2 Chron. 24-26
I see a pattern here…all three of these kings – father, son, and grandson – started strong but finished weak. We humans seem to have trouble sticking to the right path with consistency. What was the downfall of each of these kings, and how can I learn from them?
- Joash did well as long as he was under the influence of Jehoiada. But, “after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them.” (2 Chron 24:17). Wait…were these the same princes of the land that came so joyfully to give so abundantly toward the restoration of the House of the LORD? And then they influenced Joash to abandon it? Perhaps they were more excited about the dwelling itself than they were about its inhabitant. Much like the Pharisees, who loved their laws and their religion but failed to love God. Whatever the case, it seems that the people wanted something “more” and turned to the Asherim and the idols. And Joash went right along with them. So from Joash I see that those we allow to be in a place of influence in our lives matters. If we want to follow God, we need to go with those who follow God. Or at least not go with those who don’t.
- Amaziah started out humble, obediently taking counsel from the prophet God sent him. He made a similar mistake to that of Jehoshaphat, joining forces with Israel by hiring some of their men to help him in battle. However, when confronted by the prophet, he willingly turned away from his mistake and accepted the consequences of it. Amaziah did the right thing, and God granted him the victory, though people died because of his mistake. But something changed after his victory. Rather than sticking with the God who granted him the victory, he took in the so-called ‘gods’ of those whom he had conquered! Foolishness!! But this time, when a prophet from God confronted him on the issue, he got angry and refused to listen, instead taking poor counsel from others that led to destruction. Did the victory God granted stoke his pride to take over his heart? I can’t say for sure, but I know the feeling of basking in a victory, and I know the power of pride to take hold of a human heart. And so from Amaziah I see my need to attribute my victories to God, boasting in Him alone, so that I remain humble and willing to listen to good counsel and reject bad.
- As for Uzziah, “he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.” (2 Chron 26:5). “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction.” (2 Chron 26:16a). Boy, those mountaintops are exhilarating, aren’t they? We seek God, we grow strong and prosper, we look and see where we have come and what we have achieved, and we forget that it was God who accomplished it all. And we foolishly over-estimate our own importance. Uzziah, like his predecessors, was unfaithful to the LORD, but not in the same way. At least not on the surface. His act of unfaithfulness actually involved an act of worship to God! He wanted to burn incense to the LROD, but it was not his place to do so. In his pride, he thought he could do things his way and God would honor it. God put him in his place with leprosy which, ironically, prevented him from ever entering the house of the LORD again. So from Uzziah I see that my own pride can be the idol that turns my heart from God.
Seek God and His good counsel. Follow after Him alone. Attribute to God what is His, acknowledging that He gives what is good because He is good, not because I am good. And keep my heart humble, allowing God alone to fill it. Let me learn from the mistakes of others, and turn from my own mistakes, that I might love God with my whole heart.
2 Cor. 11:1-15
And again, we see the importance of who we listen to and allow to influence us. We must measure all things against God’s truth. Paul presented the plain and simple truth to the Corinthians, and they accepted it. But some were being led astray by those who attempted to discredit Paul and, thus, his teaching. I know that the issue of men who are “false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Cor 11:13) is one that is still very relevant. So how do we recognize them and discern the truth form the lie?
Paul was evidently not an eloquent speaker, but truth doesn’t lie in eloquence. I guess that was good for us, as we ended up with his letters. And one thing I see from his own pleas to the people of the Corinthian church is that we need to, as far as we are able, determine the motives of those who present us with what they are passing off as “truth”. For Paul, it was very obviously a labor of love – love for God and for those whom he presented, in his words, “as a pure virgin to Christ.” (vs 2b). He was not in it for the money or to make a name for himself. He was not in it to amass his own following, but to amass a following for Christ. I think we should be able to say the same of those we allow to influence our beliefs.
Also, Paul was qualified, in spite of his lack of eloquence. He knew what he was talking about. And we now have his writings, along with the rest of God’s work, with which to measure the words and teachings of others. True, we need to be open to the possibility of our own misunderstandings, but if anyone teaches a different spirit, a different Jesus, or a different gospel from the one Paul preached to the Corinthians (and to us), we would be wise to reject it in every way.