The Bigger They Are...

Day 72:    2 Kings 21–25; Daniel 1–6; Titus 1-3

Just when you think it can't get any worse...it did.  Manasseh succeeds the good king Hezekiah, but he does more evil than all the kings before him!  "

He (Manasseh) made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a great amount of evil in the LORD's sight, provoking [Him] (2 Kg. 21:6) 

Amon took over after his father Manasseh died.  He was just as bad and was killed by conspirators. The people killed the conspirators and made Josiah, Amon's son the next king.

Josiah was a good king like Hezekiah before him, perhaps even better. 
Josiah ordered the repair of the temple.  While is was being repaired, The workers found the book of the law. It had been lost to the kings of Judah.  Josiah sat and wept, tearing his clothes in great anguish when he heard of all the words of the covenant. No wonder Judah suffered.  They had angered Yahweh and not kept His covenant.

He lead sweeping reforms, tearing down all the pagan shrines, including the one in Bethel with the golden calf Jeroboam had erected.  He destroyed all the high places and the giant furnace for child sacrifice call Topheth located in the Hinnom Valley. He slew the priests of Baal and the other pagan priests.,  He completely cleansed Israel of pagan shrines and public practices were outlawed.

Josiah called a holy assembly of all Jerusalem and all the elders of the nation.  King Josiah read them all the words of the covenant.  And all the people agreed tot he covenant.  They held the greatest Passover celebration anyone could ever remember.  Not since the time of the judges was so sweet a fellowship (2 Kg. 23:22).

Josiah went up against Pharaoh Neco and died at Megiddo. Jehoahaz replaced his father Josiah as king of Judah, but Neco imprisoned him.  Pharaoh made Eliakim (renamed Jehoiakim) king of Judah.  But Jehoiakim was made a vassal to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon when he came to power.  His son Jehoiachin was deported to Babylon and imprisoned.  Nebuchadnezzar made Mattaniah (renamed Zedekiah) king in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem fell under Zedekiah and he was taken to Babylon in chains. His sons were executed before his eyes and then the Babylonians blinded Zedekiah so that his horror would be the last thing he ever would see.

All these kings fell because of Manasseh's sin.  God had had enough.  The temple was destroyed and all Jerusalem sacked and burned. 

The folly had begun with King Hezekiah showing off Jerusalem's wealth.  The pride preceded the fall, so to speak.  And so ends 2nd Kings with Jerusalem in ruin.  But there's a glimmer of hope.  Jehoiachin is released from prison by the new king of Babylon.  From him comes the son of David who will lead the exiles back home to rebuild Jerusalem.

I began reading the prophet Daniel today.  He was groomed for three years to serve as a wise man in Nebuchadnezzar's court.  The king wanted "young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king's palace (Dan. 1:4)."  It would seem to the modern reader that Nebuchadnezzar had a sexual appetite for boys, but that is not the case.  It was custom of Ancient societies to tutored boys of 15 in a school setting to pass along the culture values.  For the Israelites to have men among them who were taught about Babylon and to speak their language would help in assimilating the population.

Nebuchadnezzar soon found that God was with Daniel and the other Israelites.  These early chapters of Daniel have Sunday School stories.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who are thrown into the fiery furnace because they refuse to worship a gold statue of Nebuchadnezzar.  They survive miraculously unsinged!  Daniel is thrown in the lions den for praying to Yahweh when it was against the law to do so. He too is miraculously rescued.  Daniel interprets dreams and visions, just like Joseph did for Pharaoh in Egypt.  He is made a high ranking official and trusted by the king.

Nebuchadnezzer boasts his great wealth and revels in his "majestic glory."  He considers himself a god.  But Yahweh subjugates him making him insane in a moment.  He eats grass like cow and sleeps out in the open.  Not until Nebuchadnezzar recognizes "that the Most High (God of Israel) is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants (Dan 4:32b)."

Nebuchadnezzar does acknowledge God after his humiliation.  He writes,

"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true and His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride (Dan. 4:37)." 

Belshazzer replaces Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon.  He holds a party and decided to bring out the sacred cups and bowls from the temple in Jerusalem that Nebuchadnezzar had taken,  He and all his guests drink wine from them.  During the party an human hand suddenly and wrote on the wall.

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

No one knows what it could mean.  The king is terrified and all his nobles unnerved by the vent.  So the queen suggests to give Daniel a call.  Daniel does indeed interpret.  Belshazzer's reign is coming to an end.  God has weighed Belshazzer in the scales and found him wanting.  The Persians are coming.

Belshazzer was killed that very night by Darius the Mede.  King Darius rules in his place.

God is the shaper of nations.  He decides who will rule and who He can use for His purposes.  But the old adage is true: the bigger they are the harder they fall.  Nebuchadnezzar had an enormous empire then suddenly he was a babbling grass eating idiot.  Humility before the true king of kings is required to lead a nation.  Too much pride leads to poor decisions and the poverty of the nation.

Paul writes another pastor on the Island of Crete, Titus. Much of what he writes is a condensed version of the letters to Timothy.  There are people who argue over worthless myths and legends and are become worthless themselves.  Paul wants Titus to be diligent about meeting this threat to the church.  Good works is what the people should be focused on, not battles over words.  Paul tells Titus to warn a divisive person once and again a second time. After that reject them knowing that they are perverse and self-condemned.

In the church there are circles of bible believing Christians who spend all their time studying and teaching and impressing one another with what they know.  They are fantastic bible trivia contestants.  But are they doing any good for those who have physical needs?  Do they become arrogant and see themselves as great defenders of the faith against heresy?

Beware how high you think you have climbed.  Dear Icarus learned tragically that to fly too high on false wings is death.  The wax melts near the sun.  All hypocrisy and false righteousness melts too near to the light of the living God.  That is why Titus is encouraged to remember that he too was "once foolish, disobedient, deceived, captives of various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another (Tit. 3:3)."

By recognizing one's own fallible nature and sinful mistakes and selfish thinking, one can serve others in humility and "not arrogant, not quick tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught...(Tit. 1:7b-9a)."

Lord, let the lessons learned by kings in Israel, Judah, Babylon teach me to be humble before you and trust you have a handle of the political world. Help me to humble myself before you and others remembering my salvation from sin and offering the same to all who will listen.  Amen.