Born Again

Day 84:  2 Chronicles 31–36; Micah 5–7; 1 John 4–5

Manasseh humbled himself before God?  That's a new detail about the most wicked king on record in all of David's descendants.  According to the chronicler Manasseh was captured by the Babylonian army.  They captured him "with hooks, bound him with bronze [shackles], and took him to Babylon (2 Chr. 33:11b)."  But Manasseh learned obedience.  His rebellion ended and there in subjugation he cried out to Yahweh and Yahweh forgave him his great and many detestable sins which include witchcraft and child sacrifice.  


2 Chronicles also records more details in the life of Josiah, the legendary Yahwist reformer. He was a good king.  He ordered repairs on the temple and during repairs the "book of law" was found.  When his officials read the covenant to him, he was grieved over Judah's sins and how his forefathers had abandoned Yahweh.  So he lead Judah in returning to covenant faithfulness, reestablishing temple worship, priests and Levties and the people responded with great joy and giving tithes to support the priests, Levites and the work of the temple.  They had such abundance that had to build storerooms for it all at the temple grounds.  This part we know.


We also know Josiah died in a battle against Neco, King of Egypt.  But where 2 Knigs states only that fact, the chronicler tells us that King Neco was on a mission from God at Carchemish against Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  


     But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "What is [the issue] between you and me, king of Judah? I have not come against you todaybut to the dynasty I am fighting. God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God who is with me; don't make Him destroy you!"
     But Josiah did not turn away from him; instead, in order to fight with him he disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco's words from the mouth of God, but went to the Valley of Megiddo to fight (2 Chr. 35:21-22).


Josiah did not listen to King Neco's warning and he died from arrow wounds.


The last chapter quickly summarizes the reigns of the last three kings


King Jehoahaz lasts three months before taken into exile in Egypt by Pharaoh Neco.
King Eliakim/Jehoiakim, an evil king, lasts 11 years and is exiled by the Babylonians (2 Kings 24:5-6 does not record this event).
King Jehoiachin lasts 3 moths and 10 days before being called to exile in Babylon.
King Zedekiah is also evil and idolatrous. His reign ends after 11 years with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. His brutal end is not recorded as it was in 2 Kings 25:6-7.


But what is recorded is the priestly understanding of these events.


     But the LORD God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again, for He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they kept ridiculing God's messengers,despising His words, and scoffing at His prophets, until the LORD's wrath was so stirred up against His people that there was no remedy (2 Chr. 36:15-16).  


2nd Chronicles ends not with exiled King Zehoiachin's release from bondage by the new Babylonian king as in 2 Kings 25:27-30, but rather with a proclamation made by the new ruler of the Middle East, the Persian King Cyrus.


This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you of His people may go up, and may the LORD his God be with him (2 Chr. 33:23).


Hope springs eternal!


Micah ends his collection of oracles with hope in a righteous and mighty king to deliver Israel against all foes. Here we find the prophecy for the king to be born in Bethlehem (5:2).  The church reads this passage every year during the Advent season as we prepare to celebrate the Christ's first coming at Christmas.  



He will stand and shepherd [them] 
    in the strength of Yahweh,
    in the majestic name of Yahweh His God.
    They will live securely,
    for then His greatness will extend
    to the ends of the earth.
    He will be their peace (Mic. 5:4-5a)."

God promises to remove from Israel all their idolatries.  He pleads with Israel to make their case before Him for what has He done to deserve their rejection of Him (Mic. 6:1-3)? And then the prophet asks what can be done to please the Lord and Micah answers his own question.


He has told you men what is good 
    and what it is the LORD requires of you: 
    Only to act justly, 
    to love faithfulness, 
    and to walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:8).


A society that does these things will please God and His blessing will come.  Nations will be in awe of what God will do with such a people (Mic. 7:16-17).  Because of the mercy of Yahweh, Israel's sins will be "passed over (Mic. 7:18a)."  


He will again have compassion on us;
    He will vanquish our iniquities. 
    You will cast all our sins
    into the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:19). 


Restoration is possible for the exiled Israelites.  And transformation is possible for all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.


the Apostle John ends his first letter helping the church to understand how to tell the difference between a spirit that is from the Lord or is not.  It is essential to a Christian worldview to believe that Jesus Christ was God incarnate. He "has come in the flesh" to us from heaven (1 Jn. 4:2-3).  For if the divine fullness of God dwelt in Jesus, a man of flesh like you and me, then it is also something God can do in our lives. God can live in our flesh. To deny this is to deny God's power. Then Christianity becomes a set of moral teachings and proverbs, but without divine power.


But for the one "born of God" they find "the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 Jn. 4:4b)."


God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way:God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him (1 Jn. 4:8b-9).


He has given to us from His Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God (1 Jn 4:13b-15).


This is the stuff of Evangelical Christian faith!!!  This transformation of the soul occurs through the giving of the  Spirit to dwell in our flesh and to perfect us in love.  A perfected love is not afraid of God's judgement, but looks forward to it.  A perfected love leads us to fulfill our desire to please God. We love God buy keeping His commands (1 Jn. 5:2-3). We love our fellow Christians and we love the stranger and the enemy.  We are not afraid to love and to give because of the abundance within through God's divine life giving presence. 


It's really amazing to read 1st John and realize that his world and our world are little different in the qualities of humans.  The church is plagued today with messages of easy salvation and cheap grace.  Feel good messages and self-help sermons abound.  We don't experience transformation because the truth for the gospel is not being preached.  We turn to other sources for help, whether it be an entertaining distraction, a medication, a counselor, a chiropractor. None of these are bad.  They may well be gifts from God.  But when our faith does us no real good, then we do we have faith?  


John tells the church that the one who overcomes the world is the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 Jn. 5:5).  Do you have that kind of world conquering faith?  To read John today it seems clear that there are those with saving faith and those without it.  


"The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn't have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 Jn. 5:12-13)."


"We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him (Jesus keeps the believer), and the evil one does not touch him.We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one (1 Jn. 5:18-19)."


Who or what are you under?  The sway of the latest fad? Fears? Vanity? All this is limited and worthless compared to the Life God offers you in Jesus Christ.  All else is death.  


"I tell you the truth," Jesus told Nicodemus, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again (Jn. 3:3)."  Are you born of God?  Look at the evidence?  Is there transformation and freedom from sin?  Is there victory over temptations? Is there confidence before God?  If not, then come to Christ and receive Life.


The forgiveness of Israel prophesied by Micah, the hope in restoration as old by the chroniclers the kings of Judah...all has been leading up to this very moment...Jesus Christ saving your soul so that you might be born again.


Father God, I pray for the one reading this prayer.  Open their heart even now to trust in Jesus, the Son of God, as their Savior.  Help them experience Your mercy and forgiveness, no matter what they done.  Fill them with Your love through the Holy Spirit. And transform them giving tome grace to face the world unafraid.  Enable them to live without sin through Your power. In the victorious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen!