Seek the Lord

Day 81:  2 Chronicles 13–18; Amos 7–9; 1 Peter 4–5

2 Chr. 13-18 gives insights into the kings of Judah with more detail than the narratives withing 2 Kings.  It also portrays the Judean kings in a more positive light.  In the story of Abijah, Asa and Jehoshaphat there is a recurring theme.  They cried out to the Lord.  They sought the Lord.  They lead the people to seek the Lord.

Abijah gives a resounding speech as He faces down Jeroboam I with words of faith and conviction.

"Don't you know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt. (a reference to an ancient custom where parties of an agreement taste salt together as a sign of preserving their words)

But as for us, the LORD is our God. We have not abandoned Him; the priests ministering to the LORD are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites [serve] at their tasks. They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the LORD every morning and every evening, and [they set] the rows of the bread [of the Presence] on the ceremonially clean table. They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have abandoned Him (2 Chr. 13:5, 10-11)."

 When the battle ensue the Judeans cried out to the Lord. They were ambushed and greatly outnumbered, but God gave them the victory.

Asa walked in the ways of the Lord and lead the people to Seek Yahweh (2 Chr. 14:4).  When Cush (Lybia) threatened them with a massive army, Asa "cried out to the Lord" and God gave him victory (2 Chr. 14:11-13).

Asa reformed Judah when inspired by the prophet Azariah, son of Oded. "The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you (2 Chr. 15:2)."  Judah experienced peace for many years.

But late in Asa's 41 year reign, he made a treaty with Aram for fear of Israel's King Baasha.  Rather than follow his faith and cry out to the Lord, Asa paid tribute to Aram's King Ben-hadad.  This brought rebuke from Hanani the seer.  Aram later would turn on Judah.

Jehoshaphat followed in Asa's footsteps and was a good king. But he too had his weaknesses. He married the daughter of Israel's King Ahab, one of their most evil kings.  This alliance put Judah in harm's way.  Jehoshaphat fought along side Ahab at Ramoth-gilead against the Arameans.  King Ahab in his usual selfishness has Jehoshaphat fight in his royal robes.  This drew the battle away from Ahab, as he fought in regular soldier's attire.  Ahab died anyway.  Jehoshaphat survived.

As a side note, I've always wondered about the phrase "jumping Jehosaphat."  It is apparently a way of exclamation without using God's name.  Much in the same way we today exclaim, "Oh My God!"...this was a way to speak of great excitement by exchanging Jehosaphat for Jehovah or Jesus.  According to wikipedia the phrase first surfaced in "the 1866 novel The Headless Horseman by Thomas Mayne Reid.^[5] The longer version "By the shaking, jumping ghost of Jehosaphat" is seen in the 1865 novel Paul Peabody by Percy Bolingbroke St. John.^[6]  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehoshaphat)

But to read Jehoshaphat's story is to see a king who jumps from seeking Yahweh to seeking the grace of neighboring kings and back to Yahweh again.

Amos confronts the sins of Israel and they tell him to stop prophesying at Bethel, the king's temple, and go home to Judah (Amo. 7:12).  Amos will not stop speaking and warning because that is what God called him to do.  He was tending sheep and sycamore figs in Judah beforehand.  But now the tender of fruit and flocks must tend to the concerns of Yahweh in Israel.  He proclaims their destruction.

People will stagger from sea to sea
    and roam from north to east,
    seeking the word of the LORD,
    but they will not find it. (Amo. 8:12)

And as always, God promises a remnant to survive through whom restoration will occur.  Like a basket of picked summer fruit, the time of harvest has passed (Amo. 8:1).  There is no way for the fruit to reconnect to the tree or the vine from which it was harvested.  New life comes through the fruit being devoured and the seeds spat out of God's mouth onto the ground.  The seeds will have a chance to take root and begin growing a new vine for new fruit.

Peter ends his first letter encouraging the church to suffer in the flesh as a means to finding complete freedom from sin (1 Pet. 4:1).  The Christian who is "finished with sin" attracts ridicule from those who are still stuck in sinful living.  They "are surprised that you don't plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation (1 Pet. 4:4)."  


Real transformation occurs for the Christian who learns to seek the Lord's strength through every temptation and trial.  They learn the truth of Paul's encouragement when he wrote, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape,  Peter also say that if we resist the devil, He flees from us (1 Pet. 5:8).  We resist the devil by knowing his sinful temptations only lead to our destruction.  The devil wants to devour us.  But the Christian stand firm in faith, trusting in God's grace to deliver us from each and every snare.  


Peter encourages the church suffering through difficult trials and persecutions to "cast all anxiety upon the Lord" knowing that the Lord cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7).


It seems to me that we can learn from the kings of Judah and Israel.  They at times listened to the judgment of the Lord announced through the prophets and repented. They reformed their nation to worship Yahweh and Him alone.  Then at other times they ignored the prophets, told them not to speak and went on practicing idolatry and greedy living.  


But the person who learns that the chastisement of the Lord is meant for our good begins to be glad to hear the word of the Lord and His correction (Heb. 12:7-11).  For His ways lead to life. No other voice will lead us to the source of everlasting life.  


"For the time has come for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God (1 Pet. 4:17)?"


May we all learn to appreciate and willingly accept the discipline of the Lord as a means to share in His holy nature (Heb. 12:10).  May we come to understand that judgment on God's house is not a bad thing.  His house. His rules.  He rules.  Will you allow God to rule your hear and life?  May we all seek the Lord more and more, learning to lean on His grace so that we might be made perfect after the image of Jesus Christ.


Seek the Lord and be transformed by His grace.


I end with Peter's final greeting in his first letter to the church.


"Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal gloryin Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little.To Him be the dominion forever. Amen."