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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
2 Kings 11-12
Interesting, how Athaliah cried, “Treason! Treason!” when Jehoiada pronounced Joash as king. Joash, not Athaliah, was the rightful heir to the throne. Which means it was Athaliah who actually committed the treason. This is a great example of the human tendency to see our own faults in others, whether it exists in them or not. Also, as with Athaliah, there is something about positions of power that seems to intensify this tendency.
Jesus clearly understood this aspect of human nature. In His Sermon on the Mount He asked, “Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?” (Matt. 7:3). He then instructed us to do things differently. Instead of doing things the human way, we should examine ourselves first before attempting to examine others. That is how we transform harmful judgment into helpful discernment. It is part of the process of putting the flesh to death so that God’s Spirit can live and thrive in us.
2 Kings 13
Jehu had zeal for the LORD. His son, Jehoahaz, sought the LORD’s favor. And His son, Jehoash, wept over God’s servant, Elisha. All three kings received God’s mercy. Yet this historical record of Kings notes all three as doing evil in the LORD’s sight. This takes my mind to the book of Revelation and Jesus’ letters to the seven churches. Jesus chided some of those churches for being lukewarm, losing their first love, and tolerating evil. Like those churches, these three kings of Israel served God with a divided heart. Can a person serve God with a divided heart and still receive His salvation? Because salvation is dependent on Jesus’ righteousness and not our own, and because I see God’s mercy for these three kings, I have to say the answer is, “possibly”.
I think the greater point to ponder, however, is what I just mentioned above. Rather than judging the actions and lives of these men, I need to let the divided hearts I see in them cause me to examine my own heart. Whether they are ultimately saved or not is not mine to judge. What I need to do is face the harsh truth that we all live and serve with divided hearts to some degree. I need to know and understand the consequences of living with a divided heart. And I need to pray for the desire to seek God wholeheartedly, knowing that when I delight in Him He will give me that desire. (See Ps. 37:4).