and he reinstituted the Passover that hadn't been held for years. ( see II Chronicles 30)

Hezekiah's prayer and God's answer through Isaiah found in II Kings 19:14-34 are too long to quote here, but well worth reading.  Hezekiah knew the Lord, sought the Lord, and his prayer reflects that.."O Lord, the God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art God, Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth." 

God came to Judah's defense. "For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake."  That night "the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians." 

I am struck by the words ".. for he clung to the Lord, the God of Israel."   Even when the Assyrians came and blasphemed God and tried to intimidate  him and the people, Hezekiah kept clinging to the Lord.  May we be encouraged from his example.  No matter what background we come from, no matter what culture we live in, no matter what challenges we face.. may we cling to the God of Israel,  who dwells above the cherubim, Who made heaven and earth, and Who alone is God!

Father in heaven, You are our God and we cling to You. More than that, even, we live and breathe and have our being in You.  You have brought to mind Romans 13:14, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh.. "  To "put on" Jesus - to be clothed.. arrayed.. adorned.. enveloped,..covered by Him.. is to put on the "new self, which  in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness and truth.." (Ephesians 4:24)  It is to "put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.. " ( Col.3:12)  To "put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created.. " us. ( Col. 3:10)  This is what our hearts' desire and  we must do.. to know You and to be obedient to Your Word, that we like Hezekiah in the days of old, can change the direction that our nation is moving.  May all who believe truly cling to You and be clothed in Jesus today.  We pray this in His holy and precious Name. Amen. 

 II Kings 17 Hoshea is the last king of Israel.  He reigned for 9 years, but was paying tribute to the king of Assyria.  When he looked to Egypt for help and stopped paying the tribute, the king of Assyria put him in prison, invaded the land and captured Samaria.  After carrying the people of Israel away, the king of Assyria repopulated the region with men from Babylon, Cuthah, aver, Haath and Sephar-vaim.  They came in and settled in the land, bringing their idols with them.  When God sent lions into the land, the foreigners decided they needed to know how to treat the god of the land.. so the king of Assyria sent a priest to teach them "how they should fear the Lord."  Unfortunately, all they did was add worship of Adonai to the rest of their idols.  

This passage shows us how the people of Samaria became the despised Samaritans of Jesus' day.  Some Jews had probably been left behind and only the prominent ones taken by the king of Assyria.  Whether any of those Jews stayed separate from the foreign culture that ruled.. we do not know. 

The most important part of this chapter is the commentary written in verses 7-23 which plainly and perhaps painfully spells out the reason that Israel was "removed" from the Lord's sight.  The writer starts out with this powerful statement, "Now this came about, because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods."  From the beginning, Israel disobeyed and rebelled agains the same God who had delivered them from slavery and given them their own land. 

They "walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before" them. 

They "did things secretly which were not right, against the Lord their God."

They built "high places" everywhere. 

They set up "sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree."

They "provoked the Lord" with their evil. 

They would not heed the warnings of the prophets. 

They rejected God's commands and statutes.

They "stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God."

Idolatry, disobedience, occult practices, child sacrifices... every evil that flagrantly violated the Lord's commandments - brought about the judgement that He had warned them about. 

Our God, Holy and Righteous, we praise Your Name.  Father,  You do what You say You will do.  Disobedience will result in discipline. Sin will result in death.  But, faith and repentance will result in forgiveness.  Jesus is the Redeemer who can set us free from the dominion of darkness.  O Father of our Lord Jesus, we intercede for our stiff-necked, disobedient, and idolatrous generation. Grant Your children the power of Your Spirit to speak out the Good News of Salvation in Christ Jesus, that many more will have ears to hear and will enter the Kingdom of Your Beloved Son. Revive us, Lord..by Your Divine Presence and power today.  We pray in the Name of Jesus, who tells us to ask in His name and we will receive it..  Amen. 

 II Kings 15-16  King Azariah/Uzziah reigned over Judah for 52 years, all the time suffering from leprosy. During that time Israel went through a series of evil kings:

Zechariah lasted only 6 months. He was the last of Jehu's descendants, fulfilling the Lord's promise to allow 4 generations to be king over Israel. 

Shallum conspired against and killed Zechariah and reigned for 1 month before he was killed by Menahem. 

Menahem was a cruel and wicked man who reigned for 10 years.  He gave money to Pul, the king of Assyria to leave them alone. Which worked for his lifetime. 

After Menahem died, his son Pekahiah became king for 2 years.  He was killed by his own officer, Pekah. 

Pekah ruled Israel for 20 years.  It is during this time that Assyria's king Tiglath-pileser came and took many of Israel's people  captive. 

The final king of Israel was Hoshea, who killed Pekah.  Pekah had joined with Aram against Judah. 

Meanwhile, Uzziah died and his some Jotham was king of Judah for 16 years.  He "did what was right in the sight of the Lord... Only the high places were not taken away.. " 

After Jothan came his son Ahaz - and this king of Judah  turned away from Adonai. ".. he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God as his father David had done."

In fact Ahaz not only sacrificed on the high places,  he ".. even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before the sons of Israel." 

Ahaz sought help from Assyria when Aram and Israel came against them.  He went to Damascus and saw an altar there, sent the pattern back to Jerusalem, and had it built to replace the altar at the temple. He took apart the laver from its stand; took the sea from the bronze oxen, and removed the covered walkway in the temple.  All of these things went against the Lord and seemed to be meant to please the king of Assyria. Unfortunately, the priest at that time seemed to have no zeal for God's temple and did everything that Ahaz wanted. 

It is at this time in Israel's and Judah's history that God sends the prophet Isaiah.  Listen to this first vision recorded in Isaiah 1:1-6 

 "Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks. Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me. And ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand. 

Alas sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evil doers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him. Where will you be stricken again, as you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts, and raw wounds..."  

The Lord goes on to say this, "I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me. I am weary of them."(v13-14)

The prayers of Israel would no longer be answered or even heard because of their wickedness.  Yet, the voice of God still called out to His people.."Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.. " (v16-17)

Father in heaven, we come to honor Your Holy Name. We are listening to Your Word and see clearly that sin will result in judgement and death. We want to do what is right in Your sight, to obey Your Word, to walk in Your Truth, and to come into Your Presence without shame and guilt.  Help us to learn from the history of Israel and Judah, to seek forgiveness for our nation, to be intercessors for mankind. Fill us with Your Spirit for the work You have for us to do, that there might be the fruit of righteousness found in our nation once again. May we become a nation that joins ourselves to You that we might be Your people, sharing the Light of Jesus Christ with all the world.   Help us now we pray, in Jesus' name.. Amen. 

 II Kings 14  The king of Israel - Joash/Jehoash  did what was evil in the Lord's sight.  Amaziah, the king of Judah- did what was right, but not as David had done, for he left the high places where people worshiped falsely. 

But, when Amaziah challenged Jehoash and they went to battle, it was the evil king that had the victory.  Why? God's ways are not always the way that we think they should be.. 

Amaziah was killed and his son Azariah/ Uzziah became king of Judah. 

Jehoash died and his son Jeroboam II became king of Israel.  After him came his son Zechariah. 

Two things to note here... 

One, God allowed Jeroboam ( an evil king) to restore the border of Israel.  He sent the prophet Jonah to proclaim this and it was fulfilled. "For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter, for there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. and the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash."  Our God can and does bless even those who we think don't deserve it.. 

Secondly, King Uzziah/ Azariah  reigned for 52 years, but he was a leper, living in a seperate house while his son, Jotham acted in his behalf.  But, King Uzziah is a familiar name to us because of Isaiah 6:1 "In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord... "  God was about to do something greater than they could imagine.. He was going to speak through Isaiah about the coming of the True Messiah!

We see the generations of kings - one following after the other; lives and deaths.. in this endless cycle of wars and murders and wickedness - and we wonder again at the patience and grace of the Lord for His people. May we see here that although they didn't know it at the time.. God was about to do something to bring this endless cycle to an end.  Israel was running out of chances to turn back to God.  Assyria would be coming soon to take them away.  Judah would have a few more years, but their days were also numbered.. 

Perhaps we should see our own country through the lens of Israel's history... generations of presidents and senates and congressmen... some good and some evil..  Endless cycles of wars and suffering and struggles.  God giving us so many chances to turn back to His Word.. to the Truth that would bring about deliverance and salvation.. May we face the reality that we are no different than Israel and that God will bring His righteous judgement upon us also.  We may think we are the great nation - a mighty cedar tree that can stand firm - but we are like the "thistle" that was stepped on by a wild beast. ( Verse 9)  America needs to return to God. 

Father in heaven, You are God alone, ruler of heaven and earth, and there is no other.  Forgive us, this proud and arrogant nation, that ignores Your Word and chooses what is evil in Your sight.  Change the hearts of our government leaders, that they might find Jesus as their Savior, so that they will turn back to the Truth that brings life.  May we have ears to hear and hearts to receive the Words You are speaking to us today.  Thank You for Your great patience and mercy.  Let your Spirit fill us and produce the fruit of righteousness in Your people.  Strengthen us with the boldness to stand firm in these evil days and to share the Gospel with those who still need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. In His great name we pray, Amen. 

 II Kings 13  Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu became king in Israel.  He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, following in the steps of Jeroboam... "who made Israel sin".   This sin of idolatry angered the Lord, bringing constant judgement in the form of Hazael the king of Aram.  But,  Jehoahaz "never ceased committing those sins.."  Yet,  there was a time when he pleaded with the Lord. . "and Adonai listened to him." 

"And the Lord gave Israel a deliverer ( a savior) so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly."   However... they still did not turn away from their sins. 

After Jehoahaz died, his son Jehoash ( Joash)  became king and he also did evil.  After him came Jeroboam ( the second of that name) 

It is during this time that Elisha dies. 

Years of oppression plagued Israel... yet they did not repent and turn back to the Lord.  Even then we read.. "But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now." 

Over and over the Lord gave His people the chance to turn back.  It is still true to this day.  One day, Israel will have a King who will rule forever.  They will finally believe and obey. 

Psalm 67:3-4 says " Let the peoples give thanks to You, God; let the peoples give thanks to you.. all of them. Let the nations be glad and shout for joy, for you will judge the peoples fairly and guide the nations of the earth." Verse 7 "May God continue to bless us, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him." 

This is why we are told to pray for Israel.  It is through the blessings and promises given to Abraham long ago that all the world will be blessed.  May God bless Israel and bring His people back to Himself fully.  

Father in heaven, we praise You.. that Your compassions fail not. You are gracious.  You are faithful.  You are patient and kind. You look at us with pity when we fail and with mercy when we cry to You. Open our eyes to see the greatness of Your love and the blessings of Your salvation.  Your commands are for our good.  Your burdens are light and Your yoke is easy.  We come to You, Jesus, our Lord for we are weary and heavy laden.. and in You alone will we find rest.  Turn the hearts of the peoples in every nation to Your Word.  Shine Your holy Light through Your servants that many more will find salvation in Christ the Lord. Let Your Kingdom come!  All praise and thanksgiving we offer to You!  Amen. 

 II Kings 11-12 Athaliah, Ahab's daughter, wife of Jehoram, and mother of Ahaziah.. saw that her son was dead.  Jehu also killed her mother, her husband,  Joram ( Jehoram) , king of Israel, and 70 of her brothers. So, she took her revenge.  She ordered the killing of every one of the "royal offspring". 

 But, Jehosheba, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, Ahaziah's infant son, and hid him.  

Joash was hidden in the temple for 7 years while Athaliah made herself queen of Judah and ruled the land. 

Finally, the time came when Jehoiada, the priest, brought in the army and arranged for Joash to be anointed king of Judah.  Joash was 7 years old at the time he became king. Athaliah was put to death, Baal altars were once more torn down.  And Judah was quiet... for a while. 

Joash did well as long as Jehoiada was alive.  He had a desire for the temple to be restored. When the priests and levites failed to make the repairs, he arranged to pay the workers directly.  So the repairs were made.  But, after Jehoiada died, things changed.  Because of Joash's rebellion against the Lord, war returned to Judah and Joash was killed by his own servants.  He had reigned for 40 years. 

Father in heaven, we know that You do not grow weary or tired.. but You do see the sinful hearts of man and we wonder how You can be so patient.  Life and death are in Your hands.  These kings and queens of Israel and Judah failed... over and over and over again.  Failed to be faithful.  Failed to lead with godliness and courage.  Failed to remember the grace and mercy and goodness that You had shown to them.  We fail too, Lord.  We get caught up in earthly worries and distractions.  We get burdened down by our desires for power or revenge or whatever...  Yet, when we repent and seek You... You forgive us.. when we pray- You remember us.. You hear us and  do great things.  So we praise You and offer up our sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise, in awe of Your great love and grace.  Blessed is the Name of the Lord!  Lead us in Your paths of righteousness and bring us the joy of Your salvation, for we ask this in the Name of our Gracious Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 II Kings 10  Jehu is an interesting character. He was the son of Jehoshaphat, not the one who was king of Judah. ( Very confusing!)   Elijah had been told to anoint him as king, although it was actually at Elisha's direction that it happened.  He was responsible for the deaths of Joram, Ahaziah, and Jezebel.  And here we see him fulfill all the Lord's word, removing every descendent and follower of Ahab.   Jehu also killed relatives of Ahaziah whose hearts favored Ahab's ways.  Finally, Jehu removed the worshippers of Baal and removed Baal's temple from Israel. 

The Lord rewarded Jehu.. "Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the  house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel." ( v30)  Jehu ruled for 28 years, followed by his son, Jehoahaz, his grandson, Jehaash, also called Joash; his great-grandson Jeroboam (the second); and finally,  Zeharrah, his great-great-grandson. 

"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." (v31) 

The Lord, the Almighty God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, You are holy and You call us to be holy.  You desire us to follow Your ways with our WHOLE hearts.  Yes, we can do things that are pleasing in Your sight - go to church, give offerings, pray, and even read our Bibles.. but if our hearts are not wholly devoted to You, then we are like the Israelites of old.. like the Pharisees in the time of the New Testament. Before the exile, they had chosen idols, afterwards, they chose pride and legalism.  What do we choose.. what is it that keeps our hearts from full devotion?  Search our hearts, Lord,  try us and know our anxious thoughts.. reveal to us the things that are hurtful and lead us in Your everlasting ways.  We pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen. 

 II Kings 6-9  War... famine.. murder.. betrayal.. There was a great darkness that covered Israel and Judah. The family of Ahab had spread from Israel to Judah as Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son married Athaliah, Ahab's daughter.   Their son Ahaziah became king of Judah after his father died.  His uncle, his mother's brother, Joram was king of Israel.  When Joram was wounded by Hazael, the king of Aram, Athaliah went down to Jezreel to see him. 

It is at this time that the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah years before is completed.( I Kings 19:15-16)  Hazael was now king of Aram, Elisha had already succeeded Elijah and now the final piece in completed.. Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat was anointed to be king of Israel.  It is Jehu who fulfills the prophecy about Ahab's family as he kills Joram, Jezebel, and Ahaziah...Joram was Jehu's brother's brother-in-law; Jezebel was Joram's mother-in-law; and Ahaziah was Jehu's own nephew.  And still the blood shed was not finished.  There are 70 sons of Ahab who were slaughtered by their own keepers.. 

 God's judgements are just and they are completed in His time frame.. through the men and women He chooses to use.  I'm reminded of the Word of God that tells us that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are far higher than our own.  God deals with those who do evil.  He always has and He always will.  We see those who are currently promoting the ways of evil on our world and we shake our heads and  wonder when the day of judgement will fall on our country.. Some believe it has already, yet it is nothing like what they faced in the days of Elisha.  Only God's mercy  and patience keeps us from the fulness of God's wrath. But.. we know that the day of the Lord is coming. 

Father in heaven, You have been merciful to us, so patient that some wonder if You are coming at all. But we know that the time is drawing ever closer when Jesus will return for us.  We want to be ready and we desire that all will repent and receive the salvation through Jesus Christ, who alone can save.  Thank You for the grace that You have lavished on us.  We praise You for allowing us to have Your Word, to see what judgement looks like.. so that we might truly seek to bring others out of the darkness and into the Light of Your Son.  Work in us and through us to accomplish Your purposes and plans.  We are Your servants.  May Your will be done. amen. 

 II Kings 6:1-7  Elisha was living with a school of prophets and there was not enough room for all of them. So they decided to go, cut down some trees and build a bigger building. As they are working, one of the men cutting down a tree lost the axe head in some water.  He calls out to Elisha for help. Elisha cuts off a stick throws it in the water and the axe head floats to the top.  He tells the young man to pick it up and he "put out his hand and took it." 

Why do you suppose this story is recorded here for us?  It doesn't tie to anything else in the chapter. It doesn't seem to have any deeper meaning.  It is just another miraculous event in  a series of miracles that marked Elisha's ministry. But, it is written here and it is holy scripture, so it is meant for us to learn and grow from.. 

If the prophets did not need a larger school... 

If they had not gone to the Jordan to cut trees... 

If Elisha had not agreed to accompany them.. 

If the axe had not broken.. 

If the man had not called out to Elisha.. 

If Elisha had not thrown in the stick.. 

The axe head would not have floated up and the man would not have been able to put out his hand and take it.. 

God was in all of the details.  Just as He is in all of the events of our lives that lead up to the defining act of reaching out our hands and taking what the Lord has restored to us.  What have we lost?  Relationships? Jobs? Homes? Hope? Health? 

God is working out the details..  Perhaps we need to have a dream for something greater than ourselves. Perhaps we need to go out from where we are... Perhaps we need to call out to others for help..  Perhaps God has done a miracle already and we just need to put out our hand and take it.  I don't know where you are in the process.. but know that God has a plan and He will do it. 

Let us be ready to reach out.. 

Father in heaven, You are good and You are kind.  Nothing is impossible with You.  We want to live according to Your plan and to do what You desire.. to walk by faith, to walk in love, and to walk by the power of Your Spirit.  I'm not sure why this passage of Your Word speaks to me.. but, I know that You have given it to us today for a reason. Bless it to our lives and draw us nearer as we think on these things.  We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 II Kings 5  -

A captain of the army of Aram.

A kidnapped little girl from Israel. 

A helpless king of Israel. 

Elisha...

Servants of the army captain. 

Gehazi, Elisha's servant. 

This cast of characters reveal one mighty truth - "... there is no God in all the earth except.. Adonai". 

Naaman was highly respected, powerful in rank, " a valiant warrior",  and esteemed by the King of Aram. But, he suffered from "tazra'at" - leprosy.  The Arameans had raided Israel and Naaman had brought back a little girl as a servant for his wife.  This little girl must have been someone really special!  A slave to a foreign couple, she wished for Naaman's miraculous healing and testified of the prophet of God who would cure him.   What a beautiful example of true faith!

Naaman takes the word of this child and approaches the king, who allows him to go to Samaria.  When Naaman goes to the king of Israel with silver, gold, and clothing... the king believes that this is a dirty trick to provoke war.  But, Elisha steps in to help. 

Even that goes a bit strange - for Elisha doesn't even come out to greet Naaman but tells him to go dip 7 times in the Jordan river.  Naaman goes away angry, feeling humiliated at this.. expecting a big show of some kind.  However, his servants convince him that he should at least give it a try.  He does, and he is healed, just as Elisha said. 

Naaman offers his gifts to Elisha, but Elisha refuses.  But, when Naaman leaves, Gehazi, Elisha's servant goes after him and takes some silver and some clothes, lying that Elisha was asking for them for some visitors.  Gehazi thinks he will get away with this, but Elisha knew what happened.  Gehazi was cursed with the leprosy - to him and to his descendants. 

The little slave girl chose to serve the Lord and tell of His greatness. 

Naaman chose to believe... the girl, the servants, and finally God Himself.

Elisha chose to serve. 

Gehazi chose to be greedy. 

Whoever we are - great in power or low in rank.. we have to choose how we will live. No matter our circumstances, we can choose to serve and to testify of the greatness of our God.  May we have the faith of this little slave girl.. desiring that others would know the One and only God.. that they also may be saved. 

Father in heaven, strengthen us in our walk with You today.  May we be faithful and faith-filled.  May we have compassion and patience, gentleness and kindness and humility - and most of all love for those around us, no matter who they are - for all need to know You, to call upon Your, to seek You and find You.  You loved this world and sent Your Son so that whosoever believes in Him will be saved. Let us speak up and speak out this Truth, this Good News, wherever we go today.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. 

II Kings 3-4  Elisha became known as the man of God.  Jehoshaphat testified, "The word of Adonai is with him."   These two chapters recount some miracles that God performed through Elisha. 

Jehoram, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom joined forces to go up against Moab who had rebelled against Israel.  They made a journey of seven days and found no water for their armies or animals. They went to Elisha and he helped them,  but only because of Jehoshaphat. Elisha told them to dig trenches throughout the valley and overnight the Lord filled those trenches with water. He also told them that they would have victory over Moab. 

Take note of verse 18 - "and this is but a slight thing in the sight of the Lord; He shall also give the Moabites into your hand."  A dry and arid valley - filled with water for 3 armies and all their animals... is but a slight thing in the sight of the Lord!  May we remember that Nothing Is Impossible with our God!

Chapter 4 begins with the account of a widow who was about to lose her children to slavery because of debt.  She only has one thing - a flask of oil.   Elisha tells her to borrow as many empty vessels as she can, go into the house, shut the door, and fill all the vessels from her flask.  She fills every one and sells it all to pay off her debt and have enough to survive afterward.  "Bring your vessels, not a few!" we sing, based on this miracle.  We must remember that with God.. Nothing Is Impossible!

Verses 8-37 tell the story of the Shunammite woman, who welcomed Elisha to her home and even prepared a room where he could stay whenever he traveled that way.  The woman had no children and Elisha blessed her for all she had done for him by telling her she would conceive and she did.  But, then the child died. The woman came to Elisha and instead of telling him what happened, simply clung to his feet.  Elisha did not know what happened but he sent his servant to put his staff on the child.  He went with the woman to her home and prayed.. laying not just his hand but his whole body on the child so that the child was brought back to life.  Impossible?  Not with our God!

Verses 38-41 tell of Elisha neutralizing a poisoned stew so that the prophets could eat it. 

Verses 43-44 tell of a miracle of 20 loaves of bread being mutliplied so that 100 men could eat and have some leftover. ( Reminds us of Jesus who took 5 loaves and fed thousands!) 

When we read of these miracles we are reminded of the greatness of our God.  We forget somehow that God has not changed.. He is still in the business of doing the impossible!  We can trust Him - for bread and for water, for our children, and for our lives.  To God be the glory for great things He has done and will do!

Father in heaven, You have not forsaken us and You never will.  May we learn from Your Word to trust You in all things - in a pandemic.. in a sin-sick world.. in our worries and our fears.  We place our trust in You for You are our refuge and our strength.  Prepare us for the days ahead and help us to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand firm in Christ Jesus our Lord. We seek You Lord for every day and for every moment that we might dwell in Your Presence forever.  Thank You for the gift of life and salvation in Jesus Christ the Lord. In His name we pray. Amen. 

 II Kings 2 ( and I Timothy 1) 

 The day came when Elijah was going to be taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.  Elijah knew it. Elisha knew it. The prophets that met them on the way also knew it.  Why then, did Elijah tell Elisha do wait behind.. three times? Was it a test? 

Nevertheless, Elisha persevered and  stayed with Elijah until the very end and watched his mentor and friend be lifted up in a "fiery chariot with horses of fire".... What a sight that must have been! 

Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit.  He received Elijah's mantle and went back the way he had come.  He used the mantle to strike the Jordan, just as Elijah had done, and he walked across the river on dry ground. 

Here begins Elisha's ministry. As he enters Jericho, the prophets there "see" the spirit of Elijah on Elisha. They can't quite believe that Elijah is gone and send out scouts to look for him.  Then they tell Elisha about the bad water in their town and he brings healing to it according to the Lord's word. 

As Elisha turns back towards home he encounters a gang of boys.. who mock him.  Elisha "cursed them in the name of the Lord" and a bear came and mauled 42 of these boys.

What an amazing exit for Elijah!  What an interesting beginning for Elisha.  Men of God in a time when wickedness filled the land.  

The word that comes to my mind as I think about these prophets is perseverance.  They kept on serving the Lord no matter what. They were faithful to the Word of God and available for the work of God.  

I believe that this is what the Lord is calling His church to do... to persevere.. to keep serving the Lord no matter what.. to stay faithful to the Word of God and to stay available to the work that God wants to do through us.  As Paul wrote to Timothy.. "..fight the good fight, armed with trust and a good conscience .." (I Tim. 1:18-19)  Paul exhorts Timothy to stop people from paying attention to "myths and never-ending genealogies";  to things that distract from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Instead, he was to "promote love from a clean heart, from a good conscience and from a sincere trust.." (1:4-5)

Father, may we be faithful to serve You with love from pure hearts. May we have a good conscience, cleansed by Jesus and renewed by the Spirit.  May our faith be sincere and steadfast that we stand firm in the day of evil, putting on the full armor of Christ our Lord. Strengthen us in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ we pray. Fill us with Your Spirit that we might persevere and be among the saints on high who have overcome and have received the white garments and may we have our names also written in the book of life. ( Rev. 3:5)  We ask these things in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 II Kings 1 Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, fell and was severely injured.  He sent a servant to ask Baal-zebub, the foreign idol, whether he would survive or not.  Elijah stopped the messengers and sent them back to Ahab with these words, "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?" 

The king sent out a squadron of 50 soldiers to take Elijah.  Fire from heaven consumed them. Another 50 came, and again were all consumed. A third group came, but this time the commander knelt down and begged for mercy for himself and his men.  This time Elijah went with them.  Elijah confronted Ahaziah about the fact that he was asking Baal-zebub for help instead of God.  There was no repentance.. and Ahaziah died.  He had no children, so his brother Jehoram became king in his place. 

How could a king.. any king expect a wretched idol, who's very name meant "lord of the flies" to help him?  How is it that men and women today still look to false gods, philosophies, or other sources for help? There is only One God and He is the only source of help, hope, and life.  

There is a God in America.  He is ruler of all the earth and of every nation. Let us make Him known!

David wrote, "But as for me, I will sing of Your strength; in the morning I will sing aloud of Your Grace. For you are my fortress, a refuge in times of trouble. My Strength, I will sing praises to You, for God is my fortress, God, who gives me grace." ( Psalm 59:16-17)

Paul also testified, "Our Lord's grace overflowed to me with trust and love that come through the Messiah Yeshua. So here is a statement you can trust, one that fully deserves to be accepted: the Messiah came into the world to save sinners, and I'm the number one sinner!" 

Had Ahaziah turned to God, he may have lived. He may have changed the destiny of Israel. But, he hardened his heart.  He loved his sin more than God... 

Father in heaven, You are our Strength and our Refuge. We bring every need to Your feet and we give You thanks for every blessing that You pour out to us by Your grace.  Thank You that the Messiah came to save sinners.. every one who will turn to Him and receive the grace He offers.  Open eyes and ears of those who are like Ahaziah.. change those hearts of stone to hearts of flesh, that they might be saved, in the name of Jesus we pray this.. Amen. 

 I Kings 21 tells the story of Ahab and Naboth's vineyard.  Jezebel plotted the death of Naboth, but it was Ahab's sin of coveting that instigated this tragedy.  Elijah confronts Ahab with these words, " I have found you because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord." (v20) The CJB translates it this way, " .. you have given yourself over to do what is evil from Adonai's perspective." 

When Elijah told Ahab what judgements he and his family would suffer, Ahab humbled himself by tearing his clothes and putting on sackcloth and by fasting.  God granted Ahab 3 more years before he was killed in battle.  

I Kings 22 tells of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, coming to Ahab and joining forces against the king of Aram.  Although Ahab went in disguise, he suffered a fatal wound and died.  His ivory palaces and many cities.. did nothing to stop the Word of the Lord - ".. and the dogs licked up his blood." 

Ahaziah, Ahab's son followed his father's reign with one as evil.. he "provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger according to all that his father had done." 

This passage reminds us that we each choose to give ourselves - either we give ourselves to do what is right in God's perspective or we chose to do what is evil. There is no middle ground.  Men want to define good and evil from their own perspectives these days.. but that is not what God will judge us by.  Our liberal world wants to justify immorality and murder of unborn children, claiming the "rights" of human individuality.  But, that is a wicked deception that people are "selling" themselves over to... These sins will always provoke our Holy God to anger. May God wake up this nation to the Truth!

God, our Father, You are holy and completely true.  You judge with perfect righteousness . As your word declares.. none of us are righteous, no not one. Forgive us, we pray.   We are so thankful for the Savior, Jesus Christ, who came to set us free from all unrighteousness by becoming the propitiation for our sins. Only in Jesus can we be bought from the slave market of evil and brought into the Kingdom of God.  We are thankful for the cross. Thank You for Life eternal through Jesus the Messiah.  We celebrate the holy birth of Jesus, amazed that while we were all sinners, He came to earth, setting aside His Majesty, for us. Help us to grasp this truth in a deeper way this Christmas season.  Bring us nearer to Your heart we pray... in Jesus' name. Amen.